Another "What car should I buy?" thread
 

I want something that is about the size of a Passat, but not a Passat (due to an overwhelming response about the shitty quality)

What is a good deal for around 4k? Scoobies are great, but for around 4 grand, will have tons of miles.

I want something that I'll be able to sell in a year or two and not be out too much.

Cars, Wagons = good
SUVs, Minivans, Trucks = bad

Tell me what you'd get.

For a dd? Or a winter car? You can pick up an 850 turbo with five speed for around $2k and s70\'s go for around 3 to $4k. Don\'t be scared of high mileage examples. The only real common problems (besides the obvious) are motor mounts and strut mounts. Try to get one before 95 since the ball joints are integrated in the control arms in the earlier models. Also v6 a4\'s are pretty reliable as long as you get one with a five speed. Late saab 9-3\'s and 9-5\'s are in that price range but parts can get spendy. If you have time on your side: every so often you can find five speed t5 s60\'s in the 4k price range and they\'re worth every penny.

Vashthestampede recently picked up a Ford Taurus and I know he loves it. I would start there.

Daily that needs to work in the winter as well (2-3" snow max)

I'm really scared of a Taurus, I'm afraid the resale value will be nil.

the g rapist: I don't dig Saabs, but I'll definitely check out those vulvas.

Nor do I. They're just cheap, not honda slow, have timing chains, and are most bought by gays. Just be careful with awd volvo's. On the autos the axle boots can tear and fill the trans with cv grease. Seriously. Happened to my mom's xc. And the angle gear, haldex system, or drive shaft can get owned by the exhaust. As seen in the now fwd s60r I bought yesterday.

Think about it, anything that you buy for $4k if maintained in a reasonable fashion will still be worth about $4k a year later. It can't drop to nil in a year unless you do something to cause that.

Trudat.

Ford Focus 2003-2005 ZX5 5-door hatchback. Especially with the 2.3L.

The 2.3L makes it a lot faster than other econoboxes.
The 2.3L Duratec is a nicer motor than the SVT motor, very smooth and quiet, and can be modded to 150 whp easy. (~150 hp crank stock)

Available with a stick (rare tho)
Available as a wagon but you can't get those with a stick and I suspect the SVT suspension doesn't fit it.

With good tires, has very nice *quick*, feelsome steering.
With a $230 SVT suspension (springs, shocks, rear swaybar), it is surprisingly quick in the twisties. It feels light on its feet and has good grip. Wife's is a slushbox, yet it *throttle steers*!

The handling is better than the other "surprise econobox handler", the Protege5, feels lighter and is more neutral. Much better, gutsier, quieter motor too. The whole car is quieter.

Wife's now has 125k miles on it. Very nice to drive. Has been very reliable and very cheap to maintain, and the interior and paint are very durable. Not much has gone wrong and parts are cheap. Uses timing chain. Motor only consumes a quart between oil changes.

And now I officially don't like you.

"I'm driving the taurus cause I got it for $1700 last year around this time. I'm seriously thinking about trading it in for whatever they'll give me and getting a Subaru Legacy GT. I've been wanting one, but I dont want the payment."

https://www.miataturbo.net/insert-bs-here-4/dd-shut-off-traffic-again-%2A%25%5E-%7E-60513/

Nissan maxima's are cheap and fast. If you want a car you can just ignore and drive I would check them out.

a Lexus LS400

Care to elaborate as to why? (if you say you are selling one, I'll ban you myself)

if i was selling one i dont think you would like to drive 4000+ miles north to get it lol



from my experience with one during a few alaska winters with temps dropping to -50f and colder i have to say they are pretty rock solid and reliable

they are very comfortable cars, quiet, pretty well loaded as well. good smooth power even up to 150mph . the fuel economy i got was pretty reasonable as well out of the all aluminum 4.0 V8 .

you can pick them up for good prices now days as well

Unfortunately, in this area, all of the examples I can find have been turned into ghetto-sleds.


However, I just started looking at those SLAABS that were mentioned, and grap might be on to something. Crazy good prices on those things! I'll have to do some more research on them and their reliability...

Saabs aren't bad. They handle surprisingly well for heavy FWD sedans and most of the models have decent power. 2 big common problems I saw in the Saab community:

1. Interior electronics on the fritz. Data panels especially. Probably not as bad as some of the VW/Audi electronic issues, but similar -- might not strand you but it will drive you crazy.

2. Oil sludge in the turbo 4-cyl's. The 9-5's in particular seem to have an issue if a good synth isn't used and replaced on schedule. Some of the pics of sludge build up in the oil pan are epic. A few guys switched to synthetic without cleaning the pan first, and when the sludge worked its way up into the oil pickup, engine ist kaput. Wait for car with impeccable maintenance records.