Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire "Sleeper" of a reliable used car?

Pontiac Vibe

Geo Prizm

Kia Elantra

Big old Buicks/Pontiacs

1/2 ton regular cab work trucks

I've been told you don't wanna mess with a Dodge owner. He's already mad...

DF

x2 I had a Ford Tortus that hit 23 miles/gal all day long, minimal maintenance and was a very good value. For certain it helped me get on track financially after making some poor decisions earlier in life. I got into that car, paid it off quick and did regular maintenance on it.

Not flashy though, won't be a babe magnet.

I have a dodge neon for a gas meizer.... As much as I hate to say it. The dang car won't die.

Follically Challenged;
I trust that besides your current automotive quest that all else is going acceptably well for you and yours.

While I can't say with certainty if the following would follow in the US as it does in Canada, this is what we've found.

Parts for Honda Civics, Toyota Corollas and VW Golf/Jetta series of cars are typically available in much less expensive aftermarket parts stores. Our mechanic for all cars not VW said this is because those body styles are so universal in nature that makes it economically viable for parts makers to do that. The VW mechanic also concurred.

For instance when we did the front brakes on the '90 Jetta that our 17 year old drives, it was $25 to turn the rotors and $21 for new ones made in either Italy or Serbia.

Our older Jetta is remarkably easy to work on in that most of it is assembled in an intuitive manner. Any VW product made much after '90 might give electrical problems, but then again it might not. It seems about 25% of the owners I talk to say some electrical issues do pop up after a lot of miles.

Our 2005 Corolla is less easy to work on compared to the Jetta, though still not entirely ridiculous to work on like for instance our '99 F150 typically was.

We were a Ford pickup family until that rig was purchased and it may well be a long time before another Blue Oval Cash Reduction Plan vehicle is parked in any of our driveways.

A co-manager at our work has a '05 or so Civic and it's given him no problems whatsoever.

Others have mentioned the late '90's series GM Lumina line with the 3.8 and I'll say that besides the usual alternator and intake manifold issues with them, from those we've seen they are a great car.

Hyundai products are gaining a much better reputation on this side of the medicine line, but still typically don't command the resale values that Honda and Toyota do.

Some folks mentioned the Suzuki Tracker series vehicles and they have a very big following up in our part of the world, so much so that clean ones are both hard to come by and costly. They do run next to forever though and the Suzuki engines are very easy to work on.

If the car's motor is equipped with a timing belt, that's of course something to look at right away. I'd likely bank on doing the plugs and serpentine belt too unless you can see it's in good shape.

Hopefully that was some use to you sir, good luck whichever way you decide and all the best to you and yours in the upcoming week.

Regards,
Dwayne - another 'Fire member who's "folically challenged"

PS;
The Vibe/Matrix shares some parts with the Corolla as well, not sure how many though.

I would definetly look at the vibe. We have had one for 5 years, 130,000 miles. No complaints. I know 3 other people who have them. 2 still have them and love them. The one that got rid of their's, regrets it. Good forum on them to learn about repairs, issues, etc at genvibe dot com.

A used, low mile Honda CRV is not sexy, but is very reliable and functional. You can find a 1999-2001 for around $5K. Get the automatic. They'll give 26 mpg on the highway. Get AWD. They need a timing belt every 90K miles, but they are very reliable.

My .02 worth.

Anything with the 3.8 for that matter. I had a Buick regal. It was a reliable rocket.

Anything Toyota would be what you want.

