Ok, car most likely to get you there and back for $3,000?

This should stop all my car threads...

Go!

how far there and how far back?

XJ Cherokee.

Or if you want a little more room, better power:

In reply to nicksta43:

That's awesome! Thanks, that made me laugh!

"Getting there" to me means 1/2 hour to work and back, all side roads.

Edit: every day for years w/ regular belts and fluids obviously.

Mid 90's 2200 Camry. Had one pull into the parking lot at work with the temp gauge pegged and steam rolling out. Girl walked inside with the car still running/steaming, dealt with the salesman, service manager informed tech, car got pulled in rolling steam. He shut it off and popped the hood and the radiator was bone dry. Total time running with no coolant was well over 15 minutes, and that's only from what we saw. The technician filled it and did a leak test and found nothing. Car never came back and we never got a claims call from 1800-get-it-free, so I can only guess it's still putting around somewhere.

We have several regulars that own examples with well over 250k as well.

I'd also nominate anything with a SBF or SBC and a manual or a non-overdrive automatic.

Three Chevy cavaliers. It won't be fun though

P71

To the goddamned sun. And berkeleying back. Or your money back!

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/200x-classifieds/the-mighty-integra-1500-your-lechumpchallengedd-chariot-awaits/76320/page1/

mndsm wrote:

Came here to say this.

Saturn S-series. Just add oil.

carbon wrote:

Are these really as reliable as the others in this post? I actually kinda like them and they are pretty cheap now.

4-cyl e30 in good condition. Or anything Toyota from the early 90s. Or anything Honda from the early 90s.

Gearheadotaku wrote: Saturn S-series. Just add oil.

Can anyone speak to the later Saturns? SL etc.

Late 90's 4 cylinder accord if the path has roads...If not pathfinder or XJ.

Corolla.

Honda accord! I've had 3 myself and combined with my dad and brother's we've had 4 of 7 go over 200k (89 hatch, 94 sedan, 95 wagon, 02 coupe, 03 coupe, 05 coupe, 05 sedan) and none have quit we just sold them off running fine. I've got a friend with a 96 right now coming up on 300k

On the Corolla front, while most of them seem to be reliable my experience with one is the opposite. My wife got a hand me down from her mother who was the original owner. Had under 100k miles on it, well maintained. Three days later she was stranded on the side of the highway, in 100+ heat, 7 months pregnant with a rod hanging out of the block.

For three grand shop condition over brand, but sometimes those flukes still happen. My motto is life is too short to drive boring cars, go with the Golf

GameboyRMH wrote:

mndsm wrote:

Came here to say this.

Very this. Uh huh. Yes.

An added feature is the fact that they (often?) burn oil later in life, so every so often you dump in 1 Litre of oil. Regular oil changes, just like that, right?...

$3K would get you a very clean 2001 ZX3, all engine bolt-ons (CAI/TB/4-1 header/ tune etc.), Konis, springs, RSB, Bosal exh., shifter...more. 125K, new timing belt/water pump/tensioner, no rust (was MD/WV car until 2013).