Piston Slap: The Beater Must Beat It?
Steven writes:
I’m in the midst of an automotive dilemma: I’ve got two cars: a 2007 Nissan 350Z and a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta. I picked up the Jetta this fall to serve as a winter car. The Jetta turned out to have a brake problem (fixed), leaking shocks and a hole in the muffler. I really wanted something a little sportier for the winter. The Z is my baby, and I want to retain money to continue refining it into an AutoX menace, but the Jetta is killing me, Smalls! I see three alternatives: 1. Fix up the Jetta with nice suspension parts and a new cat-back, making the daily drive less slow. 2. Sell the Jetta, buy something else in its place. (Focus ZX3, GTI 1.8T, E36 BMW, Civic?) 3. Fix the Jetta to OEM specs, save money for the Z. What should I do?
Sajeev Answers:
Like taste in clothing or choice in significant other, the winter beater must match the personality of the owner. Sometimes brand loyalty means a Mustang owner must roll an Escort or Porschephiles snap up older GTIs. But people of average means shouldn’t buy an E38 BMW beater for $4000 even if they can afford the payments on their certified pre-owned, E65 luxobarge. You always get what you want, but budgeting component repair on worn parts is mandatory.
And you made a compromise from the git-go. The Jetta is a fine handling car in theory, all bets are off after 12 years of abuse. But your Jetta can work, if you have experience working on German cars, buy the speed parts from somebody else’s failed project and don’t mind freezing your fingernails in December to replace a (pricey) failed module or rubber component. That might be asking for the moon, so I’d cut and run.
So be realistic about your goals for a winter beater. It is a two step process: find one that you’d buy if it was still sold new, but take advantage of (hindsight) knowledge of component repair and common fail points: Civics and the ZX3 fit the bill. (Once you ensure all the Focus recalls were performed.) And when you get a truly enjoyable daily beater, join its on-line forum, learn a thing or two about DIY-maintenance/modifications and the winter months shall be borderline tolerable. And won’t cause significant damage to your wallet, so you can use that cash for race tires for the Z-car.
And make sure to email your new winter beater’s mechanical quandaries right back here. You’ll be happier in the end.
(Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com)
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The intention is to eventually turn the Z into an AutoX monster, throwing out such niceties as sound deadening, carpet and whatnot. The daily driver/"beater" (I suppose I'm using the term slightly loosely) is something I'd drive to and from work. Plus, with the near-term possibility of children, 4 seats and 4+ doors for it are a requirement, and also I need a fairly low (sub $5k) entry price. If you throw RWD and a manual into the mix, the only thing that seems to fit is a fairly old BMW 3-series in decent shape. (That is, unless I really go off the deep end and get an Alfa Milano.) Since writing the original letter to Piston Slap, I realized that I don't think I'll be satisfied with anything not driving the rear wheels. I can possibly get by with an auto as long as it has a manumatic option. What I would get if I had more dollars to spend would be a G35 sedan, a CTS or IS300. Unfortunately, if I roll back the clock to a year these would be something affordable, I find that they were still gleams in an engineer's eye. I AM of mixed mind. I want to have my cake and eat it too. If I were not married, I could care less about the budget. (Then again, I wouldn't need the extra set of doors, either.) Unfortunately, what I WANT and what I think I NEED might not converge at too many points, if any.
For 5k you can get a sweet e30 with 5spd with the IS package. It will be bombproof, economical and fun. Tons of doors, big trunk and still rock-solid with many many miles. CHEAP to fix - Don't buy the hate hype. The local BOSCH guy can maintain this car in his sleep but you could probably do most of it in the driveway awake. Plenty available. Be sure to change the timing belt at 55k. Start shopping.