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Scionix posted:Sorry, I don't really know much about the car in the first place so wasn't sure what to focus on. He's not really a car person; he won't be doing his own maintenance (we already made sure there's a local shop that could work on it). He's definitely not looking for a project car. Low miles/specific body kits/tires are probably not super important, but he is specifically looking for a C3 from 68 on. What's important is that the car is in good, working order, and isn't going to fall apart 10k miles after he buys it. He could live with the lovely engine after ~74(I think?) but I'd hate it if he could've gotten a non-castrated version somewhere. I guess I'd put priorities like this: Okay, that helps. First of all, ‘74 wasn’t a a special year where horsepower evaporated ; every year after ‘70 had power levels decrease, 1974 was just particularly bad because of the switch to unleaded fuel. This isn’t such a big deal anymore because of two reasons: a)those early pellet-bed catalysts are all pretty much gone by now, they don’t last forever, and b) modern honeycomb catalysts hardly affect power at all if sized correctly. Which leads to my next point: nearly all decently-maintained C3 Vettes are going to have extensive engine modifications and/or completely new engines with different/aftermarket components, so the year isn’t a such big issue in most cases. Generally, the only ones you’ll find with all stock components anymore are either high-dollar/high-power vehicles owned by collectors, or trashed, ignored junkers that need a bunch of work. Everybody else tried to improve over stock, with mixed results in many cases. The more-polarizing decision(according to most people), are the bumpers. Wha? Yeah, the bumpers. Early C3’s split into two camps; the ones with small chrome bumpers(‘68-‘71)and the ‘72-up models with the urethane safety bumpers. Find out which ones your dad likes; most people strongly prefer one or the other. You can’t just simply convert the urethane ones back to chrome, the body panels are all different. Since your dad isn’t a mechanic, you’re going to need to find somebody or some shop that knows Corvettes and can do a really good inspection, especially undercar. Corvettes have a ton of unique(sometimes goofy) suspension components that tend to have issues and get really expensive to fix, and since you don’t see them, they’re often ignored. Rear trailing arms, rear stub axles, the divorced power steering, all six universal joints and the rear diff itself are components that are often ignored, and you can build an entirely new engine for less than the cost of fixing all the suspension. You’ll most likely be best off trying to find an older owner that was fairly detail-oriented and stayed on top of the myriad little issues, rather than some kid who babbles on endlessly about the KILLER ENGINE he just put in. You’ll also need to accept that this isn’t going to be a car that ‘needs little maintenance’, ever. It’s an almost 50-year-old car that had some dubious engineering to begin with and quality control wasn’t the best either. Luckily, there’s two things going for you: engine stuff is common and usually cheap compared to anything else on the road, and nearly every part on the car is available from the aftermarket. Good luck!
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May 12, 2018 16:06
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One thing about all cars in the 70s. States that do emissions tests have a cut off year for testing. In some states it is rolling, in some states like California, it is fixed. You don't want to have to pass smog in a 77 Corvette because nothing from the era passes smogs properly and if something emissions related breaks, it is a PITA to fix legally. In California, I'd recommend a strict 1975 cut-off as 1976 cars have to be SMOGed.
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May 12, 2018 20:53
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Scionix posted:He's not really a car person; he won't be doing his own maintenance .............. What's important is that the car is in good, working order, and isn't going to fall apart 10k miles after he buys it. So this is the wrong car for him. I get that he wants one, and has a nostalgia hardon for it, but cars from that era loving suck compared to modern cars. He needs to understand that......I don't care that he lived through it, he needs to be reminded. This is the era where you went to the shop at least twice a year to have your timing adjusted and have things "wintereized" and poo poo. It's when if you didn't do the right pedal dance and everything was working just perfectly your car wouldn't start without popping the hood and spraying ether in the carb. It's the era that made people think....to this day....that 100k miles is when a car literally falls apart and is no longer useful. I just don't understand why someone who isn't a "car guy" would want to take on that kind of project, unless he just really likes his local mechanic and enjoys hanging out there. Sounds like he needs a 2000+ vette or whatever he's into. Not a loving dinosaur. You can have it both ways: "old" car with modern conveniences and drive train, but it doesn't sound like this is his price range.
