weighing in my car options, any ideas?

[Dave McFly]

I am currently without a car at the moment, due to some stupid mistake with my insurance company I had to turn in my plates for a year. I do NOT feel like going into details. I sold my daily driver a 2000 Dodge Stratus sedan late summer. I currently have about 4 grand in my bank, and i should get more than double that when I get my new plates in june of 08 . I have narrowed down the choices, which one do you guys like the most? remember this is for a daily driver to and from work and other stuff.

97-03 Pontiac Grand Prix coupe GT: (cant afford the gas for the supercharged model ) I am not sure which was the last year for the choice of the coupe or sedan only body, i would want the coupe. all the non supercharged cars had a very nice 3.8 205 hp V6 engine.

00-05 Monte Carlo LS or SS: my dad has a 04 LS with a very nice smooth 180 hp 3.4 V6, i would either get a LS like his or a SS with the same 3.8 as the GP

2001-? Dodge Stratus Coupe or Chrysler Sebring Coupe: based on the 3rd generation Mitsubishi Eclipse. could get a 170hp inline 4 or a 200 hp V6. my brother had the previous generation Sebring and it was a VERY nice car, leather, moon roof, power everything, 17" rims

2001-2007 Chrysler Sebring Convertible: i always wanted a convertible, and from all the sites and magazines i have visited and read, said it was one of the nicest drop tops on the market.

I realize these are all front drive cars, I live in a small town in NY near Lake Erie and we get NAILED with snow in the winter, so front drive is a must. any opinions on these 4 cars? I have looked at others, but these are the ones i like the most and will be easy to afford come June, and will be good on gas (my dad gets about 27 mpg in his Monte ).

[stovt001]

I personally like the Monte Carlo. When I was last shopping for a car, it was between buying a used Monte and a new Cobalt. I got a fantastic deal on my Cobalt and it had everything I wanted, plus they threw in an extended warranty for free and it gets better gas mileage, but the Monte was a close second for a lower initial purchase price. Just my $0.02

[Mr. Wyndham]

Oh, come on, now...the snow isn't all THAT bad near us (Orchard Park )...

But, yes, FWD helps...

I would say, if you're grabbing a used vehicle, it all depends on the miles...try and manage a balance between low mileage, and low price. Other than that...I just think the Grand Prix looks better, and from what I've heard, they're generally reliable cars.

I'm sorry I couldn't help more...

[Moose]

Go with whichever is in the best condition at the more reasonable price.

I'd suggest FWD (for the weather) and 4 cyl. (for the gas)...and also look for whichever car allows you to do the basic maintenance easiest. You don't want to "sink" too much money into it.

On a "side note", upstate NY is a beautiful area. I dated a girl who's parent's lived in Buffalo in a town called Tonawanda. I always enjoyed visiting the area.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Oh, come on, now...the snow isn't all THAT bad near us (Orchard Park )...

F U bastards! Stealing all of our snow! All we hear is "Western New York just got hit with 3ft of snow" meanwhile, we are lucky if there is over 1 ft of snow on the ground. let alone more than a foot in a single snowfall. I hate you all!

[z28camaro2471]

DGthe3 - You're on the wrong side of the lake!!

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by z28camaro2471

DGthe3 - You're on the wrong side of the lake!!

Exactly,


Go to Oswego, NY if you want all that snow...they've got all of Lake Ontario to accumulate a massive storm for them :eek:

[DGthe3]

Man, I'm horrible at going off topic.

What kind of price were you looking at there Mr McFly? There is a huge difference between a 1997 Grand Prix and a 2007 Sebring

[SoFlaZ]

I suggest also looking for a 00+ Cavalier. They are very cheap and have TONS of spare parts in the junkyards if anything does happen to break. I have seen many go beyond 200K miles.

[Dave McFly]

well i thought id give this thread a mighty

i almost bought a car on ebay motors but i was outbid by a mere 200 bucks .

it was a VERY nice low milage (for the year) 2003 Chrysler Sebring convertible it was the lower end model so it did not have all the options like leather or top end stereo but it had:

power everything, keyless entry with alarm (good insurance discount there) 4 wheel discs with ABS (another good discount on the old insurance) and the nicest feature it had the 200hp 2.7liter DOHC V6 same engine is in the base magnum, and 300 sedan, with auto stick (auto tranny that lets you 'shift' up and down through the gears like a manual). it also had the 17" alloy wheels on nice new good quality rubber. I have driven all of the cars i mentioned on the beginning of the thread it was a toss up between the monte/grand prix twins or the sebring ragtop. I have ALWAYS wanted a drop top and i have driven a few of these cars both the 1st gens (96-00) and the 2nd gens (01-07) and i prefer the newer cars as they looked better, and i preferred the 200hp chrysler motor over the 2.5 160hp mitsubishi motor that was in the 1st gens. this may change between now and june but so far i am heavily weighing towards the chysler drop tops. thanks for your input guys, i will let ya know for sure what i decide and i will post some pictures of what I DO get.

[Myka]

I like most of your choices, but you might consider an older model monte carlo. A 97-99 can be had in excellent condition for $2-4k. The 97 z34 had the DOHC 3.4, an engine that some love and some hate. In 98 the z34 switched to the pushrod 3.8. The 3.8 is a more efficient engine overall.

[DGthe3]

I've been looking at Grand Prix's too (hate the Monte's stying though). There is someone around here that has a 2000 or so, I think his name is Mtron.

Anyone that is interested in helping me with a car, I started a thread a few months ago http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1762 . I'm still doing research and taking suggestions

[TFord]

my buddy had a 02/03 monte carlo SS. never understood why the car got the SS badge but it was a great car. Very comfortable and the gas milage was'nt bad either. Heated seats are a plus up north too!

[09'Z28]

i would go with Monte Carlo