What would YOU do?

[Sixty8panther]

Sooooooo had a root-canal at the dentist yesterday due to a cracked tooth.

I hate the dentist. I'd rather get 500 tetanus shots & 500 MRIs than go in

for ANYTHING at the dentist. My teeth are wicked sensitive and I have had

some horror-movie experiences at the dentist. SERIOUSLY. Blood and all!

So anyway I'm a little delusional, maybe that explains the following:

I'm considering buying Julie a FWD car, on my own accord.

Let me repeat myself: I'm considering buying a FWD car.

Scary I know. It's a topsy-turvy world out there.

Either way she's doing a lot of complainign a bout the the size

of the RoadmOnster, esp. the width. B-bodys got some WIDE

track proportions. Anyway, either way once a few other things

are squared away (like the move to a townhouse!) I'll be on

the prowl for another car.

I have been "working" on this 1988 Mercedes Benz 300CE that

is "sort of for sale, maybe... soon, I think" locally. It's a black

little beat up used MB that needs some TLC but it IS a

hardtop so I've been thinking that would be Julie's next car.

She's not picky so I have to be picky FOR HER.

But I have an opportunity to buy a rough but solid 1989?

Chevy Cavalier Z24 convertible with a white leather interior &

a auto trans. (sjhe can't drive a stick)

The thing is I could get the car for just under $900.

That's nine Benjamins. Eighteen Grants. Forty-five Jacksons.

Im tempted. It would be a fun car for the summer, $h! it

would get better milage than the Roadmaster too. Plus if &

when I'd get her something else I'd flip it for a PROFIT.

Very on the fence....

FWD is the D666VIL but a fantastic deal is a fantastic deal.

The other possible candidate for her is a 1991 Infiniti M30.

[Intrepidation]

Oh god man, I'd rather bicycle than drive a crapalier. If you're that desperate you can probably HAVE the Caravan since my mom is dying to get rid of it.

Also there's an older Mercedes wagon for sale down the street.

I mean...dude...FWD is one thing...Unibody is another...but a J-Body? DO you need von and BV to tell you how much they suck?!

[daves87rs]

Do it..

The Z would be a fun car to drive...light, and the 2.8 has some kick, even as an auto...

And those years Js are an EASY to fix (forthose who know how to work on a car)....

Plus, it's good a gas...

The Benz sounds nice, but it my gut tells me it will be a money pit....

[Sixty8panther]

BV also thinks G-bodys and S-10s suck soooo... sorry I'm not going to trust him much.

And with all due respect my family had many a J-body, my first car was a almost new

1994 Pontiac Sunbird coupe, and you know what? For a FWD $h!box the J-body owes

me NO apologies.

My dad's 1989 Cavalier sedan under-steered across a patch

of black ice & into a telephone pole at about 45mph. Then

the telephone pole BROKE at a rotted section about 9 feet

in the air & FELL directly on top of the Cavalier's roof while

my dad was still inside afraid to get out of the car since

there were LIVE wires shooting about the ground like as if

the freekin Emperor Darth Sidious was punishing Luke.

After all that, a busted nose, and caved in roof the car still

ran & could have been driven, and having seen it with my

own two eyes at the impound when they declared it a

TOTAL LOSS, sitting there with a intact but severely caved

in greenhouse and a telephone-pole shaped dent 14 inches

into the hood I'm going to say if I was to buy a small

econobox from the past two decades & FWD was not as

much of a turnoff I'd take a Cavalier or other J-body over

most other cars....

Dodge Shadows & Toyota-Geos w/ salvage titles INCLUDED! :wink:

[daves87rs]

BV also thinks G-bodys and S-10s suck soooo... sorry I'm not going to trust him much.

And with all due respect my family had many a J-body, my first car was a almost new

1994 Pontiac Sunbird coupe, and you know what? For a FWD $h!box the J-body owes

me NO apologies.

My dad's 1989 Cavalier sedan under-steered across a patch

of black ice & into a telephone pole at about 45mph. Then

the telephone pole BROKE at a rotted section about 9 feet

in the air & FELL directly on top of the Cavalier's roof while

my dad was still inside afraid to get out of the car since

there were LIVE wires shooting about the ground like as if

the freekin Emperor Darth Sidious was punishing Luke.

After all that, a busted nose, and caved in roof the car still

ran & could have been driven, and having seen it with my

own two eyes at the impound when they declared it a

TOTAL LOSS, sitting there with a intact but severely caved

in greenhouse and a telephone-pole shaped dent 14 inches

into the hood I'm going to say if I was to buy a small

econobox from the past two decades & FWD was not as

much of a turnoff I'd take a Cavalier or other J-body over

most other cars....

Dodge Shadows & Toyota-Geos w/ salvage titles INCLUDED! :wink:

Dude, you are talking to the j body "guy"...preach on, brother!

I've had quite a few J bodies....I've seen both the good and the bad....bottom line-most of them were good cars...

My 87 RS was rear ended not once, but TWICE.

First time it did more damage to the Tempo that hit it than my car....I was almost able to fix it myself....

