I might need to buy another car for a work commute. Ideas?

[deevergote]

Now I'm considering an older Prius. 1st gen models can be had for under $2000. 2nd gen with high miles can be had for $2500 or so.

The thought of having an extremely fuel-efficient car that I would have NO desire to modify is getting more appealing, despite the fact that I'll have to get it inspected every 2 years.

[h22sparkle]

If your looking for parts for German cars you may want to check Bap-Geon they are one of the places.

[sonikaccord]

I don't see any expensive E34 parts on Rockauto. All the maintenance stuff seems cheap, especially for a daily driver that may not necessarily need the OEM or OE part. There are name branded parts too! Wow. It's almost...CB like.

Old S-Class parts are cheap too! Yep...you should shoot for an early 90s German wagon.

[AccordWarrior]

The late 80s and early 90s really were a high point for the Germans (especially the higher-end Germans.) But you're right about the cost to repair them. Parts aren't cheap, and some require proprietary tools to do important and necessary service (lookin' at you, Mercedes-Benz!) Plus, the cool ones get shite gas mileage!

10th owner syndrome. Unless you find the needle in the haystack it's gone through a pile of people owning it because of the badge and neglecting them because of the cost and complexity of parts.

[cb7 calling]

I have been following this thread and I think I've got the answer. Get a cb7. I know a great website you can reference for technical info.

[sonikaccord]

10th owner syndrome. Unless you find the needle in the haystack it's gone through a pile of people owning it because of the badge and neglecting them because of the cost and complexity of parts.

True. You will be replacing damn near everything if you buy a neglected German. Hell, you might replace damn near everything if you buy a CB but at least you can go through a CB with your eyes closed since you know the chassis...

[deevergote]

I have been following this thread and I think I've got the answer. Get a cb7. I know a great website you can reference for technical info.

That's still what I keep coming back to. If I don't already know it, I know at least a few dozen people that do! Plus, I'd have access to tons of used parts at fair prices, and a market for when I want to sell the car or parts of it.

The risk is that it'll become a project. I'll want to modify it. I'll want an H22. I'll want a good paintjob. I'll want an HID/projector retrofit. I'll want some nice wheels. Next thing you know, I'm getting a fourth car, because I don't want to kill my Cadillac, Miata, or Accord!

True. You will be replacing damn near everything if you buy a neglected German. Hell, you might replace damn near everything if you buy a CB but at least you can go through a CB with your eyes closed since you know the chassis...

Yeah. That's one benefit to the CB. I know it, and parts are still plentiful and inexpensive. I've said to a few people that anything short of a blown engine, blown transmission, or failed fuel pump would most likely be a day's fix for me. If I broke something on Wednesday, I'd drive the CTS-V to work for a couple days, then fix the CB7 over the weekend. Granted, no garage... so winter breakdowns would suck...

[toycar]

That's still what I keep coming back to. If I don't already know it, I know at least a few dozen people that do! Plus, I'd have access to tons of used parts at fair prices, and a market for when I want to sell the car or parts of it.

The risk is that it'll become a project. I'll want to modify it. I'll want an H22. I'll want a good paintjob. I'll want an HID/projector retrofit. I'll want some nice wheels. Next thing you know, I'm getting a fourth car, because I don't want to kill my Cadillac, Miata, or Accord!



Yeah. That's one benefit to the CB. I know it, and parts are still plentiful and inexpensive. I've said to a few people that anything short of a blown engine, blown transmission, or failed fuel pump would most likely be a day's fix for me. If I broke something on Wednesday, I'd drive the CTS-V to work for a couple days, then fix the CB7 over the weekend. Granted, no garage... so winter breakdowns would suck...

buy one and be aggressive about the maintenance and keep a hundred dollar bill in the chsnge tray for tow, just in case. then, dont worry about it. youve other cars you can drive long enough for parts to to come from rockauto.

[deevergote]

That's pretty much what I'm thinking. Buy a cheap CB7, do all necessary important maintenance to it, and cross my fingers. I have AAA platinum, which will tow me up to 200 miles per year.

[Raf99]

Could this be true..... ? Can we convince the Deev to once again drive a cb7

[deevergote]

Now I'm thinking CB7/CB9, 1st gen TSX (I have to look into major problems and cost of maintenance/repair... it's largely an Accord, so I'm thinking it might not be too obscene...), or (if I can stomach the thought of full coverage insurance with my shite driving record and NJ's already high rates...) the newest CPO car I can find.
That would likely be a base Nissan Versa sedan. I found one with 65,000 miles for $6000 the other day. Certified means a warranty, which takes a good deal of the risk out of buying a used car. The fact that the car would be hideous, slow, and boring as hell would keep me from wanting to modify it. That's a good thing. The bad thing is I would probably hate driving it, and I'd feel like a loser pulling into the parking lot at work!

Also, I did get the job. I start Monday

[CyborgGT]

^ I certainly hope so! (*Ed. - lol, that was for Raf's post. Spent too much time on CL with my own post's window open. Congrats on the job, though!)

But just for fun, I plugged $1000 into my local Craigslist:

What about a '99 Saab 9-3 2.0 Turbo sedan?
https://fortcollins.craigslist.org/cto/6176002006.html

[verothacamaro]

That's still what I keep coming back to. If I don't already know it, I know at least a few dozen people that do! Plus, I'd have access to tons of used parts at fair prices, and a market for when I want to sell the car or parts of it.

The risk is that it'll become a project. I'll want to modify it. I'll want an H22. I'll want a good paintjob. I'll want an HID/projector retrofit. I'll want some nice wheels. Next thing you know, I'm getting a fourth car, because I don't want to kill my Cadillac, Miata, or Accord!



Yeah. That's one benefit to the CB. I know it, and parts are still plentiful and inexpensive. I've said to a few people that anything short of a blown engine, blown transmission, or failed fuel pump would most likely be a day's fix for me. If I broke something on Wednesday, I'd drive the CTS-V to work for a couple days, then fix the CB7 over the weekend. Granted, no garage... so winter breakdowns would suck...

God forbid you have to drive the Caddy to work

[deevergote]

15mpg (premium fuel) and the reliability of a decade-old General Motors product that is currently on its third owner... I'm terrified of it!
It's a great ride, but I'm scared the commute will kill it. Plus, I'm going to be paying $50+ per week for gas!


An old Saab would be cool, but I'd be afraid of any Saab-specific parts breaking. At that point, I'll likely be paying a premium for the "luxury car", on top of a premium for a defunct brand. Or I could just by crap low-end parts and roll the dice! I saw a Saab in a parking lot last night and launched into a story about how my old boss had a leased 05 9-3 turbo convertible (and refused to race my CB7... jerk.) I actually gave it some thought, but it would probably be fairly risky. Even the cars that were mechanical twins to the 9-3 and 9-5 were Opels, so "lesser marque" parts wouldn't be an option.
Saab would definitely meet my desire for something fun and luxurious, though. (I've actually wanted a Saab 9-7x Aero for a long time now! I know it's a Trailblazer. I don't care.)

[Crankshaft]

I noticed some people sugested ES300 but we all forgot the Supra's long overlooked cousin the SC300, they come with 2JZ engines and rear wheel drive.