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Soarer Central Off-Topic Need help to choose cheap, reliable daily car

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Warren Moore
DieHard
Victoria
JZZ31 N/A

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 01:52 am, by: Warren Moore (Warreng)

hi guys

im wanting to buy a cheap, reliable daily car thats fuel efficient. only wanting to spend around 2-3k. id prefer a wagon as i sometimes need to lug around large items, so i have been looking at daewoo nubira's. are there any other good options for a wagon around the 2-3k price range? would a nubira be as fuel efficient as an excel or festiva? any info would be greatly appreciated

Brett Cutts
DieHard
south australia
UZZ31 V8

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 12:36 pm, by: Brett Cutts (Boof390)

From a mechanic do NOT buy a daewoo unless you want something that is going to always be in your pocket quite often with major expense regardless of kms and condition. Small wagon wise probably look at a misti lancer but be sure to look for lower kms 200000 to 250000 they fall apart as do festivas and excells

Narvey Vilaythong
TryHard
SA
soarer tt and 3T-GTE corona liftback

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 12:51 pm, by: Narvey Vilaythong (El_pablo)

It may be old but will always work, R31 skyline wagon with the RB30E on gas, has never let me down even with 300***kms and still going.

Matt Sartori
DieHard
Western Australia
Rx7

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 02:01 pm, by: Matt Sartori (Klutch)

A first gen rotary fits the bill perfectly!

<_<
>_>

David Tra
Goo Roo
qld
AWD

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Reg: 11-2007

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 02:03 pm, by: David Tra (Bookie)

camry wagon.

Mike Triggs
Goo Roo
Western NSW
3.0GT G-Pack

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 02:12 pm, by: Mike Triggs (Mikeandimah)

Subaru Liberty. I had a 1992 model wagon and it was nearly bulletproof. At over 310,000km the auto box was getting a bit sad though. Mine was 2wd so had coil suspension- the 4wds had airbags at each corner, which were fairly expensive to replace. Later models a bit better but more SS.

Warren Moore
DieHard
Victoria
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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 02:33 pm, by: Warren Moore (Warreng)

Brett Cutts wrote on Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 12:36 pm:
From a mechanic do NOT buy a daewoo unless you want something that is going to always be in your pocket quite often with major expense regardless of kms and condition. Small wagon wise probably look at a misti lancer but be sure to look for lower kms 200000 to 250000 they fall apart as do festivas and excells

I was told that excels are very very reliable..

Narvey Vilaythong wrote on Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 12:51 pm:
R31 skyline wagon with the RB30E on gas

had a look on carsales and cant find anything, it would need to be converted to gas right?

David Tra wrote on Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 02:03 pm:
camry wagon.

might be my best bet. the folks used to have an '89 camry wagon but it was having head gasket problems and got rid of it early this year.

Mike Triggs wrote on Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 02:12 pm:
Subaru Liberty. I had a 1992

had a quick browse and the cheapest i could find were around 4k but needed work done, only looking to spend 2-3k.

all i need is something that would get me to work each day (20km there and 20 back) and thats cheap on fuel. would want it to last a good 5 years though..

Warren Moore
DieHard
Victoria
JZZ31 N/A

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 02:44 pm, by: Warren Moore (Warreng)

im looking at this, what do you guys think? last me a while you reckon? http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=9293035&__Qpb=true&Cr=12&__Ns=pCar_PriceS ort_Decimal

Mike Beck
Goo Roo
New Zealand
E36 Coupe

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 02:49 pm, by: Mike Beck (Gold_40gt)

V8 or I6 Soarer?

Warren Moore
DieHard
Victoria
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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 02:54 pm, by: Warren Moore (Warreng)

Mike Beck wrote on Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 02:49 pm:
V8 or I6 Soarer?

???

Justin Camilleri
Goo Roo
QLD
Had a 85 MZ10, 92 TT, Now 91 TT

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 04:25 pm, by: Justin Camilleri (Just)

Hey Warren, somewhat of the same situation here:

http://soarercentral.com/sc-forum/messages/285/271872.html?1229032473

Most people were recommending me a camry.

Mike Triggs
Goo Roo
Western NSW
3.0GT G-Pack

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 04:30 pm, by: Mike Triggs (Mikeandimah)

Warren Moore wrote on Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 01:52 am:

im wanting to buy a cheap, reliable daily car thats fuel efficient. only wanting to spend around 2-3k. id prefer a wagon as i sometimes need to lug around large items, so i have been looking at daewoo nubira's. are there any other good options for a wagon around the 2-3k price range? would a nubira be as fuel efficient as an excel or festiva? any info would be greatly appreciated :-)

Other than the occasional load carrying, what's wrong with the Soarer, Warren? By the time you outlay $203k on a second car, pay stamp duty, insurance and all that, any difference in fuel saving would be minimal, plus you'd be servicing two cars... A moderately driven 3.0 won't be that far behind the Camry, economy-wise.