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May 13, 2018 01:07
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My Wife totaled her much loved Chevy Cobalt. Because we are having a Baby she is looking at very cheap cars and over and over we keep seeing Chevy Sparks for 9k to 11k which is very appealing to my Wife's frugal side. Are these cars hot garbage? Car and Driver made it seem like they weren't bad outside of their pep.
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May 16, 2018 03:26
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SalTheBard posted:My Wife totaled her much loved Chevy Cobalt. Because we are having a Baby she is looking at very cheap cars and over and over we keep seeing Chevy Sparks for 9k to 11k which is very appealing to my Wife's frugal side. Are these cars hot garbage? Car and Driver made it seem like they weren't bad outside of their pep. You mean new, right? I'd try to find one with a stick to make it more drivable. I rode in a carpool in one of those for about a year, 40 miles each way. Said car was totalled at 3 years old in an 5mph crash, a tow hitch punched through the radiator and insurance wrote it off. They'll depreciate faster than you can believe, so if you're OK with driving it for a while, and dealing with the cramped, loud interior, and not being able to fit a rear-facing baby seat without making the passenger seat unusable they're fine. Edit: This came off overly negative, but really minicars only save money if you drive them for a long time. If you drive it for a couple years then sell it, you'll get eaten alive and you would have been far better off buying a $16k Civic. I wish I could dig up a picture of that totalled 2013 Spark, it was a teeny tiny dent + a hole in the radiator that was all it took to make insurance not want to repair it. Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 03:39 on May 16, 2018 |
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May 16, 2018 03:36
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SalTheBard posted:My Wife totaled her much loved Chevy Cobalt. Because we are having a Baby she is looking at very cheap cars and over and over we keep seeing Chevy Sparks for 9k to 11k which is very appealing to my Wife's frugal side. Are these cars hot garbage? Car and Driver made it seem like they weren't bad outside of their pep. They seem to be decent cars, just really little. Try one on and see if it fits. I suspect it will be a bit snug.
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May 16, 2018 03:42
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Deteriorata posted:They seem to be decent cars, just really little. Try one on and see if it fits. I suspect it will be a bit snug. My wife is 5'2", I'm 6'2". If we do any amount of driving I'm assuming we'll take my Mazda 3.
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May 16, 2018 03:48
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SalTheBard posted:My wife is 5'2", I'm 6'2". If we do any amount of driving I'm assuming we'll take my Mazda 3. Get both of you and a baby seat in the car. You never know until you put the baby seat in. Case in point: my sister rents cars to visit family because she lives in NYC with no car. With a baby seat in the middle of the rear bench she fits just fine next to baby in a 2008 Kia Soul, but not a 2018 Kia Soul. 
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May 16, 2018 21:00
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I drove a Spark (by choice, because I'm a drive weird that likes tiny cars) with a baby seat and it was really, really amazing to be able to reach back and give the baby a bottle or some snack puffs if he started getting whiny. My wife absolutely hated how cramped it felt, but I thought it was good though I mainly drove alone or +1. It was absolutely useless on an Ikea run and things got really close with some CostCo runs, but I loved the heck out of that terribly unpopular little car.
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May 17, 2018 03:14
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You're not alone. My fiance and I just drove the Sonic hatchback yesterday, and both LOVED it. But at 30k miles it already had squeaky brakes and a grindy drive train, and both my mechanic and a random salt of the earth dude I called up to potentially inspect it begged me not to buy a Sonic or Spark, calling them "disposable"
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May 17, 2018 14:28
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:calling them "disposable" They are
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May 17, 2018 17:23
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Yeah, I already did an Aveo once so I believe it. We're looking at some '09/'10 Equinoxes now
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May 17, 2018 17:34
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Thanks to some of the responses in this thread along with talking to a friend of mine we are also looking at Kia Optimas and Hyundai Elantras. I didn't realize that the American Car Manufacturers were in such dire shape so I'm a little nervous about buying a Domestic car right now.
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May 17, 2018 17:51
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SalTheBard posted:Thanks to some of the responses in this thread along with talking to a friend of mine we are also looking at Kia Optimas and Hyundai Elantras. I didn't realize that the American Car Manufacturers were in such dire shape so I'm a little nervous about buying a Domestic car right now. They're not all terrible, but few/none of them are class-leading, especially in the compact segment. Stuff like the Sonic is especially bottom of the barrel in terms of longevity. The Aveo had such a terrible reputation they had to rename it, and while it is better it's still pretty meh. Though Ford just killed off all of their cars except the Mustang, despite the Fiesta, Focus, and Fusion being relatively good cars especially in ST trim. Thanks Americans and their SUV/CUV craze. Wouldn't be surprised if GM follows suit and kills off everything except the Camaro and maybe the Cruze for fleet sales.
