Input Your Favorite Vehicle, Motor, Brand etc

[KG4CGC]

Need input on your best and worst modern cars and trucks from 1999 to about 2003. Best to get it from the ham's mouth I say. Looking for a vehicle but we don't want to get into something that has a dismal record from the day it left the factory.
For example, 1997 was a pretty bad year for the Chevy Silverado according to Edmunds and other sources. Motor and transmission was not up to par compared to years before and after.
Reliability is the biggest consideration.
Thanks

[WØTKX]

Ford F-150/250 for trucks, safe bet for the most part... check the recall repairs tho.

Anything Honda/Acura for cars, Toyota same, the Tacoma truck rocks.

Nissan cars and trucks are OK, except the Titan. Same for Mazda. Avoid the import bigger trucks.

VW has made huge strides, and they are favorites for driving, but can be fussbudgets. However, my 89 Jetta lasted me nine years, and except for one serious but warrantied repair, it was a gem of a car, and a hoot to drive.

Avoid MOPAR like the plague, with the possible exception of Cummins powered.

Really, most US vehicles are suspect, with a few bright stars. If you can get an extended aftermarket warranty it might be OK, but I wouldn't do it... I've had nothing but trouble with US made vehicles for most of my life starting with the early 80' models.

[KG4CGC]

Were there drivetrain issues with Mopar?

[W5GA]

Ford F-150/250 for trucks, safe bet for the most part... check the recall repairs tho.Avoid MOPAR like the plague, with the possible exception of Cummins powered.
Stay away from the first year Ford 6.0L Powerstroke diesel. The Mopar has a good drivetrain, the rest of the vehicle is shit.

[KG4CGC]

Not going with a diesel unless we're being offered a super sweet deal. Then again, don't know enough about diesels to want to get into them.
This will be a daily driver, go to work, go see the old people, go fishing. The YL will be driving it. Trying to get her into something that's better on gas but she's old and hard headed.

[KG4CGC]

See a 2001 F 150 with 150K on the clock for $4500. Will these things take a licking and keep on ticking?

[W5GA]

These days, most any engine will last 200k + if it's been taken care of. What I'd look at on the 150 is the front end and brakes.

[WØTKX]

Good choice, the F-150's hold value, shop for a deal. I was seriously considering an older Ford with the 300ci six. Test drove three, but bench seats are not comfy. Not super fast, ok mileage... very stout motor good torque. I love straight six motors. Not as sexy as a newer one. I went with the supercharged Previa van instead. But that's me, I like vans.

[NQ6U]

You can't go wrong with a Studebaker, man. Best trucks they ever made.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3650/3331387507_724acec7b3.jpg

[KG4CGC]

She's taking the day off from work tomorrow. She's probably going to buy something. Geez. I showed her a couple of nice 4-bangers.

[WØTKX]

The Nissan Frontier is amazing for a four banger.

If she can stand it, a smaller 4cyl truck is a good idea,
unless The Donald can take over oil wells from Libya.

Had a beater Toyota 4Runner for a while, it was good.

[N7YA]

I love my 2006 XTerra, no problems and it gets the job done.


I love the F-150, even knowing its made overseas by outsourced labor and sold as a "Kick ass, All-American, Toby Keith-loving, Terrorist-killing muscle machine!!!"...its always been a fine truck for all purposes. You may be fine behind the wheel, but i do believe it should be required that the buyer prove that they can handle a truck before signing anything. (Drive in Vegas for a week and you will know what i mean). Its a gas guzzler, but if you got the budget and arent affected by Prius driving guilt trips, you will be a happy man.

UNIMOG. Not really road legal here. Not gas efficient in any way whatsoever. Not practical for kids, groceries, light deliveries, roadtrips, anything suburban...but man, is that thing cool!

Seriously, Honda Civics are great, little tanks with great gas mileage. Not really going to go wrong with the Nissan Xterra or Pathfinder either.

[w2amr]

Can't go wrong with a low mileage Ford Focus. We have a bunch of them in our fleet, good little cars.Yeah I know, it isn't a truck.

[N7YA]

but, but, but....Toby Keith...:cry:

[W3MIV]

I know nothing about the Ford Focus from the mechanical reliability standpoint, but I have rented them on many occasions and always found them roomy for their size, comfortable, economical and even fun to drive.

