Looking for a newer car - Reliability?

J

Joshua312

New member
Well this is my second time going around to sell my car. I listed my GTP on autotrader in May for $7,500 and recieved many calls finally took it off the site because I just wasnt ready to sell with the way my job was looking. Everything is fine now and Im in the market again.



Looking for a vehicle $10-13K

Need something reliable as I cannot afford to buy a lemon and spend a fortune maintaining it...I would love to get in one of these cars, any input/suggestions for reliability or what you would reccomend. Im looking to get something that will turn heads/be somewhat luxury.



2000/Newer Lincoln LS

99/newer Audi A4

2000/Newer Passat

2000/newer Mustang GT

99/Newer Firebird

99/Newer Mazda Miata MX5 - my gf thinks these cars are girly?



Anything else someone may reccomend? A note, I only drive my cars in the summer...
 
To be honest the miata, at least from your list of choices will prolly have good reliability. Audi will cost an arm and a leg to fix and maintain, same with the passat or any german car for that matter. I have seen some miata's modded which takes away that "girly" presense.
 
The bottom 3 are all good choices.



The Miata is probably the most plausible. Gets good gas mileage, has a reliable drivetrain, is a fun little sporty car, etc. Downside, you've already mentioned the stereotype.



As far as firebird vs. mustang. Let's look at history. For every period mustang, the period comparable firebird is more valuable. Both are excellent cars, but as far as resale, the Firebird / TA is more likely to hold value.



Just my .02,

GT6
 
An F-Body (4th gen) is a good choice. They are super reliable, easy to work on/maintain, and cheap. They get great fuel economy (30+ hiway with the 6 speed LS1) and are fast as well.



They have their downsides, of course. Huge, long doors make parking lot entrances and exits from the vehicle a chore, the interior is dated, they don't have much space for storage, and the backseat is pretty useless.



The Mustang GT would be my second choice... with the 5 speed.
 
I would stay away from the Passat. I own a 2002 1.8T Passat and it's been filled with problems just like my 2001 Jetta was. It's been a good car but you just never know if a coil pack will go out or if the ECU will give way.
 
Dr. Peters said:
I would stay away from the Passat. I own a 2002 1.8T Passat and it's been filled with problems just like my 2001 Jetta was. It's been a good car but you just never know if a coil pack will go out or if the ECU will give way.
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Thanks for the heads up...Looks like its going to be between the Mustang, or Firebird. Before the GTP was around I had a 93 Firebird, loved the looks - even for a 93, people still remember me as the kid who had the Firebird. Haha, shows you how much people know about cars around here, the thing was only a v6, cloth...still pretty fun for a 16 year old. Anyways...I really cant make up my mind between these, I love both and I can get all three for a very reasonable price with low miles.
 
BlackSunshine said:
They have their downsides, of course. Huge, long doors make parking lot entrances and exits from the vehicle a chore, the interior is dated, they don't have much space for storage, and the backseat is pretty useless.
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I can fit my whole detailing set up plus some in tha T/A when i need to work on it.. and my daugter loves it also..
 
Well, if I wanted to meet your requirements I would go with an Acura. Acura/Honda's are very reliable, cheap to fix, easy to work on and the Acura line is just a Honda with a little more luxury. You might also be able to find a nice SRT-4 for that price. Not sure how reliable they are but they are a fun car to play with and you get 4 doors and trunk room.
 
The only one on your list that I can speak to is the Mustang GT. My 2001 currently has 75,000 miles on it and the only mechanical issue I have ever had with it is a dirty idle air control valve. Seems to be a common issue. They have a tendancy to attract carbon buildup. I probably could have just cleaned it but, I replaced it at about 60K miles.



One of the best forums for the Mustang is http://www.modulardepot.com.



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Other than the Miata I don't think anything listed is particularly reliable. Is Honda/Toyota out of the question?
 
RTexasF said:
Other than the Miata I don't think anything listed is particularly reliable. Is Honda/Toyota out of the question?
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No they are not...However I am having a hard time finding a honda or toyota which I like the styling of..and it would be a big difference from the power my car has now. :(
 
Yeah, for any type of a decent price, its hard to fins a Toyota with nice styling or ANY sort of responsive driving dynamics. And if you add in the requirement for horsepower, it makes it even harder. :)







CHRIS
 
The Chrysler 300M is definitely worth a look. I drive an '01 LHS, essentially the same car with a much larger trunk, and love it. The Special models from '02-04 have some extra stuff, like lower body cladding, lower gear ratio, 18" stock wheels, and a slightly lower ride height. And I'm not knocking the non-Special models, they're great cars as well. A complete package; nice styling, a decent factory stereo (mine's 360 watt and component speakers), 250 hp and torque, a good dose of luxury, and surprisingly good handling. Oh yeah, and decent reliability, too.
 
