So in the next few months I will be retiring my jeep to the off road park and severe winter road duty. I am in the market for a new daily driver. I am having a moral crisis though, I have been thinking about a Ford Taurus. I know, I know, I may have to consult with Jbreu since he just went through this crisis haha. They seem to be one of the few cars you can pick up less than ten years old with 100-140k on them in decent shape for under 4-5k. I like the 3.0 engine, they are extremely reliable and cheap to work on, I have had experience with them in the past. Anybody know of a GM model in the same price range, 4 door, small v-6, and year or shape? I haven't been able to find any that fit the bill.
Daily Driver Choices??
- Thread starter CHRIS.O
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The late '90s, early '00s Malibus are pretty decent. The Grand Am and Alero are the same. Actually the Aleros are probably the safest bet because they seem to be owned by more responsible people that actually maintain them. The Taurus is okay if you get the old 3.0 but the 3.8 and dohc 3.0 aren't great. Transmissions suck! Steering hoses and racks always leak.
Honestly, in that price range I'd look for a Honda or Toyota.
Honestly, in that price range I'd look for a Honda or Toyota.
I've though about a Honda but in my area they are bought up quickly by ricers. I never see them around here unless they are riced out. The old 3.0 is the one I am talking about, when did they switch to a different engine? I dont know much about them. The malibus have the 3.1's with the shitty intake gaskets right? Not a problem to fix but just confirming those are the ones.
I hear that the Taurus SHOs are great, despite running a Yamahahaha engine. The impalas seem to be decent, but they are a bit bigger.
I'd be looking for a used 4 door GM car with a 3800 engine. The only real issue the later Series 2 ever had was that intake manifold, and most of them have been replaced already. If it somehow escaped the recall or repair, the aftermarket replacement is less than a hundred bucks.
The 3800 from 1988 on up was a great engine. I have had several that have gone well beyond 200k miles, most were running when I sold them after. The GM transmissions in those years are dependable, and no quirks with leaky power steering or other weird problems.
Up north where you are, the 3800 really does well in snow and nasty mud. Its heavy enough to get through the bad winters, powerful enough for whatever you need daily driver wise, parts are cheap and easy to get, and the car is safer in an accident for you and the people inside it than you are in a lightened up beer can import car.
I am usually pushing around 30 mpg or better on the highway too.
The 3800 from 1988 on up was a great engine. I have had several that have gone well beyond 200k miles, most were running when I sold them after. The GM transmissions in those years are dependable, and no quirks with leaky power steering or other weird problems.
Up north where you are, the 3800 really does well in snow and nasty mud. Its heavy enough to get through the bad winters, powerful enough for whatever you need daily driver wise, parts are cheap and easy to get, and the car is safer in an accident for you and the people inside it than you are in a lightened up beer can import car.
I am usually pushing around 30 mpg or better on the highway too.
I had a 99 Riviera. It was a supercharged 3.8 but it was decent in the snow, I wouldn't mind having one again but man was it a gas hog, I don't know if it was because it had a S/C or what but damn, got like 18mpg. Ive also had a couple early 90's lesabres with a 3.8 those were pretty good cars.
The supercharged 3800 cars typically get excellent mileage - if you can keep your foot out of them that is! Just putting around, my mom's 95 Riviera never dipped below 20 mpg. She was very proud of the mileage, and only used the power to pass coal trucks on the highway hahahahha.
For best mileage, a 3800 car would be the W body (Buick Regal, Olds Cutlass, Pontiac Grand Prix) or the Grand Am.
For best mileage, a 3800 car would be the W body (Buick Regal, Olds Cutlass, Pontiac Grand Prix) or the Grand Am.
Not sure when they dropped the 3.0 in Accords. My Experience is that the V6 is unnecessary and kind of thirsty. The 90s Accords with a 4cyl will get mid 30s for mpg and have enough power. One thing I've noticed over the years is that Toyotas seem to escape rice treatment more than Hondas. For the same money you will usually get a nicer car with less miles. The Camry V6 is a little more economical but, again, unnecessary. I feel the Toyota and Honda are both very good vehicles but Hondas just seem to get driven harder and neglected a little more.CHRIS.O said:
The Malibus did get the 3.1 which actually got pretty good mpg and is very reliable. The weak point is the intake gaskets which really aren't that bad to do if you ever need to. The other engine was the 2.4 TwinCam (which I know a little about 😀 ), that gets great mpg and has plenty of power.
The 3800 is a great engine. Unfortunately they seem to find their way into the crappiest cars. By the time many GM cars get 100k on them they develop body creaks, leaks, and the interior is shot. You might get lucky and find one that's been pampered.
No matter what you get, V6s are always harder to work on and use more fuel. Be honest with yourself about what you need.
I would also shoot for the 3.8 in any vehicle of the 2000's for GM. Impala's are getting cheaper and by far I think the 3.8 is the better engine. I had an 04' taurus for a while and wasn't a big fan of the car. Had the V6 (dunno 3.0 or 3.1) and it was okay but felt underpowered. Was okay on gas, didn't hold its value very well either for only having 20k on it. Then my rents had an 04' Impala SS and that car was great. We've also had an 02' Malibu (3.1?) and a 97' Lumina (3.0?) and the worst of them all was the 02 Malibu. Had a lot of unknown issues and didn't hold it's value well. The Lumina and Imp were the best by far and if I had to pick a daily it would probably be a used Impala or equivalent Bonneville. Just my .02
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