Looking for a beater/winter car
08-31-2012, 02:57 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Looking for a beater/winter car
Hi everyone,
Basically i live in canada and the winters here are typically long and snowy (as you all know, even though last winter was great with almost no snow here in toronto). I am looking for a car to drive in the winter time and basically a beater also (i plan to buy a s2000 in 1-2 years). I am currently looking at a honda civic sir my 2000 (called the si in the states). what do you guys think i should look out for, is 200 000 km too much? I'm typically wanting to spend 5k for this. I basically either want a sir civic, integra type r, or rsx type s. Anywhere from 4-7k. The lower the better. Are mods okay to get? I typically am looking for a sir with coilovers, a muffler and intake at the maximum.
Any help is appreciated, thanks!
Basically i live in canada and the winters here are typically long and snowy (as you all know, even though last winter was great with almost no snow here in toronto). I am looking for a car to drive in the winter time and basically a beater also (i plan to buy a s2000 in 1-2 years). I am currently looking at a honda civic sir my 2000 (called the si in the states). what do you guys think i should look out for, is 200 000 km too much? I'm typically wanting to spend 5k for this. I basically either want a sir civic, integra type r, or rsx type s. Anywhere from 4-7k. The lower the better. Are mods okay to get? I typically am looking for a sir with coilovers, a muffler and intake at the maximum.
Any help is appreciated, thanks!
08-31-2012, 04:44 PM
#2
Keep your beater a beater, which means don't mod it just keep it running. A good beater should be good on gas, cheap on parts, and reasonable in snow/bad weather.
Best beaters IMHO:
-Corolla
-Civic/accord/integra
-Protege
I put corolla at the top because they have a timing chain instead of belt, which means they don't typically need changing and are cheaper than the hondas.
Best beaters IMHO:
-Corolla
-Civic/accord/integra
-Protege
I put corolla at the top because they have a timing chain instead of belt, which means they don't typically need changing and are cheaper than the hondas.
09-01-2012, 07:28 AM
#3
Stay away from the Protege - they always get rust on the rear fenders (problem with the coating on some of the bolts/screws, causing corrosion).
Civic or Corolla would be your best bet, due to smaller wheels/tires (lower consumables cost), ease of maintenance and general availability of parts if you ever need them. They're a dime a dozen so you're guaranteed to be able to fix the car as needed for relatively low prices.
The timing chain is a big deal - most shops in Canada will charge $750+ to change a timing belt on a Honda and if you're buying a car with 200K, it'll need a belt done very soon if it hasn't been done recently. A Corolla is just not as fun to drive as a Civic...
Civic or Corolla would be your best bet, due to smaller wheels/tires (lower consumables cost), ease of maintenance and general availability of parts if you ever need them. They're a dime a dozen so you're guaranteed to be able to fix the car as needed for relatively low prices.
The timing chain is a big deal - most shops in Canada will charge $750+ to change a timing belt on a Honda and if you're buying a car with 200K, it'll need a belt done very soon if it hasn't been done recently. A Corolla is just not as fun to drive as a Civic...
09-07-2012, 08:59 PM
#7
200K kms (about 130K miles) isn't bad if the vehicle has been maintained. Check for a recent timing belt change (if the engine doesn't have a timing chain) and be sure to look for bad rust and worn bushings. Canadian winters wreak havoc on vehicles. Expect minor repairs, though - it's a fact of life with vehicles up here, no matter how well they've been maintained.
I'm looking at an F-150 with 180K for about $8K, with recent maintenance done on it. Should be a great camping vehicle in the summers and will work fine in the winters as well. I drive only about 16 kms per day (total) for work so fuel economy isn't a big deal...
I'm looking at an F-150 with 180K for about $8K, with recent maintenance done on it. Should be a great camping vehicle in the summers and will work fine in the winters as well. I drive only about 16 kms per day (total) for work so fuel economy isn't a big deal...
