I need to find a cheap car.

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Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
How about this?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/cto/5166835006.html


I'm curious as to why you choose such older vehicles?


Same here. Not really a fan of older vehicles, they don't have as much safety features and a car that old, probably most of them have already been to the crusher so you won't find too many junkyard parts. Do those cars have airbags? ABS? The latest cars of course will have traction control and stability control and even newer models will have backup cameras. Many stories of people accidentally running over their kids when backing up. For about the same money, you could probably get something about 10+ years newer. And I would prefer OBDII, lots of readers for it whereas OBDI was a bit more complex and didn't give out as much info. Also cars that old would have issues with rust and old wiring harnesses, the insulation still ages even if there aren't many miles. Same with rubber and other parts of the car. Plus how does the daughter feel about driving a car that old?

All good points but I don't want to pony up another 2000 dollars for a newer car. The Lesbre is much nicer and than The Kia she has now. OBD I in a GM car is much easier than an OBD II car. I have two OBD I readers. My 2002, 2000 and 2004 don't have back up cameras. I look before I back up. We don't have rust here. We don't salt the roads. Tons of pre 90's cars running around Wa because the climate is good for it.
 
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
About 3 years ago my wife and I adopted a little girl out of foster care(She was 1 and 1/2 when she came to live with us she is 7 now). Mom is in hospice, dad is in prison, sister knew she could not raise her. Sister was 19 at the time.
Ok
So we try our best to keep the sister and our daughter in contact. We make sure they see each other at least monthly and include her in some of the things we do. She is a good kid!

Cheers to you, Mike, you and your wife have done a great thing.
cheers3.gif



Originally Posted By: ls1mike
So BITOG of these two which would youo buy and why?

I would get the Buick. 3.8 is bulletproof and understressed in this trim, the Iron Puke not so much. MadRiver is right on the money with this recommendation. Most of the GM cars of that era have long rusted away in my neck of the woods, but during my frequent visits to Atlanta to visit family, there are many, many of them still on the roads.



Originally Posted By: Olas
As above, which ever car turns out cheaper to buy and fix is the one to buy.


So your advice is to buy the car that is cheapest to purchase and maintain? No kidding.
33.gif
 
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
IMO putting a transmission in the Kia would be a much better investment than buying a 25+ year old junker.

2000 bucks...plus a timing belt, wheel bearing, water pump and it runs rough. It is nowhere wear worth what she paid plus another 2500 bucks worth of work.
It isn't even clean. I can for the life of me figure out why she purchased it.
 
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
IMO putting a transmission in the Kia would be a much better investment than buying a 25+ year old junker.
+1. I am a big fan of the older GM cars - some of better stuff. But is this a Larger luxury kia? If so Id put a tranny in it if everything else is OK. She can also go to court on the "as Is" Kia. A small claims court will get your money back NP.
 
1996 or later, Saturn or Pontiac.
with less than 100K on the odometer...

They are cheap because people think you can't
get parts for them anymore...

I just sold a 98 with 98K for 2K...

ODB II readers are around $50...

I have an 02 Saturn SL2,
easy to fix, tons of parts in junkyards.

I get 40+ MPG highway, with a manual
Auto should be 30-35...
 
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I have been looking at them. Not as many for sale as I would have liked. There were a couple Grand Ams and one Grand prix.

I have a ton GM specific tools and two very nice ABS/OBD II code readers. Plus one GM specific scanner.

I am really leaning towards the Buick. It was smooth quiet, no leaks and shifted very nice. The plugs and wires are old and the belt looks original.
 
buick all the way. during katrina i helped a friend purchase a 91 lesabre with 350k on the odo, he ran it for another 10-15k or so before the tranny took a dump, ran it another 3k then the engine wiring harness decided to self combust. that said, buy the buick.
 
I have considered the Ford Taruas as well. I drove one close by but the tranmission was funky. I am not sure what years had the weak transmission. Maybe someone can chime in.
 
You can go over to Taurusclub.com and check there, but I believe it was the 2003+ that had the weak spline in the torque converter. It will have other normal issues, but parts are cheap and there's also lots of them in the junkyard, they also made lots of them back in the 2000's, they competed with Camry/Accord at the time. Getting 200k+ out of them is very possible.
 
Well we had an 89 LeSabre. Went over 260k before it was so rotted with rust it went to the junk yard in 2013. Never blew the transmission or the engine. Trick is to just keep them serviced conservatively. All it ever needed was a water pump and brakes as far as repairs (not including belts and hoses)

The 3.8 was a dynomite mill. All cast iron so you don't have to worry about head gaskets nearly as much. This is also pre plastic intake plenum so you don't have to worry about those either. Spark plugs are easy to change and things like a water pump take an hour with hand tools.
 
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