bigsteviejoe Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I am extremely sad to report that my 1989 Reatta Black on burgandy was totalled by a mack truck Nov 21 2008. Weather was not a factor, and I had snow tires on.The car had 296000kms.For the mean time I am going to hold off on buying another Reatta until I find a place with a garage, as I don't want to subject another to winter.I posted a number of pictures of the car under the subject of rims and tires. I don't believe the latest version of the site has them. If anyone has copied and downloaded pictures of it I'd like to have a copy, seriously. The pictures had the car with Chrome Ronal R25 rims that I feel were made for the Reatta and like the Reatta were unique unknown and discontinued.My wife has found a few nice pictures, I will post up from when we went camping.I am wondering what to get for a new (well not new) car. Ugliness is not a factor. I would like to stay away from black rubber looking interiors (the Accent).I'd like to get something that has the best offset between insurance cost and Fuel economy, reliability being important. It can be old if it has really depreciated because of ugliness or bad reps from other models.Looking at later model GMs is like walking through a minefield. I'm scared to own anything that has the potential of hydrolocking due to head gasket or whatver failure.Also I like the supercharged cars, but the transmission becomes a concern. I mean I could get modified tranny off ZZP if I really like the car and can trust I won't need to replace the AC, powersteering unit, window motors or control arms. It won't be easy though cuz I live in Mississauga Ontario Canada.The Volvo S40 & Honda Fit doesn't seem to get the insurance rates I expected. Most used small Toyotas are in the neighbourhood of 120000kms. Anyone know about the 2001 V6 Solara? HOw about the 2006 3.8l Allure, are they quality? How far have pre 08 Focuses gone till they died? 1995 Stealth RT Auto 200000kms good/bad? My commute is fairly short (8 miles).Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CL_Reatta Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Well..... it all depends how mcuh you want to spend? Could be suggesting a Festiva or could be suggesting an Aveo... What price range? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigsteviejoe Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 Thats kind've where I'm all over the place. 3 - 9K. I'd like to have the car so I can wait out for some of the newer model cars to be tested and depreciated. I'd like it to last a year per $2000.I want to see what the fuel effiecnt cars will be worth after electrics become available. I figure it may not be far off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CL_Reatta Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 well. if you want something fuel efficient and fun... there is always the Miata... you can get a 92-93 (dont get a 90 or 91 the have the dreaded Short Nose crankshaft) 1.6 with low miles for around $4-5k... 32mpg highway and like 28mpg city.....Insurance is not that bad either... I'd give you my price, but im 18 so my insurance is like triple of everyone else. A mercury capri is even cheaper to insure and you get a back seat... mpg drops a tad though. could find a good used cobalt in that area also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steakneggs Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 You can buy the Bushmobile '88 Reatta with converted brakes no dents or rust for $2500. Red w/grey, daily driver 200 miles. I'm using it on my courier route while gas is cheap, giving my Festiva a break. Job ends 1/15/09. Will just sit after that. Need Festiva for next courier job. Car located in MD. Send a PM if interested. Steak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 You need to be a bit more specific: how many seats do you need ? Do you fit a car you wear ? Frankly when I was renting cars, the Buick Century was about as comfortable as any "nothing" car. The ones I had were dead reliable. OTOH I preferred an Olds Alero with the EcoTech 4. Even the 4-door Aleros had trunk handles and both had RKE & would give over 30 mpg on the Interstate.If more room is needed than the Buick LeSabre had almost as many readouts as the Reatta and road MPG with the SII 3800 was impressive - often saw over 40 instantaneous on the level but usually got high 20s on the DC beltway.It just depends on what you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steakneggs Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 If you buy another Reatta you can use parts from your totaled '89 if you still have it. Not to mention manuals and experience. Steak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JalopyBob Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 There is a black 89 Reatta on the Chicago Craigslist for $1200. It looks like a decent car, with 139000 miles. Might be worth the trip for this car at this price. It couldn't hurt to look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigsteviejoe Posted December 18, 2008 Author Share Posted December 18, 2008 I wanted a Miata but then I saw the trunk. I think Mazda should make it a priority to figure out how to put a properly sized trunk in there.I didn't think about the 4 banger Alero. Is the 2.4 good?I will keep the Series 2 Lesabre in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CL_Reatta Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Actually to be honest with you, you will be suprised what I have fit in my trunk. My capri had the same size trunk, and I would go on campling trips with it. All you need is a trunk rack and your set.... If I remember corectly the 2.4 is the good one, but the 2.2 is the one to be carefull of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigsteviejoe Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 I checked out a 2005 off rental Allure/Lacrosse yesterday, thinking about what has been said about the LeSabre's fuel economy considering that the series III and smaller appearing car should match it or do better. I reset the avg once warmed up and drove as efficiently within reason (waiting out red lights when possible, even went on the hwy). Disappointment. I thought I had a dud but I looked at edmunds, lots of people saying the same thing about mpg. Interior is nice, ride is nice and predictable and not too floaty. Was there ever an instance where the car companies were accused of making the computer readouts on fuel economy too optimistic, cuz this one surely wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest daveagain909 Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Get a chevrolet HHR they are quite inexpensive, lots of storage space, and have great gas milage.