For new car buy, I would say go look at Hyundai's Elantra. A friend has just bought his third after putting high mileage at very low cost on the previous two. He drives very often between MD and MA. It was his experience that led me to look at the car I now drive, with which I am very pleased. The warranties are unbeatable.

[N9FE]

GM 3800 Series 2 was a damn good motor. My 98 buick gets 33 per gallon. The motor will outlast the car in these salty rustbucket conditions up here.

[W1GUH]

There's no reason whatsoever to consider anything but a Toyota, especially that time frame, and especially if you want to keep it for a while.

You'll get rock-solid dependability, and solid parts availability. Also, should you need them , Toyota service departments are great.

I've had my '92 Celica since 1994 and I've got zero complaints about the car, its long-term dependability, or the dealer where I get it serviced.

[NQ6U]

Pretty much anything Japanese is good. I've had great luck with my '95 Ford Ranger, which was built in the U.S. but is essentially a Mazda.

[WØTKX]

Fazda.

[NQ6U]

Fazda.

Mord?

[W1GUH]

Pretty much anything Japanese is good. I've had great luck with my '95 Ford Ranger, which was built in the U.S. but is essentially a Mazda.

Just to pass along some hearsay, which may be all that it is, but a ham friend who's had a Subaru for a few years said he wants something else; he wasn't all that happy with how well it was built. That dosen't jibe with what I'd thought....just passing that along with no evaluation as to it's veracity.

Also, I understand that, as much as I've loved the Toyotas I've driven, people who've had both Toyotas and Hondas say Hondas are better. Again, FWIW.

[KG4CGC]

She found the same truck in the 4 door version. Same year and half the mileage of the old one. Paint and interior are, "minty."
Old truck was a 2001 Dakota, 3.9l FI V6, 4sp automatic, 238,000 miles. The engine had another 5 years on it at least. We did keep it running slickerier than owl sh!t. At least I know what to keep an eye on. The cooling system naturally evaporates so the levels must be watched. Not a set it and forget it till next season set up. Failure to do so will result in a chewed up water pump. Tranny MUST be serviced every 20K miles. Some came off the line with the wrong blower motor that drew way too many amps. This resulted in burnt heat/AC control boards. Some places wanted $600 to change this board. I was able to do it for the cost of the board, $30. Changed out the blower motor on the second board. Rear end dope, check it but never an issue. Everything else was standard maintenance. Sparkplugs and distributor plastics about every 100K miles. I know, back in the day I changed them much more often.

[KG4CGC]

Just to pass along some hearsay, which may be all that it is, but a ham friend who's had a Subaru for a few years said he wants something else; he wasn't all that happy with how well it was built. That dosen't jibe with what I'd thought....just passing that along with no evaluation as to it's veracity.

Also, I understand that, as much as I've loved the Toyotas I've driven, people who've had both Toyotas and Hondas say Hondas are better. Again, FWIW.
The "problem" that people have had with Subarus is that they don't like the ride. They attribute it to driving a go cart.

[WV6Z]

Not a truck to be sure, but, our pair of Saturns has served us well through these lean economic time. Also, FWIW, I started driving my Ion about a year ago with 25,025 miles on it and it now has over 81,000 miles, only issues, as it's a Level 2 is no power windows and no cruise control......... not usually considered an issues, unless you spend 2 1/2 hours per day in the thing like I used to. Now, going from a 64 mile one way commute to 7 miles one way, filling up every couple of weeks verses every couple of days is beyond a pleasure, it's a dream come true. It's chassis and drive train is shared with the Cobalt and for the most part, the HHR and likely others too (2.2l Ecotech). Other than being almost attractive and spartan, the Ion has served me well. Sheryl's 2002 SL2 with 237k miles is a keeper too. It's major repair was the replacement of it's water pump.

Other than the Mopar influence, and a bit close to 'truck' classification, our '97 Grand Cherokee has been a great vehicle. It has over 221k miles and even with it's little inline 6 (4.0 HO), it has no issue towing anything within reason and is the way to go in frosty weather. The Mopar towing package is well done and useful for towing little wagons which makes it almost as versatile as a light pick up......... better if you like the option of leaving your pick up part behind when not needed. It is roomy, luxurious and has an intense thirst for gasoline which it guzzles at an over all average of 17mpg........ not impressive to be sure, but reasonable for 1997 standards.