Mark Bryant
Tinkerer
tasmania
2jz na/t and tt

Posts: 80
Reg: 08-2010

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 05:13 pm, by: Mark Bryant (2jz_nat)

if you go with a hatch back,buy a corolla seca.i had a 97 model that was just brillant and they can be had for around 3k.i have just sold a 95 hyundi elantra wagon ,because of to many problems.when they have 200000 km or more they are just •••• and have problems.

Brett Cutts
DieHard
south australia
UZZ31 V8

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 08:32 pm, by: Brett Cutts (Boof390)

Excel's are reliable up to about 200000 kms as are festiva's and lancers then the self destruct sequence is activated. Camry wagons are good for 300000 before they become a liability. Magna v6 wagons are good for about 2500000 but thirsty on fuel (my fuel costs went down going from a v6 magna to a ford fairlane) don't even look at a 4 cyl.
Just be aware most of these cars listed have a timing belt motor and most are not free running if they break a belt, so be aware of milage and timing belt history.
R31 skylines were a fantastic car in their day but most are getting long in the tooth if you can find a good low km one you will have a good car for a few years just be aware of noisy diffs and cooling system issues. They had a lot of steel water fittings which are now no longer available.
Avoid commodores like the plauge they seem to be a problem with everything between the number plates.
Falcon wagons are cheap to buy, repair and are reasonably reliable main issues being radiators water pumps brake shudders and cylinder heads however by AU's most of the engine issues were resolved just plastic radiator problems and brake shudder issues remained. Most have up to a 300000km life span
Avoid any euro built ford or holden (astra barina focus mondeo etc) Unless you want a world of hurt and pain.
The late 80's early 90's mazda 323 wagons were also a nice car if you can find a low km well looked after one. Be sure to stay right away from all the v6 mazdas though
happy shopping

Brett Cutts
DieHard
south australia
UZZ31 V8

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 08:37 pm, by: Brett Cutts (Boof390)

Forgot to mention subaru libertys and L series wagons are also a good reliable option but if anything does wrong it can be big bucks. Main issues are cylinder heads (engine out if they spring a leak) auto transes and air struts in the libertys with adjustable height suspension. Well cared for and with a bit of luck I have seen them up to 350000kms with no issues.My other half had 1 of the old leone wagons from 50 000 kms to 390000 kms and apart from lots of cv boot and shaft issues never touched it. When it was pensioned off it still had its original clutch , radiator and most of its original exhaust. Apart from some oil seals I did in the high 200000kms the motor was never touched. However I have done heads and a trans over a 12 month period on 1 with 120000 kms on it that had been poorly maintained

Warren Moore
DieHard
Victoria
JZZ31 N/A

Posts: 757
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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 09:26 pm, by: Warren Moore (Warreng)

Mark Bryant wrote on Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 05:13 pm:
Other than the occasional load carrying, what's wrong with the Soarer, Warren?

turning the soarer into an na-t drift/track project car

Brett Cutts wrote on Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 08:32 pm:
Camry wagons are good for 300000 before they become a liability.

my mate in his excel costs about $30 to fill up and it does about 400k's. how would this compare to a late 80's early 90's camry wagon? much difference fuel wise between a camry wagon and a mid-90's camry sedan? what do you think about the camry wagon i linked?

cheers

Mark Bryant
Tinkerer
tasmania
2jz na/t and tt

Posts: 81
Reg: 08-2010

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 09:46 pm, by: Mark Bryant (2jz_nat)

tell us or post how you go with the na/t setup.what engine management are you going to use?im currently planning a management upgrade,but not sure what road to take yet.maybe a emanage or alike

Warren Moore
DieHard
Victoria
JZZ31 N/A

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Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 09:57 pm, by: Warren Moore (Warreng)

Well it's going to be a while before I get the turbo put in because im planning on a gt42 or larger and I've still got a lot of stuff to do before hand like r154, lsd and coilovers.

Mike Triggs
Goo Roo
Western NSW
3.0GT G-Pack

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Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 10:18 am, by: Mike Triggs (Mikeandimah)

