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What type of DD car should I look at? Opinions!


Knucklehead97
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^^ Yup!  New cars might look flashy, but you lose money as soon as it drives off the lot.  I paid $3200 for my MJ and while yes I have put another $2000 into it, I had an offer for $5000 the other day on the street.  And I've gotten 2 years of use nearly out of it!  Same with my '86 K30.  Sure it might only get 15 mpg....but insurance is only $106/year and it's still worth exactly what I paid for it 5 years ago.  What's a 2011 Chevy 3500 Diesel worth today vs. new?  Plus insurance payments! 

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I'm with you on avoiding car payments. In the past 5 years, I have bought 4 daily drivers for a total of $5,300, sold 2 of those after a year each, got back $800. I still have my '97 ZJ and '89 MJ. No payments, no need for full coverage insurance. That's less than $1,000 per year, plus repairs, which have been minor.

^^ Yup! New cars might look flashy, but you lose money as soon as it drives off the lot. I paid $3200 for my MJ and while yes I have put another $2000 into it, I had an offer for $5000 the other day on the street. And I've gotten 2 years of use nearly out of it! Same with my '86 K30. Sure it might only get 15 mpg....but insurance is only $106/year and it's still worth exactly what I paid for it 5 years ago. What's a 2011 Chevy 3500 Diesel worth today vs. new? Plus insurance payments!

Exactly. If you have the know how to work on them it's a no brainer. Once they are running up to par, maintenance tends to be cheaper and they are much easier to work on. Even taking them to a shop it is usually cheaper because the repair is quicker without all the stupid plastic covers and small parts. Why do you think mechanics tend to drive older cars??

Hint: it's not because they like "working" at home.

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You guys got to it before I did :D I'm 100% against car payments. I'm trying to get through life without ever having one. Being only 20 as of Thursday I would end up paying just as much for insurance as I would for a car payment. With full coverage on my Jeep and comprehension on my 2000 model Contour I only pay 130/month. I'm so good mechanically that I choose vehicles that I KNOW I could easily fix almost anything on. That's why I love my brothers Civic and my sisters Sentra. Those little 1.6l engines are easy to maneuver around. Plus I don't trust the reliability of new cars. I feel they're made to break down as soon as you're out of warranty...

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I'm building a list of manual cars that I'm on the lookout for to buy if I see a good deal turn up (just as reliable gas savers). It now consists of

 

Honda Civic

Chevy Cobalt (friend has one that is SUPER sharp)

Nissan Sentra

Toyota Corolla

Maybe a Ford Escort. The 2.0 engines just haven't impressed me with my Contour though.

Cobalts are pretty legit, Buddy has one with 330hp+, He's owned 3-4 of them now :rotf:

 

The interior is super cheaply made though..

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'84-87 Honda Civic crxs are a lot of fun, and will net you some really good mpg. That plus they're really simple to work on. Even the hatchbacks are fun, although they're not nearly as light as the crx.

My project I got last spring:

eac68151e2efd5bf36c538346be4de1c.jpg

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I'll agree that Cobalts are surprisingly fun to drive. Cheap, cheap interior though. They also made a stripped down "XFE" model that was made specifically for gas mileage. Apparently it's supposed to do high 30s on the highway.

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don't forget about the Miata. They are good little cars, and easy to fix with solid mechanicals. I understand about the range in milage, they are so fun to drive that you want to push them all the time, thus ruining your milage. Conv tops are fairly easy to change if you have a bit of mechanical skill. And there isnt much in them to go wrong and theres tons of aftermarket support. 

 

I might be a little biased. Until my Dodge dealership lost its Mazda franchise early last year I was their only Mazda Master tech. Luckily I'm a CDJR Master tech too.

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Ford Focus. Mileage, reliability, easy to work on, parts are cheap and easy to find. Lots of reasons. I'm on the tall side, wife is on the short side. We both fit comfortably by adjusting the seat and tilt/telescoping wheel. I still like driving them after all these years. Every year has a pro and a con. Best bang for buck is 05 to 07 in my opinion. 05 they did away with timing belt and went with chain (no longer a maintenance item). You want one that's more fun to drive get an SVT focus (factory hot rod). I've had a couple of them, they are fun to drive and still get decent mileage. Or find one that has the 2.3 instead of the 2.0. they are "rare" but do have more get up and go. Probably hurts fuel mileage, but I really don't know. I like a lot of things about the 08 to 2011 Focus but lots of electronics compared to previous years. Also, body parts are still a lot more expensive than previous generations if you need to do any body work...