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Knew they were not selling, did not realize thay had gotten cheap but quite a good idea.I like having my 92 3800 TranSport around, market value is so low it makes no sense to sell (probably have more in the a/c than the van is worth) and can seat seven if needed just is usually configured as a two seater with lots of cargo capacity and can tow small trailers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest daveagain909 Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I use to have a lumina apv and I loved it. wish I still had it, bought it new in 1990 and when we got rid of it, the auto had 223k miles, the car still ran well but the Air was gone, and all acceries were falling apart. It also had the new ABS brakes with lots of problems in feel bout few in major repairs, same brakes as the Reatta. I think. But I do like the HHR my cousin has....He gets 30 plus miles per gallon aon trips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 That is to be expected from a 2 liter class engine (Ecotech)tuning around 2000 rpm at 70 in a small vehicle. 1500cc engine in a Scion XA (ex-wife's car) will give high 30s on Interstate at speed with a/c on and was "fast enough".To get very high MPG you will have to pay for it somewhere. In Europe, distances are short and gas taxes are high so they learned early. Here, miles and miles of miles and miles plus cheap gas made big lazy engines that required little maintenance popular. Anywhere else, a 3800 is a big engine.Even with a relatively big (over 3200 lbs) car and engine, over 30 mpg is normal when cruising at the Reatta's design speed: 55 mph, the National speed limit when they were built (we are just lucky that congress did not insist on governors, change two bytes in the ECM and it would never reach 60).27 mpg over 100 miles is my recorded experience with the cruise set at 70 and the headlights up on my 88 (not corrected for the 225x60x16s). For three times the purchase price, the Scion got 38. Double that and you could have a new Prius that can get 50. It just depends on what your priorities are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Squire Tom Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 late model buick CENTURY with 3100 automatic o/d.no problems / no pizazz / good mileage and reasonable comfort.great heater / good ac / two golf bags in the trunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RattyOne Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 When you think COmfort, reliability, gas mileage and quality, look at any 1994-2000 BUICK PARK AVENUE ULTRA. They can be had fr a song, you could stuff a basketball team of bodies in the trunk, they cruise like the wind, thys have the 3800 engine (probably the best GM motor since the small block!) and the public thinks they are gas hogs - SOOO they are cheap, cheap, cheap! Down here in FL a low miles Park can be had for $3-7K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 I agree with RattyOne. I have a 95 park ave. Hwy milage 30. Town 20/22. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 On premium (or was that just the Ultra ?). OTOH an L67 engine will always be worth something. AOTGH that just makes an L-36 LeSabre a better deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RattyOne Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Padgett - I never used premium on my 1994 ULTRA. Worst mileage was 24 in a WI winter and best was 33 on a trip thru Michigan at 70+. Even named the car BOB! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest F14CRAZY Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 The old OHV 2.2L was fine. The DOHC 2.4L is the Quad 4 and might have head gasket issues but by then they figured it out.The later Alero's had the Ecotec DOHC 2.2L...a great engine.Hmmm...do you need 4 doors? Seats? Hatch? AWD/4x4? There's a lot of good vehicles to suggest if you can narrow it down a little Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest F14CRAZY Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 A Stealth R/T is an awesome vehicle but would be difficult/expensive to work on...AWD, twin turbos, and AWS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigsteviejoe Posted December 24, 2008 Author Share Posted December 24, 2008 For a day or so I thought I had an answer. It was a 2004 Impala SS Indy that I test drove after the Allure that suprized me when it averaged less fuel than the Allure did.Insurance for the Impala is comparably good. Wife asks to check out rates for the not as big more efficient Malibu that doesn't take premium gas or make the same transmission destroying power. Malibu gets the same rate. Seams like Malibu is the way to go but see the links below about what people had to say about the Malibu's steering.http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Malibu/2005/steering/popping_from_steering_when_turning.shtmlhttp://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Malibu/2004/steering/index.shtmlSo now I'm back to not knowing.04 Impala has some issues with the speedometer and gage cluster going haywire. Also I probably wouldn't use all that power in order to spare the transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Never really cared for the rental Maliblus I had, Century seemed all around better for a nothing car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Reatta1 Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Gotta agree with Padgett, These mid 90's to early 2000 Buicks are damn good cars. With the 3.8 engine you have plenty of power, great gas mileage (upwards of 30mpg on the highway) and they are roomy and confortable. Plus they aren't bad looking to boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Then again an almost totally unknown but IMNSHO fine car was the Olds Intrigue with 3800. It was always overshadowed by the Aurora but the rental I had was very comfortable.Wonder what kind of price a nice one brings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steakneggs Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Eggs drives a '99 Regal. It gets decent mileage and is dependable. Has good rear disk brakes that are easy to service, unlike our old '93 Regal and the Bushmobile. Has plastic intake manifold that needed replacement (by previous owner) because EGR gas erosion of plastic. Just a matter of time before it happens again. Exact-looking Century with bench seat, column shifter, 3.1, and steel wheels is better deal. Steak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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