Help Me Make A Car Shopping List

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Originally Posted By: browning300wsm
buy a jeep wrangler made in the USA
I can't believe I forgot about the wrangler! It's definitely on the search list now.
 
Wrangler's have the least depreciation of any American made vehicle I can think of. It amazes me.

'97's-98's(first year of re-introduced round headlights) with 200k miles still go for close to 5 grand.

Good luck finding one that's not a total beater in the 2-3G range you're looking at.
 
Originally Posted By: calvin1
I'm going to beat my head chasing E34s for a week or two

Don't like the E39? You could get a late '90s 540i manual for about $4-5K.

Here's one from 2000... slightly over your budget, but again, that's just asking price...

link

Typically, I would not recommend an older BMW to anyone, but if you're a DIY'er, it can be a nice project car. You need to keep on top of all the maintenance and be very proactive about things like regular cooling system overhauls.

Mine costed me somewhere around $10K in maintenance and repairs for the past 4 years (so about $2.5K per year average), but that's because I typically let someone else do the labor. I only do basic maintenance on my own.

With that said, I think there are a number of other fun cars to consider that would cost less to maintain. BMWs are fun when they're new and under warranty.
 
Originally Posted By: DT466E_bus
SAABS=trouble.
Stay away!


Really... Is this from personal experience. Another misinformed post. I have 2 right now and have owned 4 over time. Maint is the key to any Euro car. They have been just as reliable or better then the Hondas that I have owned.
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Whoops, I almost left this thread hanging! I hate when other people do that.

I picked up my new baby - a '94 530i - in Des Moines Saturday. It has 146k miles and is still in great shape. The driver's computer more than makes up for no OBD2 and hence no ScanGaugeII or UltraGauge. Besides, I can read codes with the key and three pumps of the gas pedal. It has a 5 speed manual, traction control, auto climate, analog car phone (LOL!), seat heaters plus lot of other toys that were probably pretty cool in 1994.
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It has two issues that need attention ASAP: a coolant leak into the engine valley and a bad passenger side valve cover gasket. I have the parts on order for both jobs and hope to do them together. It also has an intermittent intake leak that acts up when it's cold that also gets done with the other two jobs below it. It's kind of the beast to have problems that all get addressed with one game of engine-bay Tetris.

I also have three bottles of Auto-Rx coming. For extra BITOG cred' I plan to do an Auto-Rx before and after photo shoot. I'll shoot the right side valve train now since it's in bad shape and the driver's side when I get to it later after two clean/rinse cycles. The PO posted it for $2,500 but agreed to take $2,000 for it. WOOT!

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mmmm, love them round headlights
 
Cool! Kinda hard to tell by the pic, but she looks pretty darn good for $2000.

When you get a chance, run her through the wash and post up some more pics. Interior too, please.

Any rust?
 
Originally Posted By: meangreen01
Cool! Kinda hard to tell by the pic, but she looks pretty darn good for $2000.

When you get a chance, run her through the wash and post up some more pics. Interior too, please.

Any rust?


LOL, yeah the guys on one of the enthusiast boards just couldn't wait for the weather to break for pics.
 
I see that durablity and reliabitly aren't on your list which is maybe why you left toyota and honda out. Of all the cars you have listed they all look like trouble to me...but then again, maybe they would be perfect for a DIYer.
 
Originally Posted By: jds14
I see that durablity and reliabitly aren't on your list which is maybe why you left toyota and honda out. Of all the cars you have listed they all look like trouble to me...but then again, maybe they would be perfect for a DIYer.
Reliability isn't binary. I'm willing to sacrifice some level of reliability to get a car that has other attributes that are also important to me. I'd rather drive a car with character if it means doing some tinkering every so often than an A-to-B transport appliance that just works.


Here are the valve train pics. The bad news is that the driver's side also showed signs of leaking so I did its gaskets as well and won't be reopening the covers again unless absolutely necessary. This means no AutoRx before/after expose, sorry. FedEx just handed me the AutoRx while I was typing this so it gets added to the 8qts PYB 10w40 that went in Saturday. These pictures are surprisingly boring. Besides just a hint of varnish - more on the shelf by the timing chain - there is nothing to see here. I didn't do any kind of cleaning before these were taken. Before closing it back up I just wiped the sealing surfaces on the cover and head with some brake cleaner and again with a dry cloth. These are all from the passenger side but the driver side looked the same or better. On the downside the coolant leak is another story that a new water pump hasn't completely addressed.


(click for full size)














EDIT: I don't really know the history of this engine but if the sticker left on the windshield from the PO is any indication it lived its life on quick lube 5w30 3,000 miles at a time. That weight isn't really ideal for this car and they weren't using the right filter but it doesn't seem to have made much difference. The switch to PYB 10w40 gave it a loud whine from the valve train over 3k RPM for the first day but has since quieted down to nothing.
 
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Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Nice car, its a manual too I assume? The rwd will be fun in the snow with some decent tires too.
Yes, it's a 5 speed. The all-seasons that are on it are terrible on ice but not too bad if there's a nap of snow. The towns around here are in the habit of plowing without salting/sanding because of budget problems which leaves a nice polished ice pack on the roads
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. I wish they would just do nothing; that would be easier to drive on. I carry chains in case it gets too crazy but haven't had to use them yet. It has TC which helps A LOT with getting moving but reacts too slowly over about 25MPH, not that I expect it to change the laws of physics or anything. Secretly switching the TC off in parking lots is great fun, hearing the symphony of SWMBO's howls mixed with the kids' cheers.
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So far I've found the oversteer to be quite controllable and predictable.
 
My SWMBO has the same reaction to my parking lot antics as well... It's practice, really!
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My Tracker actually has good weight distribution as well and its great in the snow in rwd mode. You just have to watch getting caught having to back up a slight hill in the snow, other than that its good for anything but steep hills.
 
Here's a mini autorx update. I dumped the clean phase yesterday after 2500 miles. I'm following leak-stop 2500>3000 directions. The filter had no visible debris in the pleats but considering how clean the valve trains were that doesn't surprise me. Measurable consumption has stopped but there are still drips from the rear main. Overall, nothing amazing but there wasn't much for auto-rx to accomplish here in the first place.
 
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