New Daily Driver Advice Wanted
 

The 2001 Sentra SE is starting to get a bit haggard -- rattly, weak A/C, increasing oil consumption, iffy CV joints...nothing catastrophic, but enough that I'm looking at replacing it, if I can find something cheap.

This just popped up on the local CL a yesterday:

2009 V W Golf GTI - $4500

https://images.craigslist.org/00b0b_...x_1200x900.jpg

https://images.craigslist.org/01414_...B_1200x900.jpg

https://images.craigslist.org/00O0O_...6_1200x900.jpg

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I've done some prelim research, but the VWVortex forum isn't the easiest to find solid information on.

Any known issues or things I should be aware of? Thoughts or advice?

From my experience with the passat they can be hit or miss. Both sisters and all their friends had passats. A couple were great but some others had leaky sunroofs and heater problems as common issues. Even when i worked at a shop it seemed like some VW were great and others had a ton of issues just kind of a luck of the draw thing I guess.

The one above looks nice i would drive it. They drive nice and are good on gas and its not like this community cant fix stuff.

As I understand it, the switch from FSI to TSI was 2008.5, so this should be the TSI with a timing chain, correct?

Seems logical but i dont know enough about the newer ones to give a solid answer. all the ones i have had experience with were 2002-2008

Should I prepare for pain or ditch the '13 135i DCT? Only 28.5k miles at this point. At the current rate, I'm putting about 300 miles a month on it. It's going to the shop next week for the belt/tensioner and new plugs and a possible software update if it doesn't have the late '14 update.

They definitely have their issues, but I'd prefer a e90 (or 1-series if you must, just a squished e90) over any VW/audi/Nissan product. Don't get me wrong, they're good cars, and some people don't mind working on them, the mood around my shop is just "wtf VW/nissan, why would you do that" when we're working on them. Seem to have a lot of issues above the 60-90k range. OP, just saw your CL link was for 150k, jesus, no.

Just be prepared to properly take care of misfires. Do plugs first, then coils. Then if the misfire persists, injectors. BMW calls 1-2-3 bank 1, and 4-5-6 bank 2. You have to replace injectors a bank at a time, so a single misfire on a cylinder still requires 3 injectors, at $250 each. Make sure to drive the piss out of it to try to prevent carbon build up (a reason to avoid any DI engines). High Pressure Fuel Pumps can go out, other than that it's worn suspension components, plastic cooling components, oil filter housing gaskets, and valve cover gaskets. We've been seeing an increase in oil pan gasket on high mileage M/N5x motors too.

In general for BMWs, avoid anything but the 3-series, steer clear of X-drive models, and avoid turbos, and that list is in order of priority. Your 1 series is 90% of a e90, so you're ok on the first part.

I don't think there are many issues with the DCT, just keep up on 40-60k fluid changes (lifetime fluid my ass), including pan and mechatronic seals. I know the e90 m3 DCT's have a pan on the side that requires dropping the transmission to reseal, not sure about yours, we haven't seen a lot for major services yet. I'd be careful about software updates, we had one customer with an earlier 335 auto (non DCT) that started to have transmission codes for failing clutch packs when he started tuning it. Traded it in for a manual.

/thread jack

That bad, even for a $4k beater daily? Just looking for something decent and cheap to replace my 2001 Sentra with 235k miles, bad A/C, and increasingly bad oil consumption.

What about a Honda accord or something similar. When i worked in a shop those always seemed to run good and were some of the easiest cars to work on. Seems like you cant kill them either.

Huh. I expect the worse from Germans, but Nissan? That's a surprise (not doubting, just surprised).

The local CL market here is just so bad. If I wanted a full-size pickup, I'd have my choice. But finding sporty, compact imports with manual transmissions? Not so much.

What I'd really like is a 2005+ Volvo S40 T5 with a manual transmission, but they're not too common, and typically closer to $6-7k.

