Best College Car?

SSPEER and ACCUMULATOR: Thanks for pointing those things out! Luckily we have a VERY reputible personal mechanic as well as Jeep dealership about 5 minutes away. We (my parents that is) have a 97 Jeep Cherokee Country with 72,000 miles that he uses mostly for softball season and winters and it is BY FAR the most reliable vehicle my parents have ever owned...it is also the same color as the 99 so cleaning isn't an issue, i'm used to it! I know going into this (if I do) that if oh say 3 months from now the engine seizes or the tranny or axles go, its not there fault...it has 140,000 miles after all! If something goes wrong my uncles Mazda 6 will be waiting for me to acquire...I def. have some SERIOUS thinking to do though! Spend the $5000 or less now...risk putting some money into it and NOT having a car payment, buying the Mazda, having a car payment, higher issurance ANNNND running the risk of something happening to that (since the warranty is almost up; i could always get an extended warranty for an ADDITIONAL $800), OR get a used Subaru or something along the lines of that.... Either way, i know my bank account will be signifacantly lower than it is now...just how low it will go???....Time will tell! haha

Thanks again for all the input!

Nick
 
Corey Bit Spank said:
Japanese cars are not expensive to repair.
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I don't know where your getting your information from but we have two Japanese cars in the garage at the moment so don't take my previous post as bashing on J cars. And yes, J parts are more expensive than parts for a domestic vehicle. There is nothing else to say.
 
Get another Elantra. I'm a long time member of ElantraXD.com and I've had my 02 Elantra since the XD platform first came out and the problem you had with the car isn't commonly experienced. My 02 Elantra GT hatch was the first year it came out and subsequent years have only been more reliable. My car is currently at 76k miles and I've never had any issues with the car, besides something I did (not being careful enough when washing the engine bay).



The Elantra wasn't my first choice. In fact, I only looked at it as a joke because I was young, poor, and felt like a Hyundai was all I could afford. At the time, I didn't trust Hyundai's reliability, but being that I was a college student, I liked the 10 year/100 mile warranty if anything were to go wrong. After owning the car now for 6 years and having driven many other cars, you realize how much of a bargain and how great of a car it really is. The 02-06 Elantra (in particularly the GT hatchbacks) was the best kept secret IMO. It's not the perfect car, but for someone on a budget it's about as perfect as it's going to get.



I was just in Hawaii on vacation less than 2 weeks ago and got a 06 Mustang convertible as a rental to drive around the island. My Elantra GT felt like a European luxury sport sedan compared to POS Mustang. The plastics in the Mustang felt SOOO freakin cheap. The whole interior was cheap, hard plastics. They could have at least used some vinyl if they were too cheap to use leather.



It made me appreciate my Elantra even more.
 
BlackElantraGT said:
Get another Elantra. I'm a long time member of ElantraXD.com and I've had my 02 Elantra since the XD platform first came out and the problem you had with the car isn't commonly experienced. My 02 Elantra GT hatch was the first year it came out and subsequent years have only been more reliable. My car is currently at 76k miles and I've never had any issues with the car, besides something I did (not being careful enough when washing the engine bay).



The Elantra wasn't my first choice. In fact, I only looked at it as a joke because I was young, poor, and felt like a Hyundai was all I could afford. At the time, I didn't trust Hyundai's reliability, but being that I was a college student, I liked the 10 year/100 mile warranty if anything were to go wrong. After owning the car now for 6 years and having driven many other cars, you realize how much of a bargain and how great of a car it really is. The 02-06 Elantra (in particularly the GT hatchbacks) was the best kept secret IMO. It's not the perfect car, but for someone on a budget it's about as perfect as it's going to get.



I was just in Hawaii on vacation less than 2 weeks ago and got a 06 Mustang convertible as a rental to drive around the island. My Elantra GT felt like a European luxury sport sedan compared to POS Mustang. The plastics in the Mustang felt SOOO freakin cheap. The whole interior was cheap, hard plastics. They could have at least used some vinyl if they were too cheap to use leather.



