In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car another
3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it has
been declared a total loss. According to Insurance, Illinois law (I hate
Illinois with a passion) requires my car to go through the salvage process.
So my choice is to hand over the car or drop the claim.

The insurance is giving me 3500 - $200 deductable + Tax, Title, License for
the car.

My search has came up with Zero 2001 Chevy Prizms/ Toyora Corollas (I had a
Prizm) in my area for $3500. I found a 2000 Prizm for $3595 but its body
was in worse shape than my cars before the deer.

So, if possible, I need to find a car for $3500 more or less that will be
reliable for 60K miles. Some I'm looking at include a 96 Honda Civic LX 4Dr
with 98K miles for $3995 cash with Carfax records, has always been a
privately owned car and no descrepancy in milage. So far in my search I've
come up with Honda and Toyota being very reliable, Honda is supposed to be a
little more reliable but if I understand correctly, Toyota is generaly less
expensive to repair.

Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.

Bottom line is I need a work car (or Mini Truck) that will be dependable for
3 years/ 60K miles for the minimum amount of money per mile. Any
recommendations?

Thanks

RogerN

Too bad about the laws/rules, not surprising though. We're fortunate to have
those with much more wisdom looking out for all of us.

Wanna bet some crooks have discovered a work-around?

Finding a reliable used car:

1. get real lucky

That's all ya gotta do, so you see, it's not complicated.

--
WB
..........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html


"RogerN" wrote in message
...
In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car
another 3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it has
been declared a total loss. According to Insurance, Illinois law (I hate
Illinois with a passion) requires my car to go through the salvage
process. So my choice is to hand over the car or drop the claim.

The insurance is giving me 3500 - $200 deductable + Tax, Title, License
for the car.

My search has came up with Zero 2001 Chevy Prizms/ Toyora Corollas (I had
a Prizm) in my area for $3500. I found a 2000 Prizm for $3595 but its
body was in worse shape than my cars before the deer.

So, if possible, I need to find a car for $3500 more or less that will be
reliable for 60K miles. Some I'm looking at include a 96 Honda Civic LX
4Dr with 98K miles for $3995 cash with Carfax records, has always been a
privately owned car and no descrepancy in milage. So far in my search
I've come up with Honda and Toyota being very reliable, Honda is supposed
to be a little more reliable but if I understand correctly, Toyota is
generaly less expensive to repair.

Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles
for $3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles
they should last.

Bottom line is I need a work car (or Mini Truck) that will be dependable
for 3 years/ 60K miles for the minimum amount of money per mile. Any
recommendations?

Thanks

RogerN

RogerN wrote:

Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.

I'm on my second Escort. First one had developed too many problems, and
when it wouldn't pass smog, I had to get rid of it. Bought a '94 wagon.
It's no Honda or Toyota in terms of quality, fit and finish, but is a
right decent car. I'm getting better than 32mpg in town, and that's in
the Sierra foothills. However, I do drive with economy in mind. Haven't
had enough of a freeway drive to know what it gets there. Best combined
mileage thus far was 36.4 and that's from a 14 year old car! (5spd btw,
automatics return several mpg less)

Now, Escorts are prone to dropping valve seats, and the current one did.
Made a lot of weird noises that would change. Sometimes run fine,
sometimes run like crap. While a mechanic friend was looking it over, he
though he heard a hint of rod knock, but that got forgotten as he
diagnosed the dropped seat. I got a rebuilt head (Alabama Cylinder Heads
is by far the cheapest place I've found, nice folks to deal with!) and
did the work myself. Car ran better than ever, but a month later, it
coughed a rod bearing, so my mechanic was right about that one.

I am loathe to go into debt further to buy another car right now. I have
a rat Toyota truck for backup, so am getting ready to pull the engine,
recondition the crank and rods and re-ring it. Lot of effort for an
older econo car, but it drives nice, gets great mileage. It has new
struts all around, new brakes, tires, radiator, and heater core.
Doing the lower end should keep it going another 5-6 years easy, and my
total cost of ownership outside of gas, oil, and tires, will still come
out to less than $50/month.

But to the question of buying an Escort, be wary. A dropped valve seat,
if it doesn't take out a piston, is going to cost you $500 if you do the
work yourself. Many I see for sale have head gasket issues or have just
had a head replaced. However, my mechanic recommended the Escort as a
reasonable car for me in my situation. Overall they really are decent
cars for the money, they just have a few more issues than others.
A '99 for $3k sounds pretty good and the miles are not excessive. If you
are serious about it, make sure it's had the timing belt replaced. Talk
to a local automotive machine shop and ask if the '99 engines are prone
to dropped valve seats, maybe that issue got fixed by then.

My next car is likely going to be a 4-door Civic however. I've owned a
Honda before, my ex has a CRV that has been flawless, and my folks have
owned Hondas for over 20 years. There is a reason they hold their value.

Hope this helps some....


Jon

Doing the lower end should keep it going another 5-6 years easy, and my
total cost of ownership outside of gas, oil, and tires, will still come
out to less than $50/month.

Another way out of this is to look for a low-mileage motor out of a
wreck. If you're going to pull the motor anyway, you're doing the
same amount of lifting, without having to do the motor work. I have a
96 Ranger 2.3 that started throwing emissions codes (misfires) that
even the dealer couldn't isolate at about 120k, but otherwise ran
perfectly. Due to my state emissions rules, this didn't matter,
didn't pass. I found an engine one year newer with only 30k on it at
a local junkyard with all the sensors etc. (only the belt drive
accessories from the old motor needed to be reused) and it was only
$200--cheaper than the diagnostics at the dealer. I dropped that much
again for a clutch kit and slave cylinder while I had everything
apart, and the truck is now over 200k.

Around here, car-part.com has worked fairly well for finding stuff,
but sometimes local yards will have stuff on hand that don't make it
on the website, so it's worth calling too...
--Glenn Lyford

On Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:21:44 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

RogerN wrote:

Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.

