Car advice?

[paintballman333]

Ok guys I have just about 4500$ saved up and I am looking for a new car. I want a car that is decent in the snow and has real good acceleration. It doesnt matter to much to me about top speed. Let me know about your opinions and please give me some statistics like, 0-60, front wheel or all wheel drive or rear wheel drive, also what kind of brakes does it have. Thanks guys

[CasingBill]

Well..I am pretty much against anything front wheel drive. Go rear or 4wd. Go for a pick up truck or something.

[Python14]

Cars that do good in the snow do not exsist. It's just as likely as finding a car that does good in piping hot liquid Lava. Your just not gonna find one.

Regardless, for $4500 your gonna be delt with three cars.

Dodge Neon
Honda Civic and it's variations
Stuff older than you

My recommendation?

Keep saving until you can buy a used Suburu wagon that is less than 10 years old.

[Lohman446]

Chevy Malibu, you should be able to hit 99 or even 00 for that funds, or just a touch more - Ford Taurus is also a decent buy. I think, in the price range, it (the Malibu) is the best buy out there now. Understand it has the GM 3.1 engine which has had some intake issued in the past, but these have been negligible. Do not get the 4 cylinder variant. I personally think foreign cars are overpriced for what they are, and I work on cars all day.

Front wheel drive will do well in snow, in minor amounts. Their becomes a problem iwth ground clearance, if you are talking routine times wtih ten or mor inches of hard snow on teh road, push to 4WD. Otherwise, avoid it, there are problems you do not need in most 4WD systems.

If you must have 4WD - look towards the Chevy full size pickups with the 4.3L, while underpowered you can normally steal them as their desirability is low. The 4.3L has proven to be a much better engine than the 4.9 Ford. This is assuming you will not be towing heavily with it. Normally the full size 4.3L will go cheaper than the S10 with the same variant.

Do not get RWD for snow, there is a reason you do not see may Corvettes in the snow. Fun cars, suck in snow as do most RWD cars.

[ASDadam]

Agreed with Lohman, avoid RW with snow, My 3.8 Bonneville did great in snow. So if you can find a cheap Grand Prix with the 3.8 you'd be doing good. Accelleration with the 3.8 is great.

About the 4.3 being underpowered i'd have to disagree wholeheartedly. I drive a 97 Bravada with the 4.3 and all wheel drive and it is fassssst.

[FalconGuy016]

Originally posted by ASDadam
Agreed with Lohman, avoid RW with snow, My 3.8 Bonneville did great in snow. So if you can find a cheap Grand Prix with the 3.8 you'd be doing good. Accelleration with the 3.8 is great.

About the 4.3 being underpowered i'd have to disagree wholeheartedly. I drive a 97 Bravada with the 4.3 and all wheel drive and it is fassssst.

Props for fast 3.8 Grand Prix !! :) (right here baby!!)

And the handling... well, their slogan for the car sums it up

<b>Wider is Better</b>

[Lohman446]

Originally posted by ASDadam

About the 4.3 being underpowered i'd have to disagree wholeheartedly. I drive a 97 Bravada with the 4.3 and all wheel drive and it is fassssst.

Let me rephrase that, compared to the 5.7 in a full size truck they are underpowered. But you bring up my point to some degree - this engine is plenty for the S10 Blazer, the Bravada, the S10 pickup. The 4.3L V6 Chevy full size is just undervalued, I doubt yuo will miss the power, unless your doing serious towing. You will miss some of the acceleration, but it is a decent engine and normally a great bargain should you find it.

Blazers, Bravadas - nice vehicles, I personally think the Explorer to ride better if you are going the SUV route, though there are some transmission issues in all three of the above mentioned vehicles, more so the Ford. Given the choice of small SUVs I would look at Explorers (drive them, they feel more stable than a Blazer - but are statistically less so) or Jeep Cherokees (the small one, not grand) as ideal. The Blazers and Bravadas are nice, but generally the Explorers are undervalued. I still expect all of these to be out of your price range though, and I would advise you against a 4WD do to inflated repair costs - watch GMs for front end components - Ball joints, idler arm, pitman arms, and front drive axles are common as well as transfer case issues in certain ones. Watch Fords for ball joints and transmission issues. Watch the Jeeps for rear end noise, as well as front end noise and axle joints. Chrysler transmissions are not the most long lived as well. Personally I think getting into SUVs under 5K is dangerous if your not mechanically adept, I have seen a lot of SUV repair bills tip the scales at about $1500 for "normal" stuff.

