In need of a new car

[Intrepidation]

A little back story first:

Well it seems that the Shadow has had it. It still runs fine and all but when I took it to the mechanic last week to have the headlighst looked at (sometimes they wouldn't turn on) and asked him to look at the cause of a small amount of smoke I sometimes see coming from the hood I got some unsettling, though not entirely unexpected news.

As you guys may remember, it leaks oil and tranny fluid, this I know...not assloads but still some, and I had a suspicion that oil leaked onto the tanny and when it got hot so did the oil, hence the smoke.

Well I was right...but there's more

It leaks oil from:

Oil Pan

Camshaft

Valve Cover

It leaks transmission fluid from at least one place

Somehow the headlight switch got f@#ked up, he fixed it but it's only temp and it'll need to be replaced.

The really unexpected part: The radiator is in pretty bad shape and needs replacement sometime soon.

This is on top of the large amounts of body rust, and the A/C hoses leak.

So, while I have great respect for this little car, I think it's daily driver days are numbered. It's simply not worth it to pour all this money into the car. Will it be junked? My mom would probably like to, but I won't let her. The car doesn't deserve it. Knock Shadows all you want but it's served us for 17 years and with more than 210,000 miles on it. It's been pretty reliable, never left me stranded (expect that one time the battery cable was corroded..but that happened at school and AAA fixed that..oh and a separate time where I left the lights on ). It's been faithful and has sentimental value to me, since I learned how to drive in it. Plus, I feel it's cruel to just cast a vehicle aside and send it to become little more than a soda can after it's servitude with us...plus it still runs...why junk a running car? So for now I'll continue to drive it, and I'm looking for a new car...then I'll garage it and maybe turn it into a project car.

Anyway...

Since a 300ZX is out of my price range, I've been looking at either a Dodge Stratus or a Geo Prizm. In Salem NH there's been an aqua Prizm for sale for some time now...so the other day me and Jessica took a look. First problem is the color...I don't like the light bluish-green. Problem 2 is it has a bumper stick that says "Princess" But onto the main problems. The bumper on the driver's side is cracked, and the turn signal lamps are hanging down. The passenger side fender is scratched and somewhat bent though not enough to effect driving. The passenger side door handle inside is broken (no surprise), it has no stereo, and the headliner sags badly. It's also an auto...which I could live with but in this car not really. Asking price is $895 Seems a bit steep for the condition it's in. It says the car runs and drives, but it has a flat on the front passenger side, and the inspection sticker expired last November...so it hasn't been on the road in a year.

On ebay I found a Dodge Stratus 2.0 4-banger with an automatic and power accessories. It's white and only has a little surface rust on the hood and the rear wheel well. It's bid at last check was $711, it's also in CT, which is only a couple hours from here.

Also on ebay is a red Geo Prizm with a 5-speed manual and some various options. It's current bid is $1,125. Seems good but it's in West Virginia...also added just yesterday was that the window regulator on the passenger side is busted...not a big deal but it concerns me that he waited till the bid was almost over (it ends in 4 hours) to put that information.

Lastly, in New York, is a Blue (rare) Geo Prizm 1.6 w/ auto. It has aftermarket wheels, a small spoiler, aftermarket seats, and a tach (OMGBBQQ!!!1!)...custom stereo w/ CD player, among other things. It still has 5 days on it but can be bought for $1,600. Only downside is it has the most miles (186546) of the cars I've looked at...but it looks like it's in great shape. I was considering going to NY this weekend and if the car checks out offering the $1,600.

The thing is I have never bought a car before...I dunno how good of an idea it is to buy from ebay either. If I buy a car out of state how do I drive it home? There's a lot I don't know...but I do know that I need to look at whatever car I want before buying....

So any thoughts, advice or good deals on a nice car (preferably a Stratus or Prizm...no more than 1,600)? I'd appreciate it a lot...thanks!