I got an 02 audi a4 almost two years ago, had it for 8 months never a problem, was in love with it. Unbelievable build quality, got it for 19k and my brother got a new accord for 23k, mine blew his out of the water in every respect. But....then.... got back from a vacation, felt the need for speed, went around a corner way to fast, and winter had just ended so the roads were all sandy, yea slid right into a boulder...totalled :-( worst day of my life. But yea dude audi/vdubs used to be unreliable, but nowadays, if you treat em right they are amazing. I found an 00 tt the other day for 11k, black on black, thatd be pretty sweet too.

my two cents!
 
Funny you talk about the WRX :) Ooooh how I would love a GTO, however insurance seems to kill me with my past driving record. I basically cannot afford full coverage insurance on any vehicle. For my GTP right now full coverage would run be around $1,600 per 6 months. I am in the process of being approved for a loan to get a WRX...however I need to sell my car first. I'll keep you updated....thanks for the heads up on the GT0 :( A person I work with just got a brand new G6 GTP convertable....I cant wait till those things go lower in price....*very* nice cars.



If you could, can you also send me some info on rebuilding your transmission (price, where/if you sent it out) Thanks!
 
I didnt want to make a new thread to ask this question so hopefully some people still see this.



I was about to call it quits on looking for a car as I came to the conclusion I should just wait till after college. However, this morning on my way to work I seen a car for sale and I know the owner, it is a great deal. The vehicle is a 2000 Infiniti G20; I did a little research on the reliability and really only found two small trouble spots that *could* arise. The costs were relatively low to fix. I wanted to just see if anyone had first hand expierence with this vehicle and what their thoughts were on reliability? It is in very nice condition, leather still look like new and no rust or body damage what so ever, no curb rash. Thanks for the help!



***Nevermind on the above post...http://auto.consumerguide.com/Auto/Used/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/2455/act/usedcarreviewreliability/



Now isn't that depressing :(
 
Infinitis are good from what I know. I do, however, know that Nissans are great. I've heard really good things about athe G35s, but we didnt' even look at those because of the price. I'm not sure what the G20 is based off, but if you can find a VQ3.5 Altima or Maxima, they're great cars. My sister and fiance's parents have identical 2003 Maximas, and they've been great cars. They look good, are reliable, and have plenty of power. My fiance was in the market for a car last fall and we almost ordered a new 3.5 Altima, but money was an object and we ended up going with a Sentra. It's a great car, but it's still a cheap economy car. Maybe a Type-R Sentra that hasn't been riced or ragged out?



I have a 1995 Z28 and have put about 20k on it since I bought it. It's got 101k on it now, and other than routine maintenance, the only trouble I've had was the water pump (stupid LT1 design). The only other trouble I've had is burning plug wires on my headers, which is totally my fault for being cheap. I highly recommend if you put headers on it you go with an over the valve cover wire kit. Trust me on this one. They are a pain to work on since everything's under the dash. I just finished a clutch upgrade, plugs and wires, and waterpump on mine. I'd rather do the clutch than plug wires, I think it was actually easier. It's a 6 speed and gets around 23mpg in town if I can keep my foot out of it and close to 30 mpg on a trip. Insurance is fairly cheap since we get a multicar discount and I don't have collision on it. It drives great, feels great, and has gobs of power. The interior rattles like no tomorrow, go ahead and plan on subframe connectors to stiffen it if it's a t-top like mine. Also, try to go 2000-up. Factory LS6 intake, better clutch. None of this is advertised.



As much as I'm against Fords, Mustangs are good cars. Decently quick, reliable, fun to drive, and pretty good looking. Just don't expect to pull a newer Camaro or T/A at a stoplight if it's stock. Seems like I also heard that insurance is extremely high on a Mustang, not sure though.



Next......

My parents just bought a 2002 Miata. Silver, 16" wheels, 6 speed. It's a Mazda so you know it's reliable. It's quick (peppy), handles like it's on rails, and gets over 30mpg. It's also quiet inside and doesn't ride bad for a vert. Picture driving around in a big go-cart. It even has about the same trunk space as a go-cart. Don't even think about mobile detailing if you get this one.



I have no actual experience with anything VW, but from what friends who have owned them say they must stay in the shop more than the driveway.



Honda Accord, Toyota Camry......yawn.
 
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