Oh sorry, I thought you were up in Washington for some reason, your market will be much different.

Nissan is pretty terrible, yes. Just tried to install an upgraded Mishimoto radiator with a Stillen supercharger setup on a 2018 370z (don't try it, it won't work), and stock, the AC condenser is the same piece as the radiator, so replacing a radiator requires not only replacing the condenser, but obviously drain/recharge the AC system. Also, if you wanted to remove the fans, you'd be left with this:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9c68ac1d24.jpg


Why. Just why.

Thanks for the input! I need to get it out of town more often so I can drive the piss out of it, the old "Italian tuneup" cured my track rat Miata of it's oil consumption issues in one track day.

As it sits now, I basically drive it to work on city streets with the fastest limit being 45 and no highways. As quick as the DCT cars, you can't really mat the throttle for more than a few seconds before you're in "we are taking you to jail for doing 40+ over" territory.

I did find this...a bit more but still within my budget. High miles, still, though.

2004 BMW 330i sedan, 6 speed - $5000

https://images.craigslist.org/01717_...e_1200x900.jpg

There are about 7,000 Civic SI's on the Atlanta Craigslist in your price range. I've been tempted to buy one just because. It's not that far to drive from Jackson.

Other than needing to replace the water pump/thermostat/radiator at that mileage (if it wasn't done at 100k), that will be a much nicer place to spend time.

I don't understand the "sunroof off the track." If it was off the track I would assume it leaks, what's more likely is the motor is toast. Drop the headliner and replace it.

With it also having a sagging headliner it's entirely possible it does leak.

Buy a Toyota

Very true. But E36/46 headliner's sagging is basically a feature :)

That said, I really don't understand how BMW has built cars that just "feel right" when driving for decades and can't nail the small stuff.

lol, im looking at a non-3 series, with x-drive, with two turbos...

If it's an X you're going to be really sad. And broke.

How dumb would this be? I owned a 190E 2.6 for about a year, and liked it (despite the A/C not working).

1992 Mercedes 400E , v8, great condition - $4800 (Brandon)

https://images.craigslist.org/00G0G_...F_1200x900.jpg

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Change the timing chain.

MBs of that era are nice driving cars. But there will be things that need service, and those things will be darned expensive. I got rid of a 1990 300SE in similar condition when fuel starting pouring out of the fuel distributor and the price for a rebuilt one was on the order of $1K (for a six cylinder!). Climate control was iffy. Most of the time, it worked great . . . but sometimes (like driving through the desert in Nevada) . . . .

How about a first gen TSX?

Earlier ones, like ~'04, had an issue with the AC. All Hondas as far as I know, possibly others. Essentially the "piston rings" or whatever the AC compressor equivalent is called, fail by disintegrating into a fine dust, combining with AC oil and refrigerant, it congeals and coats all AC components. Known as "black death". Apparently it can't make it past the expansion valve at the firewall, but it does mean your condenser, receiver/dryer, compressor, all hard lines, and expansion valve need to be replaced, and obviously OEM components are recommended. For the S2000 I worked on, the bill was a little over $4000 IIRC. Looks like someone online had a similar $4300 bill.

Has your AC failed? Report it here! - Acura TSX Forum

Supposedly the fix is replacing the compressor with one that doesn't have that failure mode, before it does fail. That's still going to be expensive, but might save you from the $4k bill. I didn't read that entire thread, you might want to, I'm saying all of the above from my experience with an S2000.

TL;DR: If the AC doesn't work on your potential TSX, either be happy without AC, be ready for the $4k bill, or find another to buy.

I've looked at TSX's...like many cars I would otherwise be interested in, the manual transmissions are somewhere between "rare" and "unicorn". I'd also be interested in a first-gen IS300, as it just about checks all my requirements. Gas mileage is only okay, not great. But again...finding a manual.

explain yourself!

Opened this thread and nearly choked on my coffee.

