What car, ghetto cruiser edition....

DISCLAIMER- this is not a racial thread in any way shape or form. Ghetto knows no color.

THAT out of the way- There's no way to sugar coat this so I'm gonna be blunt. My wife is a childrens mental health case manager, basically a social worker/advocate for children. Her clientele are exclusively welfare/low income because that's the only people in the state of MN that qualify for this service. There's a WHOLE lot of ghetto on welfare. Not to say that they all are, but my wife even tells me stories that tempts me to put "THIS IS NOT A GHETTO TAXI" on the ass end of her current appliance, my winter beater, a rusty 1999 chevy prism with about a billion miles on it. This car will not last forever. It burns some oil, not that I care. It needs left front suspension bushings and a knuckle, not thatI care. HOWEVER, an ill installed aftermarket sunroof plus years of general neglect prior to coming into my care means this thing will not last forever. SO, I need to think about replacing it. We've been discussing it, and this means two cars. A new engine for the MINI, and a new ghetto hoopty/winter beater. What I need is something that I basically give no berkeleys about, and has four doors. Mileage is a plus. The less appealing to hood rats and opportunistic meth heads, the better. I'd buy another Chevrolla, but the Somalian community has commanded a MASSIVE premium on the things around here, so I can't touch one locally. I hate Civics, I'd rather drive one into the river and not get out. Short list is a P71. Long shot is a 9c1 or equivalent with an LT1 but they're starting to get long in the tooth and the tin worm is not kind to them, and the ghetto crowd loves em. Wife CAN drive a manual. She says no Subarus... something about lesbians. I don't know. Should I just buy a panther? Figure budget 2k or so- I don't want to sink a lot of money into hood rat sweat into my premium velour seats.

Not for nothing, but certain folks driving a P71 through the areas your wife will be travelling may attract negative attention...

That being said, its super easy to find a grandpa edition panther on CL that doesn't have any bloodborne diseases in it.

Yeah, a P71 will get slashed tires. Don't go Honda, redly stolen. Can she drive a stick?

Maybe some kind of midsized gm with a V6 like a Malibu or impala? They seem to be easy to find in decent condition for cheap around me at least

Some sort of small pick-up truck. Cheap to fix, handy to have, gas shouldn't be too bad.

DrBoost wrote: Yeah, a P71 will get slashed tires. Don't go Honda, redly stolen. Can she drive a stick?

How do you figure? Every fourth car in the ghetto is a beat up P71, that's before figuring in the taxi fleet.

Source: Live in Detroit.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: How do you figure? Every fourth car in the ghetto is a beat up P71, that's before figuring in the taxi fleet. Source: Live in Detroit.

They're fairly common in Minneapolis as well. I wouldn't worry about driving one in sketchy neighborhoods.

Another Detroiter. I also vote P71. Never seen one be bothered.

GM J bodies. Cheap, simple, sort of reliable, not to bad on gas and completely disposable.

I doubt that a FoMoCo panther chassis would draw much hate, they are the ghetto chariot of choice in Philly, and the 5-0 doesn't use them that much anymore.

I thought panther half way through the post. I'd had my P71 all over the place. The only time it grabbed that much attention was in the middle of a street race. That was an interesting day. There are so many ghetto beater P71s that it wont get a second glance. If you think it will, make sure it gets the chrome trim treatment. Looks just like a P73 or P74.

I think any fleet vehicle would be fine.

Hyundai. Buy whatever one fits her needs & budget, change the oil whenever you happen to remember it has an engine, and forget about it.

I delivered pizza for many years in and around the hood... tons of old cop cars putzing around that area, old "box chevy" caprices, panthers, tahoes, etc etc... and any other car that can fit $5k "rimz" on

Buick LeSabre with 3800. Bulletproof, decent mileage and comfortable.

stuart in mn wrote:

Kenny_McCormic wrote: How do you figure? Every fourth car in the ghetto is a beat up P71, that's before figuring in the taxi fleet. Source: Live in Detroit.

They're fairly common in Minneapolis as well. I wouldn't worry about driving one in sketchy neighborhoods.

You have particular experience in the neck of the woods- think Broadway and Dowling.

Aside from a P71 or panther chassis I would vote for a Volvo wagon.

DrBoost wrote: Yeah, a P71 will get slashed tires. Don't go Honda, redly stolen. Can she drive a stick?

She most certainly can- that was the rule of purchasing the now dead Mini.

Also before you ask- the mini is off the table because its a prissy white girl car. Some of my more.... Ethnic friends think they're a lot less affordable than they are and the hood seems to share this sentiment. Prissy white girl ain't welcome in the hood and can't help the kiddos.

By Chevrolla, do you mean Toylet?

OHSCrifle wrote: By Chevrolla, do you mean Toylet?

Yeah. I love the damn things bit they're thin up here.

buick or saturn.

EvanB wrote: Buick LeSabre with 3800. Bulletproof, decent mileage and comfortable.

x2. My buddy's dad is an accountant. He's had several. My buddy would get them when it was time for Dad to get a fresh one. Usually after 100K. My buddy's wife would drive it for several more years before selling it off when dad racked up another 100K on one. Pretty much a stone ax. They got good mileage, and had plenty of room inside. Only real drawback was afternoon driving you looked like you were heading out for the blue plate special...

Dude, get a plain Taurus. No one, ever, coveted a Taurus or could be bothered to steal one over a comparably-valued GM sedan. Watch all the COPS episodes you like; there are no Tauri getting towed after a traffic stop and arrest.

early 90's lumina. bulletproof 3.1 and 4t60 non electronic trans. boring appliance, hard to kill, nobody would look twice. bonus points for base model with missing hubcaps and random body damage.

Last year I was faced with the same needs and my answer has been Saturn Vue 2.2L 4 cyl with manual trans.

Looks like all the other SUV's so it draws no special attention.
Manual trans means that the joy-rider, would-be-thiefs will pass on it since they do not know how to drive it.
Plastic body panels will keep the car from appearing to rust.

Don't underestimate how slow selling (and therefore cheap) a Cute-Ute with no awd, no towing capability and a manual trans, from a brand that no longer exists can be.
I added winter tires and was unstoppable.

EvanB wrote: Buick LeSabre with 3800. Bulletproof, decent mileage and comfortable.

THIS