I'm on my second Escort. First one had developed too many problems, and
when it wouldn't pass smog, I had to get rid of it. Bought a '94 wagon.
It's no Honda or Toyota in terms of quality, fit and finish, but is a
right decent car. I'm getting better than 32mpg in town, and that's in
the Sierra foothills. However, I do drive with economy in mind. Haven't
had enough of a freeway drive to know what it gets there. Best combined
mileage thus far was 36.4 and that's from a 14 year old car! (5spd btw,
automatics return several mpg less)

Now, Escorts are prone to dropping valve seats, and the current one did.
Made a lot of weird noises that would change. Sometimes run fine,
sometimes run like crap. While a mechanic friend was looking it over, he
though he heard a hint of rod knock, but that got forgotten as he
diagnosed the dropped seat. I got a rebuilt head (Alabama Cylinder Heads
is by far the cheapest place I've found, nice folks to deal with!) and
did the work myself. Car ran better than ever, but a month later, it
coughed a rod bearing, so my mechanic was right about that one.

I am loathe to go into debt further to buy another car right now. I have
a rat Toyota truck for backup, so am getting ready to pull the engine,
recondition the crank and rods and re-ring it. Lot of effort for an
older econo car, but it drives nice, gets great mileage. It has new
struts all around, new brakes, tires, radiator, and heater core.
Doing the lower end should keep it going another 5-6 years easy, and my
total cost of ownership outside of gas, oil, and tires, will still come
out to less than $50/month.

But to the question of buying an Escort, be wary. A dropped valve seat,
if it doesn't take out a piston, is going to cost you $500 if you do the
work yourself. Many I see for sale have head gasket issues or have just
had a head replaced. However, my mechanic recommended the Escort as a
reasonable car for me in my situation. Overall they really are decent
cars for the money, they just have a few more issues than others.
A '99 for $3k sounds pretty good and the miles are not excessive. If you
are serious about it, make sure it's had the timing belt replaced. Talk
to a local automotive machine shop and ask if the '99 engines are prone
to dropped valve seats, maybe that issue got fixed by then.

My next car is likely going to be a 4-door Civic however. I've owned a
Honda before, my ex has a CRV that has been flawless, and my folks have
owned Hondas for over 20 years. There is a reason they hold their value.

Hope this helps some....


Jon


Why not buy a 1994 or later Ford Ranger with the 3.0 in it and less than
150k on the odo.

It will go at least another 150k with minimal problems if you change the
oil and antifreeze on a regular basis.

Get the extended cab and put a shell on it.

About 19-21 mpg, street or hiway

Gunner, with one in the drive way with 440,000 miles on it. It now needs
an engine. Still runs, but sounds like ****.



"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of Spotsylvania

Gunner Asch wrote:

Why not buy a 1994 or later Ford Ranger with the 3.0 in it and less than
150k on the odo.


Wouldn't mind having one to replace the Toyota. But I like the Escort
and I really like the mileage. Gas is going to go up again. And when my
fiance gets through immigration, I'll need to be able to carry 4.


Jon

On Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:54:40 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

Gunner Asch wrote:

Why not buy a 1994 or later Ford Ranger with the 3.0 in it and less than
150k on the odo.


Wouldn't mind having one to replace the Toyota. But I like the Escort
and I really like the mileage. Gas is going to go up again. And when my
fiance gets through immigration, I'll need to be able to carry 4.


Jon


Then pick up a used Volvo.

Escorts are , quite frankly..pieces of ****. Not as bad as the
Focus..but nearly so. An escort with 4 people in it......

And gas is not going to go up again for a fair amount of time, in
fact, its still on its way down. I figure it will stabilize at about
$1.50ish

Gunner wrote:


And gas is not going to go up again for a fair amount of time, in
fact, its still on its way down. I figure it will stabilize at about
$1.50ish

I hope so ! I got a job offer today , but it's a 40 mile one way drive .
Two ways I could do that , carpool or ride one of the bikes . The Kawasaki
supposedly gets 70 mpg , I know fershure the Harley gets 42-48 . The one
with the fairing and lowers wins ... 'sides , it's got tunes !
--
Snag
he called me ...

"Gunner" wrote in message
...

Then pick up a used Volvo.

Escorts are , quite frankly..pieces of ****. Not as bad as the
Focus..but nearly so. An escort with 4 people in it......

And gas is not going to go up again for a fair amount of time, in
fact, its still on its way down. I figure it will stabilize at about
$1.50ish

I had bad experience with one of the earlier Escort wagons. It was a good
car for a few years then one problem after another. If I understand
correctly, the later Escorts were mostly Mazda. My wife used to have an old
Mazda 323 that we picked up for $500. Got 3 or so years of mostly local
miles on it, it was reliable for most of that time. I read reviews of
people being happy with the Escorts but don't know if that is early life or
later life.

I would love to have a 4X4 mini truck, a Ranger with some kind of extended
cab would be great. The down side is that the 4wd would be handy a few days
a year but the better gas mileage of a car would benefit year around.
Still, if I end up stuck in the snow in a car the 30mpg won't mean much at
that moment!

RogerN

"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:54:40 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

Gunner Asch wrote:

Why not buy a 1994 or later Ford Ranger with the 3.0 in it and less than
150k on the odo.


Wouldn't mind having one to replace the Toyota. But I like the Escort
and I really like the mileage. Gas is going to go up again. And when my
fiance gets through immigration, I'll need to be able to carry 4.


Jon


Then pick up a used Volvo.

Escorts are , quite frankly..pieces of ****. Not as bad as the
Focus..but nearly so. An escort with 4 people in it......

And gas is not going to go up again for a fair amount of time, in
fact, its still on its way down. I figure it will stabilize at about
$1.50ish


For a few weeks at most. OPEC is scaling back production as we speak.

The Left tree huggers in congress and now the White House are not going to
do anything to increase domestic production of energy.

We are not looking at good times ahead folks.

