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Nexein posted:That BRZ looks really nice and I hadn't even thought of Subaru really, thanks! Snagging and tuning an old Miata still seems a little cheaper; I can't seem to find any used and hardly any new BRZs around me. You can get quite a nice mustang GT in your price range.
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May 28, 2016 14:16
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Guinness posted:There's nothing that is new and for sale on the US Market that can't safely and easily do 75+ mph on the highway or drive over a mountain pass. Plenty of cars that are slow, but none of them are dangerously underpowered, despite what some dumb internet commenters out there might say. I've been carpooling in an 84 horsepower 1.2L Chevy Spark, and although I imagine that thing must be miserable at altitude it's perfectly acceptable for any and all freeway situations in Houston. I can't imagine how people with 50%+ more power on tap and twice the displacement are complaining.
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May 28, 2016 17:49
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Hi thread -- I'm asking for some help with a "fix it or ditch it" situation with my car -- a 2001 Corolla with ~110,000 miles. I trust the mechanic and his assessment of $1900 for brake work, tires, and front/rear suspension work. I had this car upstate and the suspension would get lovely and freeze up in the cold. He said that this work is just wear and tear and maintenance (albeit all at once), and "yeah you could scrap it, but it's an '01 corolla with a great engine." I did some googling and saw similar year/mileage combos going for $3000, $4000 etc. So as far as my usage, I live in Queens -- my commute is maybe 4 miles total daily. With other random driving and such.. honestly I estimate that I would put less than 4,000 miles a year on the car. I could very well transit/bike to work, though of course not as convenient as the car (and you know, easy shopping and all that stuff). I don't care about how it looks or feels (there are some dings and the A/C doesn't work). So does it make sense to put in $2000 of repairs if this car will conceivably last another 5 years? I guess my question really comes down to the cost of a car vs the cost of mass transit / bike / scooter -- it might be beyond the scope of this thread but I didn't know where to start. Let's say the unlimited metrocard is $115 a month. There is transitchek available which means that comes out pre-tax, so let's say $100 a month. My car insurance now is $800 for the year, I fill up on gas maybe once a month, a quart of oil here and there.. so I'm not sure maybe it's $120 a month roughly to keep a car? And then it becomes a question of how much is it worth it, monthly, to have a car. I guess I'm starting to ramble, but I could use some help in making sense of what to do next.
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May 28, 2016 18:17
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Brakes and tires are completely expected routine maintenance items. Every car needs them eventually, and several times over the course of its life. These are things that can and should be planned on and should not surprise you. Some suspension work after 110k miles is also not really out of the ordinary, though it would help if you told us specifically what sort of suspension work is needed. The suspension getting lovely and freezing up in the cold isn't really how that stuff works... That said, guessing its just new shocks and struts which would be more or less expected after 15 years and 110k miles. So in short, your mechanic sounds correct and that's all normal stuff that has piled up into one big deferred maintenance bill of $2k. I hesitate to say this since you don't have better specifics, but you could probably ignore the suspension a bit longer if it's just new shocks/struts. The car will handle like crap but it's not going to leave you stranded anywhere, whereas tires and brakes are the two most important safety items on a car. Whether it's worth keeping in your life is a tougher question. It sounds like you don't really need it, and it also sounds like you don't particularly care about it. Worst case you can try going car-free and if it ends up not working out you can always buy another one later. Guinness fucked around with this message at 18:30 on May 28, 2016 |
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May 28, 2016 18:27
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Right.. not really surprised but yes, a lot of routine maintenance that is all coming due at once. Specifically from his quote, "NAPA response" struts x 4, $99 each, and sway bar links, 22 bucks and 35 bucks. Estimated 5 hours of labor @ $85 an hour for that work -- I'm not disputing that cost or anything, but yes basically it looks like replacing all four struts. In total Front & rear suspension parts & labor: $900 Front & rear brakes parts & labor: $500 4 new tires: $300 alighnment: $75 tax: $150 === $1950 I took it in because I thought I'd have to just replace the rear suspension..but with the other maintenance that needed to get done, the only real "surprise" to me was the front suspension as well. Sorry if I wasn't clear about the specific issues I had -- I had the car in upstate NY winters, and when the temperature would dip below say 25 degrees, the rear left side suspension would "freeze," as in it would be an EXTREMELY rough ride over even the smallest bumps. When the temperature would rise again, this would go away. So while all the struts may have a normal amount of wear, the rear left seems to be much worse.. the ride has gotten much rougher in the last few weeks, in addition to a constant (except when it rains?) chirpy-bird noise coming from what seems to be the left rear, that squeaks going over bumps. Ultimately, your last line is exactly where I am at. Maybe I should just go car free and can always get something later.. or put in some minimal work (brakes and tires) and keep going.
