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Comments
Starting to get to be time to place your bets.
They had some well documented issues from the series 2 2.5, head gaskets, piston slap, etc. The engines, in general have more NVH than a Honda or Toyota.
Our 2005 base Legacy wagon has been pretty much flawless for 55k, starting to look at new front brakes, that's about it. We went full bore and put snow tires on it this winter, the car was phenomenal. Two transplants from the central coast of CA faced with SE Michigan winters like all the help they can get.
The 165 hp 4 cylinder is a little pokey, not exactly underpowered, but its not gonna set anything on fire, and that is with the manual (although if they had done 3rd gear a little better, the situation might be improved). Our biggest regret with the car is not getting a higher model with a sunroof (and maybe a turbo).
If I trusted VW more they'd be inconsideration.
If you're considering a Sonata, why not take a look at the Kia Optima? Same engine and transmission, but I suspect the Optima could be had for a bit less money.
The local Kia buy is a real pain to deal with. I had an Optoma rental a generation back and it was a pretty OK car.
My only real complaint about the Impala (and the W-body LaCrosse) is that if you're tall and have to put the front seat all the way back, the rear seat pretty much becomes non-existent. Not a big deal though, if you don't regularly carry passengers in the back. And I don't think Fezo's 6'3" like me, so a car like that might work out fine.
It's really not that often I have more than one person in the back seat of the car anymore, anyway, so when I was looking for a used car after my Intrepid bought it, I wasn't opposed to the idea of an Impala. Used, they ARE a lot of car for the money. I am glad I stumbled across my Park Ave, though.
I've essentially tossed the choices over to the Mrs as she'll be driving it. The Mazda is the slight favorite at the moment. An 07 certified Camry XLE has entered the picture. We should know tomorrow.
I have a co-worker who bought one of these about a year ago; he owned a late 90's Saturn coupe for many years, but recently got married so needed a more "grown up" car, I suppose.
His is a 4-cyl, but loaded.
The Subaru is moving up to the front but I have to find some things out. The ad says it's a Limited but it's not. I've managed to confirm that. No Problem. Can anyone see a sunroof from the pictures? I figure if they can screw up listing it as a Limited they could screw up the sunroof. Its' a long trip so i want to be sure. Otherwise the Mazda moves up.
Nothing else is close on Subie front. All much pricier.
Bummer about the Subie you were looking at not having one, however. But, you want what you want, so you keep looking.
Hope the search ends on a positive note. I don't see anything wrong with the '07 Camry XLE .. any pictures or a link to share?
The used car manager is an old cohort from these boards.
I know who you're talking about now ... used to live in Florida, IIRC.
Is that cloth? I thought the XLE's all came with leather, but I'm not up to speed on Toyota options.
Not sure how I feel about that light colored wood-like substance on the dash, but again, that's a personal preference.
Going to look at this in the morning but I'm thinking he's $3 - 4K over what it's worth.
at least the sube is close by to you. Does your wife even like it? I almost got a 2005 new, and do remember it was "cozier" inside then my Accord that I ended up with.
certainly a much different drive than the Camry. And probably a bit overpriced, but nice low miles. That car, with incentives, probably sold for about 20K new.
I will guess that your wife will like the Camry overall better, and that is without even knowing her!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Also, for the money,even with $1000 off a Yaris, I think I'd rather have a Versa (larger, more room, more power) if I were to buy a bottom-rung new vehicle.
One would really have to be obsessed with having a new car to lay down 15K on a Yaris. 0% is cool, but still.
Off we go!
Of course, it doesn't quite have the 'cool factor' of, at least, the 4Runner. Going from a Civic to a 4Runner is quite a change, though, not to mention financially (I'm guessing that's why your wife may be lookin' at you funny). Average 4Runner is probably, what, about $30k? But, yes, Civics do sit low, so you have a valid argument there.
The Legacy we tried was too noisy for what would be my wife's work car. Noisier than the ancient Accord.
He's also answered the question of what happens if my daughter can't manage a stick - he's got a 98 Camry with a bunch of miles that I could trade with some cash. A good deal there to be had.
So my big change has been instead of my daughter driving a Camry and my wife driving an Accord now my daughter will drive an Accord while my wife drives a Camry.
More later. I'm still at the dealership.
How about something that looks perfectly respectable, for only $1,200? heck, in NJ with 21 months of inspection left, anything that runs is worth this much. Since you could (if you were the type!) drive it that long without ever registering it.
http://torchlightmotors.com/inventory_detail.html?vin=3VWFA81H4TM023418
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
If yes, at least make sure the clutch is OK (especially at 179k, it's probably going to need its second replacement), cuz unless you do it yourself, that's generally a $500-600-ish job, if not more, which would kinda ruin the value-equation. Same for bad belts, trans, brakes, blah, blah....you know the drill. Also, if the door handles are as faulty/breakable/dysfunctional (from inside AND out) as the previous generation's, you'll need a therapist and drugs to keep you from shooting that rig or anyone nearby, seriously.
Actually I am glad he showed that one. It's got me thinking that in a year or so when I pay off the Ody I may start hunting down a nice Volvo wagon from that guy. For what we need anymore a wagon is fine. If I need a van that badly I'll rent one short term - but we're talking a year from now.
The Mrs loves the Camry as do the younger kids. I might never have used this but in the XLE since the back seats recline they do not fold forward. My thought when I realized that is that we have two vehicles that provide space for big stuff like that. Nota big deal - and teh toys it comes with are way fun.
I wasn't really in the market for the VW (I was looking at the supply of Volvos at that place to see if anything interesting popped up), and I recalled the r3ecent discussion about trying to get something usable for 2K or less.