Mark




----== Posted via Pronews.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.pronews.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups
---= - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

Gunner,
I saw an ad for a 1992 Ranger for $1250, are the pre 94 models good? If I
could save that much money I could afford to put some $$$ into the
mechanicals if needed.

RogerN


"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:21:44 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

Why not buy a 1994 or later Ford Ranger with the 3.0 in it and less than
150k on the odo.

It will go at least another 150k with minimal problems if you change the
oil and antifreeze on a regular basis.

Get the extended cab and put a shell on it.

About 19-21 mpg, street or hiway

Gunner, with one in the drive way with 440,000 miles on it. It now needs
an engine. Still runs, but sounds like ****.



"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of
Spotsylvania

On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 23:07:30 -0600, "RogerN" wrote:

Gunner,
I saw an ad for a 1992 Ranger for $1250, are the pre 94 models good? If I
could save that much money I could afford to put some $$$ into the
mechanicals if needed.

RogerN

1994 was the year Ford and Mazda went into partnership making the
Ranger series. Prior to that..they were the Courier (spit) and I
think another model. Mazda plants turn out the Rangers here in the
US. New Jersey IRRC

The Mazda trucks are identical to the Rangers, the only thing
different is the emblem on the front grill and the owners manual in
the glove box.

The Mazda trucks are the B2300 (2.3 liter engine), B3000 (3.0) and the
B4000 (4.0 liter)

The 3.0 engine is a V6 (as is the 4.0), and has gone into many Ford
and Mazda vehicles besides trucks. The Ford Taurus had a sidways
mounted 3.0. The only difference was the water pump housing and the
intake manifold.

That 3.0 in a Ranger/Mazda, is well known for going 300,000 miles
with few problems and the trucks themselves are extremely well made
and rugged. Ive no experience with the 4x4s. Several friends have the
4.0 engines in their 4x4s and have said they like them.

The key is post 1994.

Gunner


"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:21:44 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

Why not buy a 1994 or later Ford Ranger with the 3.0 in it and less than
150k on the odo.

It will go at least another 150k with minimal problems if you change the
oil and antifreeze on a regular basis.

Get the extended cab and put a shell on it.

About 19-21 mpg, street or hiway

Gunner, with one in the drive way with 440,000 miles on it. It now needs
an engine. Still runs, but sounds like ****.



"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of
Spotsylvania

Thanks Gunner, that's what I was wanting to know.

RogerN

"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 23:07:30 -0600, "RogerN" wrote:


1994 was the year Ford and Mazda went into partnership making the
Ranger series. Prior to that..they were the Courier (spit) and I
think another model. Mazda plants turn out the Rangers here in the
US. New Jersey IRRC

The Mazda trucks are identical to the Rangers, the only thing
different is the emblem on the front grill and the owners manual in
the glove box.

The Mazda trucks are the B2300 (2.3 liter engine), B3000 (3.0) and the
B4000 (4.0 liter)

The 3.0 engine is a V6 (as is the 4.0), and has gone into many Ford
and Mazda vehicles besides trucks. The Ford Taurus had a sidways
mounted 3.0. The only difference was the water pump housing and the
intake manifold.

That 3.0 in a Ranger/Mazda, is well known for going 300,000 miles
with few problems and the trucks themselves are extremely well made
and rugged. Ive no experience with the 4x4s. Several friends have the
4.0 engines in their 4x4s and have said they like them.

The key is post 1994.

Gunner

I saw an ad for a 4 cyl Ranger with 179K miles on it. Are you aware of how
long the 4 cylinder engines typically last? It's a 1997 and they are asking
$2995 for it. Looks pretty good if it has much life left in it.

RogerN


"Gunner" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 2 Dec 2008 23:07:30 -0600, "RogerN" wrote:

1994 was the year Ford and Mazda went into partnership making the
Ranger series. Prior to that..they were the Courier (spit) and I
think another model. Mazda plants turn out the Rangers here in the
US. New Jersey IRRC

The Mazda trucks are identical to the Rangers, the only thing
different is the emblem on the front grill and the owners manual in
the glove box.

The Mazda trucks are the B2300 (2.3 liter engine), B3000 (3.0) and the
B4000 (4.0 liter)

The 3.0 engine is a V6 (as is the 4.0), and has gone into many Ford
and Mazda vehicles besides trucks. The Ford Taurus had a sidways
mounted 3.0. The only difference was the water pump housing and the
intake manifold.

That 3.0 in a Ranger/Mazda, is well known for going 300,000 miles
with few problems and the trucks themselves are extremely well made
and rugged. Ive no experience with the 4x4s. Several friends have the
4.0 engines in their 4x4s and have said they like them.

The key is post 1994.

Gunner


"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
. ..
On Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:21:44 -0800, Jon Anderson
wrote:

Why not buy a 1994 or later Ford Ranger with the 3.0 in it and less than
150k on the odo.

It will go at least another 150k with minimal problems if you change the
oil and antifreeze on a regular basis.

Get the extended cab and put a shell on it.

About 19-21 mpg, street or hiway

Gunner, with one in the drive way with 440,000 miles on it. It now needs
an engine. Still runs, but sounds like ****.



"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist..."
Maj. Gen. John Sedgewick, killed by a sniper in 1864 at the battle of
Spotsylvania

I saw an ad for a 1992 Ranger for $1250, are the pre 94 models good? *If I
could save that much money I could afford to put some $$$ into the
mechanicals if needed.

1994 was the year Ford and Mazda went into partnership making the
Ranger series. *Prior to that..they were the Courier (spit) and I
think another model. *Mazda plants turn out the Rangers here in the
US. New Jersey IRRC

The courier to ranger change was in '84, I think. My first ranger was
an '85, with a 2.8. Great little truck, good on gas and peppy*, great
for city traffic since it looked like heck and no-one would mess with
it. Very rugged. One potential problem with these was cracking at
the top of the a-pillars, can be easily confused with a windshield
leak. * Last year with the carb, which tended to ice up, so I bolted
the air cleaner bypass to permanently draw from the heat riser, seemed
to fix it...then it was peppy. One advantage to the older generation
is that there are ton of aftermarket body parts for them, since they
are cheap and common they get used as a platform for further
modification...