 

2012 Ford ruined the Focus though. Did away with every reason to own one.

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^This... all of it. My wife's daily driver is an '07 Focus SES four door hatchback. Her's has the DOHC four cylinder, it's got plenty of pep, and it's good on gas. Plenty of creature comforts too! It's a fun little car and it's been very good to us.

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bought a 2010 focus new.  Put 135K on it.  Nothing but tires and oil.

Sold it to my daughter.  She is driving it now.

Got 30-35mpg and was a 5sp.  Mine was a 2 dr SES.  More rare, but a bit more sporty.

 

They are not sports cars, but are decent to drive.

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I should note that you don't want the single overhead cam engine that was in earlier models. Head problems, stay away! As far as the dual overhead cam, I thought they were not interference engines. I don't know. For what it's worth, I have a customer who bought a focus new back in 2002, it was used it as a delivery vehicle for his business and everybody beat the crap out of it. He never changed the timing belt and the belt went just shy of 300,000 miles. He was tempted to have a new belt put on and keep running it since it was not using any oil and still had been running/driving great. But the body was rusty enough by this point he chose to give up on it and just buy another focus instead (a low mileage 2006 from me).

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Shoot I would love the 2.0 in my Contour if it wasn't an interference engine that will pretty much self destruct if it jumps time... I've always loved SVT Hatch's. I like hatch's in general :D

Too bad you're not a little closer. I'm looking to get rid of my '08 Mazdaspeed 3. Is hatchcar, Zoom-zoom!

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

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I should note that you don't want the single overhead cam engine that was in earlier models. Head problems, stay away! As far as the dual overhead cam, I thought they were not interference engines. I don't know. For what it's worth, I have a customer who bought a focus new back in 2002, it was used it as a delivery vehicle for his business and everybody beat the crap out of it. He never changed the timing belt and the belt went just shy of 300,000 miles. He was tempted to have a new belt put on and keep running it since it was not using any oil and still had been running/driving great. But the body was rusty enough by this point he chose to give up on it and just buy another focus instead (a low mileage 2006 from me).

thanks for letting me know about the engine. I just did some research and my old mechanic was wrong. The engine is non-interference. So I definitely will be keeping this car for a bit longer. Still getting the belt replaced when I get back from Tennessee next week but at least I don't have to worry as much about a new engine if the belt decided to pop. And gosh, too bad you aren't closer. Those are nice :D
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Shoot I would love the 2.0 in my Contour if it wasn't an interference engine that will pretty much self destruct if it jumps time... I've always loved SVT Hatch's. I like hatch's in general :D

Too bad you're not a little closer. I'm looking to get rid of my '08 Mazdaspeed 3. Is hatchcar, Zoom-zoom!

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

 Is that Mazdaspeed 3 a turbo engine?  Or was that a couple of years later?  Heard those turbo engines were really hot and easy to goose up for even more Zoom-Zoom!

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Shoot I would love the 2.0 in my Contour if it wasn't an interference engine that will pretty much self destruct if it jumps time... I've always loved SVT Hatch's. I like hatch's in general :D

Too bad you're not a little closer. I'm looking to get rid of my '08 Mazdaspeed 3. Is hatchcar, Zoom-zoom!

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

 Is that Mazdaspeed 3 a turbo engine?  Or was that a couple of years later?  Heard those turbo engines were really hot and easy to goose up for even more Zoom-Zoom!

 

 

I'm too lazy to actually do research, buy yes I believe that mazda models with speed in them were turbo, or at least the miatas were.  

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Shoot I would love the 2.0 in my Contour if it wasn't an interference engine that will pretty much self destruct if it jumps time... I've always loved SVT Hatch's. I like hatch's in general :D

Too bad you're not a little closer. I'm looking to get rid of my '08 Mazdaspeed 3. Is hatchcar, Zoom-zoom!

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

Is that Mazdaspeed 3 a turbo engine? Or was that a couple of years later? Heard those turbo engines were really hot and easy to goose up for even more Zoom-Zoom!
Oh yeah. Turbocharged 2.3 L good for about 275/275 from the factory. Easy to hit 300hp with just a tune, start throwing parts on it and you can be in the 550+ hp range real quick.

 

I've embarrassed many a new 5.0 'stang with my little hatch...

