Opinions on various inexpensive cars

[dnastrau]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
The CB7 Accord may just be one of the most reliable cars ever.
But after 20 years?

who knows?

If I was willing to go that old, I'd probably look for a similar year Volvo 244. They are solid, the Aisin transmission is decent, and the B-redblock engine is as reliable as any other gas 4-cylinder ever made. With proper snow tires it should be quite good in the snow. (You'd think the Swedes would know a thing or two about winter driving) I may be weird but I think the composite headlamped 240s are quite attractive.

The powertrain on the earlier Olds should be fine. It's all the other stuff that breaks. all the switches in the interior, semi-sketchy alternator...etc...

I like the Lumina too. The alternator is as sketchy as the Olds' but it can be changed in like 10 minutes. And like you said, there is the intake manifold issue.

I'm going to second the Taurus, but it doesn't have to be a Duratec. The Vulcan is a good engine. A little underpowered but a very solid engine. Just check that transmission


I actually have a '91 Volvo 740 as our second car - it has been great. I would definitely look at a 240/740/940 non-turbo for my in-laws if a decent one turns up.

The Taurus is a frustrating one as I said before since there are a lot of clean ones out there - but the transmissions are suspect. On the Duratec vs. the Vulcan V6: The Vulcan actually looks like it is a lot easier to work on compared to the Duratec.

We will see how it goes this weekend in looking at these - cross your fingers!

 

[Tahoe4Life]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Go for the Accord. Reliable as water.


You will not find a good Accord for 2 thousand bucks. All you will find is high mileage neglected pieces of junk with lies from the previous owners on how well they took care of it.

I would try to find a nice take home P71 and call it a day otherwise you are going to end up with a big time money pit. We love our P71'S.

 

[dparm]

In that case, go for a Civic/Integra. Plenty of decent ones for $2000.

 

[Spazdog]

Maybe look into a Jeep Cherokee. I prefer the more AMC styled '96 and prior models. Later Chrysler interiors were suprisingly bland by comparison.

The 2.5 is slow and the A/C isn't very reliable but the motor itself is durable. I think they came with an A904 transmission which should be durable.

The 4.0 is quite a bit quicker. If she's doing her Little Old Lady From Pasadena impersonation she'll squash most Honda fanboys from stoplight to stoplight...not that she would. I'm just saying, if she needs to enter the freeway on a short entrance ramp, the 4.0 will do it.
IIRC, my mom's had an Aisin transmission

I've seen lots of Cherokees roll well past 300,000 miles

A full-time AWD Selec-trac Jeep Cherokee Country with a 4.0 will be pricey. But the less expensive 2WD or part time 4WD Sport and Laredo might fit the bill

 

[sciphi]

The Series II 3800's upper intake and lower intake gaskets can be fixed to bombproof condition with ~$300 in parts and a solid Saturday in the garage.

The earlier LN3 V6 is a very solid engine. It'll get about 20 mpg in all types of driving.

Either car is excellent in the snow. My friend referred to her old '89 Bonneville (same platform) as a tank in the snow, because it was. With snow tires on it didn't care, it just went/stopped/turned. My LeSabre (same platform as the '95 Olds) is also excellent in the snow, even with all-seasons. With snows it should be another tank.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: FORD4LIFE
I would try to find a nice take home P71 and call it a day otherwise you are going to end up with a big time money pit. We love our P71'S.



And that's nice that you love your P71's. Many folks realize that, and we're very happy for you.

But honestly, not everyone is in love with used cop cars. There's plenty of options of all types of cars out there.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: dparm
In that case, go for a Civic/Integra. Plenty of decent ones for $2000.


I've never seen a decent civic / integra for only $2000 unless it is a rolling shell.

 

[dnastrau]

Update...

Well, she drove the '89 Delta 88 and while it ran and rode well it had some issues (check engine light that the owner tried to fix with a new cam sensor but it didn't fix it), oil leaks and the doors were starting to rust out on the bottom. I did not see this one in person so I can't comment. It is still there if she changes her mind.