94 was the start of the more rounded body (wife had a Mazda). '96 was
the start of the OBDII and had an interior redesign (my current
truck). Heater cores are easier to replace on 94, just remove a
panel, dash has to get pulled on a 96. The OBDII is easier to
diagnose, and means I don't have to put the truck on a treadmill to
pass emissions...

The Mazda trucks are identical to the Rangers, the only thing
different is the emblem on the front grill and the owners manual in
the glove box.

Well, there is one other difference: Ford used galvanized rear
quarter panels, Mazda didn't. If you're anywhere near the Rust Belt,
this can make a big difference. It's one of the reasons why the
wife's Mazda got taken off the road...a friend said you could see this
difference between the older rangers and Mazdas even in Texas, which
most don't think of as Rust Belt. I don't know if this holds true for
the newer ones or not.

Several friends have the 4.0 engines in their 4x4s and have said they like them.

The 4.0 in the wife's truck was a fuel hog, and knocked on anything
less than Hitest. I understand that this motor can carbon up, which
can cause this, and that there is a way to clean it out with a dealer
water injection kit, but never tried it. Great motor for towing,
though.

About 19-21 mpg, street or hiway

23 here with a 2.3 manual regular cab and cap. 25 if I go easy on the
go pedal or put an extra 5psi in the tires. If you have to haul a lot
of stuff, a trailer will get you better mileage than a roof rack.

Another thing to check if you're in the rust belt: the brackets and
shackles for the rear springs. Every one of these trucks I've owned
has had to have at least one replaced. Not too bad a repair if you
have access to a minigrinder and an air hammer. Details on request.

--Glenn Lyford

RogerN wrote:
In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car another
3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it has
been declared a total loss. According to Insurance, Illinois law (I hate
Illinois with a passion) requires my car to go through the salvage process.
So my choice is to hand over the car or drop the claim.

The insurance is giving me 3500 - $200 deductable + Tax, Title, License for
the car.

My search has came up with Zero 2001 Chevy Prizms/ Toyora Corollas (I had a
Prizm) in my area for $3500. I found a 2000 Prizm for $3595 but its body
was in worse shape than my cars before the deer.

So, if possible, I need to find a car for $3500 more or less that will be
reliable for 60K miles. Some I'm looking at include a 96 Honda Civic LX 4Dr
with 98K miles for $3995 cash with Carfax records, has always been a
privately owned car and no descrepancy in milage. So far in my search I've
come up with Honda and Toyota being very reliable, Honda is supposed to be a
little more reliable but if I understand correctly, Toyota is generaly less
expensive to repair.

Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.
Avoid all US-label cars like the plague. I have
FINALLY broken my wife of the horrible habit of
"buying American". After two transmissions on two
US-label cars, both at under 100K miles, I've HAD
it! Until my 1989 Toyota Corolla station wagon
got totalled, it was the most reliable car I've
ever seen. 180,000 miles, on the original clutch,
original Freon still in the A/C, original water
pump. About the only
unscheduled maintenance was a starter motor at
110K miles!

Honda is alos quite good, so that Civic is
probably a good deal.

Jon

On Mon, 01 Dec 2008 11:42:34 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:

RogerN wrote:
In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car another
3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it has
been declared a total loss. According to Insurance, Illinois law (I hate
Illinois with a passion) requires my car to go through the salvage process.
So my choice is to hand over the car or drop the claim.

The insurance is giving me 3500 - $200 deductable + Tax, Title, License for
the car.

My search has came up with Zero 2001 Chevy Prizms/ Toyora Corollas (I had a
Prizm) in my area for $3500. I found a 2000 Prizm for $3595 but its body
was in worse shape than my cars before the deer.

So, if possible, I need to find a car for $3500 more or less that will be
reliable for 60K miles. Some I'm looking at include a 96 Honda Civic LX 4Dr
with 98K miles for $3995 cash with Carfax records, has always been a
privately owned car and no descrepancy in milage. So far in my search I've
come up with Honda and Toyota being very reliable, Honda is supposed to be a
little more reliable but if I understand correctly, Toyota is generaly less
expensive to repair.

Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.
Avoid all US-label cars like the plague. I have
FINALLY broken my wife of the horrible habit of
"buying American". After two transmissions on two
US-label cars, both at under 100K miles, I've HAD
it! Until my 1989 Toyota Corolla station wagon
got totalled, it was the most reliable car I've
ever seen. 180,000 miles, on the original clutch,
original Freon still in the A/C, original water
pump. About the only
unscheduled maintenance was a starter motor at
110K miles!

Honda is alos quite good, so that Civic is
probably a good deal.

Jon
And the later Escorts are just "zooom-zooms" - masda virtually
through and through.

My brather is a mechanic. He has an F150 for work, a low milege Taurus
wagon, and an Escort ZR2 or whatever they call the coupe for everyday
driving. Both daughters and his son(who is a cop and drives like an
idiot sometimes) are also driving escort coupes. The kids have never
driven anything but escorts, and most had 200,000km on them when they
were aquired.

Very close to trouble free. I used to be a Toyota service manager, and
I'd but the late escort up against a mid-90s or 90s corolla as fairly
well matched, reliability wize.

RogerN wrote:
In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car another
3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it has
been declared a total loss. According to Insurance, Illinois law (I hate
Illinois with a passion) requires my car to go through the salvage process.
So my choice is to hand over the car or drop the claim.


So, if you drop the claim, you have a car that runs, where you know the
mechanical history, and you pony up out of pocket for some small amount
of body work and boneyard glass. Have you priced that? How good are
the mechanicals on that car?


The insurance is giving me 3500 - $200 deductable + Tax, Title, License for
the car.

My search has came up with Zero 2001 Chevy Prizms/ Toyora Corollas (I had a
Prizm) in my area for $3500. I found a 2000 Prizm for $3595 but its body
was in worse shape than my cars before the deer.


