TheSamba.com :: View topic

Fri Mar 17, 2023 7:11 pm

Hey All,

I'm looking at a second car to just get around town, something reliable and old with charm, and I came upon this on the marketplace:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/74787257...b095e28d75

My main concern is the idle. Does it sound off, or is it just me? Seems like the guy just put a lot of work into the car, but are there any major red flags you all would see in this ad? Is there a better old reliable car for the money out there that wouldn't leave me stranded waiting weeks for parts to come in from california?

Looking for opinions and suggestions for second cars, hopefully 7k or under, simple to repair, and has decent heat/automatic transmission.

Fri Mar 17, 2023 7:28 pm

You'd look like a lot of other people but an older, well kept Honda is hard to beat. By well kept I mean normal service...

Fri Mar 17, 2023 7:58 pm

I have heard that older Honda engines are reliable, however I have also heard their transmissions are a pretty weak link if they are automatic. I'll look into older accords though...

Fri Mar 17, 2023 8:22 pm

Never had Facebook. What did I miss?

Fri Mar 17, 2023 10:26 pm

Xevin wrote: Never had Facebook. What did I miss?

You can still look at the link without an account

Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:36 am

EverettB wrote: Xevin wrote: Never had Facebook. What did I miss?

You can still look at the link without an account

It is asking me to log in to my Facebook account. I only use my iPhone for the Samba using safari/bing.

Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:00 am

I had a Honda Element for 15+ years. The engine was made in the USA. The automatic trans was made in Japan. Both were like new after 260K miles when the brain went wacko. I changed the trans fluid once. Engine oil changed every 5K miles. No mechanical issues whatsoever in all that time. I would definitely go with a Honda.

Sat Mar 18, 2023 4:42 am

Those Volvos are beautiful cars especially on the highway. If it is in good mechanical condition and it should be with mileage that low, it will have a lot of good miles left in it. That is a classy old car!

As for an around town car... a bit of a waste in my view... both in quality and fuel economy. I would buy that one for a first car (but that's just me!) and look for a little Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Jetta for around town.

Why the fixation on automatic transmission? Real car enthusiasts drive a stick, gives you something to do while you sit there! If you don't want to work the controls, buy a couch and a TV! :wink:

P.S. Avoid the VW diesels for around town, they never warm up and tend to plug off with carbon as a result. The diesels belong on the open road for hours at a time.

Sat Mar 18, 2023 7:35 am

Ah, that's good advice guys, thanks for the thoughts. It's between a good used Honda and an old Volvo 240...

Well, automatic transmission, because although my wife knows how to drive stick, getting her to feel comfortable doing so is not gunna be easy at this point. A second car gives us something for around town, and would give her something to drive while I'm at work, and something I can use in case the Beetle has a problem I can't quickly fix... Around town is good and that will be its main purpose, but I really hope to be able to do road trips in it one day...

Still though, did anyone hear anything off about that car's idle, or am I just not used to that sound?

Sat Mar 18, 2023 7:58 am

Ask for a compression test.

Cold start video.

Seems riced up for a swedish car

Sat Mar 18, 2023 8:19 am

I expected you to suggest a used leaf... :-s

Sat Mar 18, 2023 8:31 am

steve244 wrote: Ask for a compression test.

Cold start video.

Seems riced up for a swedish car

I was just thinking that to myself. Compression could be part of the reason it takes a while to start, which he mentioned. Also seems kinda "riced" to me too, maybe I should avoid this one. Looks like he may have thrown a bunch of parts at this car recently, hoping to fix the problem with starting, only to ultimately find out it needs an engine rebuild...

Sat Mar 18, 2023 8:38 am

And by rice I mean: racing inspired cosmetic enhancements.

Advd a friend in the 80s the Volvo he was looking at was ok.

We inspected when it was already warmed up. Big mistake.

Sat Mar 18, 2023 8:58 am

add old toyota / lexus to the list. You can't get more reliable than a Lexus LS400 and they are sooooooooo simple to work on. The later LS 430 is easy too, but 5K will only buy one that needs a lot of work.

The older the car the harder it's going to be to find good original parts, as manufactures stop making money on older cars they stop making the parts. You can't get simple stuff like brake hoses for 80's nissan trucks anymore for instance. :roll: every once in a while they will come up on rock auto but you get them shipped to you and they were made in 1983, hard as a rock... Volvo has a little more following than that but it will be harder to find parts.

Sat Mar 18, 2023 9:28 am

Pretty far from cool, but I suggest checking the Toyota Matrix. Great little appliances, with a boring exterior but fun and functional interior layout.

Sat Mar 18, 2023 9:31 am

finster wrote: I expected you to suggest a used leaf... :-s

That's too practical. Lacks charm.

Sat Mar 18, 2023 9:34 am

I agree, on the Toyota Matrix. My brother got 290K miles on his and it looked great. He traded it for a Toyota Prius as he wanted something with less miles and better mpg. The only thing he didn't like was that the Matrix was all wheel drive and only got around 20mpg opposed to over 40mpg on the Prius. Both cars were used and always reliable.

cdennisg wrote: Pretty far from cool, but I suggest checking the Toyota Matrix. Great little appliances, with a boring exterior but fun and functional interior layout.

Sat Mar 18, 2023 9:44 am

LAGrunthaner wrote: I agree, on the Toyota Matrix. My brother got 290K miles on his and it looked great. He traded it for a Toyota Prius as he wanted something with less miles and better mpg. The only thing he didn't like was that the Matrix was all wheel drive and only got around 20mpg opposed to over 40mpg on the Prius. Both cars were used and always reliable.

cdennisg wrote: Pretty far from cool, but I suggest checking the Toyota Matrix. Great little appliances, with a boring exterior but fun and functional interior layout.

We live in snow country, and our Matrix is front wheel drive. Good snow tires make all the difference, no need for AWD on this one. We have a 91 Chevy truck for that duty.

I bought our car from the original owner with 88K miles. It now has 120K (five years later) and gets around 30 MPG in mixed driving. It is not a powerhouse for sure, but can be fun in the twisties. The perfect little commuter car and great for running to the airport 90 minutes away.

Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:04 am

Pontiac Vibe is the Toyota Matrix, and has added charm of being from a defunct car company.

Sat Mar 18, 2023 12:02 pm

steve244 wrote: Pontiac Vibe is the Toyota Matrix, and has added charm of being from a defunct car company.

With some extra awful added styling cues. Makes a boring car ugly.