The '90 Honda was OK for its age but would immediately need a timing belt job (the accessory belts on the car looked original and were starting to shred.) The car may have 103K on it but the suspension was a bit noisy (probably needs bushings) and the engine didn't look like it got all that much maintenance. I felt that the seller (dealer) wants way too much at $2200. My MIL hated the motorized seatbelts anyway.

The other cars all turned out to be sold. I looked at a few more myself (mostly worn out and/or rusty junk) and have found "under $3000" to be a very tough price range nowadays.

I found a couple more that she is going to hopefully look at this week:

2003 Hyundai Elantra GLS. One owner with 130K on the clock. Dealer maintained since new with records. $2800 (private owner).

2001 Nissan Sentra GXE with 155K on the clock. $2500, looks clean in the photos (dealer).

I'd prefer a Honda or Toyota for her in the smaller class but did not find anything decent in that range (all worn out or riced up.)

Smaller seems to get you into younger wheels so that may be the way for her to go now. Their other car is an '04 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 so they can use that when they need more room. I suggested a Jeep Cherokee (as one other person did in this thread) or another Jeep GC but she wants a car. Hopefully something decent will turn up if these two don't pan out...

 

[meangreen01]

Originally Posted By: dnastrau
The other cars all turned out to be sold. I looked at a few more myself (mostly worn out and/or rusty junk) and have found "under $3000" to be a very tough price range nowadays.


Yeah, at two grand your going to have to expect some issues that will need addressing. Quite honestly, decent used cars that are somewhat newer(late 90's and up) that are in jump-in- and-go with no worries condition(ok miles, no cel, maintenance up to date, good body/interior) are going close to $5000 now after CFC.

The older you go, the harder it will be to find decent ones.

Are you mechanically capable? If so If so dont let a cel or belt issue scare you away. Those are faily simple issues to remedy yourself for cheap, and you might be able to get the car for a song.

I'd still look Taurus/Sable. Just find one with a replaced or maintained trans. Get the Duratech. Modern, aluminum, DOHC > old-school iron block Vulcan. 40 more HP and slightly better MPG, too. Comes in handy when you need it. Won't cost you any more money at this stage of the game.

 

[meangreen01]

The Elantra could be a winner. Might be able to work him down a bit more. Never hurts to try, lol. Looks to have had good maintenance which helps.

 

[Spazdog]

That Sentra doesn't sound too terrible.

I actually like that it's a GXE. She probably will too. My choice would have been the SE 2.0 but the GXE is better equipped than the XE model and not too underpowered.

But, you should be able to get into a KA24 powered Altima at that price.

Early KA24 Altimas had distributor issues. The dealer sells a factory replacement at a price that is competitive with A1-Cardone. That's how many of them were bad. And you'll want to hear it start-up stone cold. Neglected KA24s have cam chain tensioner problems. You'll hear it on a cold engine.
Other than that, the KA24 is solid.

 

[Cutehumor]

avoid the sentra if it has the 1.8L engine. it's a headgasket eater.

 

[dnastrau]

Originally Posted By: meangreen01
Originally Posted By: dnastrau
The other cars all turned out to be sold. I looked at a few more myself (mostly worn out and/or rusty junk) and have found "under $3000" to be a very tough price range nowadays.


Yeah, at two grand your going to have to expect some issues that will need addressing. Quite honestly, decent used cars that are somewhat newer(late 90's and up) that are in jump-in- and-go with no worries condition(ok miles, no cel, maintenance up to date, good body/interior) are going close to $5000 now after CFC.

The older you go, the harder it will be to find decent ones.

Are you mechanically capable? If so If so dont let a cel or belt issue scare you away. Those are faily simple issues to remedy yourself for cheap, and you might be able to get the car for a song.

I'd still look Taurus/Sable. Just find one with a replaced or maintained trans. Get the Duratech. Modern, aluminum, DOHC > old-school iron block Vulcan. 40 more HP and slightly better MPG, too. Comes in handy when you need it. Won't cost you any more money at this stage of the game.


Yes, C4C decimated the inexpensive used car market

I am very capable mechanically but just don't have the time to maintain/fix up another car - especially one that is an hour away. As you said, the Taurus/Sable would be OK if it were known that the trans was OK. If I find a good one for her that would be fine with me.

 

[dnastrau]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
That Sentra doesn't sound too terrible.

I actually like that it's a GXE. She probably will too. My choice would have been the SE 2.0 but the GXE is better equipped than the XE model and not too underpowered.

But, you should be able to get into a KA24 powered Altima at that price.

Early KA24 Altimas had distributor issues. The dealer sells a factory replacement at a price that is competitive with A1-Cardone. That's how many of them were bad. And you'll want to hear it start-up stone cold. Neglected KA24s have cam chain tensioner problems. You'll hear it on a cold engine.
Other than that, the KA24 is solid.



Overall I do like the Altimas better and they seem to have a good reputation. If one pops up I think it would be a good choice.

 

[dnastrau]

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
avoid the sentra if it has the 1.8L engine. it's a headgasket eater.


Thanks for the tip. I just looked this up and this is a real problem with these cars - and it happens to some examples multiple times. We may pass on that Sentra as it has the 1.8 unless there is proof that it was already fixed.

 

[Tahoe4Life]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04


But honestly, not everyone is in love with used cop cars. There's plenty of options of all types of cars out there.


That is true but as 100% expected he is finding nothing but junk [just as I said he would] for 2 thousand bucks so in this case would he not be better off finding a newer P71 that has been serviced and call it a day instead of running around looking at more junk as plans on doing?

I wish him luck in his search and hope he does not get a money pit. He might find what he is looking for if he is in the right place at the right time as anything is possible.

I have seen a lot of people buy 2 thousand dollar cars and six months later [or before] they are either sitting along 1-64 broken down or sitting in their driveway rendered useless.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: dnastrau

...As you said, the Taurus/Sable would be OK if it were known that the trans was OK. If I find a good one for her that would be fine with me.


I have not mentioned the Protegé or MX-6/626 because of the F4EAT/CD4E.

Good cars. Bad Ford transmissions.

The 200,000+mi Protegés and 626es I've seen have had manual transmissions.

I don't know why an Escort built on the same B-chassis with an engine that is inferior in hp,noise, vibration, and harshness can run on virtually the same transmission seemingly forever. Even the mechanically similar Kia Sephia's F4EAT seemed to outlast the rest of the car. It's like Ford was sabotaging Mazda with inferior transmissions.

 

[Hokiefyd]

The KA24E is a very solid engine. I had one in a Nissan truck, and even with the timing chain noise on a cold engine, it was one stout workhorse.

 

[dnastrau]

Originally Posted By: FORD4LIFE
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04


But honestly, not everyone is in love with used cop cars. There's plenty of options of all types of cars out there.


That is true but as 100% expected he is finding nothing but junk [just as I said he would] for 2 thousand bucks so in this case would he not be better off finding a newer P71 that has been serviced and call it a day instead of running around looking at more junk as plans on doing?

I wish him luck in his search and hope he does not get a money pit. He might find what he is looking for if he is in the right place at the right time as anything is possible.

I have seen a lot of people buy 2 thousand dollar cars and six months later [or before] they are either sitting along 1-64 broken down or sitting in their driveway rendered useless.


A Panther (CV/GM/LTC) of any type would be OK with me as well (barring any stripped spark plug or cracked intake manifold issues), but my MIL doesn't really want one because it is RWD. If a good one becomes available I will push for it anyhow.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: dnastrau


A Panther (CV/GM/LTC) of any type would be OK with me as well (barring any stripped spark plug or cracked intake manifold issues), but my MIL doesn't really want one because it is RWD. If a good one becomes available I will push for it anyhow.


That idea sounds good to me.