should I go to the beige side?

[Larry Martin]

Take the Honda and run if and only if your grandfather did proper servicing to it by time and not just mileage.  Cars that just sit worry me.

In hatchbacks there are a ton of PT Cruisers around that meet your carrying needs - I'm not recommending you understand, just reporting the news.  Early 2000's hatchback Acuras and Saabs might deserve a look too.  

Used car prices have been climbing and some of these (newer) older cars are just a little too precious IMO when some improving new cars aren't a terrible reach if you can lay off the options.  I did see a 2004 SE-R Spec V that had 82K on it last week for $6500.  Might do just to drive around although I never have cared for the car or the 2.5.  Heck, if you like a challenge and doing maintenance yourself, I've seen earlier body (before the butt) BMW 740's under $7K with low 100K mileage.  If parts prices make you sweat that might not be the best idea.  

Then there is the dark side.... Large Murican Cars like Crown Vics.  I think it might be cool to have one of those tanks, do a little suspension work, tires, a few mods.......and the bike would probably go in the trunk crossways.  

But, like I said, take the Honda and run if you can live with the automatic.  Our beloved manuals are getting to be few and far between.  I saw a statistic somewhere that said that only about 5% of cars sold now have manuals.

Larry Martin
'92 SE-R still rolling almost daily, 204K miles

--- On Wed, 2/2/11, David Pertuz <davidpertuz at mindspring.com> wrote:

From: David Pertuz <davidpertuz at mindspring.com>
Subject: should I go to the beige side?
To: "se-r list" <se-r at se-r-list.org>
Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2011, 9:49 PM

I have an opportunity to replace my G20 and just for curiosity's sake I 
thought I'd see what some of y'all had to say about the choice. This is, 
I suppose, OT, but since the list is a bit of an old-timer's club with 
very low traffic I figure we'd enjoy the traffic spike. Besides, if 
Larry wanted to I'm close enough to chastise in person.

My primary car is my P10 G20t, a '96 which is up to 160k by now. It has 
a 10:1 engine from SOKO that I installed (light refresh with rod 
bearings, etc.) at about 105k; it is cosmetically OK (no rust, since 
it's a Texas car, but bad paint on the roof and a dent on the RF 
fender); mechanically good, but needs a few things (fix wipers, front 
struts, probably a wheel bearing) done that I've been putting off. I've 
thought of replacing it this year, with another less-old car with (as 
far under as practicable) under 100k miles that I can drive for some 
years without too many things starting to wear out - the G is getting up 
to that mileage.

Option 1: keep the G20t. I enjoy it a lot, it's a good size, it's fun to 
drive, fast enough (I don't need a fast car to enjoy it), gets pretty 
good mileage, I'm very familiar with it, etc. I don't drive very much - 
less than 10k per year, and virtually all of that is out-of-town trips - 
so the mileage isn't as big an issue as it would be if I drove tons. If 
I could get a brand-new P10t, I'd do that. This is a cheap option, since 
I don't have to spend a lot on maintenance, even with stuff wearing out, 
compared to a car payment, which I'll never have.

Option 2: Buy something less old, with a lot fewer miles, that I can 
easily pay cash for. Cost would have to be $7k tops, $6k would be nicer. 
Ideally $4k cash plus whatever I get for the G20 (I'm a big saver.)  I 
bought the G20 for $4k in 2004 and spent about $1k on putting the new 
engine in it a year later, so I've got my money's worth in 
fun/cheap/reliable transportation before; I'd be happy to do it again.

Requirements are that the car be not-large, practical (hatchback is 
preferred, folding seatback is mandatory if a sedan so I can fit a bike 
inside), easy to maintain myself, reliable, fun to drive, manual 
transmission, 30mpg+ on the highway  First thing that comes to mind here 
is a Mazda Protege5 wagon. VW GTIs or Golfs or Jetta wagons also come to 
mind, but I'm suspicious of their reliability. Mazda 3 hatch. Maybe an 
old 3-series or 5-series, but the ones within my budget would be 
high-mileage. Not sure what else. I've never driven a P11 G20, but it's 
never really excited me. Historically I've always known what I've liked, 
but my taste in cars seems to have suspended itself in the mid-1990s and 
earlier. Also I tend to find something I like and stick with it - I've 
had my SE-R for 18 years and my Fiat for 20. And my goal is to get a 
lowish-mileage car.

Option 3: buy my grandfather's 2004 Honda Accord. It's a 4cyl/auto sedan 
with an absurdly low 16k miles. It's pretty nice to drive, isn't too big 
for me, has a folding seat, gets good mileage, etc. Also it is a lot 
more refined than I'm used to what with being newer. If I go by KBB the 
low mileage puts it out of my budget but since this is a family deal and 
it's not too far off I could buy it within my budget. Only major 
downside is the automatic. I hate automatics, and have never owned an 
auto-trans car. It's just that the car is in very good shape (save for a 
strong right pull) except for a bit of cosmetic stuff I don't care too 
much about, and has a billion years of life left in it, esp. at the rate 
I drive.

It would make sense if I drove tons or was certain to keep it for a 
decade, but while it would be a no-brainer with a 5MT, I'm not sure I 
can live with an auto for years and years. Granted, I do have my Fiat 
Spider for fun stuff in warm weather and if I ever replace the rod 
bearings and the 8 other things I can drive my SE-R again for fun if I'm 
motivated enough. I reflexively want cars that are nice to drive, and 
this one is nice enough, but I live in flatland and the large majority 
of my driving is highway trips, with a bit of city driving, and I live 
in flatland where there really aren't any fun roads.

What do y'all think? Are the benefits (super-low mileage, bargain price) 
of the Accord worth it? Do you have any other suggestions for the price?

David
Chicago
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