New old car for me.
Studemania
ideal for me now was a 1976 Honda Civic.
I'm looking for a small, reliable hatchback and wonder what car made
five or so years ago would fill the bill.
The newer Civic hatchbacks around here got fitted with fart pipes and
are not what I'm after.
Any engine / tranny combo will do.
Reliaility rates high as I live in a condo and noise / odor of repairs
are a no-no.
I've done a lot with my 1964 car, but it's all been quite repairs -
brakes, water pump, alternator and other electrical stuff, no
hammering.
N8N
When it comes to cars like you describe, IMHO, you want older models
for maximum utility and economy, not ones made within the past five
years. I'm partial to the VW Golf/Jetta/Rabbit/Scirocco (A1 and A2
chassis) but a late 80's Civic or Corolla would likely serve as well.
The newer models suffer from bloat and upscaling...
nate
ChrisCoaster
Me too!
These two sum up why my next car may be older than my present car:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2008-05-15-acura-tsx-2009_N.htm
(It's stated all over: 3rd & 5th paragraphs, and under VALUE section)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2008-03-20-toyota-corolla_N.htm
(scroll down to DECENT DYNAMICS)
What's going on here?!
-CC
Studemania
> On Tue, 20 May 2008 00:40:42 -0700 (PDT), Studemania
>
> <midl...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> >One used car that passed through my hands years ago which would be
> >ideal for me now was a 1976 Honda Civic.
> >I'm looking for a small, reliable hatchback and wonder what car made
> >five or so years ago would fill the bill.
>
> >The newer Civic hatchbacks around here got fitted with fart pipes and
> >are not what I'm after.
>
> either.
> --
> "Dave's not here, man!"
> - Tommy Chong
I hope to be able to say the same in not too long a time.
Ad absurdum per aspera
Ad absurdum per aspera
> I'm looking for a small, reliable hatchback and wonder what car made
> five or so years ago would fill the bill.
That last is the tough part -- the once ubiquitous hatchback limits
your choices in make and model in that era, though this body style,
which I think really helps make the most of a small car, seems to be
making a comeback Civic, Rabbit, Matrix, Scion XD, and the smaller
(Impreza based) Subaru Outback come to mind. See for instance
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21532225/
Two interesting time horizons are early-mid 90s (exact timing depends
on make and model) for R-134A air conditioning and late 90s for dual
air bags and antilock brakes. (R-134A is a lot cheaper and easier
to keep alive nowadays, though you shouldn't rule out a low-mileage
older car that's been kept as a pet and has cold R-12 A/C -- just be
prepared for hard decisions when someday a repair estimate comes in
just for the A/C that exceeds the entire worth of the car. Actually,
you can generalize that; much of the art of beater surfing consists of
knowing when to jump off the board.)
As for the size/feature bloat that others have mentioned, don't get
fixated on a model name. Toyotas, for example, like many others,
expand as they go up and then something smaller comes up underneath
them, like bubbles in a pot of boiling water. About the time the
Corolla turned into what the Camry had been, along came the much
maligned Echo (heir to the Tercel's place in the world) and then the
Yaris (not to mention the whole Scion line... and isn't one of the
little Pontiacs from a few years ago essentially a Scion?)
Just to think of some ideas if what you want is something as small as
that original Civic -- but don't rule out slightly larger cars, which
thanks to technology improvements can give you almost the mileage of
the very smallest ones with more room and not such a hairshirt driving
experience.
The various Korea-ollas are surprisingly nice as commute modules go.
I haven't driven their smaller or larger offerings, just the four-door
jobbies that show up in the "compact" or (optimistically) "midsize"
sweet spot in rental-car price menus.
A lot of these cars, as you know, have timing belts rather than
chains, and a few other things like the water pump that you might get
as long as you're in there, so make sure somebody isn't ditching one
before an expensive maintenance interval comes due.
Finally, be prepared to lurk and pounce. You might have to lurk for a
while, especially if you want a nice older unit rather than a beater
(an especially important consideration given your logistical
constraints). People with a reliable 30+ mpg car may well be less
willing to turn loose of it these days... and thus you must look all
the more diligently for The Catch.
Best of luck,
--Joe
Ad absurdum per aspera
I'd read that there was a controversy over what's a hatchback. Yep,
several of the cars now on the market made me think, "Hatchback, my
trunk latch. That's a station wagon with a high-hinged tailgate that
goes up." Worth thinking about if you want a hatchback because of
certain sizes and shapes of cargo rather than just general
preferenence.
I think the Toyota Matrix repackaged by Pontiac is called the "Vibe"
and is what I'd call a station wagon (but which their makers --
plainly in pursuit of a youth market, judging from the model names --
wouldn't dream of calling a station wagon). They've been around since
2003 and thus might fit your criteria.
--Joe
Studemania
wrote:
J spent a long time looking at the Pontuac, trying to figure out how a
ferw hours with fiberglass could make it non-ugly.
I never came uo with a solution.
Hatchacks are sturdier than a WW, as there is that lower [panel
stiffening the hole much better than if it came down to the floor.
I have have had wagons - 1963 Wagonaire with sliding roof was the
best.
My garage is loaded with many strorage cabinets, so the size is
important. SWMBO has a new car which we use for trips, so mine will be
just a run-about / work / emergency car.
Nate Nagel
I just got two good ideas... WRX wagon? Mazda 5? Am currently trying
to come up with a good idea for someone locally as well, she's a
gardening aficionado, wants a small car, and a stickshift snob. I'm
thinking you and she may have some overlap in the car requirements
department?
nate
--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel
Studemania
>
> - Show quoted text -
I found a 1999 Consumer Guide in my garage when looking for the TWs
(which I sent today) and am thinking of the "New" Bug or maybe a Golf.
Marilyn will be glad to hear that the gardening gal is local to you,
not me <g>
Nate Nagel
I've driven both and far prefer the Golf/GTI to the New Beetle. They're
essentially the same car but the NB does nothing for me styling-wise and
the interior is much more attractive in the Golf/GTI and there's more
usable cargo space as well.
If you're looking at A4 chassis cars, I'd be tempted to look for either
a GTI 1.8T or a Golf TDI. I had a 1.8T that I bought new - only new car
I ever bought - and loved it. Silver with black leather, 16" (*not*
17") wheels, sunroof. Did *not* specify the MFA (the digital
multi-function display in the dash with oil temp, outside temp, etc.)
because I didn't realize it was an option. That was my only regret on
the car, and the only modifications that I felt compelled to do to it
were to add a Euro headlight switch (so I had a real parking light
position, as otherwise you couldn't shut of the headlights or DRLs, and
at the time I often had to visit secure government facilities where the
guards like you to shut off your lights when you approach the guard
shack) a pair of Hella fog lights (the ones in the headlight clusters
were useless) and to replace the awful stock tires with some Michelin
Pilots. As this was to be my drive-everywhere car I stayed away from
the 17" wheels and sport suspension, but your priorities may be different.
I thought briefly about a TDI for economy but made the mistake of test
driving the 1.8T... My mom still owns the GTI by the way. It's sad; my
parents have cooler cars than I do. (current list is an early Miata,
the aforementioned GTI, a '73 Chevy pickup that my grandfather bought
new and my dad and I restored back when I was in high school, and an
International Scout II that used to be a winter beater but now is too
rusty to use as anything other than a tractor.)
Studemania
Click & Clack laud the NB for the room inside for big blokes like me.
Obviously, I will do a long interior test before making a selection.
Nate Nagel
The NB does have more front seat headroom, but ALL Golf-based cars have
been generous in that regard IMHO save for maybe the Scirocco and Corrado.