- This topic has 23 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 1 month ago by
.
-
Topic
-
Hello, I am a student in college, and am driving a 1997 Plymouth Neon coupe. It is THE WORST car on campus. With rust, and burning/leaking oil. Although it is easy to repair when it breaks, the oil issue is too grave for me to want to keep this car. It goes through a quart a day.
It also has no A/C.
So I have saved up $1700 and after I get up to about $3600, I want to buy a used car. Insurance is no issue, since I am already paying sports car / teenager pricing. But a 4 door is fine with me. 2 door is preferred, and 4 – 6 cyl is preferred. Also it should get more than 24 mpg average. I don’t particularly care if it is the fastest, but quick acceleration is always fun. 2 seats is fine, but trunk space is required. I love white colored cars. And no Honda’s, unless it is a Prelude. I want a simple car, with lots of ease of maintenance. It should be pretty light, i like light feeling cars.
Cars I found that look good to me:
1986 Fiero GT (I am aware of the Fiero’s rumored problems, and the car only has some rust on the body)
1986 Celica GT-S
1998 Audi A4 Quattro (super hard to maintain, but the best price for car: 3800)
1991 MR2 (non turbo 🙁 )
1993 Eagle Talon TSi (it has its problems, but not too bad)
1997 Plymouth Neon (keep the dam car, and replace some gaskets, the car’s worth is $800)I am wanting replies of either: suggestions of cars to look into, or opinions on cars I have already checked out.
-
Replies
-
I would stay away from all of those cars. I can see thousands of dollars in repairs popping out at me.
Tight cars are nice to own but you really need something practical and like you said simple to repair.
I know Toyota corollas are bland and Honda civics are, well, civics but both are reliable and simple to maintain.
Yea, the cars above are sort of if-y, but the Audi is not sporty, and the Celica is the mild one. Just that the Audi is hard as hell to maintain by yourself. I won’t get a Corolla or a Civic, isn’t there any cars besides those that are reliable + maintainable?
My friend had a Fiero. It was fun, but not practical. Little storage space (unless you want to ditch the spare tire), 2 seats, low to the ground, poor winter handling, etc. He had trouble locating a replacement radiator pipe, and that was 15 years ago. I also remember those cars having problems with the interior catching on fire – if I remember correctly, the gas tank would rupture into the interior during a collision. Where is the rust? – the body panels are fiberglass.
I probably will not buy a turbocharged vehicle again after having a love-hate relationship with one. They can be quick little devils, but the additional components lead to more issues, and the expense can add up quickly. Also, you have to be religious with oil changes and the priming procedure, and the car will probably require premium fuel.
As a non-mechanically minded person, you’re walking into a minefield with any of those cars. As a student and with the Neon you at least know what you have other than the oil leak.
Get the leak looked at first and go from there. It may be something minor such as an oil pressure sending unit or a valve cover gasket. If so, fix it and drive the Neon until it goes no more.
Well, the Neon also has these issues: unstable RPM’s at idle, Reverse is going out, Interior is all broken/ripped, no A/C (i am in Texas), bad smell comes from the burning oil into the car, horrid paint chipping/rust on the car, and it is only 800 dollars KBB. I am not the owner either, it is my Grandpa’s and in two years after i leave junior college for a 4-yr college, i cannot bring it with me, so i have two years to get a new car.
I did actually see the Miata, i’ll look into that, but for right now; I am working on my Neon to replace a front valve cover gasket. (I broke a brittle hose) 🙁
With those options I would either go for audi a4 or just keep the neon. I don’t think a4:s are hard to maintain, three of my mates have a4 b5:s that I’ve maintained for years. Parts aren’t very expensive and cars don’t rust. I actually think that its way easier and cheaper to maintain b5 than b6.
I don’t know where you live but in N. America Audi’s are a POS. Here you need a degree in German engineering, special tools, loads of money and the knowhow and patients to repair them.
Best car. 92-95 Civic DX 5 speed. $2,500 should get you a nice one. You could buy a new engine for $300, and put it in your self. Thats how friendly the car is. Oh, and you can make it as cool as you could ever want.
Yeah, I got to look under the hood of the Audi, and behind that little “Lexus” plate on top, is the most confusing engineering I have seen yet! I wouldn’t even know where the water pump is on that thing.
Cheap, Reliable, Easy to fix… Hum… I’m going to recommend a car based on my experience: Ford Festiva (or Ford Aspire it’s newer sister). They are Mazda based (B3 motor) and I had mine till 280K and have seen ones pushing 400-500K with just routine maintenance. I see them on CraigsList all the time (in great shape)for around $1500 with around 150K. Might need to replace the interior or buy a seat cover but they will run forever!
Are they reliable? -YEP! 280K on mine and biggest issue I had at the end was the rust.
Are they Ugly? -That is a matter of personal taste!
Do They get great Gas mileage? – Oh Hell Yea! Even with a Auto and 280K I would get 35+
Easy to work on? – These cars are about as basic as they come! Also, there is plenty of room under the hood to access almost everything!
Will it attract the ladies?? – Unfortunately…NO.Also, if you want to later make a nice little sleeper you can always drop a B6T into it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Festiva[quote=”DaCoder” post=74932]Yeah, I got to look under the hood of the Audi, and behind that little “Lexus” plate on top, is the most confusing engineering I have seen yet! I wouldn’t even know where the water pump is on that thing.[/quote]
If you talk about a4, a6 or a8, just take front carrier little bit forward, or turn it sideways, or take it off completely and you have very good access.
wysetech, no offense but I do not want a boring fluffy car. Maybe when i get older, but for right now I want a good ratio of ability to fix it, and speed/fun to drive. I posted this to find out which cars people had that were good to fix, well engineered, and fun to drive. And why the hostility man?
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.