Just wrecked my car, need a new one @_@

Mr.K

Mr.K

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May 31, 2006
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Location
London, Ontario
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Alright guys, I'm looking for some advice here.

I just wrecked my 93 Prelude SRV tonight - some guy ran a red while I was making a left turn and my car is just toast, I'll post some pictures tomorrow :(. Everyone was fine, except for my wallet.

Requirements:
-About $3000 CDN (canook monies)
-Must be good in the snow
-Must be reasonable on gas; I drive about 4 hours every day currently.
-Would strongly prefer a manual

My first look was civics and stuff, but you guys seem like you might be able to think outside the box a little. I've owned a few cars already: 95 Camaro, 96 Trans Am, 93 240sx Hatchback, and up until today, a Prelude.

Thanks gents, just looking for some different ideas that I haven't thought of :(
 
What about a Subaru Impreza? You can find older examples for that kind of money, they're rock solid cars, great in the snow and they're pretty good on gas.

Are you going to get some insurance money for the Prelude?
 
I always suggest W201 190E's- which can be had with manual transmissions. There's also your typical E30 318i's that get good mileage, CRXs (if you can find decent ones), older model Ranger and Nissan pick ups, Saab 900s, some vintage diesel W123 240D's had sticks...there's quite a variety out there in addition to what you already have listed.
 
tigger said:
What about a Subaru Impreza? You can find older examples for that kind of money, they're rock solid cars, great in the snow and they're pretty good on gas.

Are you going to get some insurance money for the Prelude?
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For some reason, the Subies are rare and expensive in my area. Otherwise that's a great idea, I'll double check the pricing situation tomorrow to see what kind of stuff I can see.

Der Stig - Good suggestions, I'll take a look into a few of those at work tomorrow (hehe). How are the older bmws for reliability?

Keep 'em coming, some good ideas so far :).
 
If you are not apposed to a "truck" you could look into small 4x4s from the early 90s. A lot of those came with manuals.

Jeep XJ (cherokee) or CJ/YJ/TJ
Nissan Pathfinder
Toyota 4runner/Land Cruiser
Isuzu Trooper
Suzuki Samurai/Sidekick
Lada Niva (this is probably a bad idea... but they are cool)
 
Der Stig said:
I always suggest W201 190E's- which can be had with manual transmissions.
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I agree, the 190E is a solid, reliable car with good driving characteristics.
It's built like a panzer.
 
Der Stig said:
I always suggest W201 190E's- which can be had with manual transmissions. There's also your typical E30 318i's that get good mileage, CRXs (if you can find decent ones), older model Ranger and Nissan pick ups, Saab 900s, some vintage diesel W123 240D's had sticks...there's quite a variety out there in addition to what you already have listed.
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he asked for sth good in the snow. CRXs are crap even in the dry!
 
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With that set of requirements, i'd recommend an older-model Merc, as almost everyone else did. W124 or W201, preferrably with a diesel engine. The W123 (the car the W124 replaced) was the standard Taxi in germany, so keeping it this way was a design requirement for the W124, so these cars are literally designed to go half a million kilometers and more or regular, but low maintenance and are easy to service.
 
Both the W201 and W124 Mercs are good choices, as mentioned above. What hasn't been mentioned is that both were available as diesels and/or manuals in North America. The W124 had the 3.0L diesel and turbo diesel options from its W123 predecessor; the W201 had a 2.5L diesel.

In fact, as diesels, you are well advised to buy a manual as for some reason the automatics that Mercedes puts behind the diesels (especially the turbodiesels) tend to be wonky and lead relatively short lives.

Failing that, even the gas W201 2.6L six cylinder automatic is good on gas; it originally was rated at 20 city, 25 highway and many owners report that it averages towards the higher end of that spectrum. The rarer manual variant was rated at 19/27. The diesel W201 was rated at 30/34.

We have several members in Canada and other snowy areas who own W201s and W124s; I'll let them speak as to its snow capabilities. My own impression is that they are quite good in snow.
 