Glad curly got the truth in here. Also glad OP's listening, cause that wouldve been a hilariously terrible decision. Like, not many other cars would be worse.

Have you considered a G35 then? I always see at least one manual trans example for sale at a decent price on CL. The fuel economy isn't spectacular but they are enjoyable to drive. Our 6MT sedan has 140k on it now has been extremely reliable it's whole life.

IS300 is a great car, just look for standard oil leaks, I don't think manuals are as hard to find as you think. I'd just need new tail lights. The now famous Alteza look is over played and synonymous with rice. I wonder if there are ebay standard looking lights available...

My five key is sticking on my laptop, I meant X5.

WHAT THE FUCK DID I SAY ABOUT NISSANS. NO NO NO AND MAYBE IF YOU REALLY WANT TO THEN NO.

I'm kinda puzzled by the whole idea of replacing a ratty old car with another just barely less ratty old car. Just doesn't logic

Really? Seems pretty self-evident to me. I'm not nearly in the financial place to throw money away on a new car, so used cars is the name of the game. If for a few thousand I can buy something 6-10 years newer, with 80-120k fewer miles, better safety, better performance, and in overall better condition, why wouldn't I?

I'm honestly not sure what alternative you're suggesting. If you're thinking a $4k-6k used car isn't a marked improvement on my 2001 Sentra, then you don't know enough about my 2001 Sentra.

I'm genuinely surprised by this, because I normally think you're much smarter than that.

Yes, really. I have only once ever bought a new car, our Sienna, because it was literally 2k more for brand new over 2-3 years old and 10-15k miles of use. I'm the last person to suggest a new car or leasing a car, or "wasting money".

But you're looking at janky old cars, and trying to justify crap that stinks slightly less as a smart financial decision, and I'm just not following the logic.

If the sentra broke and you need another hooptie, ok proceed. Otherwise, I genuinely don't get it. Why not drive it into the ground while saving up for something that will be a proper upgrade and not a super old crappy high mileage nickle and dime mobile? You're trying to improve the quality and reliability, no?

okay, im seriously shopping for a 2013-15 550i xdrive m-sport right now.

If you want a daily beater then just forget about it having to be manual and fun to drive and whatnot. Find yourself an '08 Matrix with less than 200k on the odo and ride out. Most likely the only thing you'll be replacing on it are window regulators and door actuators once its got a quarter million or more miles on it.
Anything remotely "interesting", even if its 10-20 years older, will cost you more money and be a piece of shit. Hell NA6 Miatas are going for more than a mid '00s Toyota goes for nowadays.

No worries, I don't offend easily and I am curious about your point, because it really isn't super persuasive to me.

I mean, one the one hand I understand your larger argument -- the transactional cost of making just an incremental upgrade may not be worth it. I don't disagree with that in principle.

On the other hand, I have owned cars that were 8-10 years old, with 120-160k miles, that were in considerably nicer condition and had led much easier lives than the 17-year old, 235k mile Sentra I'm currently driving. That GTI, for example. While I recognize now that it's not a wise choice, due to the general VW issues, and the TSI engine's penchant for grenading if/when the timing chain tensioner fails, it is an example of a car that is a several years newer, with 80k fewer miles, and would be a safer and much more fun/interesting daily driver than my car. Say I find something like that for $5k, and sell my Sentra for $1600-1800. Is a bit more than $3k a reasonable cost to make a switch like that? I'm not saying it's a slam-dunk, but I don't think it's a decision worthy of ridicule either.

Also keep in mind, I've considered this same decision many times over the last few years, and so far I just keep driving the Sentra, which is fine. Previously, it was my wife's car since she rarely drove, and I had a nicer/newer Mazda 3 hatchback that died one night on the interstate when someone pulled into my lane in a driving rain. We took the insurance check and bought a RAV4 family wagon for my wife, and I took the Sentra. If I keep topping off the oil and the R134a, then it generally gets me to work and back home in not too much of a sweaty mess. But I don't see why I wouldn't keep looking, and at least consider when something better at the right price might come along.