Want a list of my recommendations of that price range and what you shoudl be able to find with some searching and would stick to 98 up with reasonable mileage: Malibu V6; Taurus 3.0 (not DOHC Ford has a bad habit of buildign junk engines in the Taurus, this is the old reliable); Regal (doubtful find in the range); Grand Am (overpriced); Alero (though I am not fond of the 3.4 engine); 99 Bonnevilles are a great deal as 00 was a body style change, plan on doing intake gaskets at some point on these though, nto a big deal as long as you catch it and dont roast an engine. I cannot recommend a Chrysler car in this range, or an import (though some are rated high)

[paintbattler]

get an explorer or jeep cherokee or something..maybe like a 95 model..i think they are tight

[CasingBill]

I disagree with the front wheel drive recommendation. The problem is that although fwd has good initial traction, once you lose traction you cannot regain control. For instance, if going around a turn and you lose traction with a fwd car you will just continue sliding straight into whatever stops you. You don't lose traction in the rear, you lose it in the front, therefore losing traction and steering. In a rwd if you lose traction you may still be able to regain control. Generally you will lose traction in the rear and not the front. So you will still be able to have some control. You can also use the accelerator to completely spin the car around. You and also correct by countersteering. So for me in my personal experience...go rwd or 4wd. My .02.:)

[ASDadam]

Definately have to disagree with the no control after a spin in a FWD. That is most definately not true. With my old bonneville i was able to PULL myself out of many turns in which i should've gone off the road. Why? Because usually the front wheels stay on the road, and the rear wheels are what fly off. In this case the front wheels can pull the vehical back onto the road and maintain control.

And he's right about the 3.8 engine. Except its the Entire upper intake Plenium. They are made or plastic and tend to warp horribly considering the EGR routes through it as well as the heat from the engine itself. Thats how my bonneville died, didn't catch it soon enough and roasted the camshaft bearings.

One thing to also look after with the 4.3 is the Fuel Pressure regulator. Just replaced mine. Its a $40 part going to 60 with gaskets, but that was me doing it myself. A shop would've charged quite a bit more. But after replacing the regulator the engine is still strong as new with 95k miles.

[paintballman333]

I am not really interested in a truck or an SUV mainly just a car. I am not to fond of American made cars (I know I might get flamed for that), I am looking towards mainly the import side. Thanks for the advice so far though.

[Mateo]

Used truck or SUV, best first car anybody could have. Built like rocks. Especially 4 wheel drive. Yukon Z71, Tahoe, Explorer, Jeep, etc. Then there are your trucks. Really why do you want a car when you could have a SUV? Its just more versatile and rugged. What you expect to be all hot shot racer with your import? HAHAHAHAHA! Right, my first vehicle(mind Im 17) was a Dodge Caravan. I could haul all sorts of stuff and chicks dig it. Its different. But now I got my moms old Camry since she sold the Caravan for a CRV. Yes its a car, but I sure miss the cargo space of that van. And then I had a Dodge Dakota with 187,000 as a in between car, and that was even better than a Camry. I just don't get all these people with their Neons, Civics, etc. I dont see anything special with them. Now if you want to go fast and import and have $4500, I got my '72 Datsun 240z for 2k. Oh man eats rice for breakfast.

[JuggaloDave]

i would highy sugguest a nice, used neon. should be able to pick a nice 98 or 99 first gen r/t if your lucky for real cheap. the second gens are really nice imo. i got a 2000 neon and i love it to death, only problem i have with mine is the atx. 132 hp, and torque is more than what most imports have at that price range generaly(civics*cough*slow*cough* err excuse me), and the handling is superb imo. and throw a 20-30 dollar strut tower brace on there and you will be taking sharper turns alot faster than you would think. we have had a lot of snow around here latly, and the neon did great, got sideways a few times but that was me having fun and yanking the ebrake lol. but even with balding tires in the front, i had no trouble getting up hills where i saw many rwd trucks and cars have alot of trouble. it has a good aftermarket fallowing, and it is getting better and better if you are into that sorta thing. but stock it is a really nice car, engine makes a bit of noise, and they have a low resale value, but i think that the 2k is about as low as it will get. also, check out www.neons.org and www.neons.org/forum to look and get a lil more info on them. i love my car, and when i start to think about selling, something just reminds me of how great she is. next car i plan on getting will be a neon r/t or srt-4 depending on my budget in 2 or so years. also, why would someone want a big honkin suv? low to no gas milage, like to hit 20mpg on the highway in most, where i average around 28-30 romping it and racing with only a cold air intake and dynoflow muffler(no rice sounding poo on my baby!!). save some money on low gas milage so you can afford more paint or what ever.

[impostal22]

i'll sell you my 2.5liter 89 dodge dynasty for only $4000...it's got 110,000 miles on it, gets 13 miles per gallon, burns oil, has non-working power windows (in the winter), a dent along the rear right door from an unfortunate collision, but the frame is in perfect shape! oh and the paint is shiny :D.

[Ironmag]

In my exprience, I've had better luck with Imports. Can't really go wrong with a Nissan, which is what I have. Honda and Toyota are also pretty good. I'm pretty sure you can find a used one at that price range if you really look hard. For $4,500, you could probably get a 97-99 Sentra, Civic, Corolla or Protege

As far as the FWD/RWD debate, each has it's pros and cons. It's pretty much preference and use at this point.

[GrassNinja]

I drive a 1991 Mitsubishi GTO, its twin turbo 3.0l v-6 and all wheel drive combine to make it pretty damn fast. You call them 3000 GT VR-4's in the states. Give one a try. They are absolutely incredible. Dont let the heavy thing scare you, I wax Skylines all day (well, night) long. No problem. You should be able to pick one up for a fair price. Look around. Its worth it.

