NEED TO BUY a car for the wife!! What to buy??

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Buying a car for the wife!! What to buy??

Hey guys I now nothing about new cars except that they are all FWD
Anyway at this time I am looking to stay in the GM family 1998 and up with less then 100K miles
I am looking for a car the size or close to the 2003s Impalas.
What should I stay away from?
1-Engine sizes?
2-Specific years?

What should I look for?
I like the Buicks, Impalas, 2000 and up Monte Carlos
If I could afford a RWD New Caddy or if she wanted another Astro this would be easy.
And of course I tried talking her into the 87 Regal T but she wasn’t “buying”
Thanks for the help.

[SouthernCal GN]

Just went thru this....picked her up a 1997 BMW 540i.

Phenomenal car- smooth, quiet, and handles like its on rails.

Yeah, I know it's not a GM, but drive one, and you may change your tune....

[Grimster]

What's your price range?

I'm looking for an "under $30K preferably 25K or less" manual transmission, rear wheel or all wheel drive, fast, powerful, roomy, comfortable, with some remaining warranty, car for my wife.

A used Cadillac CTS-V is about the only thing that fits all my criteria (Onstar and XM are definitely a BIG plus, as is leather seats) I'm seeing 05's still under warranty for under 30, ain't really seeing them for under 25 grand though unless you get into 04's with no warranty. She needs reliable and trustworthy and something we can take on a 1400 mile road trip (I get wild hairs and we just decide to go somewhere) in comfort, I LOVE my Buick but it is SOOOO not the car for that by the time we got it home from Virginia (getting rained on a good portion of the way for 640 miles or so) I was missing riding in her Yukon that's for sure.

[chopped39]

Originally Posted by TURBOPOWERED68

Buying a car for the wife!! What to buy??

Hey guys I now nothing about new cars except that they are all FWD
Anyway at this time I am looking to stay in the GM family 1998 and up with less then 100K miles
I am looking for a car the size or close to the 2003s Impalas.
What should I stay away from?
1-Engine sizes?
2-Specific years?

What should I look for?
I like the Buicks, Impalas, 2000 and up Monte Carlos
If I could afford a RWD New Caddy or if she wanted another Astro this would be easy.
And of course I tried talking her into the 87 Regal T but she wasn’t “buying”
Thanks for the help.

Most of the cars are the same except for the body. they all leak oil and coolant. I am a gm guy all the way. So i would buy a Honda accord and save all the money your going to spend on fixing oil leaks and leaking power steering components and loose suspension parts and put it in a gn

[galoush]

TrailBlazer SS AWD , 6.0 liter .....390 something H.P in a ton of GM cars and trucks . Ours has 35K on it with minimum issues , strut went bad , rear air bag sensor and speedo ... none of which stopped it from being driven .....took a 7000 mile road trip in Sept from NY out west to Wyoming down to AZ (AZ from Utah through a 40 mile dirt road Grand Escalante staircase ) , AZ then to Tenn ( Graceland ). With the AWD traction OFF it even hooks up in the rain , just put on new tires $150 a tire mounted .....not bad for the Stock 20inch rims ....... i think GM has a 100k warrenty , or maybe pick up a used one if new is to much you want to save some $$$$. If you skip some options like Navigation you could come in cheaper .

[toofastforyou]

I think a GMC Acadia...or a Saturn Outlook wouldn't be a bad choice...I'd stay away from the Trailblazer SS...

Claude

[TURBOPOWERED68]

Originally Posted by TURBOPOWERED68

Buying a car for the wife!! What to buy??

Hey guys I now nothing about new cars except that they are all FWD
Anyway at this time I am looking to stay in the GM family 1998 and up with less then 100K miles
I am looking for a car the size or close to the 2003s Impalas.
What should I stay away from?
1-Engine sizes?
2-Specific years?

What should I look for?
I like the Buicks, Impalas, 2000 and up Monte Carlos
If I could afford a RWD New Caddy or if she wanted another Astro this would be easy.
And of course I tried talking her into the 87 Regal T but she wasn’t “buying”
Thanks for the help.

