So I just got off the phone with my mechanic, and he says that my car will need $1000 IN PARTS to pass safety. I was looking at J-cars (more specifically, this) and I was wondering what commonly goes wrong with them? I know they're not very good cars, but I just want something that can be easily wrenched on, is dirt cheap, and doesn't require heaps of work. What should I look for (and yes, I'll probably be selling my Cutlass on the four forums that I frequent).
Post parts list. Fire mechanic. Buy tools. Go to junk yards.
There isn't much out there more DIY friendly than a G-body. Certainly not an $800 Crapalier.
In reply to Junkyard_Dog:
Left upper ball joint
all body mounts
valve cover gaskets
oil pan gasket
Trans pan
trans pan gasket
brakes all round
e-brake cable
e-brake mechanism
all 4 shocks
rear bumper
new frame rail welded in
body rust fixed
plus a couple of assorted bulbs
My wife had a cavalier, I wished it would die but it wouldnt. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone that likes driving, but they were reliable.
In reply to nepa03focus:
I just want something that I don't have to worry about in a parking lot.
I see a very similar outcome if you purchase a different car. At your end of the market there's not a lot of perfect cars that need no work.
Go to rockauto.com and price that list I'd be amazed if it tops $500. Shop Amazon too-S-10 front shocks (same as yours) were like $15 shipped last I checked. I'd also be amazed if it NEEDS ALL body mounts, a rear bumper ( the chrome part is just a thin cover, the bumper is underneath), and all those leaks fixed.
I don't know what your safety inspection is like up there but if all you want to do is pass then spend a day with some degreaser and maybe a power washer and you'll have a clean car that you can pinpoint the leaks on AFTER you're registered.
You won't have to worry about it in a parking lot. I had a 99 that was as reliable as gravity until the floor disappeared. I drove it 160 miles a day to work occasionally changing the oil and adding wiper fluid. It needed the muffler hanger replaced a few times due to rust and a coolant pipe also rusted through. It was not the nicest car to drive but when I traded it in it had covered over 200,000 miles without issue and with cheap snow tires it was unstoppable. They only problem I had was when I got it the car had cheap all seasons on it and the ABS was very sensitive until I replaced them.
In reply to Junkyard_Dog:
I priced this out somewhat over-estimating what he needs and came to $885 shipped to a postal code in his city. Some of the stuff on that list doesn't make sense; transmission pan needs replacement? Not sure what all is really required in the braking system either. I think a trip to a good junkyard would help a lot, like Blazer Bilstein shocks, whatever bulbs he needs, etc.
Junkyard_Dog wrote: Go to rockauto.com and price that list I'd be amazed if it tops $500. Shop Amazon too-S-10 front shocks (same as yours) were like $15 shipped last I checked. I'd also be amazed if it NEEDS ALL body mounts, a rear bumper ( the chrome part is just a thin cover, the bumper is underneath), and all those leaks fixed. I don't know what your safety inspection is like up there but if all you want to do is pass then spend a day with some degreaser and maybe a power washer and you'll have a clean car that you can pinpoint the leaks on AFTER you're registered.
The OP is in Canada. The shipping from Rockauto can be a killer and Amazon.com will NOT ship to Canada.
G-body Man find a place that they will ship to in Windsor cross over and pick up.
My BIL had a late Cavalier - it was like a cockroach, it would not die. If something crapped out it was cheap to fix. He pounded it between Lindsay and Newmarket for years. Don't buy one with a problem like the one you posted. They go for the same money in pristine condition. He replaced it with a Cruze TD
They are crappy cars but cheap and hard to kill.
G_Body_Man wrote: In reply to nepa03focus: I just want something that I don't have to worry about in a parking lot.
That's a good point, you won't have to worry about it. Honestly the ones I see in pa don't seem to rust too bad either, on my wife's the clear coat and paint were faded off, but not really any rust to speak of.
The AC in those things was WAAAAAY overpowered for the size of the car it was. I loved the AC in my wife's old car. Then the AC died, and I tried driving it in the summer with no AC. We sold it shortly after that.
As others have said, reliable, can tolerate a fair bit of abuse, but buy the best example you can. Rust isn't typically worse than any other cars, but put anything you want to buy on a lift and examine it well. Sometimes the rust can get under the underbody coating, which will mask how bad it can be.
Brett_Murphy wrote: The AC in those things was WAAAAAY overpowered for the size of the car it was. I loved the AC in my wife's old car. Then the AC died, and I tried driving it in the summer with no AC. We sold it shortly after that. As others have said, reliable, can tolerate a fair bit of abuse, but buy the best example you can. Rust isn't typically worse than any other cars, but put anything you want to buy on a lift and examine it well. Sometimes the rust can get under the underbody coating, which will mask how bad it can be.
My AC needed a can of stop leak every summer. It rusted bad under the undercoat until the carpet was holding it together.
If you can fail for rust and minor oil leaks, a cheap J body is not the car you want.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: If you can fail for rust and minor oil leaks, a cheap J body is not the car you want.
This.
Looks like the closest US city would be Buffalo. Any GRMer's there that could take delivery of a Rock Auto order for him? A couple hours drive and a bridge toll may be well worth it.
Same thing I always say about old Cavaliers. Don't crash it...even in a parking lot...you may not survive.
Well if you don't want to worry about your car in a parking lot, a Cavalier is the best choice. Even better if you have some quarter panel dents, scraps, and a side view mirror hanging with duct tape. Not a single car that has a loan on it or has a value over $5k will park next to you. You will eternally have full door swing access into your car in all but the most congested parking situations.
In reply to Klayfish:
It's better than having no airbags, so that's at least something.
pres589 wrote: In reply to Junkyard_Dog: I priced this out somewhat over-estimating what he needs and came to $885 shipped to a postal code in his city. Some of the stuff on that list doesn't make sense; transmission pan needs replacement? Not sure what all is really required in the braking system either. I think a trip to a good junkyard would help a lot, like Blazer Bilstein shocks, whatever bulbs he needs, etc.
Trans pan is bent, PO bottomed it out at some point.
Kenny_McCormic wrote: If you can fail for rust and minor oil leaks, a cheap J body is not the car you want.
Minor oil leaks are not issues. The problem is that if one were to park my car overnight, it would look like the Exxon Valdez incident occurred under my car.
In reply to G_Body_Man:
No.
Junkyard_Dog wrote: Go to rockauto.com and price that list I'd be amazed if it tops $500. Shop Amazon too-S-10 front shocks (same as yours) were like $15 shipped last I checked. I'd also be amazed if it NEEDS ALL body mounts, a rear bumper ( the chrome part is just a thin cover, the bumper is underneath), and all those leaks fixed. I don't know what your safety inspection is like up there but if all you want to do is pass then spend a day with some degreaser and maybe a power washer and you'll have a clean car that you can pinpoint the leaks on AFTER you're registered.
Bumper struts have rusted solid, and all body mounts are completely destroyed.
Berk the bumper struts and a body mount kit from Energy Suspension is $120 USD.
You need to find an American you trust in Buffalo or Detroit to ship all this stuff to and then take a trip down.
In reply to pres589:
$120 USD is about $160 CAD. Now you can see where I got the $1k figure from.
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