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

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I had a bike with a built Rotax motorcycle engine destroyed when it lost the timing belt while riding it, and it nearly destroyed me. I said never again will I have a bike with an interference engine. With four wheels you probably won't crash and burn if it happens, but I was curious which cars have interference engines. I was surprised at how many there are. This list was gleaned from the internet, and it should be fairly accurate:

 

Audi

• 1.8L 1.9L Interference
• 2.8L V6 90 100 Quattro A4 A6 Interference

BMW

• 2.5L 325I 525I Interference
• 4.0L 740I Interference

Acura

• All except SLX Interference
• SLX Non Interference

Chrysler

• 1.4L, 1.5L & 1.6L Interference
• 1.8L Interference
• 2.0L DOHC Interference
• 2.0L SOHC Interference
• 2.2L DOHC Interference
• 2.22L SOHC Interference
• 2.3L Diesel Interference
• 2.4L SOHC Interference
• 2.5L V6 Interference
2.7L Interference
• 3.0L SOHC 12 Valve Engine Non-Interference
• 3.0L DOHC Interference
• 3.0L SOHC 24 Valve Engine Interference
• 3.2L Interference
3.3L Interference
• 3.5L Interference
•3.8L Interference
• 4.0L Interference
•5.7 Hemi Intereference

Fiat

• 1.3L 128 Series Interference
• 1.5L Stranda Interference
• 1.6L 124 Series Interference
• 1.8L 124 Series Interference
• 1.8L 131 Series, Brava Interference
• 2.0L Brava, Spider Interference

Ford

• 1.6L SOHC Interference
• 2.0L DOHC (Probe) Interference
• 2.0L Diesel Interference
• 2.2L Interference
• 2.3L Diesel Interference
• 2.4L Diesel Interference
• 3.0L SOHC Interference
• 3.3L Interference

GM and Saturn

• 1.0L Interference
• 1.3L Interference
• 1.5L Interference
• 1.6L (Tracker 16 Valve) Interference
• 1.6L DOHC (Aveo) Interference
• 1.8L Diesel Interference
•1.9L Ecotec SOHC Intereference
•1.9L Ecotec DOHC Intereference
• 2.2L Diesel Interference
• 3.0L Interference
• 3.2L Interference
3.6L Intereference

GEO

• 1.0L Interference
• 1.3L Interference
• 1.5L Interference
• 1.6L DOHC (1989-97 Prizm Except 1989-92 GSI) Interference
• 1.6L DOHC (Storm) Interference
• 1.6L SOHC 16 Valve Engine (Tracker) Interference
• 1.8L DOHC (Prizm) Interference
• 1.8L DOHC (Storm) Interference

Honda

• All Honda engines are interference except 3.0L & 3.2 which are Non-interference

Hyundai

• All Interference

Infinity

• 3.0L & 3.3L Interference

Isuzu

• 1.5L Interference
• 1.6L DOHC Interference
• 1.8L Diesel Interference
• 1.8L DOHC Gasoline Interference
• 2.0L Interference
• 2.2L Diesel Interference
• n2.2L Gasoline Interference
• 2.3L Interference
• 2.6L Interference
• 3.2L Interference

Jeep

• 2.1L Diesel Interference
• 2.4L DOHC Interference
• 2.8L Diesel Interference

Kia

• 1.5L DOHC Interference
• 1.6L DOHC Interference
• 1.8L DOHC Interference
• 2.0L DOHC Interference
• 2.4L DOHC Interference
• 2.5L DOHC Interference
• 2.7L DOHC Interference
• 3.5L DOHC Interference

Lexus

• 3.0L Inline 6 VVT-i (1998-2006) Interference
• 4.0L Interference
• 4.3L Interference
• 4.7L Interference

Mazda

• 2.0L Diesel Interference
• 2.2L Interference
• 3.0L DOHC Interference
• 3.0L SOHC Interference

Mitsubishi

• 1.5L Interference
• 1.6L DOHC Interference
• 1.6L SOHC Interference
• 1.8L Interference
• 2.0L DOHC Interference
• 2.0L SOHC Interference
• 2.3L Diesel Interference
• 2.4L DOHC Interference
• 2.4L SOHC Interference
• 3.0L DOHC Interference
• 3.0L SOHC 24 Valve Engine Interference
• 3.5L DOHC Interference
• 3.5L SOHC Interference
• 3.8L Interference

