tough cookie car reccomendations wanted

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BlazinXtreme
I despise Jeeps with a passion, but they are good at making it through snow and what not. Just remember if you get a Jeep you are not God and you can't drive through anything.
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LOL first time you have ver made me laugh.
 
Layla's Keeper
The naturally aspirated 3.8's knock down 30mpg highway, and Pennsy has plenty of highways.

It's also very hilly, and you want torque to carry you up those hills. 3.8's have plenty of torque.

And, for your information, the Bonnie isn't that big of a car. I've driven big cars. Big cars are friggin Crown Vics and Caprices. A Bonnie is somewhere between an A4 and an A6 in size. Very midsize.

Though it has a bigger back seat than the A6, bigger trunk too. Makes very good use of its FF layout.

And, quite frankly, the earlier Bonnies are pretty handsome for a Camry/Accord competitor.

1994_pontiac_bonneville_ssei%20007.jpg
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What about a audi a4 quattro for your money. For wheel drive and get the turbo version and you have more than enough torque.
 
If your going to buy a car make sure its safe inside aswell.
 
The Blazer has gone through a front diff actuator, heater, and 2 fuel pumps. Neither of these cars have 90,000 miles yet.
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It's because you have a 95, up until 98 the Blazers had a ton of problems and GM really didn't seem to care. And I don't care what GM vehicle it is...you are going to have fuel pump issues for some reason. I surprised the diffs acted up though.

What about a audi a4 quattro for your money. For wheel drive and get the turbo version and you have more than enough torque.
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An Audi will be much higher on insurence and much more expensive to fix when something goes wrong. A Bonneville will cost nothing and the parts are cheap as hell.
 
Wolfe2x7
@Firebird: We saw it the first time; posting the bigger picture was a little annoying.
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1989.Jeep.Cherokee.4.jpg


Just making sure.

I actually like old Jeeps myself, but that generation of Cherokee you've pictured was a piece of ****. My parents owned one before they got the Blazer, and even though I liked it, I can't say it was a good vehicle...
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You do not know of what you speak. It is the greatest vehicle ever made.

also, it certainly isn't a fuel-efficient choice, if that's what's desired here...
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He said he was looking for used Xterras, so I very much doubt fuel economy is of any concern.
 
get a pre 1993 300E mercedes. extrememly reliable, decent fuel economy (my 2.6 gets close to 30 mpg on the highway) big enough and safe as f#%k.

you can get them dirt cheap, but try to get one with maintenenace records. theyre expensive to fix so records can be a deal breaker.
 
Young_Warrior
What about a audi a4 quattro for your money. For wheel drive and get the turbo version and you have more than enough torque.
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An Audi A4 will cost anything from 4 to 10k MORE than a Pontiac Bonneville AND the parts cost is practically double, not to mention you'll primarily only be able to get parts at an Audi dealer as opposed to through aftermarket sources like Wix, Parts Master, and Wagner.
 
neanderthal
get a pre 1993 300E mercedes. extrememly reliable, decent fuel economy (my 2.6 gets close to 30 mpg on the highway) big enough and safe as f#%k.

you can get them dirt cheap, but try to get one with maintenenace records. theyre expensive to fix so records can be a deal breaker.
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Old Mercedeses, especially diesel ones, are like cockroaches...ya just can't kill 'em. :lol: A greek taxi driver had a 1981 240D that has over 2.8 million miles on it...he donated it to the Mercedes museum in 2004.
 
laughs and giggles at all the fighting over reccos

Toyota People: actually, i have had a toyo. you guys don't know what these roads and so on can do even to the toughest tough cookie manufacturer. what I got was an 83 Camry LX...and, believe you me, someone managed to beat the snot out of a toyota! even the 2SE had been f-ed with.

Diego: thanks for reminding both the americans and the Europeans that their respective senses of scale are different. it has to do with the sense of personal space (we, in the states , and most likely, our canadian "siblings" ,grew up with all this room, so things are bigger over here)

I should have specified something...what I do for a living is run Amish Loggers to logging sites up and down back roads constantly undfer construction, plowing through chunky gravel, mudholes, and what will most likely be 3 foot snowdrifts. i've had cars survive these runs, but not for long.

GTfan in Brighton: you actually get THAT MUCH snow??! (from what my freinds and exes tell me, there isn't much snow in britan south of the Firth)
 
Exige:A Hi Lux?? LOL we haven't had that label in the US for Decades...that's like finding an original FJ40 over here in the states OUT of the hands of a collector

moneywise...I was just asked this by my mother when I yarped about this worn out crap. the problem is..., going by what I've seen lately, the 200k mile junkers are still being sold for 3-5 grand and wouldn't pass inspection/MOT

and if I wanted something like the Bonnie, I'd just grab the 86 lesaber with the clamshell hood that sitting here. same engine, and I believe the same platform, too.
 
