DD is totaled, any suggestions?

[ArtosDracon]

Well, my DD 2005 Impala was totaled in a wreck on friday. Liability only means that I'm gonna be driving the 73 Cutlass as a daily for a little while till I get a new vehicle sorted.

Just wondering if anyone has any new car suggestions?

I'm thinking about an early 90's C1500 w/305. I love the 305 and have built more of them than every other size/type of engine combined and it should have enough power and keep the fuel consumption down a bit.

My general budget is as cheap as possible, lol, considering I just bought a house and dumped pretty much my entire savings into fixing it up and doing everything right off the bat so it doesn't have to be a construction zone indefinitely.

[justasquid]

A little more information will probably help some. Such as how much are you wanting to spend? How far do you drive in a day. How many people ride with you.

I don't see a 90's pickup with a 305 being a very good vehicle compared to your impala for fuel economy or ride. I have an 03 impala and get around 30mpg on the freeway. That truck will probably only get mid to high teens. If you have a long drive, the fuel economy can add up quick. Plus, Im not a fan of the 305. I've always seen them as using the same amount of gas as a 350 without the power.

If your looking for something comparable, maybe get into a mid to late 90's lumina. If you don't mind 2 door cars, mid 90's monte carlos are decent vehicles. You should be able to pick up a decent one for under 2 grand. also, check into 2000 on up bonnevilles or grand prix. A little more pricey, but decent cars. I also currently have an 01 bonneville and love that car. It rides quiet and extremely smooth, and I got just over 190k on it and have only had to do basic maintainance.

I'd suggest staying away from the low end cars like grand ams and malibu's. I've had bad luck with having to maintain those vehicles a rediculous amount. and for someone trying to not spend money, those cars are not the answer.

[dadto2jays]

Toyota Camry 4cyl all day long around 2k-3k 1992-1996 best bang for your buck....

[brans72]

Honda civic 5 speed any model 99 and back!

[moreHP]

If you dont need the payload and towing capacity of a full size truck then late 90's to early 2000's S-10 are great trucks that can be bought cheap. The extra cabs have the 3rd door to put stuff in the back easier.

[psy4s]

You may also want to look at some Blue Oval cars. The Taurus was used largely as a Fleet car for many companies and Rental agencies. They are great reliable cars that with the 3.0 engine get great gas mileage. Due to the large amount of these cars sold, They are usually Dirt Cheep.
I ran 280,000 miles on my 3.0 Taurus with no problems till I was run over in an Intersection by a 21 year old temp worker talking on a cell phone. I was stopped, and he hit me doing about 50 mph. Not only did I fare well, I did not have a scratch. The Taurus didn’t fare so well. But it did its job. It kept me safe.
If Gas Mileage is most important avoid the Flex Fuel cars. They use both Gas and e85, but like any compromise they are not great in either. The straight dedicated cars do better.
The way I see it my Daily driver needs to be safe and dependable. That is covered well by both the General, and the Blue Oval guys.

[NOT A TA]

Toyota Camry 4cyl all day long around 2k-3k 1992-1996 best bang for your buck....

Value for money spent and maintenance costs involved, this is the answer. Just look at what poor people drive, this is one of their top choices, for good reason.

[Mr. Anderson]

Find an S10 with the 6 clylinder and a 5 speed. Never should had gotten rid of the one I had, but latemodel muscle was a callin'!

Of course once I got over the Mustang I picked up a '98 1500. I would go with '96+ on the truck if you are looking. And you might as well go for one with a 350 if thats the case. You aren't going to get any kind of decent mileage either way. But the '96+ (I think thats the year break...?) has a much nicer interior and in my opinion, a better looking grill.

[dropit69]

i just picked up a 2002 gtp grand prix for 4k ..car is fun and supercharged ..and loaded with options..

[novaderrik]

if you get a truck, skip the 305 and just get a 350. you give up nothing in fuel economy and they have more torque.
and don't think that a S10 with a 4.3 would get better economy than a full size truck with a 350- they might get a couple of mpg better at most, with the tradeoff being the loss of cargo capacity when you need it.
i'd just scour Craigslist and find a $500 beater of some sort.

