| Author | Message | ||
     Mr_grumpy |
Right you lot, as you know I'm heading for Canada shortly & will need to pick up something reliable & cheap to start with. Preferably something I can spanner myself. I'm a long-time mopar fan & have been looking at Durango's & Dakota's but I'm not keen on the 4.7 would prefer the 5.2 or 5.9 (318 -360ci) as I know & trust them plus bits are cheap. Also got a jones for a Crown Vic, I'm informed the 4.6 is a solid lump but got no experience of them I like the idea of separate chassis (I'm old). Can pick up a Police Interceptor version pretty cheap (a bit Blues Brothers I know) lots of tuning & handling stuff available too, & I can always upgrade the interior later if I feel the need. Fly in the ointment no manual option, but it's not a deal breaker & Mustang box bolts in if I fancy a conversion. Any other ideas people? | ||
| Britchri10 |
Are you going to be playing in the snow much? If so, maybe a 4WD? (I'm no use on this topic. I live in Florida.) Chris C | ||
| Chauly |
Take a look at a Magnum R/T in AWD... http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/dodge-magnum-r -t-awd-short-take-road-test | ||
| Bads1 |
The 4.7 if you are in the city more will do better gas mileage wise. I can say I have no problem with mine....06 Durango as far as drivetrain. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Chauly one of those would fit the bill but out of my initial price bracket. A mid to late 90s Discovery with a manual box would do a treat but pretty rare. | ||
| Hootowl |
If you pick up an ex PI, make sure you fix the cigarette lighter. | ||
| Brumbear |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Ram_SRT-10 | ||
| Thumper74 |
There's only a billion Crown Vic's on the road. They can be had cheaper with lower mileage. The police cars all have posi and winter tires are cheap for you up there. There's also the Durango or a good Grand Cherokee... | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Had a Grand Cherokee once, one of the worst pos I ever owned, won't spend good money another. | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
Saab you tool  Rocket in England | ||
| Kev_m |
Our 2012 GC is EXCELLENT, our 99 was pretty damn good too, our 98 XJ not-so-much and I don't even want to talk about this one:  But if I was looking for cheap, reliable, and good for Canada - I'd be looking Subaru and not Dodge/Mopar. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I'd not thought of a Saab Sean, but the idea appeals, my budget will stretch to a late 900 or early 9-3. Kev, had a mid 90s GC Laredo, diesel euro model, I bought it because it had the 2.5 VM lump in it. It pulled well but the interior was rubbish, the seats were torture after an hour, the automatic immobiliser was a complete f****** pain in the arse, & don't get me started on the driveline joints. One of the few cars I dropped a bundle on but didn't care as I was so glad to see it go. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Saabs are getting stupid cheap here in the states. Hell of a car for the money. | ||
| Hootowl |
Picked this little gem up for 6500 with 89K miles. MSRP was 55K. That's quite a bit of depreciation, but I didn't have to eat it   | ||
| Reepicheep |
It's amazing how much people are willing to piss away on depreciation. I'm driving a 2006 Saab 9-3 V6 Turbo. Listed for something like $35k, I bought it in perfect shape with 45,000 miles on it for $9000. Shelly is driving a 2005 Mini Cooper S with $4000 worth of Dinan parts tucked all through it. That was probably $40K or more worth of car. We bought it for $10,000 (because I was a sucker for the Dinan system (both intake and exhaust) burble on downshift). | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
9-3SE 2.2 TiD manual is the one to have. You'll get 40 - 45 mpg. It won't be a fast car in diesel terms but they do keep a fast pace when driven with familiar hands. You know, engine braking rather than foot etc. You don't have to wind them up. They're torquey enough. They can't be chipped at all though. If you do get to consider, let me know. I'll tell you what to look for and to look out for. Rocket in England | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Won't be a diesel in Canada, either 2.0 or 2.4 petrol from what I've seen so far. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Mopar guy here too. Avoid the 4.7 like the plague. I've seen too many of them pop for no reason, no matter how well cared for they are. Grand Cherokees can be had with the indestructible 4.0 inline six, or the 5.2, or if you get really lucky you can score a 98 5.9 limited. Nice capable trucks. Dakota/Durango is a nice platform but lots of the late models came with that 4.7. Ugh. If you can find a 5.2/5.9/5.7? Great trucks. The 3.9 v6 is also a good mill - basically a 318 with 2 cylinders lopped off. If you're considering cars, give the charger/magnum a good look. Nice platform and a real screamer with the 5.7 - and with MDS, decent MPG to boot. | ||
| Bads1 |
You seen a lot Ratbuell. You haven't seen .1% of how many were made. Actually less problems then Hemi's to my understanding. I've got 80,000 on mine now without a drop of oil burned. I have customer that has over 200,000 on his 07... work truck. Change the oil the way you should. Make sure you do the Difs when your supposed to. But mainly the trannys in dodges are like glass. I make sure the tranny fluid is done on a regular basis. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I've seen a few Dakotas with the 4 door cab & either 5.2 or 5.9 in but they seem pretty tatty. I fancy the old V8 because I know them & they're virtually bullet-proof, downside is the associated thirst and by all reports they eat brakes. Got a date now too, will be landing April 7th. | ||
| Macbuell |
Personally I am trying to get a hold of a nice Nissan Xterra Pro-4X or the older Off Road version. Bullet proof from what I understand and have really good off road capabilities and don't cost a ton. | ||
| Ceejay |
friend of mine had a 5.9 RT truck, never complained about it eating brakes, he did seem to have a problem keeping it in shoes though. | ||
| Crackhead |
Grumpy, You are heading for the land of snow. Get a Subaru 05-09 H6 with VTD. Add snow tires and if it will not go in the snow, nothing else short of a sled will. There is a reason why even the rental cars in Montana are Subarus. | ||
| Blackm2 |
+1 to what Rat said. The ZJ Grand Cherokees(93-98) are extremely cheap right now. The 4.0 is a tad underpowered for my taste in that chassis, however it is bulletproof. It will do about 22-23mpg on the highways. I have a full time 4wd '95, it is 3000 miles away from 300,000. Only thing I have rebuilt is the Dana 30 out front, owned since new. Every time it starts up money just pours from the air vents! | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I hear what you're saying but I just won't countenance another ZJ the one I had was so awful. Subaru maybe, they've never floated my boat though, & they seem to hold their prices pretty well in Quebec. Don't know if VW sold 4-Motion in the US a 4x4 Passat would be a handy tool with the V6 diesel, or an Audi Avant. Looking at a Suzuki SX4 for Mrs G later in the year. Keep the ideas coming. | ||
| Kev_m |
There's a reason the Scoobie-Doo's hold their value, especially up north... | ||
| Kenm123t |
I think Suzi is dead in North America a parts only option Suzi US went bankrupt last year | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Ta for the info Ken I'll look into that. Hmmm seems that Suzuki announced the same thing for Canada yesterday, so prices will tumble, but parts will still be available, Fiat Sedici is the same car as the SX4 with different badges. Could be an opportunity. | ||
| Rocket_in_uk |
You'll likely never get stuck in a Suzuki Jimny. Range Rover on snow tyres will beat anything else. Rocket in England | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
If I can find a manual Disco' Sean I'll be snapping it up. |