It made me appreciate my Elantra even more.
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I won't get another Elantra until a new dealership opens up or until the dealership that I bought the car off of fires every worker in the service department...its bad enough the closest one is almost 20 minutes away and 45 minutes to the nearest after that but then factor in that the mechanics need THE OWNER to find out and TELL THEM the problem...now that is quite friggin sad :furious: Someday maybe....but not anytime soon!
 
03Ltd.Windstar- Given your family's experiences with Jeeps, your reputable mechanic, and the local dealership, I'd probably be leaning towards the JGC. Noting that I know nothing about JGC, it seems to me that it'd be unlikely for it to suffer some hideous catastrophic failure like a seized engine as long as it's been well maintained. If you get it, I *would* budget for a complete (and I mean everything) fluid/filter change. People don't often change stuff like diff lube, power steering fluid, and other things that they just take for granted.
 
NOTE - I maintain all of my cars completely. Those with stars have had major engine work.



I've had good luck with all of these cars I've owned:



1987 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible - 51k

*1991 Lincoln Town Car - 94k

*1996 Saturn SL1 - 117k

1997 Dodge Neon - 84k

*1998 Toyota Camry - 150k



I've had poor luck with:



1973 Triumph GT6 - 51k (still loved it though)

1993 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4 - 103k



I wouldn't hesitate to own a luxury product from any of the big 3 or of a japanese manufacturer. As far as the German superluxury cars, it wouldn't be a good choice. You can run them affordably because of the used parts networks that are in place, but you will have downtime while you are fixing them.



From personal experience, maintenance has been cheaper on the Town Car than on the Camry. The Camry had a crank grind, bore job, head resurfacing and valve job at 143k. The Lincoln had a crank grind at 75k, but the bore was so perfect as were the heads, they weren't redone. At the parts stores, plug wires are cheaper for the Town Car vs. the 4cyl Camry. Brakes cost about the same for both. The guy who gave me the Town Car usually runs them about 300k miles and trades them in(he traded his 98 w/ 277k recently)



I'd look at a used midsize Lincoln(Continental), Cadillac(STS, SLS), Lexus(ES) or Acura(RSX). The domestics will be cheaper to buy into and cheaper to maintain. Maintenance on all is the key to longevity.
 
I'm 19 as well and my parents just got me a 2003 Jeep liberty limited edition. Great room, torque happy v6, very plush interior IMO, and 4wd w/ Awd option. Before, I had a highly modified Silverado...very unpractical for college. I had no room, and it was horrible in the winter. I think the Liberty would be a great choice for you, I threw in some pictures.



Jeep:



P1010785.jpg


P1010790.jpg




Old truck:

79493584_249895618_0-1.jpg
 
Accumulator: Yeah i certainly figured in the up keep on the Jeep as those axles and transfer cases (on all Jeeps that is) need to be serviced often to keep the 4wd gear in good shape (very weak durability IMO).



Ambrosia: That is a great example of a Liberty...I saw it over on the Click and Brag forum. I love the two tone interior (light seats/dark carpets) one of my customers has that setup...really sharp! Congrats...and that Silverado wasn't to shabby either!
 
Anyone that is commenting on Jeeps in this thread, I have a friend who is selling a 01 Jeep Grand Cherokee and I was looking at some reviews and a majority said the reliability sucked on this model. Are these people wrong? Just wondering as he is interesting in trading vehicles with me plus some cash on my end. Thank you
 
Joshua312 said:
Anyone that is commenting on Jeeps in this thread, I have a friend who is selling a 01 Jeep Grand Cherokee and I was looking at some reviews and a majority said the reliability sucked on this model. Are these people wrong? Just wondering as he is interesting in trading vehicles with me plus some cash on my end. Thank you
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Don't quote me but the weakness for jeeps, as Windstars said, are the trannys. With the Grand you have a V8 which would have me a concerned on what tranny they used in that model. My Jeep is still running strong, I would reccommend them to anyone. I have to 80,000 mile warranty on the drivetrain, that would be something to look into if he does as well.



Windstar - Thanks for the kind words! It was tough going from my truck to the jeep but now I love it. The difference between the sport, and limited packages are insane! I test drove both and wouldn't have walked out the door with a sport, regardless of price. The sport has hawaiian print seats/non-heated cloth, the plastic fenders, no Awd option, and no temp overhead console or sunroof!
 