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At least in my area, diesels are harder to come by outside of W123s and a few W201s, but I've never seen a W201 or W124 diesel with a manual before. If you manage to find any though, I would be sure to look at those. As for the W123 diesels, I'd advise finding an late production '84 or newer if you can only find automatic transmission cars. I'm not sure if they shipped the 2.0 W201 like Adu has to Canada, but those are sure to get better mileage than their six-cylinder counterparts. There are really no bad engine choices in the Merc line up for W123s, 201s or 124s, but there are occasionally vacuum issues (usually can be traced to an individual leak or a shot B-2 piston) with the transmissions and power locks. Steering boxes and crapped out A/C compressors are also things to watch out for. A new, all aluminum, permanent replacement is a highly recommended option, albeit a bit costly at around $600. On both the BMWs and Mercs (and most likely the others as well), shot odometers are also going to be a problem, but they can be fixed. If you're really interested in a Merc, especially a diesel, this website is incredibly helpful; it also has a lot of information about DIY stuff that apply to all 70s-early 90s models.

For the older BMWs, reliablity is as good as the maintenance- keep up with it and on the 325 models, replace the timing belt with a timing chain and all should be fine. The M10 motor found in the 318 like thedguy has is a venerable lump and gets great mileage. I would recommend using premium fuel though or at least mid grade.

Just make sure to check for rust!
 
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Subarus for ~$3000 could be found within 1-1.5 hour drive from the GTA, but most of those are in rougher condition, which is what deterred me from getting one when I was looking for a car. Although for that price you should be able to get a 2nd gen legacy (or even 3rd gens) with 200k+ kms, (I've heard that the 2.2l engines are suppose to be tough as nails, but don't quote me on that) which I can vouch for as being brilliant in the snow (even with only 4 all-season tires, don't judge, it's my dad's car)

Currently driving a 2.6 190E in Ontario, mind you it is automagic, and from the, rather weak, snowfall we've been getting I can't vouch for it's actual snow capabilities as I've only had it since last summer. But with some el cheapo winter tires it had faired very well so far. We'll see if I'll still be saying the same after we get some *real* snowfall. Fuel consumption is pretty good actually, roughly the same as the legacy, and it is actually quite relaxing on longer drive
 
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bone said:
he asked for sth good in the snow. CRXs are crap even in the dry!
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Stfu, you obviously don't know anything about them. A friend of mine had a stripped out CRX and on dry roads it cornered harder than a corvette and in the winter he would throw snow tires on it and he never ever had a single issue (even with stiff suspension that had virtually no travel), and the maniac would go driving for the hell of it in snow storms.

I say Civic, CRX, Miata, E30 3-series.
 
^that's why around here all civics and crx's end up in a yard/house/ditch

they torque steer, understeer, rust, leak in, have to soft suspension, to high tires, and if you dare to lean against one, there will be a dent

they're fast, but stock they handle like shit! and the body crumples easier than celophane paper. on the highway i feel safer on foot than in one of those
 
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You must have different Civics in Belgium :lol: Torque steer? From a stock Civic? :lmao: Rust and leak? My friend just picked up another 88 CRX and its completely rust-free :dunno: Suspension and tires are terrible on most stock cars but luckily those are easy to remedy. Also, I know from experience that a CRX (albeit with aftermarket suspension) does just fine at triple-digit speeds.
 
Simmer down guys :S.

I'm looking to see whats available around here - not much in the way of Benz manuals, I'd say 90% of what I'm seeing are autos.

I forgot to say - no, I'm not getting any money for my car, I'm paying out of pocket, hence the low budget :(.

I showed my girlfriend some of the cars though, and she kind of blow her lid a bit x_x. I've got a lot of convncing to do!
 
I forgot to say - no, I'm not getting any money for my car, I'm paying out of pocket, hence the low budget .
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Insurance not pay out on your wreck. Sounds like the other drivers fault so shouldn't their insurance pay? Or is it like down here where half of people run without insurance.
 
TBoneUs said:
Insurance not pay out on your wreck. Sounds like the other drivers fault so shouldn't their insurance pay? Or is it like down here where half of people run without insurance.
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No, my insurance has no collision coverage on my car - it'll pay for his, and it would pay for mine if it was his fault, but I'm getting dinged for it.

I couldn't prove that he ran the red, so I got charged instead. Yay.
 
It should be the other driver's insurance paying, or if they don't have it, he should be paying out of pocket. At least that's how it works in the US.

EDIT: Didn't see that you got blamed. That's seriously not right, given what you've told us. I would fight that tooth and nail.
 
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