Then five years later, it again was rear ended, this time by a full size Chevy truck. Even after that, it was still driveable, and the car itself still ran just fine....

THe wagon had some issues....but for the most part it was a good car....

The wife's 03, besides the dash rattle (I really hate that), has had no problems yet...

Veez's car has rot issues, which can happen over time....Canada can be really, really be harsh on a car....

As for BV's...who knows? I'm sure he'd be happy to set that vert on fire though...

Granted, there are $h!ty ones out there....

Edited April 24, 2008 by daves87rs

[Sixty8panther]

There's bad examples of ANY car out there.

I LOVE '67/'68 Cadillacs, but I would not want to pay money for

one that was driven/abused/puked in by some alcoholic looser

who forgot to change the oil except for every 8,500 miles or so.

The accident my dad was in would have surely KILLED him if it

had been some Japanese car with a lighter unibody structure,

thinner sheet metal & a shorter & much less resilient front end.

Honda makes some lightweight stuff.... which is good if you are

going to go fast down a smooth road, but try taking a hard

collision and having a telephone pole, or tree fall on your roof

and you might wish you were in the (by comparison) heavy,

slower, less nimble & more cumbersome J-body.

As far as your 2003 Cavalier I swear towards the late 1990s &

early 2000s it was almost as if the Cavalier & Sunfire were

DE-EVOLVING. I'm actually of the belief that the earlier J-body

cars were better overall in quality & durability.

I once saw a gold 1984? Cavalier Sedan with an auto trans,

that had all of its major mechanical components like engine,

trans etc. & the odometer showed almost a 1/4 of a million

and it was in MUCH better shape overall than most Acuras or

Lexuses w/ that kind of millage.

(or certain black Dodge Shadows )

[A Horse With No Name]

Sooooooo had a root-canal at the dentist yesterday due to a cracked tooth.

I hate the dentist. I'd rather get 500 tetanus shots & 500 MRIs than go in

for ANYTHING at the dentist. My teeth are wicked sensitive and I have had

some horror-movie experiences at the dentist. SERIOUSLY. Blood and all!

So anyway I'm a little delusional, maybe that explains the following:

I'm considering buying Julie a FWD car, on my own accord.

Let me repeat myself: I'm considering buying a FWD car.

Scary I know. It's a topsy-turvy world out there.

Either way she's doing a lot of complainign a bout the the size

of the RoadmOnster, esp. the width. B-bodys got some WIDE

track proportions. Anyway, either way once a few other things

are squared away (like the move to a townhouse!) I'll be on

the prowl for another car.

I have been "working" on this 1988 Mercedes Benz 300CE that

is "sort of for sale, maybe... soon, I think" locally. It's a black

little beat up used MB that needs some TLC but it IS a

hardtop so I've been thinking that would be Julie's next car.

She's not picky so I have to be picky FOR HER.

But I have an opportunity to buy a rough but solid 1989?

Chevy Cavalier Z24 convertible with a white leather interior &

a auto trans. (sjhe can't drive a stick)

The thing is I could get the car for just under $900.

That's nine Benjamins. Eighteen Grants. Forty-five Jacksons.

Im tempted. It would be a fun car for the summer, $h! it

would get better milage than the Roadmaster too. Plus if &

when I'd get her something else I'd flip it for a PROFIT.

Very on the fence....

FWD is the D666VIL but a fantastic deal is a fantastic deal.

The other possible candidate for her is a 1991 Infiniti M30.

M30, Sir.

The Cavalier isn't worth fixing up...IMHO. Unless by Solid you mean no rust, in which case I would say go for it if only to flip it for some cash.

But seriously, M30. You won't go wrong.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

...and actually I think you are right about the J-Body Cavaliers devolving over time. My wife and I had an 85 Cavalier when we were first married, two door type ten coupe.

43.5 mp.g. once on a trip, thing was one of the best running carsa I'vce ever owned. Like my old RWD Cutlass, I STILL miss that car.

Chris

[vonVeezelsnider]

Well 68, a lot of people have talked about my car, so I'll talk about it some more. It doesn't have rot problems, Dave suggested it so I had it inspected. They said it had the underbody of a Six Year old Car (It's Garaged) All of my electrical problems stemmed from a junction box behind the firewall that got water in it. Otherwise, engine is strong, 3-Spd Auto is Strong. NO Rattles to speak of. It does need bearings soon I think, and a lot of electronics and accessories will break like on mine but major mechanicals are fine... the 2800V6 does have Headgasket Issues.

It may be hard to understand after everything went on my car this spring how I could still be positive, thing is between February 1997 and December 2007, nothing outside of Brakes, Tires, Fluid Changes and Tire Rotations were paid for and needed repairing. It had been exceptional until this spring.

Edited April 24, 2008 by vonVeezelsnider

[Blake Noble]

Buy that M30 or go for another Q45.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!?!

Don't move into a townhouse!

Oh wait, that wasn't the issue?

Nevermind then.

[§carlet §wordfish]

Get the Cav. You'll be a convert in no time. =P

[Intrepidation]

Don't be hatin' on the Shadow, it killed an Olds NintyEight.