But, if I needed really cheap wheels quick, I would certainly take a look. Probably a great station car.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I don't see that he has anything ready to roll at the moment which is fine since I'm not ready to do anything. He's still got the ad up for that wagon which is like teasing us.
The only thing I really didn't like about it was the somewhat bouncy ride. Kinda makes me think of my Park Ave.
I was just talking to the wife about a better autoX car. Although the 2.0 might kill it. Have to do some research.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Anyone know if the '96 2.0 is a 16v or 8v? That seems to be the deciding factor on what class it runs in. Wiki says it is 16v, but posts I'm finding online say different.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
but, that car has the 8 valve for sure. The 16V was only going in the hot rod models at that point.
Could be fun, going around the track like a dog visiting a fire hydrant.
Also could be a nice replacement for the benz. Still german. Just cheaper, and with a stick.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
Not long after we got our VW New Beetle in '98, it had to go into the dealer for service (shocking!). For the loaner car, I got a VR6-equipped Golf.
Oh, man, what a sweet motor that is. Turbine smooth, and, compared to what I was driving at the time (aforementioned NB with a stick and a '98 Expedition with the 4.6L V8), it was plenty fast.
Always wanted to get one of them at some point.
The 16V 4 banger in the GTI made, I think, 139HP - which was a lot for the time. Now pedestrian Civics crank out that much HP.
Well, the rental car has been returned and my daughter has successfully moved into the world of stick shift drivers. I'm back in the Celica.
All I need now is for the insurance check to come through.
I will admit, though, at looking through AutoTrader within a hundred miles of me, prices were all over the place ($12990 for a 2000 Ultra, miles unlisted, ironically, to $3495 for a '99 Ultra with 205758 miles), with most being in the $6-9k range (I searched '99-01s) with ~100k and the majority being NON-Ultras, so I could be off-base on the above opinion/assessment. I did see quite a few with more than 150k, so longevity looks to be on your side, Andre (I think we knew that about 3.8s in general, though). Couple of stand-outs: 2000 Ultra, black/tan leather, roof, 97.7k, $6995; '99 non-Ultra, tasteful dark blue with minty-looking gray leather, 70k, $6100. Of course, in the case of that Ultra in particular, 40k+ miles is probably worth the extra two grand, so like I said, I could be wrong. :confuse:
But, using the $7500 I paid as a benchmark, for a 2000 Ultra, I don't think I'd go more than $6000, for that similar 1999. If the seat was in better shape I'd maybe go $6500. Plus, I don't think that '99 has the HUD. At least, the overhead console has fewer buttons than what mine does, so it's missing something. And that's where the HUD controls are. And I think the HUD is pretty cool, even if it spells "Gauges" wrong. :shades:
....at this point the question may be premature (my check came, car is going into the shop tomorrow), but I have the sneaking suspicion repairing my old 528e is going to cost more than it's worth to fix (needs trans work and/or replacement, and in any case, I've basically put a cap of $1000 on repairs; it's not worth putting more into it). Thus, I've been sniffing around for possible replacements (and given the glut of BHPH lots around here, may hit a few, IFF I find something I like AND it's reasonable). And, Lemko, that super-practical, copper '73 Brougham appears to be gone now, dammit
Needs/wants/limits:
under $5000
four doors and/or wagon or hatchback
small to midsize (nothing smaller than, say, a Civic--and even that is a push, I'm 6'0", 200+ and getting old and creaky--nothing larger than a Taurus);
reasonably comfortable, economical (both to fix and to feed);
not a pig to park or drive in the city, but not an awful buzz-box on the highway;
NO vans, SUVs or pickups
Top contenders, off the top of my head:
98-01 Nissan Altima (or its close cousin, Infiniti G20);
97-02 Buick Century/Regal (these are plentiful, reliable, cheap, if nothing else)
96+ Nissan Maxima/I-30 (I know little about their engines/trans/reliability);
Mazda Protege or 626, IF I can find a stick, though Mazda parts are $$;
Honda Accords, but as with everywhere else, they're often rusty, have 200k+ miles and still cost $4k for one that's 10+ years old;
I've heard mostly bad things about Tauruses/Sables, though their prices are tempting versus their age (negated by trans or head gasket replacement).
I'm not totally against European cars, but they're not at the top of my list: how are first-gen Volvo S40s, for example (I know it's basically a Mitsu, but fit most of my requirements, and are cheap)? S80s, out of the question, too much car for me. SAAB 900s/9-3s after, say, 1997-ish (NO V6s, and leary of automatics, though their sticks aren't the greatest), possibly. I guess I wouldn't shy away from certain BMWs or MBs, but I don't like most from the '90s, too complex. I'd prolly go older if I found the right convertible, though (that's my only exception to the 'no coupes' rule).
I hate Sentras; don't know why, and most I see aren't all that cheap, though the more recent ones seem relatively more reasonable (I still see mid-90s rustbuckets for $2k). Obviously I'm not totally against 'older' cars, but if I'm paying a bit more money, I'd like one built after my 25th birthday, for once, at least. Guess I could consider Saturns (stick ONLY) or Hyundais, with little enthusiasm, though.
I was just informed that a friend of mine may be selling (and I don't know for how much) his black-on-tan 5-door '98 SAAB 900SE (turbo, stick) w/under 90k. I know the car well, it's well-maintained, I helped him pick it out in 2002 when it had a lil over 50k, so it's not driven much. Hmmmm.
I'm almost 41 (and Happy Almost 40 to you, Andre!!! ), so insurance cost is not much of an issue, though clearly, a Civic will cost more than a Regal to insure.