Sorry guys but i forgot to menssion that we are on a very tight budget.
i would stay in the range of $5-$8K and if a super good deal we might go to $10K so after you stop LYAO help me out

[Phoneguy]

Not a GM product but... I just bought my wife an '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. Sporty looks for her, rides decent, loaded, 650 watt stereo with sub from the factory, automatic with sport shift selector and paddle shifters on the steering wheel, bluetooth, moonroof. Fun to drive. made a hell of a deal on it for 17,000.00
She loves it.

Bryan

[BlackMetal]

Pontiac Vibe. Won't run like crap thanks to the Toyota engine.

[TURBOPOWERED68]

13 $4,995-2000 Chevrolet Impala
Emerald Green, 4 door, FWD, Sedan, AUTO, Stock# 89.
Dealer: Auto Expo of Huntington (Huntington, NY ~22 mi. away)
Email DealerGet a CARFAX Record Check
are these any good

[TURBOPOWERED68]

on the GM v6s
which one would you avoid or line them up from best to worst.
3.1
3.4
3.5
3.8
2.2

[TURBOPOWERED68]

what about this

2002 Buick Century Custom - $5,699

Mileage: 74,184
Body Style: Sedan Exterior
Color: Bronze Interior
Color: Tan
Stock #: H55590A
VIN: 2G4WS52J521163429
Engine: 3.1L V6
Transmission: AUTO 4SPD

[chopped39]

The 3.8 is the best. I have a 96 century withn 3.1 it is a pooch . I have done the intake twice.The second time I used the felpro permadry and it has about 30,000 on it since repair and all is well. The 3.1 has been a junk since they started building them, starting with the 2.8. I worked for chevy from 91 to 97 and I had my share of them. the 3.8 engines have their problems .Intake gaskets will leak and oil pan gaskets also. If you buy a gm car like the malibu, impala or any other gm car watch for the power steering pump and the rack and pinion for leaks and tierods for looseness. look at front control arm bushings oil pan gaskets and intake gaskets. Look at trans lines for leaks and transmission side cover for leaks. Always look for clamp marks on rocker lip. That will tell you if car was ever on frame machine.It is to bad she does not want a buick regal t. Alot less bs we those cars. good luck with your purchase

[SouthernCal GN]

Originally Posted by TURBOPOWERED68

Sorry guys but i forgot to menssion that we are on a very tight budget.
i would stay in the range of $5-$8K and if a super good deal we might go to $10K so after you stop LYAO help me out

Can't go wrong with a Saturn "L" series- 3.0L V-6 (Opel sourced), power everything, great fuel economy and ride, and super cheap on insurance....

[SRGN]

I just bought my wife a 98 Regal GS with 101k miles on it. Good shape, stole it for under $3k, just needed a water pump and the previous owner thought it was a blown engine(water pump was siezed, wouldn't crank). Gets 26+ MPG on the highway. If you get a GM car, get the 3.8L V6. Too many issues with the 60 degree V6s(3.1/3.4) and they are down on power. You want the 8th digit of the vin to be "1" or "K", both are 3.8 Buick engines, the vin "1" is supercharged.

[John Larkin]

That Century is a decent buy. Wholesale on the car is around $5,000 so if he has any wiggle room in the car, you're not getting ripped off. I had a '90 Lumina Euro with a 3.1 and I loved that car. Got impressive mileage back when it wasn't all that important (I think 30+ on highway).

[buickruss]

I've heard bad things about the 3.1 and 3.4. Several stories of broken camshafts and/or head gaskets failing

Russ

[Gothmog]

Originally Posted by TURBOPOWERED68

what about this

2002 Buick Century Custom - $5,699

Mileage: 74,184
Body Style: Sedan Exterior
Color: Bronze Interior
Color: Tan
Stock #: H55590A
VIN: 2G4WS52J521163429
Engine: 3.1L V6
Transmission: AUTO 4SPD

$2000 too high