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May 28, 2016 19:16
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Turkeybone posted:Right.. not really surprised but yes, a lot of routine maintenance that is all coming due at once. Specifically from his quote, "NAPA response" struts x 4, $99 each, and sway bar links, 22 bucks and 35 bucks. Estimated 5 hours of labor @ $85 an hour for that work -- I'm not disputing that cost or anything, but yes basically it looks like replacing all four struts. Overall the car isn't going to get worse if you try this out for a month and let it sit. Maybe turn it over after two weeks and take it around the block/freeway to keep the battery charged if it's >4 years old. If you find out in a month you don't need it, all you're out is your insurance premium. If you do, I would pay the shop what seems like a reasonable price for reasonable work. If you do start commuting by train, call your insurance carrier and ask them about switching the car to a pleasure-only vehicle and what their low mileage rates are like and the thresholds. Insuring a non-commuter for 4,000 miles a year is cheaper than a commuter at 10,000 miles a year. Keep a receipt from your train pass in case they ask. Have you had the timing belt done? Generally that is 10 years / 100kish miles. If not, that is less critical than the brakes/tires, but more critical than everything else as it will grenade your engine when it gives out.
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May 28, 2016 19:32
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H110Hawk posted:Overall the car isn't going to get worse if you try this out for a month and let it sit. Maybe turn it over after two weeks and take it around the block/freeway to keep the battery charged if it's >4 years old. If you find out in a month you don't need it, all you're out is your insurance premium. If you do, I would pay the shop what seems like a reasonable price for reasonable work. If you do start commuting by train, call your insurance carrier and ask them about switching the car to a pleasure-only vehicle and what their low mileage rates are like and the thresholds. Insuring a non-commuter for 4,000 miles a year is cheaper than a commuter at 10,000 miles a year. Keep a receipt from your train pass in case they ask. Thanks for this advice! Yes I can definitely just keep the car parked at work and give the alternate commuting a shot.. I'll have to move it once a week for alternate side parking anyway. I haven't had the timing belt done, so I'll factor that into the decision making (as well as the realization that I may not be on top of general car maintenance duties as I should be, and should factor that cost in as well).
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May 28, 2016 19:46
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Pretty sure Corollas of that vintage use a timing chain that -usually- lasts the life of the engine. Thankfully, timing belts are becoming less and less common, no matter how many times I warn/nag people about changing them, far too many people don't listen and send otherwise decent cars to the boneyard.
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May 28, 2016 19:55
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JnnyThndrs posted:Pretty sure Corollas of that vintage use a timing chain that -usually- lasts the life of the engine. Turkeybone posted:Thanks for this advice! Yes I can definitely just keep the car parked at work and give the alternate commuting a shot.. I'll have to move it once a week for alternate side parking anyway. I haven't had the timing belt done, so I'll factor that into the decision making (as well as the realization that I may not be on top of general car maintenance duties as I should be, and should factor that cost in as well). Nevermind and I regret everything. I forget how chains are common in econoboxes. http://toyota.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/7690/~/does-my-vehicle-have-a-timing-belt-or-timing-chain%3F
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May 28, 2016 19:56
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Twerk from Home posted:I've been carpooling in an 84 horsepower 1.2L Chevy Spark, and although I imagine that thing must be miserable at altitude it's perfectly acceptable for any and all freeway situations in Houston. I can't imagine how people with 50%+ more power on tap and twice the displacement are complaining. This is the worst carpool. How awful.
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May 28, 2016 20:05
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Even back when they used timing belts most Toyota engines were non-interference. It probably plays some role in their perception of reliability.
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May 28, 2016 20:06
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Nexein posted:This one is gonna be a doozy, I'm trying to find something relatively reliable but something also worth putting performance parts into; something to play with that'll also get me to work 95% of the time. If you're looking at 350z's you should look at G35 coupes too since they're the essentially the same but with a semi useful rear seat and nicer ride. I went from a turbo Miata to a g35 and the g35 was a lot less fun but much nicer day to day. They weigh almost 4000 lbs and I'm sure that had something to do with the fun factor. I didn't do anything to the g35 because making more power would have required big investment. For your budget you could buy a commuter and a project car, though I don't know how bfc approved that'd be. I can tell you that it's a lot less stressful working on a car when you have another option for getting to work.
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May 28, 2016 21:32
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If you're looking at buying a sports car, you need to test drive a shitload to figure out what's important to you. In the Miata and S2000, you exactly know what the front wheels are doing at all times. The Miata punishes bad driving on the track by dropping you out of the powerband. The S2000 punishes bad driving by spinning you into a guard rail. The 350Z is a fast car, but the handling leaves a lot to be desired; however, it's up to you if you actually care about how a car feels under cornering. The new Mustang (and S197s) gets out of it's own way and is a seriously cheap way to go fast while having power on tap and handling that isn't super vague. If you want to go fast for the cheapest amount of money possible, the prices for C5 Corvette Z06s should still be stupid low. The interior is an abomination against anything with eyes; however, 400hp doesn't tell lies. If you really want to hate money and love replacing parts, but want to bend physics to your will, a WRX or STi might as well have a warp drive in them. If you want to look at new cars only, give the 2016 Subaru BRZ and 2016 Mazda MX-5 a spin back to back. They're both on the "slower" end of the spectrum, but reward clean driving and have really engaging vehicle dynamics.
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May 29, 2016 16:55
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Guinness posted:It's okay to downshift going uphill, you know. I wouldn't necessarily expect to be cruising around in top gear climbing a steep mountain pass or switchback. Don't be afraid of "overworking" the engine, they're designed for it. Unless you're sitting there continuously banging it off the rev limiter it'll be fine. This was essentially my opinion until I got talking with my parents. They cringed when I mentioned it and insisted I look at something with a V6, saying a 4 cylinder would grind up its transmission. Even with the Escape (which is a V6) I never took it above 4K RPM going through the longest inclines of the drive while maintaining 65+. I'm sure a larger engine could come in handy but I don't think it's worth the extra money for my usual needs. If I end up with an HR-V I do think I'll be getting an all wheel drive however.
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May 29, 2016 17:05
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57Hz posted:This was essentially my opinion until I got talking with my parents. They cringed when I mentioned it and insisted I look at something with a V6, saying a 4 cylinder would grind up its transmission. Your parents are wrong about cars. Also my 4-cyl makes nearly 3x the horsepower and torque of a v6 from the 80s, so really number of cylinders doesn't tell you poo poo. Power to weight ratio would, but nothing newish in america has such a low one that it would be an issue.
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May 29, 2016 17:09
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57Hz posted:This was essentially my opinion until I got talking with my parents. They cringed when I mentioned it and insisted I look at something with a V6, saying a 4 cylinder would grind up its transmission. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_DSOnOQnuk
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May 29, 2016 17:10
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Phone posted:If you're looking at buying a sports car, you need to test drive a shitload to figure out what's important to you. The RX8 is the other leg of the trifecta that people in this range should look at.
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May 29, 2016 18:30
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Throatwarbler posted:The RX8 is the other leg of the trifecta that people in this range should look at. (Seriously, do not buy an automatic rx-8. Also check the oil a lot.)
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May 29, 2016 21:13
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57Hz posted:This was essentially my opinion until I got talking with my parents. They cringed when I mentioned it and insisted I look at something with a V6, saying a 4 cylinder would grind up its transmission. This is a silly myth from when people used to driving V8s and never taking them over 2000rpm bought four-cylinder cars and treated them the same way. Now, it's just a silly justification for buying a bigger engine, like the guy who buys an F-350 dually because he occasionally drives down unpaved roads. Yes, if you lug the poo poo out of an engine it'll break. Transmission damage is much less likely, although it can happen if you're really abusing the engine to the point where harmonics are rattling everything apart. But, the solution isn't to buy a car with a bigger engine or more cylinders, it's to learn that it doesn't hurt anything to run a small engine under heavy load at 4000rpm over a mountain pass, but it will hurt it if you try to run under the same load at 1500rpm. And, never trust anyone who tells you about cars, and talks about a "V4" outside of vintage Saabs and European Fords. nm posted:I like the rx-8 a lot (buy the manual) and they are cheaper than anything comparable by roughly one rotary rebuild, but if I need a car to start every day, it isn't the one I go for. Speaking of cars that are frequently damaged because people are afraid of the sounds their cars make when the needle on the dash goes over "3" or so...
