New Or Used? : Excuse Me While I Contradict Myself…
A reader sent me these parameters for picking his next vehicleI’m at a crossroads. I’m looking for a cheap – laughably cheap – like less-than-$3,000 cheap – car for my next daily driver. It’s got to be economical (near 30 mpg hwy) and fun to drive, with decent aftermarket support (so I can throw a couple mods at it – I’m a gearhead). Oh, and since I’m 6’1″ and have a 1-year old daughter, it needs a back seat.We can skip the DSM/Mitsubishi reliability warning.
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- MaintenanceCosts Poorly packaged, oddly proportioned small CUV with an unrefined hybrid powertrain and a luxury-market price? Who wouldn't want it?
- MaintenanceCosts Who knows whether it rides or handles acceptably or whether it chews up a set of tires in 5000 miles, but we definitely know it has a "mature stance."Sounds like JUST the kind of previous owner you'd want…
- 28-Cars-Later Nissan will be very fortunate to not be in the Japanese equivalent of Chapter 11 reorganization over the next 36 months, "getting rolling" is a luxury (also, I see what you did there).
- MaintenanceCosts RAM! RAM! RAM! ...... the child in the crosswalk that you can't see over the hood of this factory-lifted beast.
- 3-On-The-Tree Yes all the Older Land Cruiser’s and samurai’s have gone up here as well. I’ve taken both vehicle ps on some pretty rough roads exploring old mine shafts etc. I bought mine right before I deployed back in 08 and got it for $4000 and also bought another that is non running for parts, got a complete engine, drive train. The mice love it unfortunately.
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Get yourself a Mercedes w201 190 E or D. The secret is to also budget for a Greyhound/Trailways ticket and be willing to go where the best car is. Get something as basic as you can- a nice sunroof goes a long way to make up for non-functioning AC. But, usually if you understand vacuum, you can get it working again. The other great thing about these is 30mpg even with the petrols and enough handling improvements thanks to the Cosworth connection. They are built like little tanks and are the last Mercedes that was built to last 50 years. Get one with 130K miles and you should be able to get that again twice over before having to open up the engine or gearbox. Expect little foibles, but these are easy to do yourself with many handy guides from mercedesource.
Dear mr Lang: Tack, not tact. You take a tack; you have tact. One is a originally sailing term, the other a matter of manners. (Yeah, yeah, I know: I just showed I lack the latter. Sorry, but it's a pet peeve.)