In Cinci, that money gets you a bunch of mid/late 90's s-10 extra cabs,
I just bought a 96 in very nice shape for 3 grand.


So, if possible, I need to find a car for $3500 more or less that will be
reliable for 60K miles. Some I'm looking at include a 96 Honda Civic LX 4Dr
with 98K miles for $3995 cash with Carfax records, has always been a
privately owned car and no descrepancy in milage. So far in my search I've
come up with Honda and Toyota being very reliable, Honda is supposed to be a
little more reliable but if I understand correctly, Toyota is generaly less
expensive to repair.

Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.

Bottom line is I need a work car (or Mini Truck) that will be dependable for
3 years/ 60K miles for the minimum amount of money per mile. Any
recommendations?

Thanks

RogerN

On Dec 1, 5:46*am, "RogerN" wrote:
In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car another
3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it has
been declared a total loss. *According to Insurance, Illinois law (I hate
Illinois with a passion) requires my car to go through the salvage process.
So my choice is to hand over the car or drop the claim.

The insurance is giving me 3500 - $200 deductable + Tax, Title, License for
the car.

My search has came up with Zero 2001 Chevy Prizms/ Toyora Corollas (I had a
Prizm) in my area for $3500. *I found a 2000 Prizm for $3595 but its body
was in worse shape than my cars before the deer.

So, if possible, I need to find a car for $3500 more or less that will be
reliable for 60K miles. *Some I'm looking at include a 96 Honda Civic LX 4Dr
with 98K miles for $3995 cash with Carfax records, has always been a
privately owned car and no descrepancy in milage. *So far in my search I've
come up with Honda and Toyota being very reliable, Honda is supposed to be a
little more reliable but if I understand correctly, Toyota is generaly less
expensive to repair.

Any others in the running? *I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.

Bottom line is I need a work car (or Mini Truck) that will be dependable for
3 years/ 60K miles for the minimum amount of money per mile. *Any
recommendations?

Thanks

RogerN

I can tell you that the supply of cheap good cars/trucks is drying up
fast.

With the Bush economy by accounts tanking severely (we find out just
this morning that the Country has been in a recession FOR A YEAR NOW)
and the credit market nonfunctional for some time to come, time is
working against you.

The demand for cheap transportation is skyrocketing and the supply is
limited.

I would think strongly about fixing what you have.

And save your nickels and dimes, you will be needing them.

TMT

Too_Many_Tools wrote:

I can tell you that the supply of cheap good cars/trucks is drying up
fast.

With the Bush economy by accounts tanking severely (we find out just
this morning that the Country has been in a recession FOR A YEAR NOW)
and the credit market nonfunctional for some time to come, time is
working against you.


And the butt sniffing green cars we will be forced to buy soon are going to take more
green to buy than many of use have to spare.


Wes

On Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:40:58 -0800 (PST), Too_Many_Tools
wrote:

On Dec 1, 5:46Â*am, "RogerN" wrote:
In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car another
3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it has
been declared a total loss. Â*According to Insurance, Illinois law (I hate
Illinois with a passion) requires my car to go through the salvage process.
So my choice is to hand over the car or drop the claim.

The insurance is giving me 3500 - $200 deductable + Tax, Title, License for
the car.

My search has came up with Zero 2001 Chevy Prizms/ Toyora Corollas (I had a
Prizm) in my area for $3500. Â*I found a 2000 Prizm for $3595 but its body
was in worse shape than my cars before the deer.

So, if possible, I need to find a car for $3500 more or less that will be
reliable for 60K miles. Â*Some I'm looking at include a 96 Honda Civic LX 4Dr
with 98K miles for $3995 cash with Carfax records, has always been a
privately owned car and no descrepancy in milage. Â*So far in my search I've
come up with Honda and Toyota being very reliable, Honda is supposed to be a
little more reliable but if I understand correctly, Toyota is generaly less
expensive to repair.

Any others in the running? Â*I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.

Bottom line is I need a work car (or Mini Truck) that will be dependable for
3 years/ 60K miles for the minimum amount of money per mile. Â*Any
recommendations?

Thanks

RogerN

I can tell you that the supply of cheap good cars/trucks is drying up
fast.

With the Bush economy by accounts tanking severely (we find out just
this morning that the Country has been in a recession FOR A YEAR NOW)
and the credit market nonfunctional for some time to come, time is
working against you.

The demand for cheap transportation is skyrocketing and the supply is
limited.

I would think strongly about fixing what you have.

And save your nickels and dimes, you will be needing them.

TMT
Just be one hundred percent sure you don't need to go the salvage
route if you drop the claim. In Ontario if the insurance co has been
involved an knows the extent of the damage, it is branded - no ifs,
ands, or buts.

And whatever the adjuster said needs REPLACING, must be REPLACED.
repaired parts deamed by the idiot to be structural can NOT be
repaired. That includes rad headers.

"RogerN" wrote in message
...
In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car
another 3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it has
been declared a total loss. According to Insurance, Illinois law (I hate
Illinois with a passion) requires my car to go through the salvage
process. So my choice is to hand over the car or drop the claim.

The insurance is giving me 3500 - $200 deductable + Tax, Title, License
for the car.

My search has came up with Zero 2001 Chevy Prizms/ Toyora Corollas (I had
a Prizm) in my area for $3500. I found a 2000 Prizm for $3595 but its
body was in worse shape than my cars before the deer.

So, if possible, I need to find a car for $3500 more or less that will be
reliable for 60K miles. Some I'm looking at include a 96 Honda Civic LX
4Dr with 98K miles for $3995 cash with Carfax records, has always been a
privately owned car and no descrepancy in milage. So far in my search
I've come up with Honda and Toyota being very reliable, Honda is supposed
to be a little more reliable but if I understand correctly, Toyota is
generaly less expensive to repair.

Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles
for $3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles
they should last.

Bottom line is I need a work car (or Mini Truck) that will be dependable
for 3 years/ 60K miles for the minimum amount of money per mile. Any
recommendations?

