lets talk cars

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Dakota1820

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so in February i will be buying a different car. I will be spending between 3000-3800. my wife wants to keep my saturn because she likes it. i will also have the truck as a backup/ when needed vehicle. i also like to take it out on those stressful days and shift her through the gears and hear the little small block sing
smile.gif
its a good stress relief. but i am going to be getting a newer car. i have put a lot of thought into what type of vehicle van,car and suv. i believe i do want to stick with a car. or a wagon. so here is what i want to do with this thread. not just help me but anyone who reads this. recommend any small to midsize car you think its a good car to look at. maybe some experience with it or common issues. i strongly prefer stick shifts to. i want to know that whatever i buy i make an intelligent decision and know as much as i can. that's why i am thinking in advance. i hope this thread turns into something good and positive. thanks guys. your all the best.
 
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
so in February i will be buying a different car. I will be spending between 3000-3800. my wife wants to keep my saturn because she likes it. i will also have the truck as a backup/ when needed vehicle. i also like to take it out on those stressful days and shift her through the gears and hear the little small block sing
smile.gif
its a good stress relief. but i am going to be getting a newer car. i have put a lot of thought into what type of vehicle van,car and suv. i believe i do want to stick with a car. or a wagon. so here is what i want to do with this thread. not just help me but anyone who reads this. recommend any small to midsize car you think its a good car to look at. maybe some experience with it or common issues. i strongly prefer stick shifts to. i want to know that whatever i buy i make an intelligent decision and know as much as i can. that's why i am thinking in advance. i hope this thread turns into something good and positive. thanks guys. your all the best.

-elantra GT (hatchback); t-belt at 60k/5 years; check the backseat clearance because of carseats
-ford focus wagon; stick are rare; check back seat for carseat space
-saturn wagons? (sw1/sw2); others might chime in...
-saturn lw300 (i think only automatics)
-volvo v70R?
 
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Obviously everyone will be talking up his/her own book here.


E36 BMW would fit the bill nicely. Good luck in finding a stick in any car, they are hard to find!
 
Originally Posted By: crw
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Obviously everyone will be talking up his/her own book here.


E36 BMW would fit the bill nicely. Good luck in finding a stick in any car, they are hard to find!


I might say that too, but it isn't that easy to find a good e36 for the money the OP is talking about spending, although 5 spds are pretty common in these cars.
An e36 also has the interior room of a similar vintage Civic, so may not fit the OP's requirements.
OTOH, these seem to be reliable and durable old cars, but they're all pretty old now.
 
There are a lot of things to consider, one is the ease of DIY. Comparing my 2 cars..There's millions of 02-08 range Toyoats out there. Real easy to work on. Everything has a drain, everything is 4 qts lol. The grand prix on the other hand..sigh. everything's a PIA. Power steering reservoir is down the bottom of the engine near the crash wall, no tranny drian plug just for starters..
 
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
one of the requirements should be afford to fix. and not impossible to work on.

what cars/wagons you most see on the roads around you?
what cars/wagons your wife most see on the roads around?
 
I will definitely give Fords a look as a used car in the future. They all are good looking and appear to be very well designed. Not sure how far back that goes. Never heard one complaint about the fusion. Decent looking, worth a look. They should be affordable
 
I just got an 03 Focus ZX5 for $3600. Original owner and all service records. There is good room in the engine bay and parts are plentiful and cheap.
I couldn't find any major problems with this car. Only time will tell how well it will hold up, but so far I'm happy for the purchase.
 
My Saturn Ion has been a great car. Great mileage,power and reliability. Still looks brand new too at 80K, not a scratch. Any of the Ecotec cars are pretty reliable and most were available in 5 speed.
 
Grand am or ford Taurus. Lower intake on the grand am and depending on the Taurus years, the tranny needs rebuilt around 150k unless the owner changed the fluid.
 
chevy Aveo is a good little eco-tec engined car. also for a larger car, you can always find pontiac grand prix's for a good price. its tough to beat a 3800 series gm v6 they run forever and return good fuel economy.
 
Ford Focus.

We had no problem fitting the kids in the back of it when my wife was driving it. Was good on gas, reliable...etc.
 
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
focus would be alright. dont they have valve guide issues


No........ The Zetech sometimes had noisy buckets, and avoid the SOHC engine (duratech or Zetech FTW). They are excellent cars.
 
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
yea the ecotec isnt bad. to bad they put it in a lot of uhhh type cars. lol


That type of car tends to be easy to care for though and you will find them in decent condition in your price range.

Something like an Ecotec Grand Am would be a comfortable, reliable DD that would probably last for years. Since resale is poor, you can probably get one in your price range that's in really good shape. It will get better gas mileage than the V6 only Taurus and probably fewer issues than a Stratus of that era.

Also, look at Ecotec Malibus/Malibu Classics. They are really plain cars, but that's why you should look at them in your price range. They are a reliable car with poor resale.
 
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