Second Car

[hobthebob]

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.

[Joe 20]

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...
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"Someday the world is gonna be populated by nothing but Volkswagens'" Corporal Klairvoy

[hobthebob]

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...

[Xevin]

Never had Facebook. What did I miss?
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Keep on Busin'

[EverettB]

[Xevin]

[Bonesberg55]

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.

[oprn]

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!

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.
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We had the stone age, the bronze age, the industrial age and now we are in the age of mass deception and mind control for corporate profit. (The mass media age)

[hobthebob]

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?

[steve244]

Ask for a compression test.

Cold start video.

Seems riced up for a swedish car
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82 AC vanagon approx 200K miles (3K are mine).
DD is a 2015 Leaf
Road Trip to Hell (FL 2023)
The Vanagon's drivetrain and chassis restomod thread. Best sung to the tune of I Did It My Way...

[finster]

I expected you to suggest a used leaf...
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"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...

[hobthebob]

[steve244]

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.
_________________
82 AC vanagon approx 200K miles (3K are mine).
DD is a 2015 Leaf
Road Trip to Hell (FL 2023)
The Vanagon's drivetrain and chassis restomod thread. Best sung to the tune of I Did It My Way...

[Erik G]

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. 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.
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[cdennisg]

Pretty far from cool, but I suggest checking the Toyota Matrix. Great little appliances, with a boring exterior but fun and functional interior layout.
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nothing

[steve244]

[LAGrunthaner]

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]

[steve244]

Pontiac Vibe is the Toyota Matrix, and has added charm of being from a defunct car company.
_________________
82 AC vanagon approx 200K miles (3K are mine).
DD is a 2015 Leaf
Road Trip to Hell (FL 2023)
The Vanagon's drivetrain and chassis restomod thread. Best sung to the tune of I Did It My Way...

[cdennisg]