Winter Beater?

[James]

I've spent the past two winters with snow tires on my 540, and never had the enjoyment of trashing a disposable vehicle.

I am thinking something WITHOUT 4wd due to potentially expensive differential failure - something Jeeps are notorious for.

Any suggestions?

[Andy]

Once you own a beater, you'll always have one!

I would have to say the best beater I had was a 1990 Ford Probe GL....the base one. It was the perfect car. I could park it anywhere and not worry about getting a door ding. It didn't require any maintanence (it had 175K miles on it when I got it. It had ~205K when I donated it.) for the ~2.5 years I owned it, and since it was a hatchback, I could haul more things in it. One year I had a Christmas tree hanging out the back of it. All that car needed was gas and oil.

I was very surprised the Probe was so reliable and it got good gas mileage. I believe the engine was built by Mazda, so that might've been something to do with it.

My recommendation when it comes to a beater; find one that is versatile i.e. has a lot of room, and has a good reliabilty track record. With that said, maybe consider a station wagon (90-97 Honda Accord and 92-96 Camry come to mind) and anything hatchback. Subaru seems to make some reliable cars, too. A Subaru AWD wagon sounds like a great winter beater car. :dunno

What price range are you looking to spend?

[James]

Thanks Andy - I am not sure what my budget is. Once the smoke settles in January I will have a better idea - but by that time it may be too late.

My wife's ML performs admirably in the snow - maybe I will just carpool with her if the weather gets really bad. Although pretty much all of my friends had old school subie wagons in highschool and they were a blast in the snow. Decisions decisions.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by James

Thanks Andy - I am not sure what my budget is. Once the smoke settles in January I will have a better idea - but by that time it may be too late.

My wife's ML performs admirably in the snow - maybe I will just carpool with her if the weather gets really bad. Although pretty much all of my friends had old school subie wagons in highschool and they were a blast in the snow. Decisions decisions.

You know another thing to consider? Your car insurance will likely go down if you have a beater. I used my beater mostly for my daily driving and my insurance went down because of it. I bought my Probe for $750. My car insurance went down by almost that much when I added it to my policy!!

You can find some 90-92 Accords for ~$1500. They are as reliable as their reputation claims.

Something to consider.

[preppy]

I hear 1992 Honda Preludes make great beaters....

[Andy]

Originally Posted by preppy

I hear 1992 Honda Preludes make great racecars....

[James]

I had a 92 prelude Si as my first car. Don't remember having 4ws though - must have been an option. When relatively new that car handled and braked great - and compared to the Vtec model was only a hair slower.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by James

I had a 92 prelude Si as my first car. Don't remember having 4ws though - must have been an option. When relatively new that car handled and braked great - and compared to the Vtec model was only a hair slower.

Yeah, the 92 Si 4WS was the top of the line model in the US. 93 was when the VTEC model came out. They had 4WS Preludes in the US ending with the 94 model. The Prelude Si and S were the standard 2WS models. The 4WS models came in only 2 color in 92. Red and Brittany Blue-Green. You would've known if you had the 4WS model. There is a big yellow light on the odometer that lights up everytime you start the car.

I had mine with the H23 non vtec engine for ~2 years. It was pretty quick. I swapped an H22 VTEC engine into it a little over 2 years ago. I can say that the H23 was almost identical in acceleration up to ~55mph. From 60-100+, the engines differ by a lot.

It does handle really well. I take it to the track whenever I can and it is a blast to drive.

[James]

Thanks for the tutorial Andy!

Mine was red, and definitely was the non-4ws. I am sure the motors are considerably different, but having owned the car from 94-96 many Vtec owners had zero clue how to drive (the same probably holds true today).

I wish Honda still made a larger coupe like the Prelude.

[Phat Ham]

Anyone know how older Subie wagons are? I'm thinking something like a '96 Legacy Outback.