<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;">Take the Honda and run if and only if your grandfather did proper servicing to it by time and not just mileage. Cars that just sit worry me.<br><br>In hatchbacks there are a ton of PT Cruisers around that meet your carrying needs - I'm not recommending you understand, just reporting the news. Early 2000's hatchback Acuras and Saabs might deserve a look too. <br><br>Used car prices have been climbing and some of these (newer) older cars are just a little too precious IMO when some improving new cars aren't a terrible reach if you can lay off the options. I did see a 2004 SE-R Spec V that had 82K on it last week for $6500. Might do just to drive around although I never have cared for the car or the 2.5. Heck, if you like a challenge and doing maintenance yourself, I've seen earlier body (before the butt) BMW 740's under $7K
with low 100K mileage. If parts prices make you sweat that might not be the best idea. <br><br>Then there is the dark side.... Large Murican Cars like Crown Vics. I think it might be cool to have one of those tanks, do a little suspension work, tires, a few mods.......and the bike would probably go in the trunk crossways. <br><br>But, like I said, take the Honda and run if you can live with the automatic. Our beloved manuals are getting to be few and far between. I saw a statistic somewhere that said that only about 5% of cars sold now have manuals.<br><br>Larry Martin<br>'92 SE-R still rolling almost daily, 204K miles<br><br>--- On <b>Wed, 2/2/11, David Pertuz <i><davidpertuz@mindspring.com></i></b> wrote:<br><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><br>From: David Pertuz <davidpertuz@mindspring.com><br>Subject: should I go to the beige side?<br>To:
"se-r list" <se-r@se-r-list.org><br>Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 9:49 PM<br><br><div class="plainMail">I have an opportunity to replace my G20 and just for curiosity's sake I <br>thought I'd see what some of y'all had to say about the choice. This is, <br>I suppose, OT, but since the list is a bit of an old-timer's club with <br>very low traffic I figure we'd enjoy the traffic spike. Besides, if <br>Larry wanted to I'm close enough to chastise in person.<br><br>My primary car is my P10 G20t, a '96 which is up to 160k by now. It has <br>a 10:1 engine from SOKO that I installed (light refresh with rod <br>bearings, etc.) at about 105k; it is cosmetically OK (no rust, since <br>it's a Texas car, but bad paint on the roof and a dent on the RF <br>fender); mechanically good, but needs a few things (fix wipers, front <br>struts, probably a wheel bearing) done that I've been putting off. I've <br>thought of replacing it this year, with another
less-old car with (as <br>far under as practicable) under 100k miles that I can drive for some <br>years without too many things starting to wear out - the G is getting up <br>to that mileage.<br><br>Option 1: keep the G20t. I enjoy it a lot, it's a good size, it's fun to <br>drive, fast enough (I don't need a fast car to enjoy it), gets pretty <br>good mileage, I'm very familiar with it, etc. I don't drive very much - <br>less than 10k per year, and virtually all of that is out-of-town trips - <br>so the mileage isn't as big an issue as it would be if I drove tons. If <br>I could get a brand-new P10t, I'd do that. This is a cheap option, since <br>I don't have to spend a lot on maintenance, even with stuff wearing out, <br>compared to a car payment, which I'll never have.<br><br>Option 2: Buy something less old, with a lot fewer miles, that I can <br>easily pay cash for. Cost would have to be $7k tops, $6k would be nicer. <br>Ideally $4k cash plus
whatever I get for the G20 (I'm a big saver.) I <br>bought the G20 for $4k in 2004 and spent about $1k on putting the new <br>engine in it a year later, so I've got my money's worth in <br>fun/cheap/reliable transportation before; I'd be happy to do it again.<br><br>Requirements are that the car be not-large, practical (hatchback is <br>preferred, folding seatback is mandatory if a sedan so I can fit a bike <br>inside), easy to maintain myself, reliable, fun to drive, manual <br>transmission, 30mpg+ on the highway First thing that comes to mind here <br>is a Mazda Protege5 wagon. VW GTIs or Golfs or Jetta wagons also come to <br>mind, but I'm suspicious of their reliability. Mazda 3 hatch. Maybe an <br>old 3-series or 5-series, but the ones within my budget would be <br>high-mileage. Not sure what else. I've never driven a P11 G20, but it's <br>never really excited me. Historically I've always known what I've liked, <br>but my taste in cars
seems to have suspended itself in the mid-1990s and <br>earlier. Also I tend to find something I like and stick with it - I've <br>had my SE-R for 18 years and my Fiat for 20. And my goal is to get a <br>lowish-mileage car.<br><br>Option 3: buy my grandfather's 2004 Honda Accord. It's a 4cyl/auto sedan <br>with an absurdly low 16k miles. It's pretty nice to drive, isn't too big <br>for me, has a folding seat, gets good mileage, etc. Also it is a lot <br>more refined than I'm used to what with being newer. If I go by KBB the <br>low mileage puts it out of my budget but since this is a family deal and <br>it's not too far off I could buy it within my budget. Only major <br>downside is the automatic. I hate automatics, and have never owned an <br>auto-trans car. It's just that the car is in very good shape (save for a <br>strong right pull) except for a bit of cosmetic stuff I don't care too <br>much about, and has a billion years of life left in it, esp.
at the rate <br>I drive.<br><br>It would make sense if I drove tons or was certain to keep it for a <br>decade, but while it would be a no-brainer with a 5MT, I'm not sure I <br>can live with an auto for years and years. Granted, I do have my Fiat <br>Spider for fun stuff in warm weather and if I ever replace the rod <br>bearings and the 8 other things I can drive my SE-R again for fun if I'm <br>motivated enough. I reflexively want cars that are nice to drive, and <br>this one is nice enough, but I live in flatland and the large majority <br>of my driving is highway trips, with a bit of city driving, and I live <br>in flatland where there really aren't any fun roads.<br><br>What do y'all think? Are the benefits (super-low mileage, bargain price) <br>of the Accord worth it? Do you have any other suggestions for the price?<br><br>David<br>Chicago<br>+----------------------------------------------------------------------+<br>The mailing list home page is
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