jediangler Posted October 13, 2008 Report Posted October 13, 2008 Do you have your heart set on a Camry? Because you could probably get a Corolla in the 95-97 years in your price range and get better gas mileage. Or even a Tercel, but I'd stick to 97-99 for them. I got lucky when I found my 97 Tercel 2 yrs ago and it only had 67,000km on it. But I paid just under $5000.
BillM Posted October 13, 2008 Report Posted October 13, 2008 If you are only going to use it for a year or so with a relatively short commute, have you ever thought of a MKII VW Golf/Jetta? The 8V 4cyl engines are bullet proof and are extremely reliable... You shouldn't have any issue finding an older milled out Toyota or Honda, or VW for that matter. Good luck!
canadianboy Posted October 13, 2008 Report Posted October 13, 2008 serously i guess your not framilar with the 3800 series v6 theese will run at least 350 if properly maintaned if i were you i would go talk to a mechanic and see what he would be buying if he was in your situation
Burtess Posted October 13, 2008 Report Posted October 13, 2008 serously i guess your not framilar with the 3800 series v6 theese will run at least 350 if properly maintaned if i were you i would go talk to a mechanic and see what he would be buying if he was in your situation These will go forever, even the 3100 is not too bad, I drove my '01 Century 385,000+ and sold it to one of my customers, his son is still driving it. Thats with only a front coil spring, catalytic converter, and a battery replaced! My '04 LeSabre is at around 205,000 and I have done nothing to it other than oil changes. The fuel economy is obviously not as good as a 4cyl but they are actually very cheap to run. I average around 9L/100Km in my LeSabre. Burt
Clampet Posted October 13, 2008 Author Report Posted October 13, 2008 (edited) Well, fellow fisher dudes, I wish to thank all of you for the advice and input you shared with me. Some of you went a little off topic, with suggestions relating to North American cars, such as the Ford Crown Victoria, and GM cars with 3800 series engines. I was impressed with yer knowledge and good advice, as I believe you that these vehicles would indeed be wise choices, in that they would require relatively low maintenance especially regarding the engines. I hesitated on those suggestions because they are now considered poor choices with regards to fuel economy, and would be more challenging fer Granny to park in the tight spaces allotted to most parking areas, including my own. Again, thanks fer taking time out for offering me the ideas ( I'm not the most congenial character on this board) that otherwise I wouldn't have thought of. :closedeyes: Anyhow, I was fortunate enough to have found a vehicle which I have inspected, and test driven this morning, and have deemed to be a very good deal. It was also within my budget of less than $2000.00. My total cost is $1575.00. It is a 1997 Chevy Cavalier, four door, automatic, 2.2 L with 227,000 KMs. This includes: tax, certification, emission test, admin fee, and an inspection on the A/C (which is not working). The tires appear to be brand new Goodyears! The test drive proved the engine to be sound, with good accelaration, and it also drove smoothly at low speeds. It turned well, without any grinding noises. The auto box tranny shifted well, with no hesitation, and I remembered to try it in the 1 and 2 mode, as well. I tested the reverse gear as well. Everything seemed fine. The body is in excellent shape and shows signs of a recent rust proofing. I will take delivery next Thursday (or Friday) in the PM. Here are a few pictures of my "Budget Mobile". Old Jed Compromises on the Camry Granny kinda kikes it.. See the smile? Edited October 13, 2008 by Clamp-it
Daplumma Posted October 14, 2008 Report Posted October 14, 2008 Looks good.You may want to have a mechanic do a quick once over but for that price it may not be worth the expence. Joe
jediangler Posted October 14, 2008 Report Posted October 14, 2008 That's a bright one clampit. The car I traded to buy my tercel was a 1996 Z24 2dr. It had the coldest A/C and the best brakes of any car I've owned. After that everything went downhill. It did have 240,000km when got $600 for the trade in. Good luck, I hope it does the intended job for you.
Raf Posted October 14, 2008 Report Posted October 14, 2008 (edited) How much are yer pmts/mth? I drive a 97 cherokee chickmagnet whose pass rear door is non-operational w/330000 kms on it. $0. It gets me around all kinds of places and pulls a boat. I'll likely always buy pre-owned, cars are just about the worst investment. Esp. new. 15 yrs vs 11 yrs old, and likely a bunch less k's on it. You probably made a smart choice. Edited October 14, 2008 by Raf
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now