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ok - im dead in the water

H

Horse

CEG'er
Joined
Jun 12, 2001
Messages
196
Location
Cobra Heaven
I need suggestions.

I have decided to hold back on a nicer vehicle for the time being.

I have under 14K to spend - including any mods that I would like to most likely do (wheels tires etc).

Here is the hard part:
I need more capacity than a traditional sedan.
Therefor I need a wagon or SUV or truck.
I also love nice handeling cars.
I would like to get decent MPG - that means close to 30 freeway is a requirement. 20 in city driving as well . . .



So - is there anything that you all can think of?
I can think of only one right now: Vue Redline.
Pro's: Sport suspension, Honda Motor, AWD, 22city 30 freeway.
Cons: SATURN!


PLEASE help me. Also needs to be a fairly newer car, so no real project cars or I would already have purchased a Volvo.
 
pic from Tire rack with 20" Moda wheels.

I think it could look good . . .

untitled.JPG
 
What do you got against a suby? You should be able to find an Outback or legacy GT wagon for that sort of dough.
 
they usually cost too much.

thats all - I love subies - but I cant afford "nicer" ones.

Plus anything with the 2.5L non turbo in it has big head gasket problems, and those are engine out repairs that cost a small fortune. No thanks.
 
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how about my Maxima???? if you can hang on a bit...I need it for a trip to UT. It has more room than my WRX wagon did. and just about as fast.
 
need something with a bigger trunk opening than a sedan. We went to Target a few days ago to get some patio charis, the dang things were in boxes in pieces, and we had to open the box and put the pieces into the trunk of our malibu because the box wouldnt fit.
 
Hmmm, the Saturn seems like your best bet considering what you want. Good handling, sperformance, MPG and space is a PITA to get in one package.
 
Horse said:
So - is there anything that you all can think of?
I can think of only one right now: Vue Redline.
Pro's: Sport suspension, Honda Motor, AWD, 22city 30 freeway.
Cons: SATURN!
PLEASE help me. Also needs to be a fairly newer car, so no real project cars or I would already have purchased a Volvo.
Click to expand...

Vue Redlines are more then 14k here in CO, if you can even find one. I thought they were cool looking too, but finding one here is a pain. Just FYI for future mods, there is a supercharger kit for the Honda V6 that would drop right into a Vue. That was going to be my plan. Good luck on the hunt.

I got my 98 A8 for 9k. I bet you could find an 01 or 02' A8 for 14k. Man I miss that car, so much room. We got 20mpg with a 4.2 300hp V8 and 25mpg on the highway. Repairs suck though. A volvo V70 R wagon would be a nice ride too with lots of room. Just my .2 Cents. -B.
 
I imagine its not your first choice, as I know you're looking for something a bit more performance oriented. However, if you're looking for a car that you don't plan to own for a long time, and will not be overly passionate about (seems the car's primary purpose is to be utilitarian), I'd really consider the following:

2129780612.223338867.IM1.03.565x421_A.562x421.jpg


With the Duratec V6, they're not slow (don't take it to the drag strip, either, of course), and you'd have both great gas mileage, strong reliability, and terrific cargo room. There's also another wonderful upside to this avenue: savings. The car above is on Autotrader for $7995 with 57K miles, and you could negotiate that price down a bit with ease. Admittedly, this particular dealer is nowhere near you, but there are many such examples nationally. I'd pocket the difference in your case, and when your life really allows for a high performance machine of your choosing, you'll be very prepared to make the purchase.
 
laura - at first I just laughed.


but its not a bad suggestion. I dont think I will get one (wifes family ownes a chev dealership so FoMoCo is nogo) but I love the idea of saving this money for other purchases.
 
You're on the Contour forum, but buying from the house of FoMoCo is not an option? That's quite the dichotomy. One I don't think I'd like to be mired in. But then, the blue oval is my favorite marque. I say you sneak out one night and bring back a Ford. Trust me, you can handle the dirty looks from the inlaws. Besides, its easy to grin when you do the right thing. :cool:

All right -- I'm reaching on this one, but since I'm confined to fuel efficient, cargo hauling Chevys now, that rules out the Malibu Maxx (too expensive) and the Uplander (same reason). There's always the Trail Blazer, but I've never been wowed with their level of evident quality. Decent looking rig, though -- but a bit of a gas pig. The Lumina APV might be a bit old for what you're looking for, so our next contestant is:

1974221069.221742638.IM1.02.565x421_A.562x421.jpg


The Venture! 3400 V-6 making 185 horse and 210 lb-ft. But best of all, this one (again pulled off Autotrader for illustrative purposes), is an '04 with 46,366 miles, and they're asking $9995.

I know its practical -- maybe it screams practical. But when you go shopping for the next car -- the car that really means something, you'll have the buying power you want. Its not enjoyable to have to pass up the ideal car because you're short on coin.

Your financial advisor will be thrilled. If you don't have one, kudos to you for not catering to the man. Regardless, fiscal responsibility can be a good thing, occasionally.
 
Barred? I'm busting my as* here. :)

Need I remind you that you were the one who fenced me into the Chevy lineup after my brilliant Taurus suggestion?

Question -- Is this just something to get you through a period where you have a) kids, b) certain job requirements or c) a wife that's moving out, where you need utilitarian transportation with hauling capacity? I'm kind of gravitating toward the suffer through the short term here until the next thing, but that may not be relevant to your particular situation.

For a vehicle with decent gas mileage, durability, hauling capacity, and no risk of taking flak from your friends, consider the following (you'll have to refer to that part about sneaking out to buy that I mentioned earlier):

2263994696.224638728.IM1.MAIN.565x421_A.562x421.jpg


An F-150 with the 300ci straight 6. These motors run forever. You can ask anybody. This example has 73K miles -- they're asking $5995. It's even a stick. True Value Hardware / adventure / wholesale plumbing supply store, here comes you!

Here's an interior shot from a Bauer, just for grins:

2027805443.222361803.IM1.04.565x421_A.562x421.jpg


If the neigbors start up with those "lily-livered, Venture considering wimp" remarks, you need but simply point at your gender-appropriate vehicle to dispel all arguments.
 
I've got it, I've got it -- a Chevy with cargo capacity that's not a minvan:

9764-1984-Chevrolet-El-Camino.jpg
 
KingpinSVT said:
Laura's got me rolling here!:crazy:

I'm going to give this some thought and get back to you.
Click to expand...

I see you're from Ocala. How often do you get in your car to go down to Publix and get stuck behind one of these?

HorseJack2FeetinTrailer.jpg


Ok -- I'll now I'll try to come up with a reasonable suggestion to help out our friend who originally posted this thread.
 
Ok -- here we go:

2043151875.222410191.IM1.03.565x421_A.562x421.jpg


a '98 Blazer. I know -- boooring. But who wants to drive a Mustang Cobra, Taurus SHO, or Contour SVT, etc. to Target and jam pack it full of crap from Communist countries? THIS is a Communist crap hauler right here -- plain and simple. Good V6 in there, too. You can snag one with 70K for 6 or 7 grand.
 
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