I don't know why people are recommending buying older sportscars or Euro cars, the OP said he wanted something reliable, at the rate this thread is going I may as well recommend an old Subaru.
$4,000 gives a lot of options, for reliability I would recommend Jap.Toyotas are very reliable but because of this they usually cost a bit more.Alternatively a Honda Accord or Civic is a good idea depending on your size needs, a '98-'02 Mazda 626 is a nice reliable car.
morrisman1,
May 6, 3:06pm
so whats wrong with a late 90s common hatch with the sports engine / suspension package! Not all euros are unreliable, there are some goodies in there but all seem to be tarred with the same brush by people here.
Toyotas, reliable! way to generalise! There are some shockers wearing the toyota badge (and Im not referring to that american heap of crud)
thejazzpianoma,
May 6, 3:23pm
Actually. why not just go the whole hog and get the 6th most reliable car in the world. (As calculated by the reliability index). They are in your price range. http://tinyurl.com/3mbq42m
jasongroves,
May 6, 3:30pm
What do you need one for! They are pretty cheap and easy to find. I do have plenty of parts also;)
debulebule,
May 6, 4:30pm
Been looking at a whole bunch of cars with 4age engines, more from a cheap insurance point of view haha. The sr-16VE's also caught my eye. Looks like jap might be the way to go, I'm absolutely dying to not go euro. Bad experiences only so far.
meow_mix,
May 6, 4:41pm
Ahahahahaa, but seriously an old Alfa is not going to be as reliable as a Mitsubishi Diamante.
a18a,
May 6, 4:49pm
for a old sentra I think it is (it's for a mate). actually just need a gearbox, but was just gonna replace the whole lot as the motor is pretty tired. he'll give me a complete car just for a motor for the sentra lol
stevo2,
May 6, 5:15pm
Haha Jazz, you're cracking me up. Where did your sense of humour come from all of a sudden! Cheers Stevo
johnf_456,
May 6, 5:26pm
You must be bored today jazz
kcf,
May 6, 6:15pm
you might want to read the original post .it says ignore me. What would *you* buy
grangies,
May 6, 6:30pm
Or obsessed.
sw20,
May 6, 6:33pm
I just snorted coffee all over the screen
jasongroves,
May 6, 6:35pm
Have a 5 speed box too;)
mgmad,
May 6, 6:48pm
I'd buy an MGF, can just get them under $4k if you look hard enough. Or possibly another MG Metro, great fun and well under budget = money for more power ;)
scoobeey,
May 6, 6:58pm
thejazzpianoma wrote:
Let me guess, you are one of those people who gets taken out to a great Italian restaurant and tries to order fish and chips.
i'd buy my.ooops,i mean "an" RVR. And by the way this is your lucky day,i just happen to have one for sale and well within your budget, phone me. cheers
fordcrzy,
May 6, 7:29pm
mazda mx5.
perfectly useable everyday and isnt as boring as a toaster like a pulsar or punto
lyndapotty,
May 6, 8:13pm
A GTO twin turbo!!!!!!. i thought he said reliable. very nice cars tho!
stevo2,
May 7, 4:04am
What he said. Cheers Stevo
johnf_456,
May 7, 5:54am
As you would expect from scotty, if you don't know hes a holden man everyone else.
ct9a,
May 7, 6:18am
get a rock carve it out,holes down low for feet and add 4 wooden wheels and add a holden badge.
ct9a,
May 7, 6:44am
ahhh i like your style
thejazzpianoma,
May 7, 8:41am
What you say sounds really plausible to the casual passer by but in reality, we are not talking about "an old Alfa" we are talking very specifically about a twin spark model with manual transmission.
There are some compromises as I eluded to previously which are the quite frequent timing belt changes and the need to fit a variator rebuild kit (an extra $100) at the time of the change. You are also not going to have something as stupidly cheap to run/own as the Punto. but then none of the more sporty sedans in the price bracket are going to achieve that either.
You need to step back and consider things, the Twin Spark engines are super bullet proof, designed to be thrashed and are usually still running strong even at 400'000km so long as maintenance has been followed. The manual transmissions are also very reliable as are most manual transmissions.
The car is galvanised so there is no corrosion issues, so really all the expensive fundamental stuff is as good or better than anything else.
Being an older car you will have minor issues now and then but these are generally basic and cheap fixes. Typical issues are the immobilisers needing a little attention, the bush housing on the gear stick needing replacement, the window rubbers needing replacing (they have a non-galvanised steel reinforcement that can corrode). If left outside the paint can fade badly if not looked after, as is the case with early galvanised cars. But really all those things are pretty cheap easy fix's and not going to leave you on the side of the road. Parts are very cheap as well.
The other thing that is a huge plus with these is there are a lot of enthusiast owned ones around that have been lovingly maintained from new.
Not a car for your Nana to own but for someone with just a little bit of mechanical understanding who is prepared to google the odd minor issue for a quick fix at home they are ideal.
Just remember, like all old cars half the reliability comes from picking a good one.
Oh and comparable reliability wise, I havn't had enough time with a Diamante to comment but I have had a much better run with them reliability wise than early 90's Lancers. I would say though while not as good as a Kiwi new Corolla for reliability it would hold its own well with any similarly sporty Japanese sedan of the era. Routine maintenance will be higher (cambelt changes) but fuel economy will usually be better (for the performance) so pretty good overall.
meow_mix,
May 7, 1:33pm
Fair enough jazz, I was trying to wind you up a bit by mentioning a Japanese car, I knew you'd respond like this, a Diamante isn't the most reliable car anyway.You have some good points so if that's what you'd buy with $4,000 then good on you.
johnf_456,
Jan 21, 5:53pm
Was a good one, you got him good
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