Author Topic: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water  (Read 1778 times)

Offline Rondar

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Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« on: March 29, 2011, 02:30:39 PM »
Head gaskets went out this last weekend on wife's van.  It is a 1999 Olds Silohette van.  I have been putting in antifreeze and stopleak stuff for the last year or so, she only drives it to work, which is 5 miles one way.  So it finally gave way and now has about 6" of water/oil above the full mark on the oil dipstick.  Its parked and probably will be scrapped for junk, as it has 200k miles on it.  It will need tires by summer if it would have lasted that long, and we got it from her parents years ago, and they used it to put their boat in saltwater all winter long down at the gulf of Mexico.  So it seemed we always had rusty brake problems also amongst other problems.   So I assume it probably is not worth doing head gaskets, as the water in crankcase might make us do a complete overhaul now.  We farm, and were hoping to make it last until this summer after wheat harvest, alas it didnt make it as hoped.

So now, we are looking to buy a 2007 and up smaller car that will get good/great gas mileage and might have a good repair record.  What cars do you guys recommend for a good car and also what cars/engines to stay away from?  We dont need a BMW, or Cadillac, as it will be a work vehicle, and also we would like to be able to take it on road trips too.  She likes the looks of Chevy Malibu, Chrysler Sebring, Ford Fusion kinda. Are these good cars or should we be looking at something else?
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Offline MaSonZ

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2011, 02:43:49 PM »
you live on a farm you say....little on the pricey side as its brand spankin new...and no gaurentees about anything, but Ford has a brand new eco tech engine in their F150. being brand new as i said, its going to be expensive...  while reading a review about the ngine in a magazine, the author got 19.2 mpg around town. that was the january edition of the magazine before Ford released the MPG for it. here where i live in Massachusetts with the EcoBoost engine and the standard F150 XL the base price is $28,040. just a litte bit pricey.



of course, you could always do a Toyota Prius and "Go Green"    :P
« Last Edit: March 29, 2011, 03:00:24 PM by MaSonZ »
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Offline Belial

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2011, 02:57:33 PM »
Toyota Corolla...we have one and the things runs solid, very solid...high mileage on it not sure the exact number.

Offline Wolfala

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2011, 03:40:58 PM »
Ronny,

You look into an engine overhaul? ESP if it's still got life in it.


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Offline eagl

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #4 on: March 29, 2011, 03:42:58 PM »
Honda civic for a sedan, but consider one of the micro wagon versions of the civic.  Or even the honda fit.

They are pricey for used cars but that's because they hold their value, and THAT is because they run darn near forever.  I have a 2008 civic with the navigation system and it's a great car, economical and versatile.  The hatchback or small wagon or whatever they call them now versions are even better since you can put bigger boxes in the trunk.  If you think you will ever take the car on trips, the honda navigation system is in my opinion the most user friendly one on the market.  I've tried several, and the honda nav system is very good and easy to use, even when driving.

Or even a base model civic...  They are generally reliable and economical, with tons of nice features like optional split rear folding seatbacks (worth looking for if you get one used), and various other little nice to have features.  My only gripe about the civic is that 4-wheel disc brakes were not even an option except on the top of the line most expensive model...  That sort of drove my decision to spring for the navigation system too, and we haven't regretted spending the extra money since the nav system has bailed us out of bad trouble a few times.

So... civic or fit, either sedan or hatch/wagon models.

I saw the recommendation for the toyota corolla, but make sure you test drive one.  I have fairly short legs so I'm that guy who always has to pull the seat forward, but in every toyota I've ever driven including a corolla my wife owned, the pedals were waaaay too close to the driver.  In order to have a comfortable position for my feet/legs, I had to have the seat far enough back that my arms were stretched waaay out straight to get to the steering wheel even with the seat fully upright.  Maybe they're better now but even a 2010 sienna I test drove had the same problem, pedals too close to the driver, so I couldn't find a comfortable driving position.  The hondas I've driven, including my civic and odyssey, both feel much better and feel fine to my wife as well.  So test drive it to see if you fit in the car first, and pay attention to how far you have to reach for the steering wheel after adjusting the seat position for your feet and the pedals.  If you have to stretch or lean your upper back off of the seat to reach the top of the steering wheel after adjusting the seat for the leg/feet position like I had to do with the toyotas I test drove, then you might want to try another car.

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Offline Reschke

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2011, 04:03:05 PM »
Saturn Vue AWD V6....I like it because it is functional for me and can carry all five members of the family plus whatever is needed for small kids and sports...plus its paid for!
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Offline dedalos

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #6 on: March 29, 2011, 04:09:19 PM »
 :lol it is like now one read his post.  The what car do you like thread is next door fools  :lol

Rondar, what is your price range?
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Offline Becinhu

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #7 on: March 29, 2011, 04:12:50 PM »
Unless you go with a used vehicle you can't get a sebring. It has been replaced with the Chrysler 200 which starts new in the low 20s.  Just because I sell Chrysler has no bearing on my opinion... :noid
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Offline fbWldcat

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #8 on: March 29, 2011, 04:15:29 PM »
Toyota Corolla...we have one and the things runs solid, very solid...high mileage on it not sure the exact number.

My '96 has about 30-31 mpg in the city.
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Offline Buzzard7

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #9 on: March 29, 2011, 04:54:54 PM »
Have a 98 Honda CR-V 24 mpg city 175,000 on it and runs tops.
Have a 2001 Jetta 1.9l diesel 42 mpg 200,000 on it and runs great.

Offline AAJagerX

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #10 on: March 29, 2011, 05:45:42 PM »
Watch out for the Malibu with the 3.5 engine.  They're notorious for lower main seals going out, even at low mileage.
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Offline gyrene81

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #11 on: March 29, 2011, 05:52:43 PM »
look for a certified used toyota or subaru...a lot is going to depend on what you can afford to spend.
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Offline curry1

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #12 on: March 29, 2011, 05:55:18 PM »
Have a 98 Honda CR-V 24 mpg city 175,000 on it and runs tops.
Have a 2001 Jetta 1.9l diesel 42 mpg 200,000 on it and runs great.

I have a 2004 Honda CRV and I love it.

My dad had a 1990 honda accord and had it for 20 years.  Nothing serious ever broke on it until it was ran into on the side of the road while it was parked.  So he had to get a new car so he got another Honda Accord.

Hondas are extremely reliable.(<---period)
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Offline gyrene81

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #13 on: March 29, 2011, 06:07:04 PM »
I have a 2004 Honda CRV and I love it.

My dad had a 1990 honda accord and had it for 20 years.  Nothing serious ever broke on it until it was ran into on the side of the road while it was parked.  So he had to get a new car so he got another Honda Accord.

Hondas are extremely reliable.(<---period)
can't argue with that...with regular maintenance 200k is easy mode for most hondas
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Offline Rondar

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Re: Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water
« Reply #14 on: March 29, 2011, 07:18:50 PM »
Price range for what we are looking for is around 15k, + or - a couple up to 18k max.  We just dont need a new one, but want something that will run nice and inexpensive a few years.  This is a travel to work car for my wife who works in a school lunch room, and an ocasional out of town road trip.
To understand true love, lock your dog and your wife in the trunk of your car for an hour and then see which one is glad to see you when you come back