[Cory Wolfe]

BV also thinks G-bodys and S-10s suck soooo... sorry I'm not going to trust him much.

I never said all G-bodies suck. Mine, however, is a POS in every way possible.

S10/Blazers on the other hand... My personal experience with them has shaped my opinion of them. So, don't make me break out a big ol' "BITCH PLEASE!"

J-bodies aren't bad cars as long as you can deal with numerous little reliability issues, poor build quality, and a range of piss-poor engines. Using our Sunfire GT as an example, I quite like the clutch and transmission and rides well enough, despite having an overly stiff and underly compliant suspension. The steering is decent as well, though it certainly has an artificial feel to it. However, a Cavalier Z24 of a similar vintage, for being largely the same car, has such a different feel and comes off as so much more down market. Even the interior environment is so much better... and the Sunfire, by no means, has a great interior. Ironically enough, I actually enjoy driving our's. If only it wasn't so unreliable and not on the verge on blowing up.

Edited April 25, 2008 by blackviper8891

[vonVeezelsnider]

I have not known one person with an S10 Blazer/Jimmy/Envoy Post 1995 that didn't have serious issues with it.

[Intrepidation]

Get a 2nd gen Neon. Everyone I know who owns them has had great experiences with them.

[Sixty8panther]

The M30 is three times the money.

I'm not interested in a payment and so it has to be cash,

the M30 would leave me broke AFTER selling the Banana

if I can get $3000, on the other hand the Cavalier ragtop

would leave us enough for registration/title/insurance &

dare I say a certain rat-rod-potential 1961 Cadillac I've

had my eye on for a couple years.

[Sixty8panther]

S10s were not improved at all in terms of reliability, durability or practicality with the 1995 refresh.

My 1991 was an absolute rock solid truck. Loved that little beater. 4.3/5-speed/4x4.

[loki]

dentist horror movie..only a musical comes to mind.... "little shop of horrors" lol

[jessi_chan]

OMG! get Julie that pick Cavalier!

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...showtopic=23559

she will love it

but it is not $900 like the one you are talking about.. lol

Edited April 25, 2008 by jessi_chan

[daves87rs]

Well 68, a lot of people have talked about my car, so I'll talk about it some more. It doesn't have rot problems, Dave suggested it so I had it inspected. They said it had the underbody of a Six Year old Car (It's Garaged) All of my electrical problems stemmed from a junction box behind the firewall that got water in it. Otherwise, engine is strong, 3-Spd Auto is Strong. NO Rattles to speak of. It does need bearings soon I think, and a lot of electronics and accessories will break like on mine but major mechanicals are fine... the 2800V6 does have Headgasket Issues.

It may be hard to understand after everything went on my car this spring how I could still be positive, thing is between February 1997 and December 2007, nothing outside of Brakes, Tires, Fluid Changes and Tire Rotations were paid for and needed repairing. It had been exceptional until this spring.

Ah, so it was water.....thought it was rot....

Sorry about that, Veez.....

[daves87rs]

Get the Cav. You'll be a convert in no time. =P

[A Horse With No Name]

Get a 2nd gen Neon. Everyone I know who owns them has had great experiences with them.

Actually, both first and second gen Neons were great cars. My only complaint about them is that 99.7% of them are Autotrajic trannys.

Almost, Almost, Almost bought a first gen Neon ACR that was a Chrysler prototype/pre production car that had made it into private hands somehow.

But yeah, Dollar for Dollar great cars.

Chris

[vonVeezelsnider]

Ah, so it was water.....thought it was rot....

Sorry about that, Veez.....

No, it wasn't water... It was fuel but the fuel line wasn't rotted, small leak, but not related to rot. It was leaking onto the muffler and then off I believe.

[daves87rs]

No, it wasn't water... It was fuel but the fuel line wasn't rotted, small leak, but not related to rot. It was leaking onto the muffler and then off I believe.

Ouch.

[daves87rs]

I'd get the Cavalier for your wife and rat-rod the Buick. Those older Cavaliers are solid little buggers and with the money you save on gas you can buy some dubs for the Banana boat. :AH-HA_wink:

[knightfan26917]

*raises eyebrow sharply*

I am offline for one night ... and someone has the NERVE to STEAL Sixty8's ID here?

*shakes head*

Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"You better not try to stand in my way" ... J Paycheck ... 'Take This Job & Shove It'

[daves87rs]

*raises eyebrow sharply*

I am offline for one night ... and someone has the NERVE to STEAL Sixty8's ID here?

*shakes head*

Cort:34swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve&pacemaker

WRMNshowcase.legos.HO.models.MCs.RTs.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"You better not try to stand in my way" ... J Paycheck ... 'Take This Job & Shove It'

[daves87rs]

Actually, both first and second gen Neons were great cars. My only complaint about them is that 99.7% of them are Autotrajic trannys.

Almost, Almost, Almost bought a first gen Neon ACR that was a Chrysler prototype/pre production car that had made it into private hands somehow.

But yeah, Dollar for Dollar great cars.

Chris

First gen Neons? Don't make me go there....

[Sixty8panther]

LOL.

I waited too long, the car is long gone... oh well.