vandorssen Posted June 12, 2004 Share Posted June 12, 2004 My car, a 1999 Pontiac Bonneville is close to needing yet another new engine. Two engines and three transmissions in 5 years is enough. I bought a “new” car to avoid just this sort of trouble. Admittedly, mine is a lemon and I do not feel it is a good representative of the breed. But now that it comes down to it, I need a new car. And it has to be economical, as I am currently “between” careers. The criteria I used to choose a replacement are as follows:It has to be sporty (I like fast acceleration)It has to be stylish in an understated sort of wayIt has to be reliableIt has to be less than $2000 (I only have my savings to live on until I get a new job). Using the above criteria, I have narrowed the choices down to the following three: 1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turbo (Burgundy with black leather interior, 2.3L I-4 Turbo)1995 Pontiac Bonneville SSE (Metallic green with tan leather interior, 3.8L V6)1987 Saab 9000 Turbo (Black with tan leather interior, 2.3L I-4 Turbo) Why is the 1995 Bonneville in there with cars that are nearly 20 years old? A friend of mine has a daughter who just bough a new car and he wants to sell me her old one for what she owed him on it. All three cars have about equal mileage (~180,000-200,000 miles), and all three are in reasonably good aesthetic and mechanical condition. Each one has its charm, its benefits and its drawbacks. So which would you choose and why? I would not recommend suggesting another car (other than is listed), as these three are available for immediate local pickup. Seriously, your input is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiseasedPunk Posted June 12, 2004 Share Posted June 12, 2004 Buy a bicycle or a skateboard.:D-peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThetaOrionis01 Posted June 12, 2004 Share Posted June 12, 2004 For $2000 you could get a pretty nice bicycle :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandorssen Posted June 12, 2004 Author Share Posted June 12, 2004 Perhaps if I lived in a larger city a bicycle would do. But this is a rural area, and for my old job, for instance, it was 120 miles round trip just to go to work with regular trips up to International Falls (180 miles (rt)) and Chicago (1300 miles (rt)). The towns in this area are typically 15-20 distant and a bicycle is just impractical for travel out side of occasional summer use where I might take the 10 mile trip in to town (especially with the -40 F degree winter temps around here and the usual 52-72 inches of snow). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UberBender Posted June 12, 2004 Share Posted June 12, 2004 i would get the Bonnevile: 1. Its newer2. you know how they handle3. thats a cool paint job4. leather is awsome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaiv Posted June 12, 2004 Share Posted June 12, 2004 The criteria I used to choose a replacement are as follows:It has to be sporty (I like fast acceleration)It has to be stylish in an understated sort of wayIt has to be reliableIt has to be less than $2000 (I only have my savings to live on until I get a new job). Get a Smartcar. :D I would go with the Volvo. As long as it's not a Stationwagon, Volvo's are some of the best cars available. [so are the station wagons, I just think they're hideous.] The Volvo sedans are beautiful, reliable, powerful, and sporty. Plus, they use them in rally racing. ^_^ But, to the Smart Car: It certainly is stylish in an understated sort of way. Especially if you go with the Roadster/Sport Editions. Regular Smartcar:http://home.earthlink.net/~castanier/photos/france/car-smart.jpg Smartcar Roadster:http://www.thesmart.co.uk/images/car_range/detail_roadster_bluewave_pic.jpg Smartcar Roadster Coupe:http://www.thesmart.co.uk/images/car_range/detail_roadster_roadstercp_pic.jpg Of course, those are like 20,000 USD brand new. But still, they get like 50+ miles to the gallon, and are extremely efficient...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandorssen Posted June 13, 2004 Author Share Posted June 13, 2004 Farewell 1999 Bonneville. But good riddance too! Alfred VanDorssen's 1999 Pontiac Bonneville SSE:Died 12-06-2004 15:35 after complications from engine coolant/component failure. Engine transplant unavailable. :rip: http://216.70.23.4/vandorssen/96_3.jpghttp://216.70.23.4/vandorssen/21_3.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slaiv Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 So you have no car now? :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighid Posted June 13, 2004 Share Posted June 13, 2004 1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turbo (Burgundy with black leather interior, 2.3L I-4 Turbo)1995 Pontiac Bonneville SSE (Metallic green with tan leather interior, 3.8L V6)1987 Saab 9000 Turbo (Black with tan leather interior, 2.3L I-4 Turbo) I would go with the Saab or the Volvo.Especially if either of them are diesel. With gas prices at their current levels, diesel is the way to go, and you can modify it to run on vegetable oil for about 800-1,000 USD. Also, most GM cars are reaching the fall-apart point at 180-200 K miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandorssen Posted June 18, 2004 Author Share Posted June 18, 2004 Update: The King is dead! Long Live the King! As I posted above, my car died. But its successor has been chosen. After nearly buying a “restorer’s delight” 1984 Lincoln Mark VII, I have decided on the 1995 Bonneville SSE. The previous owner was more willing to negotiate a better price and so I went with him.I’ll post pictures if anyone is interested. Thanks for the help, everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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