[Intrepidation]

Oh yeah, here are the links to said cars

White Stratus

Red Prizm

Blue Prizm

[Ravenfreak13]

Why not go for a Plymouth Breeze with the 2.4 L and find the dodge facia at a junk yard?

[Intrepidation]

Why not go for a Plymouth Breeze with the 2.4 L and find the dodge facia at a junk yard?

216648[/snapback]

That's an idea as well, know any for sale?

[daves87rs]

Well, D fan, I can understand where you are coming from...

I'm in the same boat with the wagon..spend the money, or hunt a new DD.

What about a 97-99 Neon? Short of the gasket issues, and the early ones

being kinda junky (we had a 95), they tend to be pretty decent cars...

and you can quite often find em in your price range (or a little higher)...

and they take quite a bit of abuse for a beater....

On the other hand, 1600 bucks, with the right people and parts, could just about

replace all the parts you need.

Just a thought.

[Cory Wolfe]

Well, I wouldn't get any of those for $1600 considering that's how much I got my Milly for.

[Intrepidation]

Well, I wouldn't get any of those for $1600 considering that's how much I got my Milly for.

216709[/snapback]

That's a good price, although, your car has issues now does it not? Anyway I've grown very fond of the Prizm...it's made a 3,100 mile trip without only 3 gears and not a single problem. That car goes and goes...it's getting a new tranny and should be done by tomorrow. The car has proven itself very reliable, so a second one wouldn't hurt...plus they are pretty fun to drive. And as you know, being a Dodge fan, it would be nice to get a DCX product again. Still, if I find something that looks good, runs good, and has a decent interior design, I'll check it out.

Edited November 19, 2006 by Dodgefan

[Intrepidation]

Well, D fan, I can understand where you are coming from...

I'm in the same boat with the wagon..spend the money, or hunt a new DD.

What about a 97-99 Neon?  Short of the gasket issues, and the early ones

being kinda junky (we had a 95), they tend to be pretty decent cars...

and you can quite often find em in your price range (or a little higher)...

and they take quite a bit of abuse for a beater....

On the other hand, 1600 bucks, with the right people and parts, could just about

replace all the parts you need.

Just a thought.

216675[/snapback]

See my problem is I've never cared for the styling of the first gen Neons, plus I know someone who has one and the tranny is messed up and the door panel came completely off the passenger front door. On the other hand I know someone who has a 2000 Neon and has never had a problem with it...and I like that body style. Too expensive though.

While I have thought about fixing the Shadow up, I have to take into consideration that besides the above problems it still needs:

a new windshield, the original is badly scratched and pitted and makes glare from sunlight or any lights very bad

there's a vacuum leak somewhere from the HVAC control hoses

the negative battery cable should be replaced

the catalytic converter needs to be replaced

the computer needs to be replaced so the check engine light stops flickering all the time

the wiper arms should be replaced

new driver's door - old one is rusted very badly

areas on both sides of the car in front of the rear wheel wells are almost totally rusted away

engine would need an overhaul if i were to do that much work

--

The other thing is that I want something more stable on the highway. For example, the Prizm feels well planted and is comfotable cruising at 80+ mph whereas the Shadow starts to get skittish above 65 and can really only go up to 75.

I feel badly for the car, cuz most of the problems are simply a result of its age and being driven so much, but really, it would be cheaper just to get a 2.2 Turbo in better shape.

[Cory Wolfe]

That's a good price, although, your car has issues now does it not?

216719[/snapback]

Issues? The only issues it has are due to high mileage. There's the missing at idle thing which is something simple like an oxygen censor going bad or something being blocked. Otherwise, it only has a bad left axle which is $60 at most. I've put 9k on it since I bought it in June and it's those were there from the start. It's been very reliable.

[Intrepidation]

Issues? The only issues it has are due to high mileage. There's the missing at idle thing which is something simple like an oxygen censor going bad or something being blocked.  Otherwise, it only has a bad left axle which is $60 at most. I've put 9k on it since I bought it in June and it's those were there from the start. It's been very reliable.