Suprchargd said:
I don't know where your getting your information from but we have two Japanese cars in the garage at the moment so don't take my previous post as bashing on J cars. And yes, J parts are more expensive than parts for a domestic vehicle. There is nothing else to say.
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haha. Well, I only drive my car 7,000 miles a year, so that has something to do with it. I ride a bike to school/work when the weather is nice. The area my school is in is riddled with bike paths. It makes it easy to get around. I guess I don't value driving a car as much as I did when I first got my license.
 
Corey Bit Spank said:
haha. Well, I only drive my car 7,000 miles a year, so that has something to do with it. I ride a bike to school/work when the weather is nice. The area my school is in is riddled with bike paths. It makes it easy to get around. I guess I don't value driving a car as much as I did when I first got my license.
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Wow I wish I could only put 7k annually. We have bike racks all over campus but I live 7 miles away from school and I'm too lazy to ride a bike for 7 miles every morning when I have class at 8am.
 
I'm gonna agree with Ambrosia here. I've got a Liberty and I love it. Mine is an 02 (first year, but they have the good transmission) and it is bluebooked around $8K. My family had it since it was new and we have had relatively few problems (and some of the problems we have had have been my fault for thinking I could fix something). Gas mileage isnt stellar, but is fun to drive, has 4x4, and has a luxury-by-American-standards interior. If you are going to buy a Jeep, take a look at the undercarriage and look for excessive dents on the skidplates or frame issues. I know people who absolutely trash their Jeeps (obviously I dont since I spend time on Autopia)
 
Liberty's as far as I know are very reliable...the 02s had ball joint/suspension and skid plate issues early on (a friend had those issues and found out they are pretty common) but other than that I haven't heard any complaints except the fact that the 3.7L is a GAS HOG for how small its size is...but then again..its a JEEP! I drove the CG today for a while and was really impressed by how well it drives. No noises, no wandering/pulling, some minor rattles from the middle console but other than that its like almost new. The V8 runs great and the transmission doesn't even shift hard out of park like most out there. The Quadra Drive in the snow is VERY smooth when it kicks in and only in very slow tight turns do I feel it working. It is averaging 13 MPG !!!!! which is horrible but eh oh well....it can't all be perfect. They are going to hold it for me until I can get the money all in order and then it will be mine!!! Thanks for all the information and support!
 
I still have one of my trucks, a 00' V8 Mercury Mountaineer, got new way back in high school and now have 95K miles on. Never any trouble, and good on gas for a V8. My business partner had two Grand Cherokee's and had issues with both of their trans and diffs, otherwise seemed like a solid truck. I even bought an 03' V8 Mountaineer, did a bunch of performance mods, and ended up selling it for a good offer I got, but still kept the 00'. Both of mine are/were 2wd, but the V8's have an option for awd. I think the 6 cylinders only had Ford's true 4wd.
 
03Ltd.Windstar said:
.. I drove the CG today for a while and was really impressed by how well it drive...They are going to hold it for me until I can get the money all in order and then it will be mine!!!
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Hope it works out (and I kinda bet it will). Get any mechanical stuff (the full-fluids/filer routine, for instance) out of the way and then give it a good detail :D



If the undercarriage is clearly visible, and doesn't look so hot, I can heartily recommend "Black Heavy Duty Anti-Rust" from Eastwood Company: Auto Tools, Body Repair, Classic Car Restoration, House of Kolor Paint, Powder Coating. I used it on the Blazer and it made a world of difference in the overall appearance, nice and uniform-black now and it's holding up great.
 
Suprchargd said:
Wow I wish I could only put 7k annually. We have bike racks all over campus but I live 7 miles away from school and I'm too lazy to ride a bike for 7 miles every morning when I have class at 8am.
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I live 8 miles away. It doesn't take me too long. Being able to ride my bike right up to the spine shortens the difference between using my car and using my bike. It's really good right before an exam.
 
Corey Bit Spank said:
So that settles it. Find a Liberty CRD. :)
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Seriously, theres Edge Performance stuff for them now. I've heard that the CRD with the 6 speed is really fun to drive actually. As far as the ball joints, yeah, theres a problem there. But now that there has been a recall on them, I think they are free for life.:woot:
 
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