Any DIYish newer cars out there

[turbo6bar]

The transmission on my dad's Lexus ES300 exploded last week, and being a "why pay someone to füch it up when I can füch it myself for free," decided to extract the transmission with the help of little brother. After that adventure, I will never work on a front wheel drive car ever again. I will also never own a front wheel drive car.

Does there exist any newer car (say 1995+) that's DIY-friendly? My peabrain (not a car magazine reader) points me towards the rear-drive BMWs(BMW even make a front wheel drive?). Are they amenable towards DIY? Mercedes makes darn good cars, but you can't get factory manuals. Porsche 964 (I know it's pre-1995)? 993? Pain in the rear to repair a 993?

I'm not looking for simple to repair as much as a car that is actually engineered well to facilitate repair. I'm not looking to buy now. I'm just curious.

[VincentVega]

Honda's are generally very simple. The only think I have a hard time with is some access is limited, mostly because my hands are too fat.

Newer than an e36 bmw can be an electrical nightmare, but not all of them.

[Tim Hancock]

I have done quite a bit of DIY work on my BMW, but my Audi is a major pain.

[the]

E36 BMW is a very robust car that is relatively DIY-friendly. What makes it more DIYfriendly than most is:

1) Basic RWD configuration.
2) Essentially engineed to be worked on. Good access to most things.
3) Still relatively simple electronics.
4) A large repair, tool and aftermarket industry supporting it.
5) A lot of DIYers have been working on them for years, so there is a lot of info on the internet, etc. to help you, kinda like with Porsches.

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
I have done quite a bit of DIY work on my BMW, but my Audi is a major pain.

I thought of you when I saw the title of this thread

I figured you'de post something like "no, but I can tell you one that's not".

[Tim Hancock]

Originally posted by lendaddy
I thought of you when I saw the title of this thread

I figured you'de post something like "no, but I can tell you one that's not".

My wife is growing accustomed to it and I am shopping for 18" wheels, so I guess I am stuck with it! God help me when the turbo's take a dump, you will hear me cussing all the way to Michigan.

[Don Ro]

Originally posted by turbo6bar
Does there exist any newer car (say 1995+) that's DIY-friendly?
I'm not looking for simple to repair as much as a car that is actually engineered well to facilitate repair. I'm not looking to buy now. I'm just curious.

1995+? ... Jeep XJ.
I like my '92 XJ for ease of repair/maintenance - except for the CPS remove/replace.

BTW, 21+ mpg highway.
.
Front WD drive system is a PITA to work on. Agreed.

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
My wife is growing accustomed to it and I am shopping for 18" wheels, so I guess I am stuck with it! God help me when the turbo's take a dump, you will hear me cussing all the way to Michigan.

, I remember going over it when I got home from buying it..My wife asked me what the hell I was doing crawling around the front and looking under the hood with a strange look on my face...

You can't even see the damn turbos! WTF

[Aerkuld]

There were two main reasons I bought the 944 as a daily driver.

1. It needed bringing back from the dead - so the price was very attractive.

2. It was very DIY-able.

Prior to that I had a more modern car but it was a nightmare to do anything except check and change the oil. I consider myself mechanically competent, it's part of my job after all, but I have found that newer cars are an absolute pain to work on. I don't even have the excuse of 'fat hands' and still find the access to most of the engines is atrocious. Even the simplest job requires taking half the car to pieces.

[Aerkuld]

Originally posted by Don Ro
Front WD drive system is a PITA to work on. Agreed.

I resent that remark!

I have owned several of the original Mini's in the past. They were FWD and very easy to work on.

I love those cars!

[CarreraDan]

Most Jeeps, TJ's (Wrangler's are so easly it is sad people pay others to work on them). 99-04 Grand Cherokee's with the 4.0 are very simple with lots of room with the 4.7 still simple just not much room at all. I don't care to work on FWD cars either.

[Dantilla]

Jeep Wrangler.

[Don Ro]

Originally posted by Aerkuld
I resent that remark!

I have owned several of the original Mini's in the past. They were FWD and very easy to work on.

I love those cars!

Original Mini's...nice...not too bad...neat enough of a rig to be worth any PITA, IMO.

[m21sniper]

I do all the work to my 928, but it's sure not 'easy'.

The 928 is like an onion.....assembled/disassembled in layers.

[tcar]

Mazda Miata. RWD. V. easy to work on.

[on2wheels52]

I could probably get the trans out of an ES but then what would I do with it?
I was an auto mechanic for seven years, bought a Lexus (GS) so I wouldn't have to work on it. That stratagy has worked well for six years so far.
Jim

[turbo6bar]

If Lexi do not need work, I will gladly trade your GS for this ES.

Thanks, but no thanks. No more modern front-wheel drive stuff for me. This "never change the fluids" theme and 'new tranny costs over 50% of the value of a 6 year old car' is a bit over the top. Someday, we will take cars to the junkyard when the odometer hits 30k miles. Then, one can avoid all that pesky routine maintenance.

Thanks for the ideas. Old mini is cool. I scout old minis and BMW 2002s on eBay. Great play car. I don't do much off-roading, so a Jeep might not work. The Grand Cherokee is getting a new diesel in the next year or so. DIYable? Probably not. I'm still liking a 90s model BMW.

The fellow at the transmission shop said he recently had fun with an Audi with CVT transmission. The car's owner decided to have a $5500 junkyard tranny installed. Half a year later, the same Audi with new owner revisit the shop. "I want to get rid of this car!" $9000 for a new transmission from Audi? I don't blame him.

[notfarnow]

I find Hondas very easy to DIY. I always though Toyotas were too, until I did the clutch on a Corolla and had to drop the front subframe. WTF?

The more I work on VWs, the worse they seem to get. I don't know how many times I've worked on my Jetta and found bolts or clamps that would have been easy to get at if they had just moved them over by 1/2". An exercise in frustration.

I've heard great stuff on the Mercedes forum too, people seem to enjoy working on those. Tight spaces but generally pleasant to work on.

[Aerkuld]

Think what you will about the 944, but it is a very easy car to work on and maintain. Of course its not newer than '95, and I am biased, but there you go. I have done a lot of work on mine, including a head rebuild before I could drive it (cookie for anyone who can guess why?) and the legendary clutch replacement, and everything is easy to get at and easy to work with. All the parts are readily available, especially used spares, and the cars are cheap to buy.

All in all it's very practical car and very usable. For example, I coach in-line hockey and often end up carrying two kids complete with two sets of hockey equipment - one of which is for a goalie, sticks, and sometimes my own stuff and it all fits in my 944.
I often get remarks about the amount of gear I can fit in it, including from one of the parents who's a fellow Porsche 911 owner - but that's another story...

You could do a lot worse than drive a water cooled, front engined Porsche.

[masraum]

Originally posted by tcar
Mazda Miata. RWD. V. easy to work on.

+1 The miata is very easy to work on and has a big following.

Also the Jeep Cherokee (small SUV version)