Hammer Time: Survivalist Edition

Back in 2006, I sold a frugal friend a Volvo. He paid $2500 for the conservatively driven 1995 Volvo 940. It had all the records. Top quality tires. Volvo OEM components. A true cream puff for the true enthusiast. As fellow classic Volvo aficionados, we actually kept up with each other over the years. Him for advice and updates. Me because I enjoy the company. Unfortunately, two years and 45k miles later, his wife used a telephone pole to permanently customize the front end. The insurance company cut him a check for the original purchase price. With that money, he could have easily bought a car from a smorgasbord of good used cars in today’s market. But he didn’t… here’s why.

He knew the car. Pure and simple. Everything from the brutally simple timing belt on the B234 engine to the taillight bulbs designed for easy replacement (with good reason). My friend became a frequent visitor to Brickboard.com. He id all the maintenance he felt comfortable doing himself. Over time, he understood the car’s virtues and its shortcomings. This ‘classic’ Volvo, created with maintenance and durability in mind, had earned his respect and loyalty. The knowledge paid off this past Tuesday with a new-to-him 1993 Volvo 940 Wagon. It went at a public auction for the princely sum of $600.

Simplicity may be a bullshit word used to justify overspending. But it’s a brilliant word when it comes to cars. A well- built car that can be easily maintained by the owner will cost less over the long run. Think about it. At a time when our economy is contracting worse than a mother giving birth, it pays to find cars that are simple and durable.

So what should you go for? If safety, family commuting, and features galore are your thing, I still prefer a 1994 to 1995 Volvo 940. It combines the best virtues of a car that was built to last two decades while offering modern conveniences, safety and features.

If you need an economical commuter on the cheap, a late 90’s / early 00’s Mazda Protege or Saturn S-Class would be worth the investment. A Metro may be cheaper, but it’s a deathtrap on wheels and overpriced compared to these two. Civics and Corollas suffer the Toyonda syndrome of being insanely overpriced. But can be worth the premium if you’re a long -term keeper.

Midsized and Toyonda? The 1992 – 1996 Toyota Camry 4-cylinder is my personal favorite. A noted car magazine of the time thought so highly of it they wrote, “With a car like this, who needs a Jaguar?” Unlike Jaguars of any time, I’ve seen these cars go north of 250k with stunning regularity at the auctions and wouldn’t be surprised at all to see them eventually replacing the classic Benzes and Volvos as the common old daily driver 10 years from now.

If you find Camrys too pricey (and beware of the heavily accented jerkwads who rebuild them for a living), consider a conservatively driven domestic. Most Buicks, some Oldsmobiles, the 3800 V6 non-supercharged Bonneville, and Ford’s Panther platform cars are among my personal favorites. The interiors may not be for the import enthusiast, but the powertrains often represent the best of Detroit. Which can be pretty damn good.

Finally when it comes to trucks, I like virtually anything that doesn’t have the names Dodge or Powerstroke on it. Ford’s 2.3L 4-banger is a well known workhorse. But Toyota’s 22-RE engined pickups are probably the toughest 4-cylinder ever made. I put one up on Craigslist recently and it seemed like half the Latino immigrants in the area gave me a call. Pickups can actually look crappy but be well maintained. A car. Perhaps, but not as common.

Oh, and one other thing. If the Chrysler you’re considering doesn’t have the name Jeep or isn’t a minivan with the 3.3L V6, forget it. Older Kias are ‘Killed In Action’, and I rarely see a Saab that doesn’t justify the four lettered name.