Thanks

RogerN


Roger
You might want to check at a few local banks. I have seen ads in the paper
for repossessed cars and trucks for not too bad of an asking price. Lately
it seems people just can't keep up with the payments and are forced to let
some things go.
Steve

On Mon, 1 Dec 2008 14:48:39 -0600, the infamous "Up North"
scrawled the following:


"RogerN" wrote in message
...
In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car
another 3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it has
been declared a total loss.

I'm -not- surprised that neither someone in his church nor God has
given him a replacement vehicle, but poor ol' Rog might be.


You might want to check at a few local banks. I have seen ads in the paper
for repossessed cars and trucks for not too bad of an asking price. Lately
it seems people just can't keep up with the payments and are forced to let
some things go.

Another important tip:

Whatever anyone does, if they buy a used car since Katrina and all the
flooding in the Midwest, ALWAYS get an insurance trace on the VIN.
There are tens of thousands of potential lemons out there just
-waiting- to bite people real hard.

http://www.carsearch.com/buy-used.html Might help.

--
The only difference between a rut and a grave...is in their dimensions.
-- Ellen Glasglow

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 1 Dec 2008 14:48:39 -0600, the infamous "Up North"
scrawled the following:


"RogerN" wrote in message
...
In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car
another 3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it
has
been declared a total loss.

I'm -not- surprised that neither someone in his church nor God has
given him a replacement vehicle, but poor ol' Rog might be.

I don't go to church so that rules that out. I bought my car for $7XXX with
39K miles on it. Now it has 139K miles and I'm getting $3751.25 for it, so
I think I did alright. Now I'll have to see what I can find, might get
another 100K miles out of the situation.

You might want to check at a few local banks. I have seen ads in the
paper
for repossessed cars and trucks for not too bad of an asking price. Lately
it seems people just can't keep up with the payments and are forced to let
some things go.

Another important tip:

Whatever anyone does, if they buy a used car since Katrina and all the
flooding in the Midwest, ALWAYS get an insurance trace on the VIN.
There are tens of thousands of potential lemons out there just
-waiting- to bite people real hard.

http://www.carsearch.com/buy-used.html Might help.


Thanks for the tip.

RogerN

I found a 97 Honda Accord with 187K miles, engine replaced at 155K miles.
They are asking $3500. It's only 20-25 miles from home. I'm suprized at
needing an engine at 155K miles. What else would be expected to go wrong in
250K miles (187K + 60K I'm hoping for). CV joints? Transmission?

Thanks
RogerN

On Mon, 1 Dec 2008 05:46:17 -0600, "RogerN" wrote:



Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.



My current car is a '97 Ford Escort wagon which has 260,000 miles on
it. Has been very dependable and i hope that it lasts a couple of
more years.

Errol Groff

Instructor, Machine Tool Department
H.H. Ellis Technical High School
Danielson, CT

"RogerN" wrote:

Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.

I'm driving a 2001 Saturn SL1 I bought with 31K 5 years ago. Currently with 163,000 miles
on the odometer. Wheel bearings, DIS module, intake gasket, front brakes pads and tires.

I have a light trailer I pull a 5x8 utility trailer when I need to pick up things inside
of 500# Load and trailer just under 1000# max. Trip distances 70 miles round trip.

You can get a 10' long rain gutter, piece of pipe, 2x6 in by folding down the rear seat
and angling the item into passenger side foot well. Trunk closes.

It can get 35-36 w/o trying, can do 39+ if you try a bit. I drive fairly long distances
to work so if you are a city type, knock it back to low 30's.

Wes

In article , wrote:

You can get a 10' long rain gutter, piece of pipe, 2x6 in by folding down the rear seat
and angling the item into passenger side foot well. Trunk closes.

Wes, next time you need to haul a 10' piece of something, fold down the rear
seat and slide one end of the item up onto the dashboard. Lots easier than
trying to guide it into the passenger foot well -- especially if you have a
passenger. Trunk closes. Works a treat on my wife's 96 SL2; should work on
your 01 SL1 too, I think.

In article , "RogerN" wrote:
[...]

Bottom line is I need a work car (or Mini Truck) that will be dependable for
3 years/ 60K miles for the minimum amount of money per mile. Any
recommendations?

First the specific:
SWMBO has been driving a '96 Saturn SL2 for 2+ years now, largely
trouble-free. Bought used for about $3500 at somewhere around 90K miles. Liked
it well enough that I bought a '99 for myself this spring (similar mileage,
similar price); satisfied so far. One thing I find particularly attractive
about the Saturn SL-series engines: they have a timing *chain*, not a belt.

Next the general:
I've had very, very good results with buying used cars from new-car dealers.
They only keep the best of the trade-ins. The not-so-good cars they take as
trade-ins usually go straight to the auctions, where the used-car dealers buy
them.

Thanks all for the replies. I bought a Prizm in 97, still runs great after
205K miles, and bought a used 2001 Prizm in 2003 if I remember correctly,
also still runs great. So, I haven't been keeping up on what cars are
reliable these days. I didn't know if the newer cars were worth considering
or not (Saturn, Kia, Hyundi, etc). I'm familiar with the Toyotas and Hondas
as being reliable from when I bought the 97 Prizm new. At that time I don't
believe the Dodge Neon and Ford Escorts were very reliable (the earlier
models) it seems that has changed.

Unless I find something else, I'm planning to give the 1996 Honda Civic with
98K miles for $3995 a better look. The place also has a 97 Accord with 99K
miles for $3995 but the body is pretty rough looking, lots of dents and
dings. The Civic has the Carfax VIN report, sort of makes me suspicious why
the dealers other cars don't have this report.

The Ranger sounds great for a truck but for my daily 66 mile drive I would
like better gas mileage. I have a Ford F350 4X4 7.3L Diesel that I can use
when I need to haul something in a truck or pull my 9.9hp john boat :-)

Thanks again, I have more ideas of cars to look at now.