I just went through this last year, trying to find a car for my 14 year old daughter. I like late 90s - early 2000s buicks or Impalas. Typically the only weak spot on their V-6s are the intake manifold gaskets. Fix them before they fail and all is well.
I also like late 90s - early 2000s Taurus. Well maintained and driven sanely they are also reliable rides. Water pumps on the Vulcans can be a pain, otherwise it's a good runner. The DOHC V-6s run strong and don't have too many weaknesses. Around my neck of the woods a guy can pick up a choice used Taurus in the $1500 - $3000 range and have a decent ride. Like any car, check the tranny fluid. If it is clean and not burnt you are probably ok.
I also looked at Toyota Camrys and Corollas as they have decent reputations. Not a lot to be had in my area, however.
I love Ford Escorts but the wife and I wanted a larger car for safety so that was not considered.
I ended up picking up a loaded 1999 Taurus Se with the DOHC V-6, climate control, power seat, 6-disc CD changer, auto head lamps, etc. It had just over 100,000 miles on it and cost me $1900. I changed the water pump, radiator hoses, and cleaned the radiator. Parts cost me $70 and labor was mine so cost me nothing. It runs like a striped-assed ape and gets upper 20s for gas milage, tickling 30 if we feather foot it. Very comfortable to ride in and looks halfway decent for a family sedan. My kid loves it so that's a bonus.



Even had the original window sticker in the glovebox:

Good suggestions - especially the Vibes and Prizms, but stay the hell away from the Suzuki sidekicks. They are an absolute deathtrap. I wouldn't put my in-laws in one...

Honda's fit the bill, IMO. I have a 1994 Honda Accord with over 200K on the clock. It's been very reliable with only general maintenance (fluids, timing belt, etc.) and gets good gas mileage. I use it now as my airport car, but my oldest will likely get it when she turns 16. Good luck!

2000 or so LeSabre

3.8 and rock on

Nissan Maxima, Murano, or Pathfinders are very reliable. They are very inexpensive as well. In 2008, I bought a 2005 Nissan Murano SL AWD model that was fully loaded with leather, sunroof, etc... for $12000. They depreciate quickly, but run for ever it seems. I put 250,000 miles on it and then traded it in on a Toyota Tundra. There was nothing wrong with the vehicle when I traded it in back in Jan. of 2012. I also got $6000 for my trade which actually surprised the heck out of me.

The Vibes are awfully scarce around here, & they command strong prices when they do appear on the market. That's definitely a good sign for reliability. However, I doubt it will jive with the boy's budget.

I'm wondering if it would pay to find a seemingly sound car for the entire $2K budget, or to drop $750 to $1K on something needing an engine or tranny, using the rest of the budget to make it whole.

In a perfect world, he'd use the thing for Sr. year of HS, then all of college, then sell it for what he bought it for. I've heard such stories from others, & would love to be able to tell it for myself.

My last such experience, though, wasn't so rosy. $3300 for a sweet-running '94 Accord became another $1,500 for radiator, plugs/wires/cap/rotor, battery, muffler, & head gasket before the engine blew, anyway. I was hoping to get more than another 15,000 miles out of it. I did get $900 for it on the back end, however.

I'm diggin' the feedback - thanks to all!

FC

Agree, plus the 3100 motors were good (Chevy Lumina, Buick Century, etc.) Avoid the 3400's


I just changed jobs and for the next year have a ton of miles to drive, wanted to pick up some mpg and avoid racking up the miles. Found a 400.00 dollar Chevy Cavalier with a 160,xxx on the clock. Found some 90% tires on Craiqs list and changed all the fluids, plugs, cleaned the throttle body, etc. (Have 600.00 in it now). Put a few thousand miles on it and it's running great. 29-31 mpg as well


2nd Cavalier 2.2 I've owned over the years, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend one.

I looked for a 2wd Toyota extended cab pickup with a 22R and a 5 speed. Optional would be 4X4. The trucks last a long time, are relatively simple to work on and have good parts support. You can also dress them a little bit for pride of ownership. An alternative would be an older Honda CR-V.

That said, I got talked into a VW Jetta. They are good cars if you like wrenching on vehicles, otherwise I'd look at something different.

I'd go with that too. I've heard people rave about those 22R engines.

I'd never buy a German car for a kid. Too much power, not enough reliability.

Taurus, crown vic,or gran marquis, ranger 4cyl stick. All bullet proof. If the taurus is a consideration only the 3L OHV engine, steer clear of the OHC