Hell if you do that kind of work you need a K5 Blazer, older Bronco, something along those lines.
 
Well, now that you've provided us with those details, I'd recommend an old Toyota/Nissan pickup, or an old Ford Ranger...or for something that can carry more passengers inside the cabin, an old Bronco or 4Runner... :)
 
What do you like?
If you don't care, go for the Pontiac. But remember, GM quality is spotty.
For a vehicle that will be a "snow-duck" at times, Any AWD Subie, Jeep Cherokee, Ford Explorer.
Otherwise you can pick up a Malibu Maxx, Toyota Camry, or a Crown Vic on any corner for under 10 grand, and get a car that will be reliable, if not pretty or unique.
 
Gil
Otherwise you can pick up a Malibu Maxx, Toyota Camry, or a Crown Vic on any corner for under 10 grand, and get a car that will be reliable, if not pretty or unique.
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The Crown Vic is a good choice, if you know how to handle yourself with RWD. It's not going to shake itself to bits...like the Camry or Malibu will. And can you already get Malibu Maxxes for $10K?
 
with the gas at the level it's at even in the states...anything with a v6 or straight six is out
and what old compact level SUV's ARE out there are so severely beat up (and early eighties) that there not worth sinking the 2 grand average I've had to put into way overdue repairs into them.


whoever reccomended the likes of a Crown Vic: remember my age, here...I'm over thirty, so I actually know what a RWD is like. I took my first licence tests in a real land yaght...an 84 Delta 88. my first car was a RWD as well.

European model reccoes:1. I think they're counted as "sport" on insurance tables (although I know of a 190 i would like to get my hands on)
2. i could probably MAKE an old volvo fall apart...I've never driven ANYTHING european, or even SAT in one...and the Americanised Golf 1 i grew up in the back seat of doesn't count, it was made here in Westmoreland, PA.
3. i think you know by now there are four european manufacturers that show up in the states, daimler chrysler, BMW, Volkswagen AG and Audi group...and I've rarely seen a merc[edes], beamer (i spell it that way), or Audi. and there's only a smattering of old Beetles/jettas around here

and everything else...is in the junkyard, and I'm talking Porsches and Jags

besides, the way things are going with me car wise, you could hand me a beat up opel or Vaux and I'd have it purring like a kitten in no time. GM's like me, for some reason.

a Suby was actually ON my mind...IF i knew where the nearest dealership was. I'd have to search...the only ones I know of ate the volks/toyo combo dealership...even the dodge/chrysler/jeep dealerships around here are spotty.
 
Update!
you may think I'm nuts, but I jumped on a good cheapo

at the local bulk dealership was a "hang around" in desperate need of "get rid of". at 3k...when I checked it out, it was absolutely perfect for what I needed. and the best part, the US Manufacturers Employee discount is still active till saturday, and it's down to $1840...or 2056 with all the paperwork...a damn big bargin in this dy and age of 20k dolllar Korean basic transportation :P

i'll update again, as soon as I get an Idea if the loan goes through, or if I have to pay for it on payments myself
 
Bingo. loan went through, and it's bought and paid for.

i have my first NON 100k vehicle in 11 years.
a 92 Blazer Tahoe 4x4
tuned 4.3 V6, 4 spd auto, air, cruise, tilt, intermittents, Tahoe Package (no badging) rear w/w and defroster, casette (unusual in something this old), alloys, and, if I remember right235/75's on Alcoa style Alloys, push button 4wd. only 90k on the clock.

spent most of yesterday morning polishing the chalk off of the paint, and that carnelian solid (a guess) looks spectacular. picture forthcoming.
 
pic of the truck in question, pre polish, taken at the local wal*Mart, conventional store #5000


PS: Blazin:
the 3.8 in my fords are not the same as GM's 3800's
the one in my 85 Marquis was "CFI", central Fuel injection, which looked like two injectors stuck down the middle of a carb mounting hole under a conventinal air cleaner cover. the one in the 92 is a rail job with an electroniced distributor, typical of ford.
 
Get a Jeep Wrangler or Renagade Get a V6 or V8 four banger Jeeps suck. Back in the day thats all my folks ever drove.To some research Jeep is definitly a good car.
 
w00t! You got a Blazer! That thing will last forever, I've seen guys with 1990 Blazer with almost 300k miles on it. They are pretty soild trucks. I'm glad you got a 4.3 though considering every other motor for the S-Trucks sucked.

The only thing I think of to tell you to watch out for is the front differential and the head gaskets, I hear about those things going around 130k miles. But just get them inspected and you'll be fine.
 

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