spragers
New Member
Howdy all, long time no chat lol...
My old '91 non-SHO Taurus has finally reached the "no longer safe to drive" category... the subframe has rusted out (not surprising when you see the rest of the car... it hasn't aged well). So, for next winter I'll need to find myself a new winter beater to keep the SHO out of the salt and muck that is winter in Wisconsin. I've found myself with three options (well, four really):
1. Go with just the '98, get snow tires, try to keep it clean in the winter and resign myself to the fact that it's going to get old and rusty sooner or later (not really an option, per se...)
2. find a real beater < $1,000 and hope nothing major breaks down in the middle of winter
3. find a somewhat decent but still cheap (say, < $4,000) older car and again hope that nothing major breaks down
4. spend a bit more (that is, take out an auto loan) and maybe spend $6,000 on a newer used car (my '98 isn't exactly new, but still looks it) in the hope of avoiding any major mechanical issues and terminal rust (my '91 was rusty when I bought it but I squeezed 40,000 miles and 10 years out of that car, and I drove it like I stole it every day)
Specifically, there's an '03 Focus ZX5 that's caught my eye. $6k, 70k miles. It would also give me an alternative to the SHO if/when I need to haul something. I've had a chance to drive my dad's Focus wagon and was pleasantly surprised.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
- Ben
My old '91 non-SHO Taurus has finally reached the "no longer safe to drive" category... the subframe has rusted out (not surprising when you see the rest of the car... it hasn't aged well). So, for next winter I'll need to find myself a new winter beater to keep the SHO out of the salt and muck that is winter in Wisconsin. I've found myself with three options (well, four really):
1. Go with just the '98, get snow tires, try to keep it clean in the winter and resign myself to the fact that it's going to get old and rusty sooner or later (not really an option, per se...)
2. find a real beater < $1,000 and hope nothing major breaks down in the middle of winter
3. find a somewhat decent but still cheap (say, < $4,000) older car and again hope that nothing major breaks down
4. spend a bit more (that is, take out an auto loan) and maybe spend $6,000 on a newer used car (my '98 isn't exactly new, but still looks it) in the hope of avoiding any major mechanical issues and terminal rust (my '91 was rusty when I bought it but I squeezed 40,000 miles and 10 years out of that car, and I drove it like I stole it every day)
Specifically, there's an '03 Focus ZX5 that's caught my eye. $6k, 70k miles. It would also give me an alternative to the SHO if/when I need to haul something. I've had a chance to drive my dad's Focus wagon and was pleasantly surprised.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
- Ben
