Quote:
Originally Posted by Sirrotica
X2, another very good reliability US car, on Craigslist there are a bunch of them over 200,000 all the time. Mileage on highway is about 30 and in town 22 MPG. I'm currently looking for a SSEi or a GTP GP right now for myself. Found one for $900 asking price that they say needs an engine because it locked up.
Many times on supercharged 3800s the plastic core intake gaskets warp (factory problem) and leak water into the intake ports and cause hydrolock from sitting overnight. The car may only need to drain coolant from the cylinder and replace the intake gaskets to be repaired. New GM gaskets have aluminum core to stop the warpage problem. Even if it does need an engine I found used ones from $450-$800. I'd be happy to have an 01 SSEi for around $1500-$1700 or less if it only needs intake gaskets...............................  |
actually, the supercharged 3800 cars have aluminum intakes, and do not suffer the coolant leakage issue as the na cars do..i have a 2001 buick park avenue with the 3800sc and it has been bulletproof...bought it at 60k miles and now has 230k on it and still going strong..(but i also take care of it) just had to do a cat conv. replacement as it was rattling and 75% plugged..after the new one, the car runs like it has 2 extra cylinders..
my 2 cents for getting a decent car is buy a car that old people have owned---they are easy on their stuff, and can afford to get them repaired--you dont want to buy a car like a mustang from a 25 yr old kid...if you know what i mean..
lotsa great running gm 3800 cars out there--pay cash for a clean used one and enjoy it for 10 yrs. i see no sense in spending $40,000 on a new ride. tho i would have some $ set aside for repairs...for any used car you choose to buy. the trick is is that you have to be able to afford the upkeep--most people can afford the monthly payment, just like on a house, but they cant afford the upkeep.