Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Need a new daily driver. All my cars died. :(

I have a strange feeling that posting here will gather me a few posts advising me to buy a Contour - I'm prepared for that. Maybe you guys can point me in a direction I haven't thought of yet.

Fixing my Mystique never happened. So we bought an '88 Bronco. And we bought a '96 Taurus Wagon. The wagon died, leaving me stranded in Texas for Thanksgiving. I can't drive the Bronco - That's what boyfriends were invented for.. I feel like I'm steering a milk carton full of angry bees when I've driven it. My '97 Cavalier, which my dad inherited for a third time when we got the wagon, is all but on fire. Hence, I need a car.

I've got a special place in my heart for Toyotas, 'cause our Camry was unkillable. I like the sexiness of Intrepids, the comfort of Tauruses, and the reliability of Camrys. I'd consider a Contour, if you guys hadn't bought them all - Seriously, I haven't seen one since I've looked.

I don't know what kind of car we want - But I'll know when I see it.. What else should I look at? Any recommendations?

If ya like Toyotas, pick up another... I hear they go 200-300K miles consistently...

I hear Hondas aren't quite as reliable, but are still up there.

As for Intrepids, I thought they were nice too, until I researched on an Eagle Vision TSi I was lookin at buying... supposedly their trannys and electrical systems are junk, but the 3.5L seemed to be ok.

Tauruses, well, it's a Ford, it'll be cheaper than a Toyota/Honda, but you may/may not get a good reliable one.

I think 4.0L Jeeps are ok (like Cherokees and stuff... but girls usually think they're ugly, so yeah)

Personally I would go with a nice newer Toyota, and damn are they quiet... rode in a 98ish Solara a few weeks ago... felt/rode real nice, and had plenty of power.

EDIT: oh yeah, I know what you're talkin about on Contours... I didn't find any decent ones until I saw this SVT and just jumped on it... later another dealer had an 98 E1 with just over 100K mi and was asking $5500... so they do come, just not very often

With all the recent posts about "vintage" BMWs, I've been looking a lot at listings for 5-series from the early '90s, and I'm completely surprised at how reasonably priced they are. I'd definitely suggest looking in that direction, especially if you can drive a manual transmission.

It might not be that fun to drive but a Chevy/Geo prizm are a great bang for the buck, GM depreciation, Toyota reliability, its the same car as a Toyota Corolla

How much $$$ do you have, any particular parameters (auto only, fwd, sedan etc)?

I'm six feet tall in shoes - I wouldn't fit in a Prizm unless it had a sunroof. I didn't fit in my friend's when I was 15, and I'm guessing I've grown since then. Life's so easy for short people.

As far as years go.. I'm looking for something newer than 94 or 95, when most cars changed their body style.

I'd love to take a RWD car, 'cause there are so many gorgeous ones.. But FWD is so much more reasonable.

Oh, yeah.. And stick = no.

My main criteria for a car is that it's a "sexy grandma car." By sexy, I mean it has to have a sunroof and go "vrooom"... So just about anything can meet that parameter.. And by grandma car, I mean something spacious, reliable, and cheap to insure.

EDIT: Solaras are the epitome of hotness. The only one I found in my price range had 212k on it.. My Camry was still rollin' at 206k, while my Taurus died at 98k.. So I shouldn't put so much emphasis on mileage.. But 212k is a *lot* regardless.

Thanks for your advice so far, guys.. Keep it coming!
..Though I may just buy a Contique of some sort so I can hang out here and use this guy:

EDIT^2: Price range is under $2k. The car lot I prefer had a '98 Audi for $3k, so I'm thinking it's possible.

check out 92ish vw jetta's can find a low 100k one for about 2k. They are a little sow but fun.

I would recommend something that will work, and stay working, this time around.

But that's just me.