GrassNinja

[Flamebo]

Anyone who's recommending a FWD car as better in the snow obviously knows nothing of real winter driving. It's a bit easier to keep traction in a FWD drive if you drive like an old woman, but with a little skill you can get out of absolutely anything in a RWD car, especially if you've got a little weight on the rear end. 4-wheel disc brakes are usually overkill, you'll be fine with 2/2 disc/drum. My current daily driver is an '81 Firebird because I can't see wasting money by putting it into a newer "disposable" car, though I do spend ridiculous amounts of money in gas.

[impostal22]

get an audi...they rock:D

[paintballman333]

Yep my bro has got a 90' Audi Quattro and the thing handles superbly. It is also real quick and great in the snow. Anyone had any good and bad experiences with Jetta's?

[JuggaloDave]

jettas seem nice(most desiered car by gay ppl, lol), i dont much about them personaly, but i am sure that if you find one with the 1.8 turbo deisal it would prolly be vary cool. german cars are know for being superior vehicles, and those 1.8 Td's have some serious power.

[ASDadam]

Jetta's are good, but if you're going to find one for under 4k its going to have problems. And problems with the newer VW's means Lots and Lots of money for repair bills.

[paintballman333]

Any opinions on Integra's?

[GT]

civics and teg's. great cars for cheap!

[impostal22]

looks like someone completely ditched the audi quattro suggestion:o

[paintballman333]

No man I love Audi's if all works out and my bro gets his new car I may buy his from him. Anyone have any problems with integra's and one really like or dislike them? Thanks

[JuggaloDave]

integras are really nice cars, i would be willing to eat a baby or two fresh from they moms for one. the only trouble i can see with one is the lack of torque, but if you get a nice 5speed dohcvtech integra, it will be fast stock, and the aftermarket for them is vast and beyond.

[impostal22]

what makes integras so nice?

[Lohman446]

Originally posted by Flamebo
Anyone who's recommending a FWD car as better in the snow obviously knows nothing of real winter driving. It's a bit easier to keep traction in a FWD drive if you drive like an old woman, but with a little skill you can get out of absolutely anything in a RWD car, especially if you've got a little weight on the rear end. 4-wheel disc brakes are usually overkill, you'll be fine with 2/2 disc/drum. My current daily driver is an '81 Firebird because I can't see wasting money by putting it into a newer "disposable" car, though I do spend ridiculous amounts of money in gas.

Yeh, the three feet of snow outside would indicate I have no clue what Im talkign about in real winter driving :rolleyes:. The fact that I'm a master certified mechanic and run an auto shop and car lot would indicate I know nothing about cars :rolleyes: . RWD can be used in the snow, people do it, people used to do it all the time. But with a FWD car you have the weight over the wheels already, aside from some exceptionally nice sports cars they are normally balanced better. The problem you will find in a FWD - if you loose one, you will likely not get it back under control (I have managed a couple times with traction control). It also takes power application to regain control, and its hard to get used to.


I will disagree with people sometimes, often, I do not appreciate being told I "obviously know nothing of real winter driving" or total disrespect to an opinion - my closest neighbor is a quarter mile away, my road is on the D list for plowing, meaning Im one above last priority. There have been days that my FWD car has stayed in teh drive and I have used a 4WD truck - I defy you to get a RWD CAR out in circumstances that a FWD will not - without gaining ground clearance. 4WD can get you through things FWD cannot, but you need to question how often your going to encounter those conditions - if at all. In my opinion, the increased maintenance of a 4WD is not going to be worth it. BTW, the last time I was stuck in the road, the 4WD truck with me was just as stuck, it took a tractor wtih an eight foot blower to get us out - I have a John Deere 4020 crawler for such circumstances.

[Oasis]

get an old v8 truck

[JuggaloDave]

Originally posted by impostal22
what makes integras so nice?
they have the dohc vtech in them, and the 92-93 have been described as if you hit nos once you hit the vtech, plus it will make a killer sound. plus, the power they have, around 200hp on a 2.0 is not to shabby imo, plus the fact that that is stock, an intake will usually give around 5-10hp, good catback will get you around 5, nice headers and a high flow cat, you'd be near 215-220 crank hp, dunna what it would be making at the wheels though, but that is really nice, being as an srt-4 has a 2.4 turboed making 215hp at the crank stock and those run, ohhh say 13s. it is the ONLY honda i would ever even cosider buying(yes, acura is owned by honda, and in japan, there is no acura, it is the honda integra). downside is no torque, but ohwell, it has hp enough to fix that problem

[Ityl]

Why I don't like FWD in the snow: steering. I've seen way too many people not being able to steer with a front wheel drive vehicle on a slippery road and plow through someone's yard. With RWD, give it a little gas and it turns just fine. As long as you aren't a smash the gas all the time type person, RWD is better, imo. I've driven through some nasty stuff this winter in my 2WD S10 with no weight in the back.

[Lohman446]

True.. to some extent. A FWD if your foot is on the brake (which most people do when they dont have full controL) will do nothing more than skid, ditto that on a RWD or 4WD car. You will have to apply power, or at least let off the brake to get traction in any car, btw, traction control and ABS help