Except for the Bronco II those had really bad 5 speeds in them.....they all were self destructing by 80K miles...

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Gas:
Whatever year BMW 3-series or W201 190E I could find for $3500

Diesel:
W123 300D ('82-'85)--no manual trannies or 240D w/4spd, or a W201 190D 2.2L or 2.5L w/5spd (rare).

I had an '84 318i I picked up for $1500 ten years ago that was extremely reliable, easy to work on, and fun to drive. It was beat to hell, but never failed me and always returned well over 30mpg. Heartily recommended.

Huh... good to know!

__________________
1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

these were the ugly ones that had the quarter windows that wrapped over the top. gearset and bearings wore out.....really bad design.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
---------------------
Section 609 MVAC Certified
---------------------
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

I would add to your list the Mazda Protege, in particular the model run that ended in 1994.

These cars are bullet-proof in every regard, and have been the darling of Consumer Reports ad-infinitum, garnering the Top pick year after year after year.

We had a 1994 Protege LX, which came with the same 1.8 liter DOHC engine that was used in the Miata. Very peppy little car, and handled like a BMW 3 series.

What's more, Mazda's have never had the cache of a Honda or Toyota, so resale values are much lower.

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

i concur. i have had about 10 subaru cars (1991 thru 1998). imprezas and legacys are both awesome. you can get a real nice one for $3500 if you look around. they don't fall apart like alot of newer model hondas i've looked at.

__________________
0o==o0

James 4:8

"...let us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses"
-Saint Gregory Palamas, ---Discourse on the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ


Centrally located in North East Central Pa.

Well thanks for the replies guys.

Ive been looking around. I looked at rice burners and gassers in general but the diesel is coming back to my head

I looked at a 97 Jetta TDI with 226000 k km on it. One owner etc...everything was good except for the rust . It had bubbles here and there so I said forget it. Ohh asking price was $6.5k Canadian.


Then I called about a 95 Passat Wagon TDI with 140 k km for $5.6 k Can but it was sold.

Well I gotta keep on looking for a good diesel. Maybe a W123 but they are so hard to come buy. Actually there is a beautiful one near my house with 220k km in mint cond, but the owner wants $12 k Can

240D with a stick. Nothing else.

Mike

__________________
_____
1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
_____
1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
_____
1985 300TD
270,000 miles
_____
1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
www.myspace.com/openskystudio
www.myspace.com/speedxband
www.myspace.com/openskyseparators
www.myspace.com/doubledrivemusic

how about a diesel vw? you can get a diesel jetta or golf for the cash you are talking about, they do age well, the common problems to look for in an older model are, axles, radiator, those damn little switches for the heater control, and the typical power window problems german cars are famous for. i have had a ton of these cars and they were all great. i will tell you also if you do get a vw (gas or diesel) be sure that the water pump has been changed at least once, reason....steel bolts, aluminum housing i think you know the rest! ( i have actualy bought these cars because the bolts are broken off in the housing and the owner would not fix it, not hard but no fun either to fix. takes a cuple hours and some blood loss thru the knuckles

__________________
2003 audi A6
2002 porsche boxter
1989 jeep grand wagoneer
1987 m/b 420 sel
1966 vw type 1
1965 mustang "a" code gt

Agreed, they are great cars.

__________________
1994 C 280 117.5k, White (Good as new)
1997 Toyota Camry 149k Miles (Not so pretty anymore)

1990 190e 2.6 95k (Sold-Should not have)
1981 240d Stick ??? Miles...sold

They are "appliance" cars. A Toyota Camry has all the personality and spirit of a cheap toaster oven.

Yuck.

Mike

__________________
_____
1979 300 SD
350,000 miles
_____
1982 300D-gone---sold to a buddy
_____
1985 300TD
270,000 miles
_____
1994 E320
not my favorite, but the wife wanted it

www.myspace.com/mikemover
www.myspace.com/openskystudio
www.myspace.com/speedxband
www.myspace.com/openskyseparators
www.myspace.com/doubledrivemusic

We're still talking about a $3500 mode of transportation that gets you from point A to point B with less maintenance than a benz. I don't think he's looking for a car that has a "personality" like our benz's... but a cheap and reliable transportation.

Lately ive been bitten by the diesel bug, in particular a 1995 -1997 VW Passat TDI

Yeah but if I still had my Camry I would have a heck of a lot of money in the bank! They are not ment to be fun to drive, just a decent ride that is dirt cheap to run.

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200