Nissan

• All Interference

Porsche

• 2.0L 924 Turbo Interference
• 2.5L 944 Interference
• 2.7L 944 Interference
• 3.0L 944 Interference
• 4.5L 928 Interference
• 4.7L 928 Interference
• 5.0L 928 Interference
• 5.4L 928 Interference

Subaru

• DOHC Interference

Suzuki

• 1.3L DOHC Interference
• 1.3L SOHC Interference
• 1.6L 16 Valve Engine Interference
• 2.0L DOHC Interference

Toyota

• 1.5L (1A-C, 3A-C & 3E) Interference
• 1.8L Diesel Interference
• 1.8L DOHC Gasoline Interference
• 2.2L Diesel Interference
• 2.4L Diesel Interference
• 3.0L Inline 6 VVT-i (1998 2JZ-GE) Interference
• 3.3L 3MZ-FE V6 W/ V VTi  – Interference
• 4.7L Interference

Volkswagen

• 2.0L – 8 valve Non-Interference (However there have been instances of bent valves)
• 16 valve diesels Interference
• VR6 Interference

Volvo

• B200 (E, F, G, GT, FT) Interference
• B204 (E, F, GT, FT) Interference
• B230E (high-compression) Interference
• B234 (F, G) Intereference
• B5XXX five-cylinder inline engines -Interference
• 6XXX six-cylinder engines Interference
• The 16 Valve Volvo engines are all Interference
• 850 Interference
• 960 Interference
• S40 Interference
• S/V/C 70 Interference
• S60 Interference
• S80 Interference
• XC90’s Interference

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I had a bike with a built Rotax motorcycle engine destroyed when it lost the timing belt while riding it, and it nearly destroyed me. I said never again will I have a bike with an interference engine. With four wheels you probably won't crash and burn if it happens, but I was curious which cars have interference engines. I was surprised at how many there are. This list was gleaned from the internet, and it should be fairly accurate:

 

Audi

 

• 1.8L 1.9L Interference

• 2.8L V6 90 100 Quattro A4 A6 Interference

 

BMW

 

• 2.5L 325I 525I Interference

• 4.0L 740I Interference

 

Acura

 

• All except SLX Interference

• SLX Non Interference

 

Chrysler

 

• 1.4L, 1.5L & 1.6L Interference

• 1.8L Interference

• 2.0L DOHC Interference

• 2.0L SOHC Interference

• 2.2L DOHC Interference

• 2.22L SOHC Interference

• 2.3L Diesel Interference

• 2.4L SOHC Interference

• 2.5L V6 Interference

2.7L Interference

• 3.0L SOHC 12 Valve Engine Non-Interference

• 3.0L DOHC Interference

• 3.0L SOHC 24 Valve Engine Interference

• 3.2L Interference

3.3L Interference

• 3.5L Interference

•3.8L Interference

• 4.0L Interference

•5.7 Hemi Intereference

 

Fiat

 

• 1.3L 128 Series Interference

• 1.5L Stranda Interference

• 1.6L 124 Series Interference

• 1.8L 124 Series Interference

• 1.8L 131 Series, Brava Interference

• 2.0L Brava, Spider Interference

 

Ford

 

• 1.6L SOHC Interference

• 2.0L DOHC (Probe) Interference

• 2.0L Diesel Interference

• 2.2L Interference

• 2.3L Diesel Interference

• 2.4L Diesel Interference

• 3.0L SOHC Interference

• 3.3L Interference

 

GM and Saturn

 

• 1.0L Interference

• 1.3L Interference

• 1.5L Interference

• 1.6L (Tracker 16 Valve) Interference

• 1.6L DOHC (Aveo) Interference

• 1.8L Diesel Interference

•1.9L Ecotec SOHC Intereference

•1.9L Ecotec DOHC Intereference

• 2.2L Diesel Interference

• 3.0L Interference

• 3.2L Interference

3.6L Intereference

 

GEO

 

• 1.0L Interference

• 1.3L Interference

• 1.5L Interference

• 1.6L DOHC (1989-97 Prizm Except 1989-92 GSI) Interference

• 1.6L DOHC (Storm) Interference

• 1.6L SOHC 16 Valve Engine (Tracker) Interference

• 1.8L DOHC (Prizm) Interference

• 1.8L DOHC (Storm) Interference

 

Honda

 

• All Honda engines are interference except 3.0L & 3.2 which are Non-interference

 

Hyundai

 

• All Interference

 

Infinity

 

• 3.0L & 3.3L Interference

 

