SuperMotors.net Forums
TheAndrey
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• New York, NY, USA |
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• Registered on 12/7/2011 |
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• 2 posts |
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 Posted:12/7/2011 21:09 |
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Hello everyone,
I am new to the forums!
I am in the market for an affordable , durable and easy to repair car that is not a pickup truck. Ideally the car has to have manual gearbox, RWD with live rear axle and an engine with timing chain.
There is only one car that satisfies it all. It is Jeep liberty 2wd v6 version.
There is also Cadillac CTS and bunch of BMWs that have RWD&Manual&Timing Chain combo, but I heard that they are very expensive to maintain.
However, I also know that Crown Vics (especially police interceptors) are phenomenally reliable despite having an automatic gearbox. Turns out the transmissions in Crown Vics are one of the finest that US has ever produced.
Both Jeep and Crown Vic can be had for under 5k$, which is exactly what I am looking at.
I like that Crown Vics are easy and cheap to repair. I have seen their used transmissions for 300$. I also heard that It is very easy to do DIY work on Crown Vics.
In town gas millage is not a big issue for me as I won't be driving more than once a week. However, I would like to get at least 27mpg on the highway. I heard that Crown Vics can do 30mpg when driven 55mph.
Are there any cars that are relatively modern, 2003+ that would satisfy my needs in being simple, cheap to repair and yet reliable?
I know that there are bunch of FWD cars such as 2006 Sonata and Jetta , that have chains and manual trans, but it is customary to think that constant velocity joint replacement and clutch replacement on FWD cars is very expensive.
Another factor to consider is the insurance costs. I am a 23 year old male (in grad school) and tend to think that everything except Panther cars is going to be expensive to pay insurance for. So technically Panther car would offset its low mpg by being cheaper to insure.
The cars I look at are the following: Panther platform cars, BMWs, CTS, 2006 Sonata, 2003 Altima, 2006 Jetta.
To sum up, my intuition is telling me that the only viable option is any panther based car. So ideally it would be 2006+ P71 Crown Vic.
Any suggestions ?
PS
I really love the design of the Crown Vics, they are just astonishingly beautiful! |
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Posted:12/8/2011 13:45 |
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Go online and see what kind of prices the people who specialize in Panthers are asking. Sometimes you can find a public auction that are selling retired municipal cars (the police aren't the only ones who used them). Remember that most police cars spend hours sitting at idle and then are expected to run wide open for 30 or 40 minutes in a day. Sure, its not unusual to see some of these cars rolling 250K or 300K miles before needing a rebuilt.
If I recall, there is a place in Jersey that sells nothing but P71s, but I believe that they were a couple of thousand higher than in Texas or Louisiana. But check around. If you really want a police car, be sure to verify the VIN and that it has the "P71" in the vin (I think its the 5th, 6st, and 7th digits in the vin). Now the P72 are the civilian version, and the Grand Marquis are the upscale.
Nice to see you found this forum. You may also want to check out www.crownvic.net
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PROUD MEMBER of www.crownvic.net
It's just a SUPER-DUTY Mustang GT Sedan. 198K miles and still rolling HARD.
1997 Crown Victoria P71 SVT *** ex-US Marshall service (the CAR)
STOCK?? I bet it was modified. 
13.26 @ 107.24 MPH 1/4 mi w/ me, tools, & full tank of 93 octane
I added CAI, NICHE 19 X 8.5 " wheels with 245/45ZR 19 rubbers, and completely rebuilt the front end with poly bushings, Kooks headers, 2 1/4inch exhaust, TCI 2200-2400 rpm Stall converter
.PLANS:: engine upgrade, 5.4L 2v stroker, rebuild interior in leather w/ buckets, thinking about turbos
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TheAndrey
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• New York, NY, USA |
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• Registered on 12/7/2011 |
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• 2 posts |
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Posted:12/8/2011 20:28 |
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Thank you for response.
Am I right about claiming that Panthers are the only proper RWDs ?
Could you tell me where that place is in NJ ?
I appreciate your inniciative |
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