Taking a new position at my company and need a car. I’ll be doing sales calls and all that crap so it can’t be my super POS svx, lowered civic or the motorbike. I need something normal to drive that won’t stick out like a sore thumb to a housewife. It’s got to be able to haul a few 5’s of paint around occasionally as well, so a big trunk (hehe) is important. I’m looking to keep this under 3k, as I’m not even sure if I’m going to like the job. A mid-90s 525i touring wagon caught my eye, how reliable are these pigs? My other options that I saw on craigslist and were in my price range were a later 90s grand prix, early 00’s chevy venture, maybe a blazer or ??? What cars have you had that you’ve had good luck with and would fit the bill.
Cliffs:
Under 3k
Fairly reliable
Not super rotted
Big trunk/cargo area
Also notable that I’m not interested in some base model econo-box, since I do have to spend a considerable amount of time in it. I’d gladly sacrifice a newer car for an older car that has some features, like power windows for example.
Blazers suck pretty bad,they remind me of VW’s with some of the issues they have,not to mention 13MPG. If you do find something GM that you like,just stick with the 3.8 motor.
Ford Taurus,they can be found on the cheap and they come in the wagon flavor.
Get a late 90’s Camry or something. My friend just picked up an '02 Camry with 78k miles for $3k. Thing is clean but it’s had paint/body work done previously you can tell.
Work pays for mileage, but I’d like to not totally rape them. The guy who’s posish I’ll be taking drives a early 00 subaru wagon. I haven’t had a ton of luck with subarus really, it seems like they all leak oil like crazy. An accord wagon would be nice but I haven’t seen too many on craiglist worth checking out. A sedan wouldn’t be bad if the rear seats folded down so I could throw some 5 pails in it. They don’t sit well in a back seat though, gotta be a harder surface.
2 months might be too far away^^ but it does seem like it’s right up my alley…
What about a mini truck? A ford ranger with a tonneau or something? If you’re peddling paint that’s a contractor trade so it would send the right image too.
Coming from a guy who’s had two of them, get a GM car like the Grand Prix with a 3.8. GM made like 25 million of them over a few decades and they’re as reliable as the sunrise. I had one with 130k on it and it ran great, I sold it and the guy who has it still drives it.
My job is not far off from yours, I bought a 2wd S10, and it fits the bill well. Parts and repairs are cheap and easy if need be, so there is not a lot of down time, and it’s pretty basic transportation. It’s comfortable, and it’s a non issue what I drive to the customers, unlike when I was driving the 335 every day. Keep in mind even a mid 90’s E36 is “a BMW” to some people, and they don’t think it cost 3 grand. I get about 20mpg with the V6, so if you picked up a 4cyl instead you would do much better.
I’ve had 2 of the Chevy V6 variety so that’s all I can comment on, I know the 4cyl ones barely get out of their own way, but are better on gas. Mine has plenty of power, not horrible on gas, and pretty comfy. I like the chevy better, but that’s just me. I see a ton of high mileage s10’s and Rangers still out there so you know they last. I’m not the biggest fan of the Dakota, but I haven’t looked at them much either.
My buddy had a late 90’s s-dime. He picked it up for a song and it had a ton of miles on it. The motor ran great but he had issues with the clutch. Unbelievably, he drove it from Buffalo to South Carolina and back and it was fine. Then he kept it for awhile after. It seemed pretty solid. It was a 4 cylinder, I dunno the displacement though.