[joemac]

If I bought a full size used truck I would definitely find a diesel model. The modern turbo diesels going back the mid 90's are reliable, plentiful and cheap. They respond well to mods and make good power too. They should beat a comparable gas truck by 30-50% in mpg. I like the recommendation of the mini trucks though. They get good mileage and can still be utilitarian. They take nearly any drivetrain if you decide to take it that far and suspension/brake mods make them much nicer and fun to drive.

[Kenova]

My choice for a truck would be a 2000 or newer GM. But I'm somewhat biased since I own a '04 Chev 1500. Even the 4.8 I have has been a better engine than any truck 305 or 350 I've had in the past.
Gas mileage? Don't know, don't care. If I can't afford the gas, I don't drive.

Ken

[ArtosDracon]

Well, I have about $2K cash in hand, but need something in the next day or two. Towing capacity is secondary, having a bed is very high up on the needs list. I would be happy with a 96+ 4.3 in either a full size or S10, just having major difficultly finding on right now. I love the 90's full size blazers as well, but none to be found unfortunately.

If I could find a 99+ 1500 4.8 I would be extremely happy, but I've only ever seen one for sale locally, and it was way overpriced. I'm going to hit craigslist and autotrader online tonight and I'll post up what I can find. I actually love shopping for new to me vehicles, just wish it was under better circumstances this time around.

Oh, and my daily commute is 27 miles each way, but it's 95% freeway and it's in no traffic at all, so 19mpg highway is fine, and that's what I used to get w/my 01 GMC 1500 4.3, S10s get similar w/ the 4.3 so they're definitely on the short list. My 96 Chevy 1500 5.7 longbed with a toneau got 16-17 highway, and that was with a heavy foot more often than I should and a 'glass tonneau that I had to have for my job at the time.

My first two vehicles were trucks and I miss them, I want a truck again, I liked my impala, but it was in impulse buy and I was never completely happy with it. FWD, 3.4, no cargo capacity and a back seat(meaning I got picked to drive everywhere) were all major pitfalls for me. I couldn't count on all my fingers and toes how many times just in the last year I've needed a truck and had to make due without.

[enex]

if your loking for nice mileage try a tacoma thers the 4 banger. but the v6 still gets great fuel mileage. maybe like a 90'

[Nessumsar]

My '94 Ranger ex-cab, long bed, 4.0, auto gets over 20mpg on the highway. And that is with 281k miles!

You can find them everywhere, and for dirt cheap.

[406 Q-ship]

I would look at S10/S15 GM truck with the 4.3 or the Ranger 4.0. My next choice would be a 96 up 1500 GM with the 5.7, the 5.7 gets better mileage alot of times than the 5.0 or even the 4.3 in a full size (torque is your friend and the 305 lacks). If you splurge a bit and get a 99 up full size GM with a 5.3 (perfered) or a 4.8 (resale is the issue here). Next in line would be the japanese mini's with a 4 banger and a manual trans, japanese autos trans are expensive to deal with when they die and you never know how well it was taken care of by previous owners.

[ArtosDracon]

Unfortunately trucks seem to be sparse at the moment, I've got feelers out all over town and the best I've been able to get any response in is an 84 S10 blazer with the 2.8. I spent about 6 hours on craigslist going through every car posted in the last two weeks and it's slim pickins at the moment. I'm going to see if the yard that has my car wants to just keep in in leau of payment for the tow and storage over the weekend, and I've got a ride to and from work for at least tonight, so here's hoping something decent pops up on the CL tonight.

[joemac]

I always look in a 100 mile radius on CL and auto trader. Did you try ebay?

[ArtosDracon]

ebay in AZ is such a PITA because of dealers, but I spent about a half hour on there. Gonna try again now.

Anyone with experience with the Vulcan 3.0L V6? found and extended cab ranger, 2003, that looks to be in great shape.

[joemac]

It's kind of a dog but they make for a decent dd. Keep it maintained and they last for a long time.