216736[/snapback]

That's good, but I doubt I'll find one of those for 1600 around here anyway...plus not really my kinda car

[Ravenfreak13]

99 Stratus

[Ravenfreak13]

96 Stratus

[Intrepidation]

Well here's an update on what I've found:

Our mechanic has a `98 Plymouth Neon for sale for $800. He let me test drive it and I gotta say it's pretty peppy and sounds nice too. The problems are that it's headlights are fogged over and need to be replaced, the bumper is cracked on the passenger side, though it's not a huge crack, the passenger fender is bent inward some by the headlight, and is rusted, the hood has some rust on it and there's a few dings here and there. The parking brake stuck a little bit but came free and didn't stick again, and there is a small exhaust leak, but the biggest problem is a leak on the passenger side that has resulted in water getting into the passenger foot well. Our mechanic said he was planning to fix it up and give it to his niece, but since we asked he showed it to us. He'd fix the problems that needed fixing, though I'm willing to bet that'd add a couple extra hundred to the price.

At a small dealership nearby we found a gray Stratus for $900, but it doesn't look very promising. The driver's door is f@#ked up...it doesn't open very well and the window frame is bent in, allowing the elements to get inside..it would need to be replaced. There's various dents alone the lower body on the passenger side, and a rust hole in the hood. The interior is ok but not that great.

What really caught our eye was a dark purple (same as the Neon ironically) `99 Plymouth Breeze. This car has only 102k miles on it, with no rust, dents or dings on the body...and paint that looked almost new, save for some scratches on the rear bumper by the trunk lid. The black interior is in great shape, with no smells, scratches or scuffs or tears.It has power everything, which all worked, and A/C. The only hitch is that the temperature adjustment knob doesn't turn quite all the way to the edge of cold side...but the air was still cold and it's pretty minor. Assembly quality was rather good, and even the materials looked pretty nice and didn't feel half bad. It has a CD player too. Opening the hood revealed the cleanest engine I've ever seen...I swear it looked brand new! The dealer let me start the car up and the 2.0 sounds quite nice. We couldn't test drive it today since he'd have to move a whole bunch of cars but it looks very promising...The only problem is that the asking price is $2900...almost double my initial budget. I technically have the money, but since I need the loan for school stuff, I'm very reluctant to spend that much. If one of us gets a job then I have no problem with it though, but at the moment I'm kinda iffy. Still, the price is right according to what Auto ConsumerGuide says, and I'm not surprised since you get what you pay for..and in this case it's a damn nice car.

[Intrepidation]

99 Stratus

216988[/snapback]

96 Stratus

216990[/snapback]

I don't see the location...where are these cars?

Edit: Nevermind...found the location

Edited November 19, 2006 by Dodgefan

[FAPTurbo]

I dunno about those little cars...

I guess if you need one now, then you need one now.

Ever consider Dodge Intrepid's or 1998-on Chrysler Concorde's? I think they are some of Chrysler's nicest cars within the past 15-20 years.

Edited November 19, 2006 by Captainbooyah

[Intrepidation]

I dunno about those little cars...

I guess if you need one now, then you need one now.

Ever consider Dodge Intrepid's or 1998-on Chrysler Concorde's? I think they are some of Chrysler's nicest cars within the past 15-20 years.

217432[/snapback]

Yeah I have actually...Though I haven't seen any for sale recently in my area lately...and I know I can't go over 3k. Maybe I'll have a look at Auto Trader...

[Delta Force79]

If you're looking for something kinda sporty, cheap, good on gas and is a Dodge, why not chek out some early 90's Dodge Daytona's? They look cool, the early 90's models have a nice front facia with the cross hair grille, and they're peppy

here are some I found

1992 Daytona

1990 Daytona

1989 Daytona

or how about a nice Avenger the replacment for the Daytona?

