Ideas for sub-$3k car for cross country adventure?

JohnRW1621 wrote:

Thanks for all the responses, almost too many to get to. John, that is a very good opportunity that had overlooked, I'll definitely be keeping this in mind and reach out if we decide to go this route.

I like the old MR2 idea, thanks guys. I think my girlfriend would like one of those. I have only driven the second gen ones and it was ages ago, and I didn't love it if I remember right.

As of now I think this is my list:

Miata - Pros: reliable, parts are easy, fun, mileage. Cons: Size, noise, starting to wonder about the viability of these.

MR2 - Pros: reliable?, fun, parts easy to find? Less noise than Miata, mileage. Cons: size, maybe hard to find in decent shape?

Mustang/Camaro - Pros: Parts, Power, more space, I can grow a mustache to compliment it. Cons: mileage, I'm not sure how much I trust the reliability, my new mustache.

Volvo 740/940 Turbo - Pros: Turbo, hauls a lot, supposedly reliable, I like the brick look. Cons: Harder to find parts

Old classic American iron - Pros: Parts, smooth cruising, tons of character. Cons: mileage, handling, reliability

Old Van - Pros: Hauls a lot, parts, especially if it's American, often have lots of character. Cons: Handling, mileage, fun

Supras seem too hard to find not all riced out, but I will keep my eyes open.

Should I consider an old Beetle at all? Damnded if I am not a little obsessed with that 1970 Econoline van I found on CL!

My girlfriend has owned a '67 Mustang, a 900 Saab, a Ford Contour, a Civic hybrid with CVT, and has always loved the looks of old Citroen 2CVs, if that gives any idea of her taste.

CyberEric wrote: Should I consider an old Beetle at all?

dear god no. I ran one on BABE, granted it was a $250 beetle so the level of suck was upped a few hundred percent. But, they are slow, fuel economy is not all that special, luggage capacity is meh, they are noisy and crude and dont really handle well.

All of that of course applies to a stock Beetle, YMMV will vary with modified. A good example is the now defunct beetleball rally. It was essentially the Cannonball run with beetles, but perfectly legal since you really cant break the speed limit in a lot of places with a bug.

In our hunt to chase down another car on the BABE rally we maxed out our stock 1600 beetle between 75 and 80 and it felt like it was going to blow at any minute doing that.

Its also not as easy to pick up parts anywhere for these like it used to be.

Something to consider with larger vehicles too to offset the fuel economy is you could pick up some jobs hauling parts during your adventures. When I drove the colony park back from OK I hauled 3 dogs and a disassembled motorcycle, covered the cost of a few fill ups.

Not that I particularly want this to follow a comment about picking up hauling jobs en route, but how come it's been almost 24 hours and nobody has commented on the hearse that DeadSkunk found? I mean, seriously: the guy is selling it because he's moving and... he can't take it with him??

With regard to reliability with old American iron, nothing sort of a blow engine, trans, rear end, or non wear item suspension component will likely put you down for more than a couple hours in any town with more than one parts store, and the bad stuff no more than a day or two.

CyberEric wrote: ... I'd really like an old Civic Si, it'd be harder to convince my girlfriend though I think since they look pretty boring. She will be driving this, and she, and I both want something with a fair amount of character/romance, and I'm not sure how she'd feel about a Civic, but I'll see. Thanks again.

I suppose charactor and romance would give an edge to the Miata. What has charactor is subjective. I have had my Civic for 16 years and over a 155,000 miles. It has been driven across the country, competed regularly in autocross for 7 years, used as a test mule for a local (now defunct) speed parts company and is my current daily driver. I have had enough adventures with it, I hadn't thought about how it looks to the rest of the world.

If you are planning to keep the car in SF, the MR2 is a good choice. Small enough to park anywhere, tin top to keep the meth heads out. What about a B13 SE-R?

My wife and I recently did a mini-version of this trip in a brand new (to us) 1995 Ford Explorer V8 AWD. There is a lot to be said for parts availability. We blew the radiator one night in a little 2-bit town and were on the road the next day. Fuel millage wasn't bad at 20 mpg and we got to do some offroading in Moab with it too!

Type Q wrote:

CyberEric wrote: ... I'd really like an old Civic Si, it'd be harder to convince my girlfriend though I think since they look pretty boring. She will be driving this, and she, and I both want something with a fair amount of character/romance, and I'm not sure how she'd feel about a Civic, but I'll see. Thanks again.

I suppose charactor and romance would give an edge to the Miata. What has charactor is subjective. I have had my Civic for 16 years and over a 155,000 miles. It has been driven across the country, competed regularly in autocross for 7 years, used as a test mule for a local (now defunct) speed parts company and is my current daily driver. I have had enough adventures with it, I hadn't thought about how it looks to the rest of the world.

Thanks everyone, the Beetle is out. And yes, US cars certainly have a head above when it comes to fixing them.

I completely agree with you on the Civic, and I'd love to drive one, especially autocrossing. We'll see what the lady says, if the right one pops up, I'll definitely push for it.

I forgot to include the Golf/Rabbit in those that I am considering. A B13 SE-R is interesting, but hard to find and not exactly romantic. Still, if I see one I'll take a look.

How bad of an idea is a '82 Volvo 240 Turbo Wagon?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/3705744505.html

Also, I'm thinking I shouldn't be so anti Subi, any ideas on good models in the sub 3k range?

I just finished up a 3500 mile road trip in this:

A 1990 civic that I purchased for $300, and put about 1000 into(not all necessary purchases, unless you consider star specs and koni yellows necessary :) ). It's not the most luxurious, powerful, or comfortable, but the thing was a reliable companion for the whole journey. 32-42 MPG average the whole way, too.

A volvo like that could be sold for double on the east coast and then fly home.

I have a friend that is 6'5" and 400 lbs and daily drives a miata. he removed the seat mounts and fixed the top of the seat to the back wall, and the bottom to the floor. he fits great but doing that may well keep your GF from fitting anymore. If you choose a saab I can tell you Taliaferro saab in springfield MO can fix ANY problem you may have with the thing. Ive seen their CNC machine in action. However, I would suggest an E28 5 series. Not the M5 (too expensive) or the 528 (too generic) in your price range the e28 is both a great handling car and large enough to accomodate any cargo, plus they come with their own tool kit, and parts are cheap and plentiful even in the midwest and talk about romantic, I can smell the horsehair in the seats just typing about it.

Mid-80's G-body like a Cutlass or Regal could be nice. V6 should be avoided simply because it's slow and boring and I don't think the mileage is any better than the 307. Millions made, parts out there, etc.

I have a friend that is 6'5" and 400 lbs and daily drives a miata. he removed the seat mounts and fixed the top of the seat to the back wall, and the bottom to the floor.

Color me incredulous. Most 400lb people ive met would be uncomfortable trying to stand up from a miata seating position, let alone even lower. Dont get me wrong, im impressed, but of the people that are 6'5, the people that are 400 lbs, and the people that are both, this guy is literally one in a million to be willing to do that.