[ZmaN]

Hey guys.  I'm in need of a new car and I've gotta go the used car route.  I'm absolutly obsessed with a Dodge Stealth and I'm totally ready to buy one.  I was just wondering if you guys had any experience with them or opinions on them...  Here are a few that I am looking at...

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/car/361608695.html  (totally want to buy this one.  low miles, good looking, tons of replaced parts.  Also has a really nice tranny)

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/car/360369232.html  (same as the one above, just with some more expensive aftermarket parts and higher miles)

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/car/356865443.html  (150,000 miles on it.  hasn't rusted or anything and runs great)


A stealth is pretty much a 3000GT with a Dodge name on it, so I am also considering that, (Note that Dodge Stealths also use Mitsubishi Engines)

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/car/362005291.html
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/car/359574171.html
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/car/366041622.html


Thanks, Adam


If not a stealth, I was considering a newer Honda Prelude:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=21&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7CE-%7CM-_18_%7CD-_217_%7CN-N%7CR-30%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CZ-07508&aff=national&paId=232781258&recnum=11&leadExists=true

[Nuclear1]

Well, just from the first glance, it seems that number three would be your best bet.  150,000 really isn't terrible, but regardless of which car it is, you'll want to take into a mechanic or auto shop to get it professionally looked at before you buy it.  First one is pretty good, since typically, with domestic cars especially, the fewer the miles, the fewer the problems you'll have.  I know that sounds really painfully obvious, but the only cars meant to get past the 150K mark are pickups or station wagons, not sport cars or sedans.

I've not personally owned a domestic sedan or muscle car, but if you really want to shop American and get a well-built car that'll last a good long time, you might want to stick to a pickup truck.  If it's just for high school or the like, go for the Stealth.  It's pretty cool, and it'll get you where you need to go.

[ZmaN]

Well, just from the first glance, it seems that number three would be your best bet.  150,000 really isn't terrible, but regardless of which car it is, you'll want to take into a mechanic or auto shop to get it professionally looked at before you buy it.  First one is pretty good, since typically, with domestic cars especially, the fewer the miles, the fewer the problems you'll have.  I know that sounds really painfully obvious, but the only cars meant to get past the 150K mark are pickups or station wagons, not sport cars or sedans.

I've not personally owned a domestic sedan or muscle car, but if you really want to shop American and get a well-built car that'll last a good long time, you might want to stick to a pickup truck.  If it's just for high school or the like, go for the Stealth.  It's pretty cool, and it'll get you where you need to go.

the first 2 have lower miles.  number 1 has 86,000 miles, number 2 has 130,000 miles

[vyper]

Honda every time. It will run until hell freezes over, and if that Prelude is anything like the UK Prelude it'll have ample room in the back should you wish to go for a run with your friends. Or if you wish to find out what Paradise by the Dashboard Light is really about.

[Mustang19]

I've not personally owned a domestic sedan or muscle car, but if you really want to shop American and get a well-built car that'll last a good long time, you might want to stick to a pickup truck. 

Or get a Japanese car. Which will outlive any US pickup. The only reason to buy American is so that you don't get that neverending seatbelt warning beep.

I'm curious. Have you ever owned a Toyota, and for how long?

Honda every time. It will run until hell freezes over,

Then again, that's not always a good thing. You don't want be stuck with "the Japanese car that just won't die". 

[ZmaN]

I've not personally owned a domestic sedan or muscle car, but if you really want to shop American and get a well-built car that'll last a good long time, you might want to stick to a pickup truck. 

Or get a Japanese car. Which will outlive any US pickup. The only reason to buy American is so that you don't get that neverending seatbelt warning beep.

I'm curious. Have you ever owned a Toyota, and for how long?

Honda every time. It will run until hell freezes over,

Then again, that's not always a good thing. You don't want be stuck with "the Japanese car that just won't die". 

well these stealths have mitsubishi motors in them, which are japanese anyways so i guess it really doesnt matter...

I dont know I'm just not too confident with Honda...

or maybe I'm just stupid.  you tell me...

[Nuclear1]

Or get a Japanese car. Which will outlive any US pickup. The only reason to buy American is so that you don't get that neverending seatbelt warning beep.

I'm curious. Have you ever owned a Toyota, and for how long?

