Car Recommendation for My Daughter | Page 4 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Car Recommendation for My Daughter

Toyota Corolla
Toyota Camry
Toyota Matrix
Pontiac Vibe

Bonus points... XRS trim,
 
Cheese and rice man, no daughter is safe in a car like that, it has folding seats in the back!

You buy them a vintage mini, zero room and it will never be over a speed limit or more that 11 kms from the driveway where it will quit.
 
crankcall said:
Cheese and rice man, no daughter is safe in a car like that, it has folding seats in the back!

You buy them a vintage mini, zero room and it will never be over a speed limit or more that 11 kms from the driveway where it will quit.
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A mini is surprisingly spacious. Hell, the trunk is designed to be used as a tailgate for recreational activities. They can also be quick. Current motor in mine has ~100 hp, the last one had a lot more than that (probably ~130). At less than 1500 lbs, it's not fast but it's quick. Not a good teenager car. I wouldn't want to be hit by an SUV in one and it rotates really really quickly if you get it started.
 
lucky2 said:
Wow mr positive
Click to expand...
What? Subarus have a very bad habit of blowing head gaskets. VW with pano has a very bad habit of leaking. Hyosung 250's blow up. It happens. In most other respects, they are competent vehicles so you make your choice given the information you have and hope you are one of the lucky few (and the price you paid accounts for the probability of expensive problems).
 
meh, why would it blow? do the mtce it doesn't blow

gathering the dealer history now
if it needs timing belts it'll get done ASAP
no reason to suspect the head gaskets - I know what to look for
I know these cars

if the the head gaskets go, you stop the car and get it done
not a big deal if you don't drive around with coolant in the oil
the other failure mode is oil leak onto the exhaust
it's stinky but not fatal

the horror stories come from knobs that don't know the car and trash an engine
owning a boxer requires some understanding
 
J_F said:
meh, why would it blow? do the mtce it doesn't blow

gathering the dealer history now
if it needs timing belts it'll get done ASAP
no reason to suspect the head gaskets - I know what to look for
I know these cars

if the the head gaskets go, you stop the car and get it done
not a big deal if you don't drive around with coolant in the oil
the other failure mode is oil leak onto the exhaust
it's stinky but not fatal

the horror stories come from knobs that don't know the car and trash an engine
owning a boxer requires some understanding
Click to expand...
Curious what you believe the average owner knows about boxers? ?

Wife gets home yesterday and says in passing "by the way my 'low engine oil light' came on today while driving, it was red. ('08 Lexus is250)

I snap my head around and say when?

"Oh this morning on the way to the office."

I /facepalmed. Grab the spare oil and a funnel and head to the garage. Dip stick was bone dry. I refill it to hash marks and head up. "You know, next time that happens you need to pull over. Its likely just burning oil but if you had a leak you'd be buying a new car today."
 
  • Haha
Reactions: J_F
Evoex said:
Curious what you believe the average owner knows about boxers? ?

Wife gets home yesterday and says in passing "by the way my 'low engine oil light' came on today while driving, it was red. ('08 Lexus is250)

I snap my head around and say when?

"Oh this morning on the way to the office."

I /facepalmed. Grab the spare oil and a funnel and head to the garage. Dip stick was bone dry. I refill it to hash marks and head up. "You know, next time that happens you need to pull over. Its likely just burning oil but if you had a leak you'd be buying a new car today."
Click to expand...
I believe they know where the gas cap is
but have no idea how the hood latch release works
Subie dealers love them
 
Evoex said:
Curious what you believe the average owner knows about boxers? ?

Wife gets home yesterday and says in passing "by the way my 'low engine oil light' came on today while driving, it was red. ('08 Lexus is250)

I snap my head around and say when?

"Oh this morning on the way to the office."

I /facepalmed. Grab the spare oil and a funnel and head to the garage. Dip stick was bone dry. I refill it to hash marks and head up. "You know, next time that happens you need to pull over. Its likely just burning oil but if you had a leak you'd be buying a new car today."
Click to expand...

Reminds me of a customer a few years back that needed a new engine, that was not covered under warranty.
Conversation went something like this
- Do you do all of your oil changes?
- Yes, I change it every time the light comes on to remind me
- Your car doesn't have a reminder light for oil changes, does it look like a red oil can?
- Yes, whenever I see it, I get the oil changed
- Yeah, about that...

Instead of changing the oil at the recommended 6k, he was doing 25-30k. Guy was a professor to boot...
 
J_F said:
meh, why would it blow? do the mtce it doesn't blow

gathering the dealer history now
if it needs timing belts it'll get done ASAP
no reason to suspect the head gaskets - I know what to look for
I know these cars

if the the head gaskets go, you stop the car and get it done
not a big deal if you don't drive around with coolant in the oil
the other failure mode is oil leak onto the exhaust
it's stinky but not fatal

the horror stories come from knobs that don't know the car and trash an engine
owning a boxer requires some understanding
Click to expand...
In all seriousness, as a first time Subaru owner, what do I need to know about boxer engines that would be any different from a non-boxer motor? The only thing I learned to do differently was to check both sides of the dipstick and go by the lower level because of the way it goes into the sump at a shallow angle.
 
