Commuter car recommendations?

[GoodMojo]

I recently accepted a new job which is a small commute from my home. Having little experience with any other makes (I usually try to bike to where I need to go), does anyone have any recommendations for a cheap and reliable commuter car that will be occasionally used to drive to the ski resorts around this area and hauling small stuff from Home Depot. My budget is around $6K and under. I'm currently checking the local papers but thought I'd ask the source that I trust the most for some advice

Any Pelicanites in the greater Seattle/Bellevue area have anything for sale?


-Wade
'88 930 Slant Coupe

[FlaCarrera]

Older Hondas...they keep on ticking. Your budget should get you a pretty decent one. I bought a rusted out beater for a snow car in New England once; never skipped a beat.

[Joeaksa]

Wade,

I was looking for the same thing and bought a 91 Honda Accord stationwagon, great shape and gets almost 30 mpg for $2500. Room to haul parts (just brought a Jag motor home yesterday in the back end!) and A/C is great... insurance very cheap as well.

Hate rice but do not want to put the miles on the 911 either. Summers in Phoenix demand good a/c so I had to do something.

Joe

[Type911]

For $6000, and the needs you have, I would get a used
1993-95 Subaru Legacy Wagon AWD.
You can haul plenty of stuff, great in the rain/snow, will last forever. Boxer engine too

[LeeH]

Yep, old Hondas are great. I think they sell for a bit of a premium just because they are Hondas. A Mazda Protege makes a great Honda substitute if you're looking at smaller cars. We've got a '91 LX that's a great car. Way more fun to drive than you would ever imagine.

[don911]

Wade,
If I were looking at replacing the p-car as a daily driver, I'd look at late 80's early 90's Honda preludes or accords.
I had an 89 prelude that I drove the crap out of and only changed timing belts and oil. The AC pump and a clutch slave cylinder were the only things that ever failed on my car. Good power and will cruze at 80-85 no problem. Might be hard to find a low mileage one now but if you can find a good one, they run forever and they're pretty cheap... plus the preludes look a little sporty.


btw - why haven't I seen your car at the track? Looks like a fun car to run around SIR/PR.

[930Chas]

Keeping it in the family, I would look for an 86-88 Scirocco 16v. A fun car to drive, reliable (maybe a few electrical gremlins), still looks great, and did I say fun to drive. You could find a pretty cherry one for $6000. If not that, maybe a 92-94 Corrado VR6 or 95-97 GTI VR6 would sneak under the $6000 radar, I don't know what they are going for these days. Of course, like everyone else says, the prudent thing to do is probably buy a Honda.

[JavaBrewer]

Are you totally stuck on a car? How about a truck? You could get a nice one that will last for years for $6K. I just sold mine and miss it already. No home should ever be without one, especially if you make as many trips to HD as I do. With a shell and extended cab you have a place for friends and all the dirty ski equipment when the day is over.

Look for used Ford Rangers or Nissans. Toyotas are popular and thus command a high resale price but in my experience don't offer any better quality. Overall most of the newer small trucks are stone reliable and will last you 10+ years with simple oil changes and brakes/tires.

Good luck.

[Axeman]

I had a few 740 wagon Volvos and loved them, roomy, safer than any jap cars, they drive forever and engine is pretty simple to work on if needed. You can also pick them up for dirt cheap nowadays.

Good luck!
--Axeman

[Zeke]

The truck sounds good, but how 'bout a 912? I've seen people load a lot of weird stuff in there with the pass seat out. can't beat it for skiing

[GoodMojo]

Thanks for the responses all! A car will probably fit the bill better since trucks are pretty light in the rear and probably won't do as well on snow/icy roads?

don911: I definately will be take it to SIR in the future, after I upgrade a few choice components (shocks and clutch) and fix the jittery steering at speed (it's probably the rack and or tie rod ends. Both seems to make some clicking sounds can't quite put my finger on it)


-Wade
'88 930 Slant Coupe

[jhh967]

My very first car was a 1980 Subaru, and they have a good reputation for reliability as well as good handling in cold weather. I abused that car every way I could think of and when I sold it, (with 180k miles) it still ran great! They seem to hold their value well but you might be able to find one in very good condition for your budget.

[Don Plumley]

My vote is also for a Honda, Volvo a close second. Make sure the timing belt is less than 50K miles old.

[wckrause]

My vote is for the Subaru Legacy. I had a 90 Legacy with over 160K miles on it. It was tough, and a blast on snow and ice.

[slakjaw]

my first car was an 86 honda accord i ran it up to 300,000 miles then i gave it to my brother. the 2.0 single cam hondas DO have some power. and that is always nice

[Doug E]

I'd vote for the Honda. My daily commuter is a '90 Honda Accord and with 140k miles she just keeps on humming.

[ChrisL]

Come on - give the guy some style. How 'bout a Saab NG900? Should be able to get '96 or '97 for that money, put tons of stuff in it, great foul weather handling. But quirky.

Chris.

[Charley Dog]

No one has ever gone wrong with a Volvo 240. You could certainly buy a very cherry 240 wagon or sedan for $6k that would last you indefinately and should cost peanuts to run. A side benefit is that it probably wouldn't depreciate much, if at all, over the next few years.

One more thought -- have you considered an E30 BMW 3 series?

[pwd72s]

FWIW? My wife LOVES her '99 Ford Ranger. I do too...because since buying it new? ZERO problems. If only Maytag washing machines served as well...