Like I mentioned in the other thread, all of my family's cars right now are Jap cars (two Hondas, a Mazda, and my Subaru).  They're pretty durable, but I'd still prefer a Silverado or Ram to them any day of the week.

But no, never a Toyota.  I've seen about a hundred Tundra ads, but again, Chevy/Dodge > Toyota when it comes to trucks.  I mainly want a pickup because of the fact that I live in the middle of nowhere and will also be probably going for a camper sometime soon too.  Offroading = teh win.

[Nuclear1]

I dont know I'm just not too confident with Honda...

or maybe I'm just stupid.  you tell me...

For proof of how durable Honda engines are, just watch an IndyCar/Formula 1 race. 

Again, it really just depends on your tastes.  I love working with cars, I've got some excellent garages in the immediate area, and I tend to lug heavy stuff around a lot for the mom and pop shops up the road.  I've also got the added benefit of an E85 pump fairly close to home, which the new Silverados partly run on.  A nice full-size pickup handles the weight nicely, too, especially when moving furniture around.  I also live about 5 minutes from the high school, so getting to school never was a gas-guzzling venture as if I had lived 10 miles down the road.

On the flipside, one of my friends who hates working on cars and drives a delivery car for Pizza Hut prefers an older Honda Civic.  They get him around where he needs to go, and the engine gets him going fast, and unless he's carrying a hundred thousand pizzas, the weight is just fine for his Civic.  He also lives pretty far from the high school, so the gas mileage is good for him.

Point is, it all depends on what you need.  If you just need something to last you through high school/college and you're reasonably close, go for an American model.  They look nice, and kick the pants off of Jap/Euro cars when it comes to warranties.  If you live further from school or plan on keeping a car for a while, go for a Jap car, particularly a Honda Civic, CR-V, or Subaru sedan.  They all get you where you need to go, and they last.

[Stealth]

the stealth has the same drivetrain as the mitsubishi 3000GT.

i owned a 3000GT, and it was a good car, couldn't complain.  there are certain quirks, but every car has them.

so yeah.  Dodge Stealth, Mitsubishi 3000GT, you'll be buying the same car with a different body

[Roanoke]

IIRC the 3000GT did get some stick for being overly complicated. This could be a problem for older examples, especially if servicing intervals have been skipped, cheapo parts used etc.
I usually look more at the history than mileage but 130000 is quite high. Is it turbo or n/a ? Either way, I'd expect it's due an engine rebuild/overhaul in the not too distant future.

[ZmaN]

I dont know I'm just not too confident with Honda...

or maybe I'm just stupid.  you tell me...

For proof of how durable Honda engines are, just watch an IndyCar/Formula 1 race. 

Again, it really just depends on your tastes.  I love working with cars, I've got some excellent garages in the immediate area, and I tend to lug heavy stuff around a lot for the mom and pop shops up the road.  I've also got the added benefit of an E85 pump fairly close to home, which the new Silverados partly run on.  A nice full-size pickup handles the weight nicely, too, especially when moving furniture around.  I also live about 5 minutes from the high school, so getting to school never was a gas-guzzling venture as if I had lived 10 miles down the road.

On the flipside, one of my friends who hates working on cars and drives a delivery car for Pizza Hut prefers an older Honda Civic.  They get him around where he needs to go, and the engine gets him going fast, and unless he's carrying a hundred thousand pizzas, the weight is just fine for his Civic.  He also lives pretty far from the high school, so the gas mileage is good for him.

Point is, it all depends on what you need.  If you just need something to last you through high school/college and you're reasonably close, go for an American model.  They look nice, and kick the pants off of Jap/Euro cars when it comes to warranties.  If you live further from school or plan on keeping a car for a while, go for a Jap car, particularly a Honda Civic, CR-V, or Subaru sedan.  They all get you where you need to go, and they last.

well since I'm obsessed with stealths, and it is japanese, and i do want to keep it a longer than high school as it is a nice sports car, and since its only got 86,000 miles, it still has at least 75000 miles left on it, and possibly more left to it.  Plus its had a ton of work done to it (the 86,000 mile car.  it had a tune up in the last 1000 miles, has new tires, and stuff like that)...

so yeah i think I'll go with the 86000 mile stealth.

