"Tom McParland" (tommcparland)
12/16/2013 at 10:40 • Filed to: 1st cars
1
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"Tom McParland" (tommcparland)
12/16/2013 at 10:40 • Filed to: 1st cars | 1
| 25 |
While I normally don't deal with cars below 10 grand, I will always help out family with their automotive needs. My wife's cousin needs a first car the parents have these requirements: under 6 grand, big sedan, reliable, easy to fix, relatively low miles, and local as possible. Sorry Miata is not an option. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Looks pretty clean, and my limited knowledge of GMs of this period tells me they are relatively trouble free. I've also found a few more Buicks of similar vintage and miles so it seems like they might be good options. But like I sad I don't normally handle this end of car-buying, forget about any Jalop cred are there any trouble spots with these cars?
Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 10:41 |
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BMW 5 series...
/justsayin'
Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 10:42 |
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To my knowledge, rust is an issue.
I've dealt with these at work and haven't seen any common issues all across them except they rot like crazy around here.
FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
> Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
12/16/2013 at 10:45 |
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Seconded. Check for rust. The fenders actually hold up better than the under body so looks can be deceiving. They are indeed easy to work and and the mechanical bits are pretty bullet proof.
thebigbossyboss
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 10:45 |
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Of course Panthers should be plentiful.
Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 10:46 |
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What's wrong with a Honda?
Nibbles
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 10:46 |
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Relatively trouble free
Things to watch for:
Intermediate steering shaft failure. You'll notice this during low speed turns, if you feel a clunking in the steering wheel, time to inject the fucker with white lithium grease. Grease the thing bi-annually to keep it from shattering.
Lower intake manifold gasket. If it hasn't been replaced, you might as well go ahead and do it. About six bills in a shop, about $150 in parts if you DIY. The oem part
will
fail. There's no maybes about it.
The PCM is finicky. If you jump start it using the battery terminals, you take a huge risk of frying it.
ALWAYS
use the jump terminal located on the fender brace
The ignition is failure prone. Keep keys to a minimum to reduce stress on the cylinder
Otherwise, like any W-body, they're innocuous tanks. If you can find a 3800-equipped model (like an Impala, Grand Prix or Regal) they are definitely better.
Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 10:47 |
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I would reccomend the final gen Grand Prix. Same as the car you posted, but cooler. Or a mid-2000's Taurus/Sable. Solid cars when they have lowerish miles on them.
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FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
> thebigbossyboss
12/16/2013 at 10:51 |
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taxi cab market has driven up prices for clean low mileage cars.
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Tom McParland
> thebigbossyboss
12/16/2013 at 10:52 |
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I don't want to put a novice driver in a RWD car.
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Tom McParland
> Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/16/2013 at 10:52 |
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These folks don't have the money to deal with zeGermans
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Tom McParland
> Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents
12/16/2013 at 10:52 |
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Nothing but local examples in this price range tend to be a) over priced and/or b) really high miles.
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Tom McParland
> Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
12/16/2013 at 10:53 |
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Good tip thanks
Collin
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 10:53 |
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You're probably going to get a lot of added value based entirely off the fact that it's a Buick, which is inherently uncool. Sure you could buy a 740i for somewhere around $5k, but the BMW will probably not be in the kind of condition that the Buick is.
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Tom McParland
> Nibbles
12/16/2013 at 10:53 |
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excellent tips thanks!
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 10:53 |
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As far as I'm aware, the LG8 V6 is okay - I had to check first to make sure it didn't use a Series II 3800, because you'd be driven nuts with coolant/intake manifold issues.
Probably a pain in the rear to work on, but a generally good engine.
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Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
> Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents
12/16/2013 at 10:54 |
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Low miles+Honda don't generally equal cheap.
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Tom McParland
> Collin
12/16/2013 at 10:54 |
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Again cheap, reliable, and easy to fix...so yeah this could be a good pick
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Nick, Drives a Cobalt LT
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 10:54 |
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Look at the rockers. Check the bumper support.
Radiator support.
All the common bits.
Like someone else said, the fenders last, the underside not so much.
The V6 GM engines are pretty hard to break, as well as the transmissions. Front end bits seem to be solid on most of them too.
I've done maybe one tie rod in one that bombed a deer at 30+mph
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Collin
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 10:58 |
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What kid needs his their first car to be a RWD German V8 anyways? It's just going to end up sacrificed to the gods of inexperience and poor decisions.
AMC/Renauledge
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 11:10 |
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The Century is a good, solid, comfortable, reliable, durable car with good real-world fuel economy. There are few cars that fit your buyer's needs better than a W-body Buick Century.
The only one that might be even better is its fraternal twin, the 1998-04 Buick Regal. Its 3800 V6 didn't have the intake manifold issues that the Century's 3100 V6 had. It'll have 30-45 more hp, much more torque, and get basically the same fuel economy as the Century.
The Regal's suspension isn't quite as floaty and its steering isn't quite as numb, either. So it's a bit more fun to drive.
2ndstorer
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 11:38 |
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I know nothing about this car. But if you are looking for a reliable, big sedan that is easy to fix, check out the Toyota Avalon.
Generally owned by older generations which usually translates to low miles and excellent maintenance. The drivetrain is reliable and shared with a large number of platforms meaning parts are reasonable.
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Tom McParland
> 2ndstorer
12/16/2013 at 11:44 |
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Good pick but not available locally within budget
Textured Soy Protein
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 13:07 |
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Not sure why a first car for a teenager needs to be a "big sedan" but here are a few other options in their neck of the woods. I searched up to $7k figuring if they like something that has an asking price in that range they could maybe talk the price down.
2008 Ford Fusion SE - 99k miles - $7,000
2006 Chevrolet Impala LT - 115k miles - $6,899
2003 Ford Taurus SES - 88k miles - $5,500
2005 Buick Le Sabre Limited - 127k miles - $5000
2004 Mercury Grand Marquis GS - 126k miles - $5,000
2003 Buick Regal LS - 79k miles - $5,000
2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 S - 133k miles - $5,000
2001 Ford Taurus SES - 108k miles - $4,000
1999 Cadillac De Ville - 129k miles - $2,995
2003 Chrysler Concorde LXi - 146k miles - $2,500
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Tom McParland
> Textured Soy Protein
12/16/2013 at 13:12 |
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Yeah I found similar pics, good work. I focused on this Buick because it was the closest to them.
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Textured Soy Protein
> Tom McParland
12/16/2013 at 13:28 |
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I just grabbed the ZIP from the listing you posted and searched in a 30 mile radius. Because I figure you didn't want to give out their address. ;)