Looking for an economical car, engine in van full of water

[CAP1]

Yes, I know, everyone knows about those cars except the people that owned them    Although, I do admit, I did hear some whining from the oil changing place about needing a special wrench.  But other than that, I have no clue what you are talking about.  I did say the the 2.0T so I don;t know if the other engines are having problems.

$1200 for the right cat. plus labor
3 months later(i had warned the customer though) same thing for the left cat. it wasn't because the cats were bad....it was because the flex-pipe broke.
 thermostats and waterpumps tend to go bad around 50k-60k miles. overheat one of them, and you're probably looking at a cylinder head.

 broken radiator tanks with less than 70k miles. they take purple(G12) antifreeze. stuff's nearly $50 a gallon.

 i could go on if i wanted to go to the turbo ones.

[saggs]

If you want economy you can't beat a Volkwagon Golf with the TDI diesel.   It'll do 60+ mpg if you drive conservatively. 


However it is true that may people hate working on VWs.

[Shuffler]

Yes, I know, everyone knows about those cars except the people that owned them    Although, I do admit, I did hear some whining from the oil changing place about needing a special wrench.  But other than that, I have no clue what you are talking about.  I did say the the 2.0T so I don;t know if the other engines are having problems.

HA The guys where I get my oil changed wince when I drive up. My 2500 crew has the Duramax Diesel/Allison combo. The oil change is easy enough, 10 quarts of Rotella. The wincing comes from the fact that I get my fuel filter changed at each oil change. It's a beast on the Duramax.  hehe

[CAP1]

If you want economy you can't beat a Volkwagon Golf with the TDI diesel.   It'll do 60+ mpg if you drive conservatively. 


However it is true that may people hate working on VWs.

i don't hate working on vw's. i hate replacing things that go bad long before they should. which i do a lot of on vw's and audis.

[CAP1]

HA The guys where I get my oil changed wince when I drive up. My 2500 crew has the Duramax Diesel/Allison combo. The oil change is easy enough, 10 quarts of Rotella. The wincing comes from the fact that I get my fuel filter changed at each oil change. It's a beast on the Duramax.  hehe

have a customer has an older ford....with the 7.3 turbo. fuel filter on that one is on the frame rail right under the driver. he had it towed in, after another shop told him he needed a fuel pump.

 i put the new filter on(the guy working for him hit a chunk of ice, piercing the filter), andshipped him on his way.

[Shuffler]

have a customer has an older ford....with the 7.3 turbo. fuel filter on that one is on the frame rail right under the driver. he had it towed in, after another shop told him he needed a fuel pump.

 i put the new filter on(the guy working for him hit a chunk of ice, piercing the filter), andshipped him on his way.

The difference between a shop guy who looks (and is honest) and one who just wants money.  The honest one has a long future in the business, the other won't be around that long.

My Father-in-law's ford.... the filter is right on top of the engine. Unscrew cap pull old wet filter and drop in a new one.... screw on cap.

OOPS sorry OP for getting off the original idea on this thread. Hope you get the info your looking for and good luck on the hunt for a good vehicle.

[dedalos]

and i absolutely would not use toyota finance if you plan on financing.

  Yeah, they are out to repo your car, especially if you are military 

[gyrene81]

Yeah, they are out to repo your car, especially if you are military 

well, not so sure about the repo or the military...more like just shady practices.

[Masherbrum]

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 salavacadoer 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?

Is the "Most Reliable car" you listed.    I had an 07 Milan with zero recalls/service needs (the Fusion's, nor MKZ's had any that I am aware of).    I have friends with older Accords/Camry and they do NOT get the MPG of my 2010 Milan.   I enjoy the almost 16 gallon gas tank, 4 cyl and 6 speed auto, the car is almost perfect.    You can get 4 adults in the vehicle with plenty of leg and knee room.   

Honda and Toyota do NOT have an answer for the Fusion at this time.   My brothers 08 Camry has had four Recalls so far.   Honda and Toyota used to be Quality driven, but they are now guilty of what the US was guilty of in the 80'/90's.   

I wouldn't even go near a Sebring/New 200.   The 2.7L engine is a POS.   In fact, the 2.7, 3.7, 4.7 and 5.7 family are piles of chit.   The Sebring started out as a direct copy of the Lexus SC300, just "touched up" in areas.   

As for GM, I'd stay away from anything containing a 3.1L.    If you get even 80k out of it, which is rare, you should be awarded something.

IMO, you two could get a smoking deal on a possible 2010 Milan that might still be in some dealers Inventory and come away with a steal.   

[CAP1]

i found 4 recalls on an 08 camry. 2 were the accelerator pedal thing...which we all know is/was bs, and 2 were forgotten decals.

9 tsb's.
2 accelerator pedal.......note above.....
1 for an all weather floor mat possibly interfering with the accelerator if not placed properly......see note above again....
2 concerning the missing decals noted in the recalls above.....
1 for grilles sold as parts, or the sport grille option on the scion which could cause the safety catch to fail(this came up 'cause it has the same engine)
3 for flash reprogramming procedures.

 all in all not bad.

 that being said, i've got 2 customers that've bought milans.....and they both love them.

07 milan with a 4 cylinder i found 10 tsb's on. whoops....make that 12. no recalls though.

[Rondar]

We ended up buying a 2010 Ford Fusion SE. 

[CAP1]

We ended up buying a 2010 Ford Fusion SE. 

i've not worked on a fusion yet......but i have a couple of customers that've bought them,a nd they love them.
 

[Masherbrum]

We ended up buying a 2010 Ford Fusion SE. 

You made a smart choice and grats!   

[DREDIOCK]

i don't hate working on vw's. i hate replacing things that go bad long before they should. which i do a lot of on vw's and audis.

Here ya go. Now here is a classic example of a business that gives a damn about his customers.
He could have just as easily said "I love VW's because things wear out or break sooner then they should" Which would mean more business for him.

Instead he's complaining about stuff that potentially brings his customers back more often or guaranteeing him more work. Instead he'd rather see his customers have something with higher longer lasting quality.

Its the same mindset I have and why I refuse to use most of the paints from you large "home improvement" chain stores.
You know. The ones that must pay that "leading consumer magazine" to say they have such a great product because anyone worth anything as a professional knows for a fact otherwise through experience.

But thats another subject entirely.

Point is. Cap1 obviously gives a damn.