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replacing the family truckster

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Banjo

Banjo

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Well now that I'm out of the altered reality that was yesterday at our house, It's time to explore the options for replacing the family wagon.
My wife was hit (by a 93 year old lady driving a Buick) while driving the Windstar yesterday. All people are ok, but the ol' battlestar got the whole passenger side wiped out. So now that the insurance company has deemed it a total loss (honestly I'm not very torn up about that) and a meager check is on it's way, We're starting to seriously look for a $5k or under replacement.
Right now we're leaning twards a Subaru legacy or forester, or something like a Jeep Grand Cherokee, or another Pathfinder or 4 Runner.
The problem around here is anything in our price range is 7-10 years old, and that translates to terminal rust. Especially underneath. brake and fuel lines and the like.
So It's gonna be a task..
Any ideas about similar cars that I might wanna consider?
I've got a bad taste in my mouth for Ford, after this heap. I really don't care for GM... Import is good.. Euro import better!
"Come Watson. Tha game is afoot!" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Find an *OLD* Ford, mid sixties Ranch wagon, up through
the mid seventies Torino wagon, yeah baby, thats where the
cool is...

SteveL
 
Avoid Cherokee's like the plague! Mine was nothing but a money pit. Subie sounds like a good choice. I've also always liked the Blazer/Jimmy trucks....for whatever reason you can pick them up dirt cheap, and not that old. They use alot of the same components as my Sonoma which has been one of the best used vehicles I've ever bought. Since October we've put 8000 miles on it with out a hint of trouble...and with a little over 100,000 miles on the motor(4.3L) it starts first cranks and pulls strong. I was kinda worried when I bought it because my other modern GM has been questionable, but so far I am very impressed.
 
Ben, I've been known to be partial to Volvo wagons myself, particularly 740's and 760's.
Virtually bulletproof, and seem to have superior rustproofing.
Real Volvos, not the Ford variant. (We call those "Fjords.")
Jeff
 
I've got a 240 DL wagon here I'd give ya. Needs a *bit* of work, tho. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif
 
Glad to hear no one was hurt...cars can be replaced. If you found your Ford mini-van useful, I'd buy another one. I like mine (Freestar) very much and couldn't do without it.

There are zillions of fwd mini-vans around these day. Chevy Ventures, Dodges, Ford Windstars/Freestars, etc. Plus various import mini-vans such Nissan, Toyota, Mazda etc.

Personally, I'd look at the Chrysler mini-vans, simply because there are so many of them that you can pick-and-choose one that's been taken care of. These things had trans problems about 20 years ago and some folks will not let go of that, but anything from the early '90s and on up is fine.
 
All some good comments gents.
Personally, I'd love to get some quirky old wagon, but this is gonna be my wifes car, so It's gotta be modern, quirk free, and loaded with all those needless amenities, like power windows, locks power steering and brakes, carpeting, reliability... youknow.. all the stuff that LBCs aren't. hehehe
I've got a line on a couple of Subies. I'd be open to a Volvo if I can find a decent one.. I'm not heart broken to be disuaded from a Jeep , and we decided a while ago we don't really need a mini-van, but a small SUV would work well.
the sad thing is I work at a Toyota dealer, and can't afford ANYTHING we have there. I'd love to get a Toyota. I'm impressed with thier build quality, but I have to go back to about 95 before they get into my price range. and that old they get crusty around here (I work on them every day, I know)_
So thanks for all the ideas so far. keep em comin. We're on the hunt!
 
I just bought an under 5k car here in Ontario. The bottom has absolutely fallen out of the market - especially vans. They are everywhere. Basically it worked out this way. $4-5k bought 1999-2002 North American. 1996-1998 Japanese or 1994-1997 European. At the end of the process I went North American because I didn't need the extra repair/parts costs or the extra years exposed to road salt. Another thought. Look for a car that has been on the lot for over 60 days. I had a number to choose from that were dramatically reduced in price as they were about to go back to the auction. Good Luck - but don't rush there are many out there.
 
Check all the repo lots...Not sure about where you are but here we've got the "Repo Depo"...If your lucky you can save thousands buying from them......Blazers and Yukons seem to be the most common repo'd vehicles here.
 
I really like my 95 toyota (replacing the injector seals on it today - finally), and it's absolutely rust free, but then again they don't salt the roads down here. My wife likes the riding position in it (able to see over the traffic). I would consider the Rav 4, or the subaru for gas mileage though.
 
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