[ZmaN]

the stealth has the same drivetrain as the mitsubishi 3000GT.

i owned a 3000GT, and it was a good car, couldn't complain.  there are certain quirks, but every car has them.

so yeah.  Dodge Stealth, Mitsubishi 3000GT, you'll be buying the same car with a different body

well thats really good to hear! 

Oh yeah i knew that.  its a 3000GT with a Dodge Tag on it...

[IceFire]

I dont know I'm just not too confident with Honda...

or maybe I'm just stupid.  you tell me...

I'm doing tons of research right now as to which car to buy (i'm looking to buy new when its the right time)...I'm mostly looking at Japanese, gave the domestics a look but wasn't too happy with the reviews and reports.  Bottom line is that Honda has one of the most solid reliability ratings you can get year after year after year. 

Honda isn't perfect and nobody should hold their product up as some sort of shining example because they will have their issues here and there but for cars that last a good long while Honda really is the make that you can go after.  I know people who have old Civics with 320,000 on them with original engines and parts and the car still drives just fine and they will probably still be able to sell it for a decent price considering the distance they have traveled. 

Toyota/Lexus us usually just as solid...few others achieve that sort of consistency across entire vehicle lineups.  The domestics are starting to get the picture because the reports on the new Saturn Outlook and the Ford Fusion are easily the best in many years but long term is still hard to guess.

[Roanoke]

I don't know about America, or Canada, but in the uk Jap cars have traditionally been high of high quality, although bland, and have suffered from high prices for parts.

I think it would be hard to find a new car which is distinctly poor. Most of the major manufacturers have made a real push to improve quality in the past few years.

[IceFire]

I don't know about America, or Canada, but in the uk Jap cars have traditionally been high of high quality, although bland, and have suffered from high prices for parts.

I think it would be hard to find a new car which is distinctly poor. Most of the major manufacturers have made a real push to improve quality in the past few years.

Honda and Toyota both have large manufacturing plants in Canada and the US so parts are rarely sourced from overseas and thus aren't much more expensive than the US automakers.  A recent article talking about car manufacturing and parts sourcing actually points out quite legitimately that US and Japanese automakers in North America now source their parts from all over so its quite possible to buy an "American" car that is made in Mexico and a "Japanese" car that has most of its parts and assembly in the US or Canada and made by American or Canadian workers.

Some American cars are still of poor quality...ironically the European versions seem to rate better for reliability and features (I'd love to see the European Ford Focus here in North America) and VW has a terrible reputation here although people still love their cars.  The last Consumer Reports paints a picture where Lexus, Acura, Toyota, Honda, and a few others share the top of the market for reliability while the US automakers range from average to poor...but with a few bright spots.  The new Ford Fusion (2006 model) scored very highly in first year reliability so Ford may have a bit of a turn around going on if they can keep that up.

[vyper]

VW has a terrible reputation here

How is that even possible? With the exception of the Jap brands, VAG (VW-Audi group) is basically the most reliable manufacturer in the known universe.

[IceFire]

VW has a terrible reputation here

How is that even possible? With the exception of the Jap brands, VAG (VW-Audi group) is basically the most reliable manufacturer in the known universe.

They really aren't...Audi's are problems too.  You can get a good VW here and not have too much of a problem but they don't have a terribly good reputation for reliability.  Consumer Reports and some of the other reliability indicators show that VW is below average or well below average depending on the car.  Not to confuse reliability wit fit and finish which the VW cars do quite nicely and the Rabbit I test drove recently was a pretty fantastic little car (although given the size I was expecting better numbers for fuel economy).

People still really like the VW's and I have a few friends who are eying them cautiously because they like the designs but the reputation is just not there.  They are probably on par with the likes of the US automakers.  I suspect, however, that the North American parts are sourced from their manufacturing in South America (I forget where they make parts and now cars like the City Golf and City Jetta) and that may explain some of it.  Its like Nissan...they aren't imported from Japan anymore...they are imported from Mexico and there have been problems.

[vyper]

... what in the name of God is a Rabbit?

[Roanoke]

seems it's the North American name for a Golf. No wonder VW have a bad rep....

[IceFire]

Not sure about the US but in Canada the Golf is the Rabbit.  Its actually a good move because the old Rabbit was a pretty good car...then they called it the Golf for a while and now the Rabbit is back.