Isuzu

 

• 1.5L Interference

• 1.6L DOHC Interference

• 1.8L Diesel Interference

• 1.8L DOHC Gasoline Interference

• 2.0L Interference

• 2.2L Diesel Interference

• n2.2L Gasoline Interference

• 2.3L Interference

• 2.6L Interference

• 3.2L Interference

 

Jeep

 

• 2.1L Diesel Interference

• 2.4L DOHC Interference

• 2.8L Diesel Interference

 

Kia

 

• 1.5L DOHC Interference

• 1.6L DOHC Interference

• 1.8L DOHC Interference

• 2.0L DOHC Interference

• 2.4L DOHC Interference

• 2.5L DOHC Interference

• 2.7L DOHC Interference

• 3.5L DOHC Interference

 

Lexus

 

• 3.0L Inline 6 VVT-i (1998-2006) Interference

• 4.0L Interference

• 4.3L Interference

• 4.7L Interference

 

Mazda

 

• 2.0L Diesel Interference

• 2.2L Interference

• 3.0L DOHC Interference

• 3.0L SOHC Interference

 

Mitsubishi

 

• 1.5L Interference

• 1.6L DOHC Interference

• 1.6L SOHC Interference

• 1.8L Interference

• 2.0L DOHC Interference

• 2.0L SOHC Interference

• 2.3L Diesel Interference

• 2.4L DOHC Interference

• 2.4L SOHC Interference

• 3.0L DOHC Interference

• 3.0L SOHC 24 Valve Engine Interference

• 3.5L DOHC Interference

• 3.5L SOHC Interference

• 3.8L Interference

 

Nissan

 

• All Interference

 

Porsche

 

• 2.0L 924 Turbo Interference

• 2.5L 944 Interference

• 2.7L 944 Interference

• 3.0L 944 Interference

• 4.5L 928 Interference

• 4.7L 928 Interference

• 5.0L 928 Interference

• 5.4L 928 Interference

 

Subaru

 

• DOHC Interference

 

Suzuki

 

• 1.3L DOHC Interference

• 1.3L SOHC Interference

• 1.6L 16 Valve Engine Interference

• 2.0L DOHC Interference

 

Toyota

 

• 1.5L (1A-C, 3A-C & 3E) Interference

• 1.8L Diesel Interference

• 1.8L DOHC Gasoline Interference

• 2.2L Diesel Interference

• 2.4L Diesel Interference

• 3.0L Inline 6 VVT-i (1998 2JZ-GE) Interference

• 3.3L 3MZ-FE V6 W/ V VTi – Interference

• 4.7L Interference

 

Volkswagen

 

• 2.0L – 8 valve Non-Interference (However there have been instances of bent valves)

• 16 valve diesels Interference

• VR6 Interference

 

Volvo

 

• B200 (E, F, G, GT, FT) Interference

• B204 (E, F, GT, FT) Interference

• B230E (high-compression) Interference

• B234 (F, G) Intereference

• B5XXX five-cylinder inline engines -Interference

• 6XXX six-cylinder engines Interference

• The 16 Valve Volvo engines are all Interference

• 850 Interference

• 960 Interference

• S40 Interference

• S/V/C 70 Interference

• S60 Interference

• S80 Interference

• XC90’s Interference

The Nissan 1.6l in my sisters Sentra has a chain instead of a belt though. While interference, the fact that it's a chain makes it much more reliable in my opinion. Have a rubber piece that is so crucial to the engine staying alive just isn't a good idea too me...

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Knuckelhead97,

 

Keeping the Contour a bit longer is a good decision!  Run it till the wheels fall off or something like that requires a bunch of money.  Save the tax refund so you have the cash on hand when you need another daily driver.

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Knuckelhead97,

 

Keeping the Contour a bit longer is a good decision! Run it till the wheels fall off or something like that requires a bunch of money. Save the tax refund so you have the cash on hand when you need another daily driver.

that's the plan now since the engine is non-interference! Looking into getting the AC and heat fixed, putting a better subwoofer in the box I have, and cleaning up the whole car a little bit. Also got some oil leaks to take care of.
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If I could find a good CRX around here then I would jump on it. Sadly they've all been ruined by the ridiculous number of ricer groups around here... and Miatas definitely not out of the game. In the end it is VERY high on my list of cars I want to own.

Check out redpepperracing.com on Facebook, there's lots of older ones listed that aren't "riced" out.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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