Looking at a low km 97 Avenir wagon to use as an everyday car, it has the Sr20DE and auto (not bloody CVT) but is 4WD. Does this make a difference in the real world to economy compared to the 2 wheel drive versions! Know about the SR engines and their issues with starters/lubrication etc, but really only concerned about the 4WD bit economy wise. Can the 4WD be disabled by pulling a fuse etc as in some other jap cars! Thanks very much.
mugenb20b,
Nov 18, 2:08pm
To my knowledge, you can't electrically disable 4wd, but fuel economy will be slightly worse than 2wd. Biggest problem will be access to the starter motor if it dies. If you don't need a 4wd, then I wouldn't recommend getting one, as there are more things that can go wrong.
vtecintegra,
Nov 18, 4:12pm
I had a '99 W11 turbo and was seeing about 12.5l/100km mostly urban (which isn't as bad as it sounds given where I live). The n/a W10 should be a bit better as its slightly lighter.
The 4wd system is all mechanical and full time you can't disable it electronically (and even if you could it wouldn't solve the economy problem as you're still carrying the extra weight)
Otherwise the car was extremely hard on tyres, and given its 4wd you want to keep them all as close as possible so factor regular rotation and replacement into the price.
thejazzpianoma,
Nov 18, 5:22pm
Much better cars around for the money. They are worse on fuel than a Falcon/Commodore so definitely not a car for the economy minded.
If you HAVE to have a Japanese car something like a Honda Accord may suit you better. Otherwise I could likely suggest a Euro bargain thats still reliable for your budget.
vtecintegra,
Nov 18, 7:25pm
Only if you do 100% highway mileage.
tigra,
Nov 18, 7:44pm
I have a '93 for 4 years as my gopher car.Auto not 4wd Starter motor has definitely been an issue but apart from that just normal replacement stuff - brakes, exhaust and and its broken the engine mount twice. second one was a secondhand unit. Not very ecomomical. about 8-8.5L per 100km
ambo11,
Nov 18, 9:46pm
Bugger, thanks for the replies, like these as they don't have a bloody cambelt.just sold a Caldina, that was extremely economical. What about Honda Orthias then! Not 4wd.cheers
thejazzpianoma,
Nov 18, 9:49pm
I disagree, the 4WD auto version this poster is looking at is worse around town too in my experience. I was flabbergasted at how much these things can drink for what they are.
thejazzpianoma,
Nov 18, 9:53pm
Why are you so obsessed with getting something without a cambelt!
I would actually prefer a cambelt driven vehicle in that age group. Chain driven vehicles tend to have waterpumps etc neglected, old chain driven engines tend to be more thirsty (especially as they get older and the chains stretch). Plus chain stretch at that age could easily be bad enough to land you with a very expensive repair job. much worse than a cambelt replacement would cost.
There is no escaping maintenance. Chain driven cars are just over-hyped in NZ as used import based car dealers love them because they don't have to service them before they are sold. This gets "on sold" to the customer as a "feature" when it isn't necessarily an advantage at all.
My advice is just factor a cambelt change into the purchase price. Most cars won't need doing again for5 years and chances are you will have sold it by then anyway.
ambo11,
Nov 18, 11:46pm
I'm actually not "obsessed" with getting a chain driven motor at all. Just the chain driven cars I've had (Nissans) have proven to be 100% reliable in the time I've owned them. As for maintenance I'm very regular with it, probably why the chain driven motors I've had have been trouble free. Was just interested inan Avenir I've seen due to extremely low kms, but since I would never actually need the 4WD part I was interested in the fuel usage.no point in paying extra for something I would never use, i.e gas in this instance. Just keen on a wagon, so narrowing it down to the Avenir, an Orthia or Mazda 626. Also interested in Impreza wagons, the standard, non turbo one. But have had a bad experience with the 2.5 Outback with head gaskets so wondering if the Impreza would suffer the same problem.
kcc55a,
Nov 19, 2:23pm
Chain stretch!Bet thats pretty rare. Maybe in engines that have done 300k or more, but not a regular issue.
stevexc,
Mar 18, 11:10am
My wife and I went out looking at Avenirs and Wingroads, but ended up buying a 1999 Orthia S.The Honda was much nicer, especially compared to the wingroads (oh man were they shit).Also drove some Caldinas which were good but seemed overpriced.
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