1st car...

[xEzMikex]

Hey I am looking for my first car, I only got my g1 but I am planning to mod my car so I wanna start looking early. I have some bills to pay-off witch i should be done in about a week or two then I will be saving up for my car. I have bin looking at some side skirt websites and the sunfire body kits look really nice. There are a couple of things that I would like to know.

1.How many km's should I look for on a used car? After what amount should I not buy it?

2.Can I remove body kits?

3.Got any links to - Rim sites, Raceing Steats, Gauges, Body Kits?

4. Whats a good year of sunfire?

[Hofmeister]

If I were you I would stay away from the Pontiac Sunfire. Since its introduction in 1994 (as a 1995 model) there have been 14 recalls on the car. This also includes the Chevrolet Cavalier. One problem area is the front suspension. I have two friends that had to replace the front struts more than once because they are very low quality. Avoid the 2.3L Quad 4 engine as it's not reliable at all. I had another friend who was left stranded because the fuel gauge sensor stopped working. A better bet would be a Civic, Corolla, or Sentra. If you're set on getting an American car then check out a Grand Prix or Chevrolet Impala. They're larger but far better in terms of reliability.

As for mileage, it depends on the car. A friend of mine bought a 1990 Corsica a few years back with 215,000 kms on it and sold it with 255,000kms a few years later. What's most important is if it's been well maintained. Have a mechanic look over any car you want to buy. It'll cost about $50 but it could save thousands. Also do a VIN check to see if the car has been in any accidents etc. The value on most cars will drop after it hits 200,000 Kms. Don't get too attached to anything because it could lead you to buy something that may cause problems down the road.

Good luck!

[xEzMikex]

Thanks alot. Damn I was really looking forward to getting a sunfire... Is there any year of sunfires that was really good?

[LoJo]

lol not that i know of stick with the civic if you want a project car...integras are nice too

[Andydg]

Originally Posted by LoJo

lol not that i know of stick with the civic if you want a project car...integras are nice too

Honda's are practically bullet proof and you can find parts for them everywhere. They're great for a first car.

[G-man422]

yeah, if your lookin for a cheap car thats reliable and easy to mod, go w/ a honda.

[Hofmeister]

Yeah, if you want a used small car I'd stick with Honda, Nissan, Toyota or Mazda. In regards to a great year for the Sunfire, there really wasn't any standout year but th enewer the better. Problem is that most of the issues are with the design of the vehicle itself and that didn't change (a minor tweak was done in 2000 but nothing major).

Save yourself a headache and get something else.

Cheers.