Relax said:
In all seriousness, as a first time Subaru owner, what do I need to know about boxer engines that would be any different from a non-boxer motor? The only thing I learned to do differently was to check both sides of the dipstick and go by the lower level because of the way it goes into the sump at a shallow angle.
Click to expand...

they burn oil, not just Subies
my riding buddies that own GS's bring oil along on a trip as short as a week

you mentioned level checking, yup, have to be careful with that
and to not overfill, makes a mess

broken timing belt is a worse deal on these motors
lots of bent stuff, the motor is toast
whereas on a conventional engine you just need to do the head

particular to Subies, the well known head gasket issue on the NA 2.5 engines
turbos don't have the problem - different/better gaskets
3 failure modes

1) leaks between oil passages and cooling passages
coolant in the oil, and vice versa, needs repaired ASAP

2) coolant enters combustion chamber
white puffs out the exhaust, low coolant level
and some will end up in the crankcase
needs repaired ASAP

3) external oil leak drips onto exhaust
will notice the burnt oil smell
eventually will become a fire hazard

first 2 head gasket scenarios, vehicle needs to be parked and repaired
if let go the engine is toast
a good used engine is 4k
a rebuilt is 6-7 k
you can't get a $500 engine at a wreckers for one of these cars

you don't want to frig one of these engines
but take care of them they'll run like a watch when the doors are rusting off the car
 
how does it drive? and overall condition body and interior wise
 
J_F said:
they burn oil, not just Subies
my riding buddies that own GS's bring oil along on a trip as short as a week

you mentioned level checking, yup, have to be careful with that
and to not overfill, makes a mess

broken timing belt is a worse deal on these motors
lots of bent stuff, the motor is toast
whereas on a conventional engine you just need to do the head

particular to Subies, the well known head gasket issue on the NA 2.5 engines
turbos don't have the problem - different/better gaskets
3 failure modes

1) leaks between oil passages and cooling passages
coolant in the oil, and vice versa, needs repaired ASAP

2) coolant enters combustion chamber
white puffs out the exhaust, low coolant level
and some will end up in the crankcase
needs repaired ASAP

3) external oil leak drips onto exhaust
will notice the burnt oil smell
eventually will become a fire hazard

first 2 head gasket scenarios, vehicle needs to be parked and repaired
if let go the engine is toast
a good used engine is 4k
a rebuilt is 6-7 k
you can't get a $500 engine at a wreckers for one of these cars

you don't want to frig one of these engines
but take care of them they'll run like a watch when the doors are rusting off the car
Click to expand...
I was following one billowing coolant smoke down the 400 last week. I was a lane over and needed to use my wipers to clean off the crap spewing from the car. It was hurting.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: J_F
lucky2 said:
how does it drive? and overall condition body and interior wise
Click to expand...
the one I just bought?
body and paint are crazy good for the year

engine runs well, trans works like it should
don't see any sign of head gasket problems

had a bit of an exhaust leak and a noisy wheel bearing
that's getting addressed now with the safety
and new brakes all around, tires are new
all the electrical crap works
including the heated leather

unless I'm missing something
it's a hell of a deal
 
J_F said:
the one I just bought?
body and paint are crazy good for the year

engine runs well, trans works like it should
don't see any sign of head gasket problems

had a bit of an exhaust leak and a noisy wheel bearing
that's getting addressed now with the safety
and new brakes all around, tires are new
all the electrical crap works
including the heated leather

unless I'm missing something
it's a hell of a deal
Click to expand...
is that the one in the kijiji ad i posted? if so i thought it said it would be certified
 
J_F said:
the one I just bought?
body and paint are crazy good for the year

engine runs well, trans works like it should
don't see any sign of head gasket problems

had a bit of an exhaust leak and a noisy wheel bearing
that's getting addressed now with the safety
and new brakes all around, tires are new
all the electrical crap works
including the heated leather

unless I'm missing something
it's a hell of a deal
Click to expand...
That actually looks like a great car. I typically shy away from older models as I enjoy being in warranty...but maybe I'm missing out on a lot of good deals out there due to fear of the unknown.
 
mimico_polak said:
That actually looks like a great car. I typically shy away from older models as I enjoy being in warranty...but maybe I'm missing out on a lot of good deals out there due to fear of the unknown.
Click to expand...
its a dice roll with used vehicles, you could very well be inheriting someone elses problem.

We bought my X5 from these guys, they have a Z4 in their stable. May be worth a look?

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mimico_polak said:
That actually looks like a great car. I typically shy away from older models as I enjoy being in warranty...but maybe I'm missing out on a lot of good deals out there due to fear of the unknown.
Click to expand...
It all depends on the car. Just do your research (which is easy with the internet and online owners groups), and you shouldn't be surprised. In the off chance something major does go wrong, you probably saved enough to take care of it even if you had to take it to a trustworthy independent mechanic if you don't have the time, space, tools, or confidence to fix it yourself. Having a second car in the household helps too.
 
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