RogerN

On Mon, 1 Dec 2008 05:46:17 -0600, "RogerN" wrote:

In my plan to get out of consumer debt, I was hoping to drive my car another
3 years and 60K miles with little trouble.

A deer damaged the body and although the car runs and drives fine, it has
been declared a total loss. According to Insurance, Illinois law (I hate
Illinois with a passion) requires my car to go through the salvage process.
So my choice is to hand over the car or drop the claim.

The insurance is giving me 3500 - $200 deductable + Tax, Title, License for
the car.

My search has came up with Zero 2001 Chevy Prizms/ Toyora Corollas (I had a
Prizm) in my area for $3500. I found a 2000 Prizm for $3595 but its body
was in worse shape than my cars before the deer.

So, if possible, I need to find a car for $3500 more or less that will be
reliable for 60K miles. Some I'm looking at include a 96 Honda Civic LX 4Dr
with 98K miles for $3995 cash with Carfax records, has always been a
privately owned car and no descrepancy in milage. So far in my search I've
come up with Honda and Toyota being very reliable, Honda is supposed to be a
little more reliable but if I understand correctly, Toyota is generaly less
expensive to repair.

Any others in the running? I've found a 99 Ford Escort with 109K miles for
$3k, they are supposed to be reliable but I don't know how many miles they
should last.

Bottom line is I need a work car (or Mini Truck) that will be dependable for
3 years/ 60K miles for the minimum amount of money per mile. Any
recommendations?

Thanks

RogerN

Too bad you are in illinois. Have a very solid little '96 tercel - no
body rust - you could buy up here in Ontario for the equivalent of
$2800 Canadian - whatever that is on any particular day.

All new brakes - it's been sitting a while so I need to give it a good
cleaning and one steel brake line to get it on the road.

It would clean up almost like new - passes E-test here with no
problems, etc...

About 15KM from cykf and northwestern flies in daily.

Some of my dads friends have a 1988 full size Ford with an inline 6 cylinder
and 5 speed overdrive manual transmission. It has been in their family
since new and currently has ~88K miles on it. They claim that on a long
trip they once got up to 25mpg on it. Has new tires with ~500 miles on
them, plus new clutch and new exhaust. The family member that has it now
doesn't use it and is only asking what they paid for it from their other
family, $800. So I'm thinking of giving it a try and if it isn't a good
enough work truck then I shouldn't be out much if anything, if it works out
well, then I'll be able to pocket (errr pay bills with) ~ $2800 after tax,
title, and License.

RogerN

On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 19:01:27 -0600, "RogerN" wrote:


Some of my dads friends have a 1988 full size Ford with an inline 6 cylinder
and 5 speed overdrive manual transmission. It has been in their family
since new and currently has ~88K miles on it. They claim that on a long
trip they once got up to 25mpg on it. Has new tires with ~500 miles on
them, plus new clutch and new exhaust. The family member that has it now
doesn't use it and is only asking what they paid for it from their other
family, $800. So I'm thinking of giving it a try and if it isn't a good
enough work truck then I shouldn't be out much if anything, if it works out
well, then I'll be able to pocket (errr pay bills with) ~ $2800 after tax,
title, and License.

RogerN

Don't expect fantastic gas mileage, but that baby will ou-pull a 5
liter V8 any day of the week, and quite possibly a 5.7 on Sundays.

Like Chevy/GM's old 292. Outpulled a 327 any day, and a 396 (or 377)
on a good day. Back in my younger years we had one in a 1 ton pickup
and hauled a 3 axle trailer. 22 tons of farm machinery was just
playing.

wrote in message
...

Don't expect fantastic gas mileage, but that baby will ou-pull a 5
liter V8 any day of the week, and quite possibly a 5.7 on Sundays.

Like Chevy/GM's old 292. Outpulled a 327 any day, and a 396 (or 377)
on a good day. Back in my younger years we had one in a 1 ton pickup
and hauled a 3 axle trailer. 22 tons of farm machinery was just
playing.

The primary role of this truck will be transportation to and from work, 66
miles per day round trip. My major concern is reliability for right now, I
don't want to have to call for help very often. I thought for the price and
condition, I could use this truck at least temporarily until I can find
better transportation if needed. Did you have any reliability problems?

Searching with Google, I found some reviews, some people had excellent
reliability, others did not. The previous owner is a friend of my dads and
believes the truck to be reliable. Anyway, for $800 if I could get a year
out of it, I would be more than satisfied.

Thanks!

RogerN

RogerN wrote:
wrote in message
...
Don't expect fantastic gas mileage, but that baby will ou-pull a 5
liter V8 any day of the week, and quite possibly a 5.7 on Sundays.

Like Chevy/GM's old 292. Outpulled a 327 any day, and a 396 (or 377)
on a good day. Back in my younger years we had one in a 1 ton pickup
and hauled a 3 axle trailer. 22 tons of farm machinery was just
playing.

The primary role of this truck will be transportation to and from work, 66
miles per day round trip. My major concern is reliability for right now, I
don't want to have to call for help very often. I thought for the price and
condition, I could use this truck at least temporarily until I can find
better transportation if needed. Did you have any reliability problems?

Searching with Google, I found some reviews, some people had excellent
reliability, others did not. The previous owner is a friend of my dads and
believes the truck to be reliable. Anyway, for $800 if I could get a year
out of it, I would be more than satisfied.

I think it would be easily worth $800
Reliability on a 20 year old vehicle is always a crapshoot. The 1980s
were not the high-water mark for quality in U.S.-made vehicles.
IIRC that 5-speed may be the weak point. List for noises.
I'd consider replacing the radiator as a preventative measure.

In , on Thu, 4 Dec 2008
05:28:25 -0600, RogerN, wrote:

The primary role of this truck will be transportation to and from work, 66
miles per day round trip. My major concern is reliability for right now, I
don't want to have to call for help very often. I thought for the price and
condition, I could use this truck at least temporarily until I can find
better transportation if needed. Did you have any reliability problems?