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May 17, 2018 17:57
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SalTheBard posted:Thanks to some of the responses in this thread along with talking to a friend of mine we are also looking at Kia Optimas and Hyundai Elantras. I didn't realize that the American Car Manufacturers were in such dire shape so I'm a little nervous about buying a Domestic car right now. American automobile manufacturers are making money hand over fist. They're not in dire shape at all. The publicity is over most of them eliminating traditional sedans and hatches from their lineups in favor of SUV/CUV designs, as that's what's selling.
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May 17, 2018 18:03
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wsj.com/amp/articles/the-real-reason-ford-is-phasing-out-its-sedans-1525369304 Basically it’s •Higher margins on larger cars •Incentive to make larger cars due to changes in EPA regulation •Overall fuel economy improving such that aggregate fleet MPG requirements no longer need compliance cars (read: sedans and compacts) This affects all automakers and is a contributing factor for why nearly every single SUV has increased in size by 25% over the last decade. Rogues, Highlanders, whatever are all monstrous compared to their 2009 versions.
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May 17, 2018 18:50
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Unless something really crazy happens with gas prices due to the situations in Iran and Venezuela, I don't see this trend abating any time soon. I work for an automotive supplier and the strong momentum we had in advanced carbon fiber composites in automotive - driven by the need/desire to reduce weight - has been lost in recent months due to a lack of willingness to pay.
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May 17, 2018 20:30
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SalTheBard posted:Thanks to some of the responses in this thread along with talking to a friend of mine we are also looking at Kia Optimas and Hyundai Elantras. I didn't realize that the American Car Manufacturers were in such dire shape so I'm a little nervous about buying a Domestic car right now. A Chevy Spark is a Daewoo Matiz. Daewoo is the Korean car brand that never figured out build quality, and was so bad it disappeared from the US market only to be rebadged as Chevy. Same with the Aveo. Chevy makes dacent cars in the Malibu and Volt and maybe Bolt, they just never bothered with making a decent sub-compact.
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May 17, 2018 20:33
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Sits on Pilster posted:Unless something really crazy happens with gas prices due to the situations in Iran and Venezuela, I don't see this trend abating any time soon. I work for an automotive supplier and the strong momentum we had in advanced carbon fiber composites in automotive - driven by the need/desire to reduce weight - has been lost in recent months due to a lack of willingness to pay. Well, you may just be in luck on the Iran and Venezuela front.
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May 17, 2018 20:49
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Deteriorata posted:American automobile manufacturers are making money hand over fist. They're not in dire shape at all. The publicity is over most of them eliminating traditional sedans and hatches from their lineups in favor of SUV/CUV designs, as that's what's selling.  it's like no one learned anything from the 90s. Can't wait for everyone to race back to 600mph/hybrid/BEV models when gas rations cause 87 to go to $6.50 a gallon. Man, I'm like ground zero for badcar stuff. I inherited my wife's Sonic (62000 so far), and drove a Spark (72,000 when I traded in). They were both pretty reliable so maybe I have bad opinions.
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May 17, 2018 21:39
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Guinness posted:The Aveo had such a terrible reputation they had to rename it, and while it is better it's still pretty meh. What was wrong with Aveos? I know they were lovely and uncomfortable, but I had an uncle put 200k miles on a base one and it was OK?
