Intrepidation

I don't see the location...where are these cars? Edit: Nevermind...found the location

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.

Well even though the Charger would be more expensive, you could get some nice features including at minimum a 250 hp V6 and a 5-speed...plus you could get a nifty Nav system for your road trips. Plus, IMO...it looks badass. Get the Charger, you know you wanna :AH-HA_wink:

Not too bad actually, and not a total ripoff of another company's car either

That front bumper is hawt

I doubt it, it may be pricey but the graphics improvement is huge. At Best Buy there was one on display you could play...only NBA game but good enough. Graphics are much better than the PS2 and better than the Madden game on the 360 next to it...clothing moved very realistically and animations were smooth...also the anti-aliasing is much better than on the 360. Also worth noting is the fact that it uses Blue Ray, which is a brand new technology, and can be used as a player instead of buying a sperate one...take that into account and the price seems much more appealing. I have a bit of a gripe about the "Sixaxis" controller (aka DualShock3)...it looks basically the same save for the cable is now USB and it has "triggers" for the L2 and R2 buttons. It's the same basic design with a few tweaks and a new name....not exactly revolutionary...but better than the banana controller we saw as a concept. I guess if art ain't broke don't fix it...and it's still by far the best controller for fighting games. I doubt Sony made a mistake...judging my the all the people camped out at various stores (as early as 11am yesterday), in the pouring rain...it'll do fine. As for the Wii...I was not impressed...all it had was a video of some woman saying how it's the greatest thing since sliced bread and that everyone else is t3h sux0rz!!!. It's sorta cool that it's small but at the same time it looks like an external hard CD drive...not exactly original...just like how the 360 looks like a PC...at least the PS3 is somewhat original. The controller that looks like a women's pleasure toy and the other one that looks like it came straight from the SNES with a couple analog sticks slapped on isn't exactly forward thinking either. Still, people will camp for it and they'll buy it too.

Dude have you considered a Shadow? Maybe with a 2.2 turbo? I've driven one with it and it's damn quick even with the automatic...If it wasn't for the fact that my gf is hell-bent on a newer car, I'd be looking for one now.

I saw a Fiero GT on ebay in great shape with a Firebird interior...it was pretty sweet. I think the GTs are HAWT but yeah, that Iron Duke is a piece of crap.

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

You know, it ain'y half bad, especially from this angle:

I don't wanna play with someone else's wii.... As for the PS3...I'll wait till they iron out the bugs...you now the first units will have them.

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.

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.

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

Oh yeah, here are the links to said cars White Stratus Red Prizm Blue Prizm

Eh, the front end is still not that great...that CX-9 on the other hand, is sexy. How sad is it that there's more positive remarks about a background, non GM vehicle than the one we're supposed to be noticing?

Yeah, I'm in the market for a replacement for my poor Shadow...kinda want a Prizm or a Stratus.

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!

Dude a Dodge Aries? we used to own a wagon and the Reliant sedan! They were durable cars but rusted out pretty bad.

impressive!

On a side note, my friends and I were at the junkyard once, and they decided to jump on the front bumper of one of the Shadows...comibined they weighed at least 500 pounds...yeah. The bumper stayed on and didn't even crack or warp. How's that for sturdy? o.O

I've alway sliked the car, and the interior is very nice design wise. My onl problem with it is that giant, hideous steering wheel.

I'd rather have 4 knockout models than several middle-of-the-road models. Plus keeping the models down prevents overlap.

Cool

Actually we never got to see the VW stand...or Subaru, BMW, Mercedes, and Mitsubishi