1996 Avenger

[FAPTurbo]

That Avenger wouldn't be too bad, but it sure needs the work.

But it could be an opportunity :AH-HA_wink:

[Sixty8panther]

Look through the Want-Ad. It's a much better resource for

buying a cheap used car than eBay. I'm just not into FWD

cars at ALL, and add an automatic trans & I'm very much

turned off. Why not at least look into something more

sporty or a manual trans, if not RWD?

[razoredge]

I'd go on eBay and see if I could come up with a MINT OMNI

if and when I tired of that search I would just go out and buy a good used Buick or Oldsmobile with the ol' 3800

[Intrepidation]

Look through the Want-Ad. It's a much better resource for

buying a cheap used car than eBay. I'm just not into FWD

cars at ALL, and add an automatic trans & I'm very much

turned off. Why not at least look into something more

sporty or a manual trans, if not RWD?

217561[/snapback]

Well manual is always an option, but since we have the Prizm, which has been bestowed with a new tranny, I can go with either manual or auto. As for RWD...find me a 300ZX in good shape for under 3k and around here, and I'll buy that in a heartbeat... Otherwise I want good, practical transportation. Neons and Stratus' are fairly sporty and stable on the highway (at least the Stratus is), the Stratus is roomy and it's handsome for it's age...and good on gas. I'm considering an Intrepid cuz it's roomy, and looks nice.

I'd go on eBay and see if I could come up with a MINT OMNI

if and when I tired of that search I would just go out and buy a good used Buick or Oldsmobile with the ol' 3800

217613[/snapback]

Don't really want a Buick or an Olds unless it was the Aurora.

--

There's an auction going on Wednesday not far from my house, some of the cars look nice. I saw a couple Maximas, a Stratus and a couple Intrepids. Gonna check them out and test drive them and if it looks promising, I'll try bidding. It's too bad they don't have an previous gen Grand Prix's or I'd consider them...but all they have is a Grand Am...meh

Edited November 20, 2006 by Dodgefan

[ToniCipriani]

Why not go for a Plymouth Breeze with the 2.4 L and find the dodge facia at a junk yard?

216648[/snapback]

This looks ghetto though... You still have a steering wheel and wheel covers with Plymouth on it...

[Intrepidation]

This looks ghetto though... You still have a steering wheel and wheel covers with Plymouth on it...

217745[/snapback]

I could live with it being a Breeze...especially that really nice one.

[Ravenfreak13]

The breeze is a great car...you could get one for cheap too.

[Ravenfreak13]

This looks ghetto though... You still have a steering wheel and wheel covers with Plymouth on it...

217745[/snapback]

get that dodge stuff from the junkyard too...and the trunk...but i perfer the beeze tailights to the dodges.

[Farkas]

How about a Escort, ZX2, or older Focus?

Seeing I just acquired a car, maybe a 1997 Mercury Sable wagon interests you?

[Sixty8panther]

Huh?

So either an overpriced, tempermental, expen$$$ive to

maintain & insure Japanese sports car with wide-assed

tires & no ground clearance OR a bear-bones, spartan

& cheap economy car that has NO appeal what so ever?

Why be so polar about it? Why not an F-body? Or maybe

a cheap used V6 Mustang with a Stick? Or, since you

are a Mopar Fan how about a 1990s Dakota with a 5-spd

manual trans? Sorry to sound like a prick but your top

picks are strange. It's like saying you'd like to sleep with

either a 55y.o. lunchlady, Janet Reno, Margaret Thacher,

Dr. Phill's grandmother... OR Jennifer Aniston.

Why eat McDonald's when you've got the hankering for

Filet Mignon & Sushi?

[Camino LS6]

Dodge Stealth?

[Flybrian]

Or maybe

a cheap used V6 Mustang with a Stick?

218284[/snapback]

He's not a girl, dude.

I'd try for low-mileage, senior owned LH- cars. I know there a nice private-party blue Concorde around here for $3000 with 39k miles.