Eh, I don't know, maybe my initial post was misleading. I have a daily beater, and I'm fine to drive it for another year or two if it makes it that far. But the age-related issues are piling up a bit, and if a good deal on something interesting comes along, I would consider replacing it. I saw the GTI ad and wanted feedback, as I am not super-familar with VW's and initial research on the VW forum was not very fruitful. Nothing more than that.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I thought of maybe a better way to explain my position:

In practice, I have actually agreed with exactly your point, many times over. Over the last 2 or 3 years, I have looked at hundreds if not thousands of cars on craigslist or wherever and thought, "Hmm, I wonder if that would be a worthwhile upgrade from the Sentra?" And so far, every single time I've decided that it just made more sense to keep driving the Sentra, and save the money (or put it to better uses). I'm much, much more likely to just keep driving the Sentra until it finally dies than anything else. But occasionally a car will pop up like the GTI, that is (superficially) enticing enough and about which my knowledge level is low enough that I'll post something to get feedback from those who know better. And again, it's much more likely that the advice I receive will result in me deciding to just keep driving the Sentra.

Does that make any more sense?

Totally

Totally out of left field but just stumbled on a 2006 MX-5 Base model, 5 speed manual with 118k miles for just a bit over $4k. Clean title, no rust, no accident history. Did have a parking lot dent in the driver's side rear quarter panel, but was repaired professionally.

That's much, MUCH better. Sad times when a NC is better than a 150k VW, but it's the sad truth.

I personally hate the NC, it's 80% RX8 (last 20% being the rotary engine), which by default makes it a terrible car. They're not terrible to work on, just more time consuming and difficult access than NA/NB by a large margin. We seem to get nothing but coolant issues or blown engines in our shop. But we've done a few suspension swaps to MCS to make the heavy pig handle well. Coolant issues are usually a radiator (PITA to replace), or a thermostat (also a PITA). Goodwin says the expansion tanks like to fail, I therefore watch them like a hawk but haven't seen a bad one yet. Engine issue was due to owner neglect, we did a 2.5 swap and it was pretty spectacular, and anyone who's driven a 2.5 swap will agree.

Don't get me wrong, they're fun to drive. If I had $4k to spend on a Miata, it'd be a difficult decision. If I knew I was working on my own car, 100% late model NB. If I was ok spending some money at a shop, 80% NC. Might still want an NB if I found a good one.

This.
I was in the same kind of situation three years ago when I wrecked my mini-me swapped 1996 Civic.
Now that car was fun to drive, economical and very reliable.
So I thought: lets spend around 3000 euro to buy something reliable and fun to drive. That was the kind of money I spent on building the Civic, so I should be able to buy something better for that, right?
I bought a 1999 Lexus IS200 with the 6MT and 155.000 miles (250.000 km) on the clock.
Rear wheel drive with a limited slip, 6MT and Toyota / Lexus reliability: what can go wrong?
Turns out a lot can go wrong on these.
Maintenance I have done in the last three years:
-6 new tires
-Sticking brake calipers on all four corners: had to rebuild all 4 calipers (8 new pistons, etc.)
-Brake discs and calipers (upgraded brake pads for track use)
-Dead ignition coil (replaced all 6 coils and plugs to prevent that from happening again)
-Blown up pre-cats clogging the main cat (expensive as hell 3x cats, exhaust was also too rusty to re-use)
-Major suspension overhaul (steering joints, ball joints (front and back), bushings all around, springs, dampers)
-Burned up the clutch and killed the dual mass flywheel (needed to replace both clutch and flywheel)
-Interior stuff going wrong: air mix servo and fan motor
Now the prop shaft is also dead and needs replacement.
After that is done it is probably all right for the next 75.000 miles. It can do track days now and it is a nice cruiser on the autobahn though (sits very comfortably at 110 mph / 180 kmh), but I am not sure it was worth all the trouble.
This car has kept me from working on the MX-5 and buying this pile was a big mistake. Wish I had just bought a mid-00's Toyota / Honda boring shitbox, because if I had done so the MX-5 would have been on the road by now.