Hope she has good luck finding something useful for you guys!

Oh and as a PS..... if you want input as far as love affairs with vehicles go, I have one word and Charles you can guess it........ Trooper......

[NA4BH]

I know nothing about the Ford Focus from the mechanical reliability standpoint, but I have rented them on many occasions and always found them roomy for their size, comfortable, economical and even fun to drive.


Agree 100%.

[WØTKX]

Well, I guess she's a MOPAR gal...

[KG4CGC]

Well, I guess she's a MOPAR gal...
And it's parked out front.

[KG4CGC]

Fake edit: Thanks for all your help. As late as yesterday afternoon I was still looking up potential vehicles, trying to steer her into something more gas-wise.
As always, y'all are a great bunch.
Cheers!

Don't let this be an end to a rousing conversation about hot steel and burning rubber though!

[W3MIV]

The "problem" that people have had with Subarus is that they don't like the ride. They attribute it to driving a go cart.

My Hyundai Sonata 2.0 Turbo has rubber-band tires and sometimes feels like a luxurious buckboard on some urban Strassen. The Hankook tires grip like grim death, though. Choosing the turbo Sonata Limited, instead of the non-turbo Sonata Limited, meant opting for a much firmer suspension. Interior appointments are otherwise the same, and the non-turbo model costs less -- but ain't near as much fun!

[WX7P]

My Hyundai Sonata 2.0 Turbo has rubber-band tires and sometimes feels like a luxurious buckboard on some urban Strassen. The Hankook tires grip like grim death, though. Choosing the turbo Sonata Limited, instead of the non-turbo Sonata Limited, meant opting for a much firmer suspension. Interior appointments are otherwise the same, and the non-turbo model costs less -- but ain't near as much fun!

Did you take Billhelm out for some white knuckle action?

[W3MIV]

Did you take Billhelm out for some white knuckle action?

No. I was merciful -- and we had had a couple of libations, making the decision easier. That ol' "You've got a friend in Pennsylvania" does not generally include the gendarmery.

Good time, though.

[WØTKX]

Heh, I bet he had some choice comments about some of us on the forum.

Did you defend us mightily as a master of verbosity?

;)

[W3MIV]

Transcripts are available -- for a modest fee, of course -- or, they will be available as soon as NSA and the FBI have finished reviewing them.

[WØTKX]

:rofl:

[W5GA]

Transcripts are available -- for a modest fee, of course -- or, they will be available as soon as NSA and the FBI have finished reviewing them.
Rudy better be runnin'

[NQ6U]

Rudy better be runnin'

It's okay, he's busy working for the Saudis in Abbottabad.

[KG4CGC]

It's okay, he's busy working for the Saudis in Abbottabad.
Before or after he salvaged a small jib sail on his APU powered sailboat?

[WØTKX]

It was one of his APU units that failed, which caused that one chopper to crash. :mrgreen:

[NQ6U]

It was one of his APU units that failed, which caused that one chopper to crash. :mrgreen:

Fortunately, he had an obsolete 800MHz Motorola radio to call for help. He had to modify it with a clip off a woman's burka to get it on frequency, though.

[N2NH]

I really liked the '03 GrandAm. Rented one from Avis in '04 and it had good pickup, but did have a tendency to wander a bit in crosswinds above 80mph.

Had a Mazda 6 with a 4 that got great gas mileage. Had an automatic with an overdrive. I forget how it worked, but 30mpg with one fillup in a week and some of that was high speed driving. Did much better in crosswinds too.

[n2ize]

I really liked the '03 GrandAm. Rented one from Avis in '04 and it had good pickup, but did have a tendency to wander a bit in crosswinds above 80mph.

Were you driving it in the NYC area ? NYC is notorious for some of the worst crosswinds in the world. Lot of wipeouts on the roads are from the infamous NY crosswinds. friend of mine is a driver and he won't even race in NYC.

[NQ6U]

Were you driving it in the NYC area ? NYC is notorious for some of the worst crosswinds in the world.

I don't think you know what crosswinds truly are until you've been in southern California during the fall Santa Ana season. They regularly blow big trucks over and once I was in a building when it had it's roof blown off.