[ArtosDracon]

What is the deal with flaky people? I've talked to three different people about meeting up to look at their trucks and can't get anyone to nail down a time to meet. I've got transportation, cash and an extra set of hands, I just need a time and a place. Are people not actually interested in selling their trucks? And if not, why are they listing them on CL?

[joemac]

lol, I'm not sure why but CL is full of those kinds of people. Both selling and buying. There are deals to be had if you can find someone serious. What really ticks me off is the ones that don't provide a number and then never return an email. Really pisses me off.

[ArtosDracon]

I've had plenty of those thus far too. As much as I could really use a truck, a 77 Nova just came up this rmoning for well inside my budget. I'm thinking that if this truck guy doesn't get back to me I may have to give it a go. :)

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

i just picked up a 2002 gtp grand prix for 4k ..car is fun and supercharged ..and loaded with options..

My suggestion also. I still drive my 97 GTP. It has 188k and still give me 26 mpg on the road cruising a little above 70. Gets 20+ around town. Plenty of pep and a great ride. Plenty of them out there for decent bucks.

[go-fish]

I'm thinking about an early 90's C1500 w/305.


The biggest mistake, vehicle wise, I ever made was trading in a 94 Z71 short bed single cab with a 305 for a $572/month '07 Chrysler Aspen.
I bought the truck for $1,000 and it was rust free, dent free but had some peeling paint that I fixed myself on the cheap. It had a slipping tranny but it ran fine and had clean interior and a new stereo.
That truck was a gift from the car God's because it was cheap, good looking, and parts are easily aquired.
If you find a good one snatch it up. They are well built trucks and cheap to repair. There's a million of them on the road and in the parts yards. You just can't go wrong there.

[ArtosDracon]

The biggest mistake, vehicle wise, I ever made was trading in a 94 Z71 short bed single cab with a 305 for a $572/month '07 Chrysler Aspen.
I bought the truck for $1,000 and it was rust free, dent free but had some peeling paint that I fixed myself on the cheap. It had a slipping tranny but it ran fine and had clean interior and a new stereo.
That truck was a gift from the car God's because it was cheap, good looking, and parts are easily aquired.
If you find a good one snatch it up. They are well built trucks and cheap to repair. There's a million of them on the road and in the parts yards. You just can't go wrong there.

Would if I could find one, not much out there right now.

I finally found someone who's actually looking to sell their truck. It's a first gen 4WD blazer 4.3L. It'll be getting weight redution and 2WD conversion straight away. Coilovers not far behind which will shave another ~40+lbs.

[joemac]

AWD conversion? Everything is already there. Could be a cool option. Then put a duramax in it. Or a single turbo for the 4.3, it's a proven route. I can never leave anything stock, it's some type of sickness.

That sucks that you can't find anything out there really.

[ArtosDracon]

Well todays meeting fell through. I texted the guy(kid as I later found) to verify where we were meeting and make sure nothing had come up. He gives me some back-handed line about not being sure if he can make it, and wondering if I can come see it at his place today, and then come back and actually pick it up tomorrow, and he mentions he's working on it. So I asked, "what do you mean working on it?" Finally after about half an hour of pulling teeth I get him to admit that it won't pass emissions, it's got blue smoke if it sits, he just got a pair of wheels and tires on it from a junkyard, that don't match the other three(including full size spare) and blah, blah, blah.

I'm not expecting much in my price range, but the least someone can do is be up front about the condition of the vehicle, and stick to an apointment if one is made. I can time an engine, I can replace valve seals, I can replace gaskets. My plans generally include a vortec head swap if I get a first gen, so none of this was a big deal, so long as the price reflects the work needed, but being underhanded about the condition and flaking on meeting with a cash-in-hand buyer is just sad.

[alowerlevel]

I would just keep watching craigslist, you never know whats gonna come up. For instance I just picked up a 94 Olds Bravada off CL for $500, doesnt run very well but it just needs the fuel pressure regulator changed (Ive done a few already). Not to mention that it was less than 10 miles from my house