I thought the N/S63 was fairly problematic as well?

Sure. Nothing wrong with "looking" at all. That's how killer deals are found.
As long as when you're looking for a step up it's a true step up, and not another hooptie. I did a brief search on CL just outa curiosity, there really aint much (or basically at all) under 10k that I'd consider a proper "upgrade" even over a crusty old sentra. Either you get a much cooler car that will keep you in the garage fixing/replacing/maintaining, or you get a reliable car that's so boring you fall asleep looking at it, or you gotta spend some monayyzz

I dunno about you, but I get no enjoyment (anymore) from constantly replacing/fixing/maintaining. Used to be fun before life, kids, eleventy billion responsibilities, etc.

Now, I could care less. I want a car that's cool that I never have to touch aside from enjoying daily. I thought that's what you were looking for too

I drive an e90 335i sedan (MT) most days and I've been quite surprised at how much car you can get for the money. Try to buy one that the injectors and coils have already been updated on. I also daily a bugeye WRX wagon, which works well without the luxury aspect. Good luck!

I daily a 1990 Turbo Miata coming up on 250K miles.

Man up, cupcake! ;)

This guy :giggle:
I like this guy.
No AC either right?

I officially change my suggestion to: exocet

I have been dailying my $1k 99 NB. Would be nice if the AC worked and driver window wasn't full manual... But otherwise great little daily. (I technically have a Honda Fit as a daily, but it mostly just fets used on stupidly humid days or when I need to lug stuff).

That said, an NC is high on my list if I were daily shopping.

Drove over to Monroe, LA last night and looked at the NC. Not in great shape, the kind of car that looks pretty good in less-than-HD craigslist pics but is a good bit rougher in person.

Body and paint were good. Engine/drivetrain was iffy. Some kind of rough/buzzy noise when the throttle was tipped-in off idle. Lots of oil seeping from the valve cover gasket (and soaking the alternator). Oil level was dangerously low (the guy wasn't sure how to read the dipstick, but assured me that always "stays on top of the fluid levels"). On the test drive, there was a whining coming from the rear end that matched the road speed, not engine speed...maybe rear diff?

Decided to pass on that car. I was tempted to super-lowball and see if I could pick it up for $3k, drive it until the engine goes and then swap in a 2.5 liter. But a new project car is not part of the plan right now.

It was good to test drive an NC though. I liked it well enough, but man it's totally different from an NA/NB. All the controls are very muted feeling in comparison. The hood is noticeably higher, can't really see the front corners like you can in an NA/NB. And definitely feels a good bit more claustrophobic with the top up. But overall, still a fun little car, and probably a more livable daily driver.

Correct. 2008.5+ have the TSI which is a better, strong motor in most cases.

FSI issues: Cam Follower, Carbon Buildup
TSI issues: Timing chain tensioner, Water pump

OP, I had a MK5, MK7, and a family MK6. I wrote most of the DIY's and sticky's on our forums so feel free to shoot me any MK5-MK7 questions. As for the original question... I miss my MK5 so so much. It was a great car.

Probably a bit more than your initial budget depending on condition, but a mid 2000's TL is a pretty solid get as well. I have an 06 with ~120k on it and it's a pretty awesome daily. Not the best on gas though, if you care about it. If you could live with it year round, though, I 100% second the late NB rec from curly. A friend recently got a 04 NB2 and the car just feels super nice.

Well, I may have done a dumb thing, but at least I won't be driving around a Sentra anymore.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4e0227119b.jpg

TTOOOOORRRRQQQQQUUUUUEEEEEEE SSSSTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRR!

mazda > nissan.