[n2ize]

I don't think you know what crosswinds truly are until you've been in southern California during the fall Santa Ana season. They regularly blow big trucks over and once I was in a building when it had it's roof blown off.

There is a difference. You guys have stronger crosswinds but they are more predictable .. The crosswinds here in NYC are highly unpredictable and wipe out even the most experienced drivers.

[WØTKX]

Downslope winds from mountain ranges. Just sayin'

[KG4CGC]

I haven't yet seen a crosswinds predictions map for drivers. I would imagine it would be very very useful for bikers as well as drivers of high surface area vehicles.

[N7YA]

Any of you guys want to venture up to my old homeland of Alaska around the time of the Chinooks? 80 to 100mph is common, you never hear about them because we were all used to it every year...plus, it would melt all the ice and there was an inch of water everywhere with ice underneath it. Good times.

Here in Vegas, we only get high winds for a few moments around thunderstorms. Then some normal stuff off the high desert...nothing of interest here. Of course, Nebraska when i was a kid had tonadoes tearing everything up. But those winds dont really count as bragging rights, they just devastated lives.

[N7YA]

I haven't yet seen a crosswinds predictions map for drivers. I would imagine it would be very very useful for bikers as well as drivers of high surface area vehicles.

Thats a good idea, i would buy a few.

[W3MIV]

When I served in Germany, there were windsocks along highways and on bridges at those locations that were subject to strong crosswinds. The system worked well as I recall.

[KG4CGC]

When I served in Germany, there were windsocks along highways and on bridges at those locations that were subject to strong crosswinds. The system worked well as I recall.
Orange cone socks or rainbow tubes?

[N2NH]

Were you driving it in the NYC area ? NYC is notorious for some of the worst crosswinds in the world. Lot of wipeouts on the roads are from the infamous NY crosswinds. friend of mine is a driver and he won't even race in NYC.

I learned how to deal with the crosswinds here when I was a cyclist. Miss on one and you're either roadkill or you'll be flipped on to a parked car. The Grand Am was driven in New York by the ocean, New Jersey on the turnpike and in Eastern PA. November and there were a lot of crosswinds except in NJ. The crosswinds on the Belt Parkway are notorious as they come across the ocean unimpeded. The Mazda 6 was driven in Florida, but we had vectoring gusting crosswinds +35 MPH from the Southeast to Southwest due to a hurricane that was nearby. On both occasions, the cars were over 80 (but I don't think it's wise to say how much). ;)

The Mazda 6 was much better at handling crosswinds and had a much smoother engine than the Grand Am.

[NQ6U]

When I served in Germany, there were windsocks along highways and on bridges at those locations that were subject to strong crosswinds. The system worked well as I recall.

You see them here in places. The Pine Valley Creek bridge on Interstate 8 has them. Of course, trucks still get blown over there at least a few times a year.

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz79/gyrogeerloose/PineValleyCreekBridge.jpg

[KG4CGC]

Forgot about the Grand Am. '95 with V6. VERY nice handling car. I believe that was the first year of the newer body style with the more retro nose cone vs the flat face from years prior. The body was also slicker in the wind. Over 5 years we changed the tires, timing belt and oil. There was a small pinhole that developed due to really thin metal tubing material related to the cooling system right on the top front between the radiator and the motor. Patched that up with no problems.

Bought it in '96 with 40K on the clock and traded it in in March of 2001 with about 110K on it. The engine and drivetrain performance was still as good as the day we got it. The build was well done and the interior had no loose plastics.

[N2NH]

Forgot about the Grand Am. '95 with V6. VERY nice handling car. I believe that was the first year of the newer body style with the more retro nose cone vs the flat face from years prior. The body was also slicker in the wind. Over 5 years we changed the tires, timing belt and oil. There was a small pinhole that developed due to really thin metal tubing material related to the cooling system right on the top front between the radiator and the motor. Patched that up with no problems.

Bought it in '96 with 40K on the clock and traded it in in March of 2001 with about 110K on it. The engine and drivetrain performance was still as good as the day we got it. The build was well done and the interior had no loose plastics.

Outside of the crosswind problem, it was a great performer and accelerated like a sports car. There was very few cars on the road that could match it at least the day I was driving. BTW, this is the view from the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn...

http://cdn.wn.com/pd/7f/de/4fdfbb4ed7c3e7cf069c302c7c79_grande.jpg