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May 17, 2018 21:42
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Proposed Budget: $30,000 New or used: Either, I’d say 2016+ Body Style: See below How will you be using the car?: Commuting 70 miles round trip per day, hauling kids What aspects are most important to you: Reliability, technology, winter drivability, manual trans I want a new(ish) manual transmission car to replace my 08 Infiniti G35x. I’d like to stay with a Japanese vehicle but I can be persuaded (Chevy SS lol) if the argument is strong enough. I like my Infiniti, it’s quick-ish, reliable and has nice features (for 2008). The main car I’m looking at is the new 2018 Accord 2.0T with the 6-speed. It satisfies my need for stick, it’s a family sedan (I have two kids), and it’s quick-ish and has nice autonomous features and apple CarPlay. What I don’t like is that I’m giving up the AWD of the Infiniti. Oddly, the other thing I’m looking at is a newer Toyota Tacoma with the 6 speed stick. It can still haul the kids and has 4WD. Downsides are that the Toyota in car entertainment tech is definitely a downgrade from Apple CarPlay and, depending on the year it won’t have autonomous features. Anyone have experience with either of these? I know it’s a weird combo to be choosing from. Beve Stuscemi fucked around with this message at 00:09 on May 18, 2018 |
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May 18, 2018 00:06
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Picky fiance car hunt update: miracle of miracles, we've stretched the budget to $7k and she's actually considering a Subaru Forester. The catch is, she only likes the 2008 and earlier body style. I'm feeling better about this than say, a Sonic or Mini or Fiat, because even if it's older than I'd like it's still a Subaru. Is that legit, or am I just rationalizing because I want to be done with this? 
Unsinkabear fucked around with this message at 01:29 on May 18, 2018 |
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May 18, 2018 01:26
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Jim Silly-Balls posted:Proposed Budget: $30,000 If you can get a manual SS for 30 grand, buy it. AWD and manuals basically don't exist unless you buy a subaru and maybe an audi or two.
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May 18, 2018 01:42
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:Picky fiance car hunt update: miracle of miracles, we've stretched the budget to $7k and she's actually considering a Subaru Forester. The catch is, she only likes the 2008 and earlier body style. I'm feeling better about this than say, a Sonic or Mini or Fiat, because even if it's older than I'd like it's still a Subaru. Is that legit, or am I just rationalizing because I want to be done with this? Edmund's 5-year TCO numbers (based on 2012 models, the farthest back they go): Subaru Forester: $32,137 MINI: $30,319 FIAT 500: $28,583 Chevy Sonic: $25,440 Financially, there isn't that much difference between them. Let your finance get the one she likes best.
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May 18, 2018 01:46
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:Picky fiance car hunt update: miracle of miracles, we've stretched the budget to $7k and she's actually considering a Subaru Forester. The catch is, she only likes the 2008 and earlier body style. I'm feeling better about this than say, a Sonic or Mini or Fiat, because even if it's older than I'd like it's still a Subaru. Is that legit, or am I just rationalizing because I want to be done with this? What do you know about head gaskets? After like 2010ish (maybe 2011), they're less of a problem, but 2008 is prime HG territory. I dunno if the forester is one that can be done with the engine in the car, but if not, it is expensive. Regardless, know the signs because overheating a subaru basically kills it (as the head warps and it won't be financially reasonable to fix a 10 year old car that needs new heads). If the car has records of the HG being done with a multi-layer steel HG, it will run forever. edit: I don't consider it a major flaw, but you also should be checking subaru oil (and coolant for the HG thing) on a regular basis. They tend to consume more oil than normal cars. Don't buy a turbo. nm fucked around with this message at 02:10 on May 18, 2018 |
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May 18, 2018 01:53
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:Picky fiance car hunt update: miracle of miracles, we've stretched the budget to $7k and she's actually considering a Subaru Forester. The catch is, she only likes the 2008 and earlier body style. I'm feeling better about this than say, a Sonic or Mini or Fiat, because even if it's older than I'd like it's still a Subaru. Is that legit, or am I just rationalizing because I want to be done with this? For Subarus from that era, the headgasket, water pump, and timing belt should done around every ~100k. I wouldn't buy one without that done or without a price cut and expectation of getting that done. edit: beaten
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May 18, 2018 01:55
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:Picky fiance car hunt update: miracle of miracles, we've stretched the budget to $7k and she's actually considering a Subaru Forester. The catch is, she only likes the 2008 and earlier body style. I'm feeling better about this than say, a Sonic or Mini or Fiat, because even if it's older than I'd like it's still a Subaru. Is that legit, or am I just rationalizing because I want to be done with this? Subarus of that era cost more than average to maintain, and hold their value better than other cars. Both of those add up to a bad deal. If you want AWD and stick though, better to buy that than an Audi!
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May 18, 2018 02:35
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poo poo, I knew nothing about that. Thanks everyone. I think I'm just going to follow Deteriorata's advice and let her get the Mini or Fiat 500 she wants. Anything to watch out for on those?
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May 18, 2018 02:44
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:poo poo, I knew nothing about that. Thanks everyone. I think I'm just going to follow Deteriorata's advice and let her get the Mini or Fiat 500 she wants. Anything to watch out for on those? What I've seen with them is that individual cars tend to be either terrible or terrific, without a lot in between. Check the maintenance histories and if they've been fairly problem-free up to this point they'll probably continue to be.
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May 18, 2018 03:23
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It's finally done, thanks all. She picked a surprisingly clean 2004 Forester with 108k miles on it. It's nice enough that she's comfortable but ratchet enough to be cool, and it has furniture space while staying small enough to not scare her. I made it clear that she should plan on replacing the HG and timing belt eventually, and we beat the guy down to $5800 including tax and a new tag. I'm stoked. It may not be the wisest pick from an investment perspective, but it's her money and she's happy, and the interior reminds me of my old Ranger in all of the good ways and none of the bad ones. I can't wait to slap some kayaks on those racks.
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May 20, 2018 02:16
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UPDATE: We looked at a Chevy Spark today and my Wife (while appealed by the price) didn't like it at all. We test drove a Kia Optima that was nice and then we were shown a 2012 Dodge Journey. This thing was fully loaded with low miles but was only $12k. The only reason we couldn't drive it is because the electric seat adjust was broken. They are going to fix it and then have us come in and drive it. We also test drove a 2015 Nissan Versa and I have to say I was really impressed with that car. It was spacious with great legroom, enough room in the back for me (6'3" to sit comfortably). This leads me to my next question: Is there something wrong with Dodge Journeys that that one is cheap? According to Truecar it's a little below what they would consider "average" but only by a few thousand. It seems to good to be true. 2012 Dodge Journey with less than 50k miles. All the options except a sun roof. This thing is REALLY appealing to us but it's a vehicle I've never really heard of before.
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May 20, 2018 02:56
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SalTheBard posted:UPDATE: The Journey was kind of a meh car when new, but a lot of that is personal preference. They are nicely appointed and spacious. Most reviewers just found them kind of bland - which isn't necessarily bad in a large SUV. If you like it, that's what matters. Generally, the 4 was overmatched and the V6 was the better choice.
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May 20, 2018 03:09
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Your Loyal Vizier posted:It's finally done, thanks all. She picked a surprisingly clean 2004 Forester with 108k miles on it. It's nice enough that she's comfortable but ratchet enough to be cool, and it has furniture space while staying small enough to not scare her. I made it clear that she should plan on replacing the HG and timing belt eventually, and we beat the guy down to $5800 including tax and a new tag. She needs to replace the timing belt today. Also make sure she understands that any overheat at all can kill the motor. She needs to stop the moment the needle gets close to the red. Not drive home, not drive to the next exit, etc. Pull over and call aaa. Also fluid level checks when you fill up. Note that an overflowing coolant bottle is also a sign of a problem, so you're not just looking for low.
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May 20, 2018 03:10
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Deteriorata posted:The Journey was kind of a meh car when new, but a lot of that is personal preference. They are nicely appointed and spacious. Most reviewers just found them kind of bland - which isn't necessarily bad in a large SUV. If you like it, that's what matters. I believe this one is a V6.
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May 20, 2018 03:13
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I've driven a few Journeys as rentals and they have been the worst. "Unrefined" is the word that comes to mind. It's like FCA just bolted a bunch of poo poo together with no attention to how they worked together, which is probably exactly what happened because FCA.
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May 20, 2018 03:41
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nm posted:She needs to replace the timing belt today. Seconding this. If the timing belt breaks, it may take the motor with it.
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May 20, 2018 04:16
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Subarus are fantastic cars that last forever so long as you obsessive-compulsively do every millimeter of routine maintenance and never miss one tiny thing ever, apparently
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May 20, 2018 04:25
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mariooncrack posted:Seconding this. If the timing belt breaks, it may take the motor with it. And it has a 105k interval iirc.
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May 20, 2018 04:47
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Eric the Mauve posted:Subarus are fantastic cars that last forever so long as you obsessive-compulsively do every millimeter of routine maintenance and never miss one tiny thing ever, apparently It's really funny that Subarus have a reliability reputation on par with Toyota among the general population, when they're really far more like a European car than a Toyota.
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May 20, 2018 06:07
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