bobzilla said:In reply to MadScientistMatt :
The only problem there will be the rest of the car it's attached to. Those are getting up there in age now and ... well the rest of the car didn't age as well as the drivetrain
Actually they were used in Astro/Safari and Blazer/Jimmy up through 2003, and Silverado/Express/Savana up through 2014. I realize 2003 isn't exactly a spring chicken, but 2014 could be minty fresh... if a truck or van suits the buyer's needs.
bobzilla said:In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
4T60 but yeah. Drivetrains in those run forever. rest of the car not so much. Electronics, hvac etc tend to be a nightmare.
Right. I was leaning toward the bigger 90 degree version like the 4.3L which wasn't used in FWD, but lots of the 60-degree as well.
Personal best.
Ford E-series vans. I've put close to half a million miles on several of them. Get the V6. The I6 isn't near as good an engine.
First Gen Colorado. I put 350k on two of those as company vehicles. Sold one to an employee and the other I bought for my son. Both are still on the road as DDs with 400k plus on the odo. Total repairs beyond maintenance on the two of them were a couple of coils, a thermostat, and one transmission. Outstanding little trucks.
Any GM with the 60-degree v6 and FWD. While they will eat lower intake gaskets every 100k, I have put 3 sets in a Venture and it would still be on the road if it hadn't gotten crunched somewhere well above 300k. The trick to GMs is to buy base models without all the crap that breaks. The engine, trans, and drivetrain are indestructible. The chassis almost is.
XJ Cherokee. There are two in the yard. Both well over 250k and still going strong.
Any GM full size truck or SUV before 2007. My Suburban has 350+k on it, my son's is just under 350k. Also pretty much unkillable and cheap to repair.
MadScientistMatt said:I also wouldn't overlook GM products with an iron block V6 in that price range.
Unfortunately the interior has mostly disintegrated by now.
The trouble I have with the GM products is not so much the drivetrain, it's the other stuff. My grandma's 2006 Buick needed a nunch of stuff (that I admittedly don't recall now, I can ask her if you all want evidence) that was costing her a lot to fix. She was not happy. I do think the engine and trans were solid though. I'd buy a nice one for $5k though. And you can find nice ones when old ladies decide they can't drive. My grandma's 06 had 30k miles on it and smelled new!
For what you're after, I'd probably just find the best maintained Japanese or American car in your area for $5k, and then ask us about it.
In reply to CyberEric :
japanese, American or Korean car in your area for $5k. There are some seriously good Korean stuff out there that people don't think about. Azera/Cadenza are nice Avalon knockoffs that appear to run forever.
3800 series GM
or
GMT400 TBI
or
early 2000s camry. I prefer the 2.2 over the 2.4 for reliability, but its gutless
My father's 2005 Ford focus zx3 is closing in on 200k miles and has been really reliable. I doubt anyone is looking for one.
I liked my Echo. Not much to go wrong with such a simple car. Wouldn't have wanted to spend much time on the freeway in it though.
My sister has had a 2008 (I think) Elantra for awhile. It's pretty rusty and beat up by now, but it's closing in on 200k and I think it's only needed typical maintenance here and there like struts, ball joints, etc.
Foci from the same era are pretty good too. Stay away from the post-2012 Focus and their goofy automatic trans.
I picked-up a 10-ish year old Hyundai Elantra in that price range from another forum member for my brother-in-law. I'd put the Korean sedans of that vintage in with some of the Toyotas and Hondas as far as reliability is concerned, and it's a fairly roomy car with a bunch of features.
If you don't mind the car being a bit boring and can find one for this price, get a used Prius. 45-50MPG and you can't kill them. Ours is about to hit 200K miles and runs like it's new. Nearly maintenance free, nothing has ever broken, just oil changes, tires, and windshield wipers. Brakes about every 100K miles. If you're going for sheer reliability, I honestly think it would be very, very hard to beat a Prius. In fact, I can't think of any car at twice the price that would beat it.
A quick google search will show you tons of threads of prius taxis hitting 4, 5, 600K miles. Sometimes more.
Also I see plenty of people mentioning Kias so I figured it would be good to remind you that there are a LOT of Kias and Hyundais being stolen right now due to a poor design in the steering column. Some insurance companies are refusing to even cover certain models, and several cities have filed lawsuits against Kia.
Another GM 3800 vote. Buy the cleanest one you can. Even available in sporty F body flavor 95-02.
yupididit said:MadScientistMatt said:I also wouldn't overlook GM products with an iron block V6 in that price range.
Unfortunately the interior has mostly disintegrated by now.
That is why I had a racing seat in my last Buick.
I've heard stories of long term reliability of priuses, but in the price range something simpler is what I'd recommend.
My experiences with priuses are they are generally reliable but can be expensive to fix. Things like clusters, fuel bladder replacements, master cylinders, and cat replacement (especially in CA and CO) can be very expensive to fix if they happen.
Not much on a 3800 GM that is expensive and can't be ignored
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) said:Another GM 3800 vote. Buy the cleanest one you can. Even available in sporty F body flavor 95-02.
I do love a 3800 5 speed fbody. Do the RWD 3.8s still have the stupid tensioner coolant pipes? I haven't been under the hood of one in quite a while.
What about a CVPI? Or any Panther platform? The 2v 4.6L will run forever as long as the oil has been changed.
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