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May 29, 2016 21:30
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Space Gopher posted:people are afraid of the sounds their cars make when the needle on the dash goes over "3" or so... So true, and in most cars the fun doesn't even really start until above 3krpm. In some cases even significantly higher, like the RX8 or S2000.
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May 29, 2016 21:41
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Turkeybone posted:Thanks for this advice! Yes I can definitely just keep the car parked at work and give the alternate commuting a shot.. I'll have to move it once a week for alternate side parking anyway. I haven't had the timing belt done, so I'll factor that into the decision making (as well as the realization that I may not be on top of general car maintenance duties as I should be, and should factor that cost in as well). But seriously, if you want to get rid of it, it's a $2,000 worth of car that will sell itself. You can even ask more and lower the price over time, but 2k is what it's worth in NYC.
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May 30, 2016 00:03
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57Hz posted:This was essentially my opinion until I got talking with my parents. They cringed when I mentioned it and insisted I look at something with a V6, saying a 4 cylinder would grind up its transmission. Your parents are wrong. I was able to do DC to Pittsburgh or upstate NY with no issues in a 20 year old 4 cylinder Camry. And I have a friend in Pittsburgh that gets all around in the under powered garbage fire that is a Versa. Anyone who thinks you need a V6 for just driving around hasn't bought a new car since the 70s. You may be kind of slow in the more anemic low end new economy cars but even in those you'll still be able to maintain highway speeds uphill.
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May 30, 2016 01:14
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My idiot coworker thought that my 100hp Mazda2 was DANGEROUSLY underpowered. I asked him what instances he needed to have the power on tap at all times and he could never come up with a good imaginary situation. poo poo sucked if I was stuck behind someone and wanted to execute a pass on a two lane highway, but I somehow never got dangerously murdered for having too few ponies on the freeway. If you're basing the lack of power/torque on a few seconds worth of lag time in acceleration, you exhibit awful judgment in general if you're leaving your well-being on the road to a margin of a handful of seconds.
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May 30, 2016 05:17
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Phone posted:If you're basing the lack of power/torque on a few seconds worth of lag time in acceleration, you exhibit awful judgment in general if you're leaving your well-being on the road to a margin of a handful of seconds. As someone that's been injured because of someone else's lack of judgement and that margin of a few seconds, thanks for the vote of confidence.
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May 30, 2016 05:24
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Well, uh, pro tip: don't ride along with idiots who think it's a cool idea to pull out in front of someone with a super high closing speed.
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May 30, 2016 15:16
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57Hz posted:This was essentially my opinion until I got talking with my parents. They cringed when I mentioned it and insisted I look at something with a V6, saying a 4 cylinder would grind up its transmission.
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May 30, 2016 15:35
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Just checked back in, thanks for the extra reccs! I'm pretty heart-set on the BRZ or maybe a WRX if I can find one on the cheaper side to save for parts. Most of my commute is through windy woods and rarely, if ever, on the highway so I think having that thing sticking to turns might be one of the better options.
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May 30, 2016 15:59
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I had been waiting for the BRZ/FRS for a few years, then when I finally drove one I didn't like the whole "fighter jet cockpit" type feel from such a small car. I thought I would, but it was just not something I could get used to. At least in the time of a longer test drive. I went with a WRX hatch and could not be happier.
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May 30, 2016 17:36
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Hi auto thread. I may be looking to buy a cargo van soon to haul A/V and musical instrument equipment around the LA area. Primary concerns are capacity and fuel efficiency, although if it handles decently in traffic that's definitely a bonus. Any particular makers I should be looking at? I've mainly been looking at Ford Transits and Sprinters, but would consider anything, really. I've driven Econolines for a while and like them, but the fact that Ford discontinued the line and the supposed 38mpg of the Transit pulled me away from buying one myself.
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May 30, 2016 21:01
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What is your budget
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May 30, 2016 21:02
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Grand Prize Winner posted:Hi auto thread. I may be looking to buy a cargo van soon to haul A/V and musical instrument equipment around the LA area. Primary concerns are capacity and fuel efficiency, although if it handles decently in traffic that's definitely a bonus. Any particular makers I should be looking at? Citation needed. The small transit connect gets a mixed 25 mpg (small engine) and the big transit is 16.
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May 30, 2016 21:05
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nm posted:Citation needed. In my experience transit connect will get 25mpg downhill under perfect wind conditions. It's usually close to 20. The difference between those 2 vans are 10 grand. And one has twice the cargo capacity. Sprinter is even more expensive. How much weight and volume will you be transporting?
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May 30, 2016 23:49
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Need some feedback regarding the reliability of American brand mid-size SUVs compared to Toyota, Honda, etc. Are the newer (2015-2016) Jeep Grand Cherokees pretty reliable now or are they still average at best? I've seen some reviews on Edmunds that show some decent ratings and reviews for them but I'm skeptical about their reliability. Are comparable mid-size SUVs manufactured by Ford, GM, or Chevy worth a look or should they be avoided?
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May 30, 2016 23:55
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GM or Ford should be way more reliable than a fiat-chrysler product.
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May 31, 2016 00:07
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No they're still significantly worse than at least Toyota and Honda (Nissan might be a bit closer with their CVTs). It varies between models somewhat, the Grand Cherokee is particularly bad especially with air suspension.
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May 31, 2016 00:08
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Grand Prize Winner posted:Hi auto thread. I may be looking to buy a cargo van soon to haul A/V and musical instrument equipment around the LA area. Primary concerns are capacity and fuel efficiency, although if it handles decently in traffic that's definitely a bonus. Any particular makers I should be looking at? How many cubic feet of storage do you need? Would something which at least looks like a scion xB with all the seats removed fit the bill?
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May 31, 2016 00:22
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nm posted:GM or Ford should be way more reliable than a fiat-chrysler product. Throatwarbler posted:No they're still significantly worse than at least Toyota and Honda (Nissan might be a bit closer with their CVTs). Thanks for the info.
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May 31, 2016 01:26
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Hello. I'd like two opinions. An opinion for the smart and sensible buyer, and one for the more irrational car buyer. Proposed Budget: Under $10k, though ~$5k or even lower would be nice. New or Used: Used Body Style: 2 or 4 door compact or smallish car. I live in the city so smaller is better for parking. How will you be using the car?: I barely need a car. I need a winter car (I live in Vancouver, Canada so this means tons of rain, no snow) for driving once a week around an hour to my parents house, going to hockey and occasionally other small errands when I'm lazy and the weather is bad. I live within a bike ride of work so I don't need this for regular commuting. I drive a Miata in the summer, so I am really going to barely put any mileage on this car. I'm just barely at the tipping point where I even need a car to be honest. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?: Doesn't really matter no. What aspects are most important to you? reliability, and cost I currently drive a 99' Golf that came into my possession for free. It just rolled across 200k so there's probably some work one should do around this point. It definitely needs new tires and the steering is a bit odd (just needs fluid in the best case..). At some point it accumulated some water leak issue that I've never been able to find so as the winter goes along it often gets this musky moudly smell even though it's garage kept. This last point makes me increasingly less enthusiastic about keeping it and fixing problems and it's making me wonder if it's time to sell or scrap this beater and buy something else. I'm curious to know what other people think, and if they did get rid of it, what would they get instead. I'm kind of in an odd position of really barely needing a car. Aside from needing to drive on the highway out to see my parents, it's really just a total convenience thing. I doubt I'd put more than 5km on it over a season. This makes me somewhat reluctant to really spend all that much money. All this being said, I'm additionally curious to know a totally different thing: If I wanted to be stupid and waste money, throwing reliability and sensibleness out the window, what would be some interesting cars to set craigslist alerts for over the summer? When I go from my Miata back to my Golf it's an awful experience. The Golf handles like it's in mud and shifting gears feels like handling mud too. It could be compelling to buy something more fun and interesting to drive if the perfect thing popped up on craigslist. For example for a little while I had a craigslist alert for BMW E30s, but as it happens these have become somewhat rare and annoyingly expensive where I live so I doubt I'll go down that route.
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Jun 1, 2016 16:50
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Grab a set of tires and drive the Golf until it dies or becomes so rank you can't stand to sit in it. If it has a sunroof it is 100% the sunroof, a known water ingress point on the Mk4. Check the drain points. http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?1909676 sorry for linking The Vortex but hey, that's a pretty decent thread. After that, not sure. Cheapest Yaris/Echo you can find?
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Jun 1, 2016 17:06
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Why you don't just use the miata? Seems dumb to have two cars if you barely need one.
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Jun 1, 2016 17:34
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