Our '82 Bronco with I-6 had ~140K on it when the clutch
gave out... at that time I had put a carb rebuild into
the engine and nothing more... though come to think of
it, I may have changed the water pump out around '90.
It was driven in the salt a lot, so by '94 the tailgate
and rocker panels were rotted out.
Also had the 5-speed OD tranny, which needed an input
shaft bearing fairly early in its life... maybe '87.
(Changed on the dining room table in our Nürnberg apt.
with limited tools, so it obviously wasn't *that* big a
deal)

Mixed town and highway driving usually got 19-20 mpg.
We did get 25 mpg on one tank during a NH to TX trip.
Overall 23+ mpg for the trip, IIRC.

Searching with Google, I found some reviews, some people had excellent
reliability, others did not.

Ours only stranded us once. Bad voltage regulator
killed the battery, IIRC. Engine itself; a solid 10
for reliability.

--
˜¯˜¯

"Steve Ackman" wrote in message
rg...
In , on Thu, 4 Dec 2008
SNIP
Mixed town and highway driving usually got 19-20 mpg.
We did get 25 mpg on one tank during a NH to TX trip.
Overall 23+ mpg for the trip, IIRC.

Searching with Google, I found some reviews, some people had excellent
reliability, others did not.

Ours only stranded us once. Bad voltage regulator
killed the battery, IIRC. Engine itself; a solid 10
for reliability.

--

Thanks for the info. If I don't see any major objections, I plan to buy the
truck and give it a try as work transportation. Even thought the mileage
should be worse than my Chevy Prizm it's replacing, the currently lower gas
prices should make it reasonable in fuel costs. I figure for the $800 I
shouldn't be able to get hurt too bad. If I were to buy a new car and it
last 10 years, it would cost me twice that or more per year.

I'm glad to hear that the engine is reliable. For my purposes I can live
with some failures but I don't want to get stranded or miss work very often.

RogerN


RogerN

I bought the 88 Ford F-150 with the inline 6 cyl, 4.9L, 300 Cu In engine and
M5OD transmission. Runs good but has a hydraulic clutch that was out of
fluid.

There is air in the clutch hydraulic system now and the clutch pedal had to
be pumped up several strokes before it would disengage the clutch. The
truck runs and drives fine once the clutch got pumped up and they took $100
off because of the clutch problem, I bought the truck for $700. I have a
hand vacuum pump and I'm planning to connect to the clutch bleed and see if
I can remove the air from the slave cylinder with it.

Anybody here dealt with the Ford hydraulic clutches? I'm wondering what the
worst case cost to have this repaired is. I'm guessing the concentric slave
cylinder has to have the transmission removed to replace it. I don't want
to put a lot of money in this truck because it is old, not worth much, and
has no air conditioning but yet if I can drive it 7 or 8 months per year it
could save many miles on a more valuable car and give me something to drive
while having another vehicle serviced.

RogerN

On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:53:55 -0500, the infamous
scrawled the following:

On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 19:01:27 -0600, "RogerN" wrote:


Some of my dads friends have a 1988 full size Ford with an inline 6 cylinder
and 5 speed overdrive manual transmission. It has been in their family
since new and currently has ~88K miles on it. They claim that on a long
trip they once got up to 25mpg on it. Has new tires with ~500 miles on
them, plus new clutch and new exhaust. The family member that has it now
doesn't use it and is only asking what they paid for it from their other
family, $800. So I'm thinking of giving it a try and if it isn't a good
enough work truck then I shouldn't be out much if anything, if it works out
well, then I'll be able to pocket (errr pay bills with) ~ $2800 after tax,
title, and License.

RogerN

Don't expect fantastic gas mileage, but that baby will ou-pull a 5
liter V8 any day of the week, and quite possibly a 5.7 on Sundays.

My '91 F-150 EFI-fed 5L outranked my old '68 Ranch Wagon 5L V-8 by
nearly 100 horsies, and probably a bit of torque. Though the old I-6es
were torquey, I seriously doubt they'd out-pull a newer EFI-fueled
302.

In '88, the 300cid I-6 put out 170hp @ 260lb-ft while the 302cid put
out 220hp @ 300lf-ft (130hp in '68 with 2bbl.)

--
Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across
thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.
-- Helen Keller

On Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:04:59 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:53:55 -0500, the infamous
scrawled the following:

On Wed, 3 Dec 2008 19:01:27 -0600, "RogerN" wrote:


Some of my dads friends have a 1988 full size Ford with an inline 6 cylinder
and 5 speed overdrive manual transmission. It has been in their family
since new and currently has ~88K miles on it. They claim that on a long
trip they once got up to 25mpg on it. Has new tires with ~500 miles on
them, plus new clutch and new exhaust. The family member that has it now
doesn't use it and is only asking what they paid for it from their other
family, $800. So I'm thinking of giving it a try and if it isn't a good
enough work truck then I shouldn't be out much if anything, if it works out
well, then I'll be able to pocket (errr pay bills with) ~ $2800 after tax,
title, and License.

RogerN

Don't expect fantastic gas mileage, but that baby will ou-pull a 5
liter V8 any day of the week, and quite possibly a 5.7 on Sundays.

My '91 F-150 EFI-fed 5L outranked my old '68 Ranch Wagon 5L V-8 by
nearly 100 horsies, and probably a bit of torque. Though the old I-6es
were torquey, I seriously doubt they'd out-pull a newer EFI-fueled
302.

In '88, the 300cid I-6 put out 170hp @ 260lb-ft while the 302cid put
out 220hp @ 300lf-ft (130hp in '68 with 2bbl.)
Wish I had the car I saw today! It had the most God Awful paint job I
have ever laid eyes on - poorly sprayed on aluminium paint - but
still wish it was mine. 50+ years ago, I could have had the one year
newer coupe w/rumble seat for $50.00 but wanted something that I could
get in and drive! What did I see? A 1928 Durant 2 door coach parked at
Princess Auto here in snow land.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada