Saturday, May 9, 2009
Well, I'm sorry to say that my '98 Saturn SL2 with 140K miles on it may be on its final legs. The end is in sight.
So my question is, what kind of car should I be looking for now in this market? I bet there must be some good deals out there, no? I'm looking for something not too flashy, just something comfortable that can get me around reliably and doesn't cost too much to keep on the road, either with gas, repair or insurance. I'm spoiled with my insurance now because the Saturn is costing my about $6-700 a year. I suppose that will have to go up, but I want to increase my monthly nut by the smallest amount possible.
I hate the whole car buying process, hence my purchase of a Saturn since I was taken in by their "the price is the price" system, and it's been a good car for me for all these years and miles. Any suggestions out there? Whaddaya think?
Its a buyers market brother. Get what you like for the reasons you think are important. Deals are easily had.
Ford seems to be a good patriotic bet, with a good product as well. How about a Ford Focus?
That is the best I can do with limited information, on your wants, needs, and ungiven level of pragmatism.
Cars should last 200 to 225k miles now with regular oil changes. Of course, if you know there are problems, then it on its last leg, but if it is working fine, no need to buy a new car. Look for a hybrid, I say, so as to spend less money on gas. The price of a barrel of oil is going up again--it's already at $58.
Thanks. (Someone actually emailed to say I could borrow their extra car if mine died suddenly.)
I'll look at Ford, or anything else. I used to have a Toyota Camry, aren't most of them assembled here anyway?
Are hybrids really worth it, being more expensive...or are they? I admit I have barely started to look yet.
I can't suggest anything without more information about what u use yr car for. are u yr kid's chauffeur, are u a travelling salesman, are u on the road all the time. Or are u basically housebound and use the car only to pick up groceries( i doubt that given the milage on yr current vehicle)
so MORE INFORMATION, please!
Well, I have a short, 5 mile each way, stop and go, commute. I use it for buzzing around town, going to events and meetings. Nothing too heavy, but I do need to put some junk in the trunk once in awhile, and do need to buzz around on business. My wife has a CRV for those occasions like grabbing 14 bags of mulch from Home Depot. I like the Saturn's relatively small size for those drives into Boston and the parallel parking, but a SmartCar is out of the question. Let's see, what else...
I agree with Mark James.
140K is not the end with a maintained car.
140K / 11 years = 12K per year.
You could get 5 more years till 200K.
What problem(s) is the car having?
For 5 mile trips, would you consider riding a bicycle?
As for a Saturn, I've come to the conclusion that it's a Chick Car. Whenever I see a Saturn, a girl is driving it.
I drove my '86 VW Golf till 220K when a shitload of problem developed - plus the headliner, the passenger compartment roof fabric separated from the roof and hung down, resting on my head and hung down in the back blocking my view out the rear window.
Solomon, you will find that most cars tend to grow over time. The Camry is huge now.....the Corolla is now as big (or bigger) as a Camry in the early 90s.
Similarly with the Accord and Civic.
i read u everyday,this time maybe i can help u ...im a cert master mech 30 years in detroit and israel i have tons of experince with used cars please e mail me with all questions,or call,it would be my pleasure to help you,i enjoy your site very much.david y.
I could keep driving my current car. It's all stuff like frozen doors (locks and latches frozen on back doors), windows that don't go up and down properly, some kind of short circuit in the dash (beep beep beep even when lights aren't on, that kind of thing), busted lock control...a good tune up would probably take care of the engine issues, but it's just getting to that point, you know?
And, for reasons I don't want to get into now, I am getting a car. :) My main concern is not overpaying, and what the ongoing costs will be.
Riding a bike to work is a nice idea, except for getting there all sweaty. I can do that new car or not, anyway, though.
David, are there any types of car you see that cause particular problems? Anything that's more of a pain to work on than anything else?
Im big on Subarus, Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans and Japanese makes in general.
Nissan Altima
Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Mazda 3 series
Subaru WRX
Volkswagen Golf/Jetta Golf is a nice Euro Hatchback
Audi or Volvo
Ford Focus
any used lo-mi toyota or honda is the best bet ,but they are expensive and hard to find .avoid all chrysler products.also the economis situation notwithstanding,used cars are not cheap because no more cheap leases,and fear of a long term note to payoff in a shaky job market is killing new car sales,and driving up demand for late model used cars..i would suggest a pontiac vibe,its actually a toyota.among the small domestics a focus is a great car,my three older kids are all driving focuses that i fixed up for them.parts and repairs are cheaper than the vibe.i can give u my home ph # ,im a slow typer.dont buy anything used without running it by me.i enjoy your site,pleasure to help u
subarus are good,but needlessly complicated and expensive parts,labor.also not great gas mileage. .nissan,mazda not as good as honda,toyota. again,a pontiac vibe is an excellent car its actually a toyota matrix,but better looking,but body parts are expensive, the american nameplate which is a bit misleading is a plus. saturns were never as good as they could have been but not bad cars.i would not put a penny into repairs of the saturn,if it runs,its worth more than u think as a "mechanics special" theres no avoiding higher ins. costs unless u buy a junker and start dumping $ into it
oh yeah ,as for german cars...german engineering made for great gas chambers but their cars are overrated ,parts,repairs too expensive besides the discomfort level jews should feel about buying them.i know,i know israel is full of mercedes buses,but i personally couldnt have one.not now,not ever.
subarus are good,but needlessly complicated and expensive parts,labor.also not great gas mileage -- david yari
Yeah, well, as I said, I have a liking for them.
The Subaru Impreza Sport is an useful hatchback. Subaru doesnt have the distribution or dealership ubiquitousness of Toyota or Honda, and parts, labor, and finding service while travelling out of town/state can be tricky. But I love em.
I currently drive an E46 330i...I dont like the newer BMW body styles.
The Japanese cars will be better on your wallet and with maintenance and reliability to Euro cars generally.
Its worth test driving the Altima, IMO. Real nice car their and they are using the continuance of the old Maxima/300/350ZX engines which were widely hailed as quality engines....on Wards Top Engines for quite a few years in a row.
A friend of mine just bought a 2009 Toyota Corolla, first year of new generation in US, but they have been selling in Japan for 2 years and Australia for a year already and the engine isnt new....for less than a used or new 2008 last year.
david yaari,
Why do you say that you would not put any money into repairs for a Saturn?
Subaru. Back in the late 1970's or early 1980's I saw a Subaru that had the spare tire, deflated, stored in a bin under the engine hood!
I think of the engine heat cooking the tire rubber. Seems like a really dumb design.
I also remember a car from the same timeframe that was a Nissan? that was SO UGLY, that it was called "the atomic cockroach".
Personally I believe the Rapture (when Christians are snatched off Earth) is coming soon, & then the horrendous 7-year Tribulation will follow some time probably not long after that (starts when a covenant is confirmed w/Israel)& almost all of the planet will die, so I wouldn't be worrying too much about a new car. That said, I'm probably going to pick up another Honda Insight hybrid later this year if I'm not raptured by then, had the first one they came out with & loved it -- smooth ride, great gas mileage.
The Rapture will mean I'll have a easy time getting a parking spot.
That's very wise. Hope for the rapture, but be prepared for disappointment.
David replied via email (he's subscribed to the thread) but I thought I'd put a portion of his reply here:
i wouldnt put any money into repairs on it because at that mileage it will constantly need repairs large and small and finally something major at which point you junk it,as opposed to selling it now as good cheap transportation for a good price,demand is huge for cheap old cars,and use the proceeds towards something newer. the old subarus were great i had many in israel,but today they are too expensive,complicated,and not great mpg.the spare was in the front because of the flat engine design,it did not get cooked.also dont go for the tuneup you mentioned,theres nothing to tune these days,its all computer controlled.if the check eng light comes on it will tell you which sensor is bad.send me a list of specific problems,i will tell you which should be fixed and which are not nessecary or not worth it david
In addition to the other issues I named, the heat doesn't really work. That's right, I've gone through the last two New England winters with almost no heat in the car. I need an inspection this month (figures), so my plan is just to get an oil change and whatever else absolutely needs to be done to get a new sticker, then leave it at that.
Sounds at this point like I need to do a little footwork. Consensus seems to be toward Toyotas or Ford Focus. I've got to have a look around at this point I guess.
David, thanks for your offer of help. At this point, there's not a lot more to ask I think.
Just bumping because #14 was flagged as spam and I just now approved it. Sorry.
No heat? I'm not an expert, but it might be something simple like a thermostat - ease of replacement depends on the design of the car.
It can be easy.
There is LOTS of help on the web.
As David said, there is no need for a "tuneup" as in the past. Maybe new spark plugs, new spark plug wires, distributer cap and rotor - look for any cracked rubber hoses, ducts - change the timing belt (IMPORTANT), check oil pan, check CV joint boots... blah, blah blah.
How much is a Saturn with 140K miles on it worth?
not because its a saturn, THE RULE HOLDS TRUE ON ALL CARS THAT OLD WITH THAT MANY MILES.it just doesnt make sense to dump money in such an old car.its still worth something to somebody as long as its running,so better to get about ik for it now and use the money toward something better,than wait till it dies suddenly or a major repair ,and it goes to the junkman for $50
the no heat problem is almost certainly the valve on the hose going from the engine to the heater core.its froze up or since its probably vacuum operated ,theres a vacuum leak in the line going to the valve.if so its also causing the check eng light to go on because the fuel/air mix is now too lean(too much air).this will also damage the exhaust valves,they will burn(too much oxygen going by them) also rotor and dist cap went the way of points,condenser and carb.they are no more. last point..why look at the oilpan??
My '86 VW Golf had fuel injection and a distributor - you saying that cars don't have distributors and rotors anymore? I didn't know that.
About what year did distributors generally go away?
I'd check the old pan for a leaking oil pan gasket
AND check for ripped CV joint boots.
Another reply from David:
fuel inj has been around for years,distributorless ignition systems not so long.all cars now have a sensor on the crank pully which until recently fired a magneto/coil that had no moving parts, just plug wires. even that is now obsolete.the latest is coil on plug which is just as it sounds,a little coil on top of each plug, no more plug wires but spark timing is still off a sensor on the crank pulley.no tuneups,no nuthin,just plugs at about 100k. oilpans also generally dont leak much anymore,they are now cast aluminum with a groove on the sealing surface that hold a rubber gasket in place.it can be snugged down at high mileage without damaging the gasket.if you cant see torn boots on the c.v joints,just turn the wheel sharp and listen for the clicking,of course by then its too late for just boots.hope this info is helpful, david