Brett Cutts wrote on Saturday, October 30, 2010 - 08:32 pm:
Falcon wagons are cheap to buy, repair and are reasonably reliable main issues being radiators water pumps brake shudders and cylinder heads however by AU's most of the engine issues were resolved just plastic radiator problems and brake shudder issues remained. Most have up to a 300000km life span
Avoid any euro built ford or holden (astra barina focus mondeo etc) Unless you want a world of hurt and pain.
The late 80's early 90's mazda 323 wagons were also a nice car if you can find a low km well looked after one. Be sure to stay right away from all the v6 mazdas though
happy shopping.Forgot to mention subaru libertys and L series wagons are also a good reliable option but if anything does wrong it can be big bucks. Main issues are cylinder heads (engine out if they spring a leak) auto transes and air struts in the libertys with adjustable height suspension. Well cared for and with a bit of luck I have seen them up to 350000kms with no issues.My other half had 1 of the old leone wagons from 50 000 kms to 390000 kms and apart from lots of cv boot and shaft issues never touched it. When it was pensioned off it still had its original clutch , radiator and most of its original exhaust. Apart from some oil seals I did in the high 200000kms the motor was never touched. However I have done heads and a trans over a 12 month period on 1 with 120000 kms on it that had been poorly maintained

I concur with much of what Brett's said, having owned two Libertys (one was the ancient 1.6l though). Had no issues with the head or CV joints, but auto box was very sad at 310k and some bushes wore out. Both my older kids had Vectras and they were simply awful. My daughter's one was a piece of crap she bought off her mother, against my advice which was for a Falcon (the mother said these were "too powerful

).

Frankly, any old car can be a liability, including Camrys. My preference would be a Liberty any time, but then it's not me doing the looking (although given the cost of my current lease for a different model SUV, I sometimes wish I'd flogged the Rexton for a Liberty

) Their load-carrying ability isn't too far behind the Falcon, ahead on economy and better on dirt roads (if 4WD). The Falcon has much cheaper parts though.

Aaron Mead
Goo Roo
NT
Celsior 1UZ-FE Mines, JZZ30 1.5JZ-GTE To4z

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Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 04:53 pm, by: Aaron Mead (Aaron)

Up your budget to 5-6k. Get a sweet 98-00 camry wagon. Like David said.

If not settle for a 95 model with 200+ for 2-3k. I have a a 98 v6 camry (MZ motor,sweet) here thats been overloaded with shop stock for the last decade. Shocks rooted, two cracked alloy control arms, bushes flogged out everywhere, torque bushing so bad it knocks the mount on gearchanges. Rocker cover leak has left the steering bushes asking why. 244,800kms
But,
Starts up and idles like it was new, AC is ice cold and blows hard, and still goes like stink.

AND THE ROOFLINING IS STILL UP!! BEAT THAT FALCODORES!

Warren Moore
DieHard
Victoria
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Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 06:52 pm, by: Warren Moore (Warreng)

I don't really want to up my budget any more than 3k. I've had a look around at libertys although I haven't seen any in my price range, how much do they go for and what year/model?

Narvey Vilaythong
TryHard
SA
soarer tt and 3T-GTE corona liftback

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Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 06:59 pm, by: Narvey Vilaythong (El_pablo)

If you dont crave the r31, 84-89 Hilux or fourrunner... enough said... you can transport goods, save fuel and run over other cars when road rage kicks in lol and off road when you need to get away from the road rage scene that you just caused

Warren Moore
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Victoria
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Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 07:06 pm, by: Warren Moore (Warreng)

i might just need to settle for a sedan.. so whats the best fuel efficient and reliable sedan money can buy for 3k MAX

Narvey Vilaythong
TryHard
SA
soarer tt and 3T-GTE corona liftback

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Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 07:54 pm, by: Narvey Vilaythong (El_pablo)

88-92 toyota cressida, find one that has had its head gasket done correctly ae71 corolla or KE70 beware of rust... but its the perfect car if you want to buy a tank of fuel for $40 and last for a year or so lol, find an r32 skyline four door non turbo, they some go around for $3k, for telster TX5 is a very good choice, only problem is it had a common distributor problem, r31 skyline again lol. Forgive me with my old school cars, but these are the cars i have had in the past they i believe are great cars. The ke70 and ae 70 corolla's both had head gasket blown ate around 350000kms and cost me $180 in parts to fix by my self haha, but my R31 was the most reliable out of them all. The telster tx5 V6 is great on fuel and has beaten several v6 VT commys but beware of the distributor issue they have.

Damian Ware
Goo Roo
Victoria
UZZ32

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Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 08:11 pm, by: Damian Ware (Frozenpod)

Warren Moore wrote on Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 07:06 pm:
best fuel efficient and reliable sedan money can buy for 3k MAX

It is near impossible to find a not worn out due to age and or km reliable fuel efficient car for 3k.

I strongly suggest you adjust your budget a little as you will most likely end up with a better car that will save you money in the long run.

I would also suggest a camry wagon.

Warren Moore
DieHard
Victoria
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Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 08:40 pm, by: Warren Moore (Warreng)

Damian Ware wrote on Sunday, October 31, 2010 - 08:11 pm:
It is near impossible to find a not worn out due to age and or km reliable fuel efficient car for 3k.

well what about excels? my mate picked his up for 2k and its very very fuel efficient and im sure it would last him many years..