does anyone know of any complications that the 98 pontiac sunfire might have had generally...my woman is thinkin of getting one used and intuition is telling me that that might not be the best of choices...

that being said, what is the best $3000 she can spend on a used car that is reliable, mechanically sound, and fuel-efficient...thank you good sirs of the garage in advance for any helpful info.

7/19/2006 2:13:14 PM

I would say get a Ford Focus or something.

PS: If you're 20, I am assuming your "woman" is younger...which means she ain't a "woman"

7/19/2006 2:19:23 PM

dont get a sunfire.

dont get a focus.

[Edited on July 19, 2006 at 2:22 PM. Reason : older honda or toyota]

7/19/2006 2:22:02 PM

i think we had a thread like this the other day. at any rate, if you're only looking at 3 grand the standard garage response is a toyota or a honda. good gas mileage, relatively easy to work on, etc.

[Edited on July 19, 2006 at 2:23 PM. Reason : ^ hahaha a lil too fast for me beethead said toyota or honda!]

7/19/2006 2:22:36 PM

^^^shutup

[Edited on July 19, 2006 at 2:24 PM. Reason : .]

7/19/2006 2:23:47 PM

she is also 20, and shes prolly more woman than you have ever dreamed about in your lifetime...

P.S. dont take that the wrong way

7/19/2006 2:25:04 PM

so she's fat?

anyway...
i agree

the focus is the best domestic in that price range but
i still wouldn't buy one

yota & honduh

7/19/2006 2:28:06 PM

lol, i knew someone would say something about her being fat...no she's not fat at all, but enough with the side quests...

thanks for the info so far, but let's get some more opinions out here folks...i appreciate it a lot...

7/19/2006 2:30:22 PM

I am curious...why do you people say the Focus isn't a good car? IMO, every car is good if maintained good, and Ford means you can get parts for really cheap.

You'd get a really old shitty Toyota/Honda for $3k

7/19/2006 2:45:04 PM

98 sunfire common problems (from my knowledge and personal experience):

power windows (problem with most GM cars in that year range)
head gasket - apparently the headers are aluminum, but the engine block is steel, so the different metals expand and contract differently, causing a high occurrence of blown head gaskets*

*This is actually based on what happened to my 97 sunfire as related to me by a family member who diagnosed it - so the explanation may not be exactly correct, but head gaskets are known to blow often in late 90s sunfires.

7/19/2006 2:47:36 PM

Problems: GM

7/19/2006 4:34:55 PM

I'll sell her a 1993 camry with 121k on it for 3k. Mechanically sound, 25+mpg, reliable, and clean too

7/19/2006 4:39:30 PM

focus arnt that bad. pretty reliable, my friend had a 01 with 265k, almost no maint.

7/19/2006 5:32:05 PM

damn what did he do with the car to put over 50k / year

7/19/2006 5:37:55 PM

7/19/2006 5:38:31 PM

rattling plastics and shitty build quality

i used to have an '01 cavalier, what a piece of crap

7/19/2006 7:55:00 PM

I have a pontiac i am selling for $3000 that is dead reliable.

7/19/2006 8:05:08 PM

Yeah, that's because it has a 3800.

The 2.2 is a shitty engine, underdesigned and destined for failure unless babied.

I don't really think that the 2.4 is a whole lot better, though it does have a lot more power (the 2.2 has didly squat for power). I just remember the nighmare that the 2.3 Quad Four could be when it wanted to.

7/19/2006 8:12:57 PM

my 2.2 had 140hp... it was the later one. I think the earlier ones had like 110 or something

7/20/2006 12:49:59 AM

They all had 115 after '97 (120).

The 2.4 had 150.

7/20/2006 3:26:43 AM