Advice for a dependable vehicle

[Johnny A]

I was looking for advice regarding the purchase of a vehicle.

Looking for a vehicle that was made pre 1980 that would be:

Straight 6
Four door
HEI ignition
Easy to work on
Dependable.

I'm looking for a daily driver that I could fox on the side of the road if need be.

Open for ideas.

I was thinking a straight 6 nova 4 door



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[jismay]

A little newer than what you're asking for, but the Jeep Cherokee (XJ) hits most of the rest of your requirements. The 4.0L engine is extremely reliable. I had to replace one in a Wrangler. The engine had just shy of 250K miles and would still push the jeep at 75+ MPH on the freeway, but it turned out that it had enough problems that the easiest answer was a new engine. Thats what I call durable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Cherokee_(XJ)

 

[AMCguy]

The good news is the HEI was so popular, that it's now made by several aftermarket companies for Ford, Chrysler and AMC. That might help you broaden your search.

I of course would go with a four door Hornet.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

They're out there but in the North and Northeast you'll need to find one where rust isn't an issue. That may be a problem unless you are willing to travel 500 miles to the south.

 

[BearCuda]

I of course would go with a four door Hornet.

Lol, there's one rolling around my town that sat out in a farmers field forever.

 

[Stuart in MN]

A Plymouth Valiant or Dodge Dart would fit your criteria, if you could find one that hasn't yet rusted away.

 

[BearCuda]

Yeah, I'd probably go with a 70's Dart as well.

 

[kd3pc]

2nd vote for the valiant, dart, duster,

great car, but you may be in the "collector" market to find one any more.

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

.

I of course would go with a four door Hornet.

There aren't many around here that the Rust Monster didn't get to.

 

[HMCFab9]

[QUOTE Jeep Cherokee (XJ) [/QUOTE]

No offense to jismay, but do not get a Cherokee. My Gf bought one a year ago & that is the biggest pile of **** i've ever had to work on. Nothing but problems.... & it's never been abused & doesn't have a ton of miles on it either.

I agree 100% on the Nova. I had 2 of them with the 6 & they seemed like they would run forever. Rust was a problem on those though. You'd need to find a southern car.

Edit: My gf's Cherokee isn't an XJ. Hers is an '02 GC limited 4.7. (lots of problems with it)

 

[Kingcreek]

I had 3 jeep Cherokees over the years. The last one was a 1998 we bought new and was given to my stepdaughter and her husband when it had 185k on the odometer. It has over 250k miles on it and all it ever had was the usual tires, brakes, shocks and one battery and one exhaust. The driver door hinges wore out and had to be replaced too. It's still running and hauling kids and dogs and even goes into 4wd on occasion.

 

[brownbagg]

another route the early fords, like comet, falcon, the early nova, chevy II.. the deal is they would never go down in value

 

[brownbagg]

the worst car would be the k car

 

[chops101]

Jeep Cherokee.
Male Teenager proof.

Bought a used one for my son in HS with 90k on the clock. He barely maintained it, hardly ever changed oil, never washed it. It went thru HS and 4 years college, and then across country to San Diego for a couple years. He got twice as much for it that I thought would be possible on an outright sale.

Sure it went through the usual; batteries, water pump, alternator, tires....but it always started.

 

[nadogail]

A 2CV Citroen or an air-cooled VW, with an aftermarket ignition.

 

[jismay]

[QUOTE Jeep Cherokee (XJ)

No offense to jismay, but do not get a Cherokee. My Gf bought one a year ago & that is the biggest pile of **** i've ever had to work on. Nothing but problems.... & it's never been abused & doesn't have a ton of miles on it either.

[/QUOTE]

No offense taken. I can't speak to the reliability of the vehicle from personal experience, merely to the durability of the drivetrain, etc.

 

[jismay]

A 2CV Citroen or an air-cooled VW, with an aftermarket ignition.

As much as I like A/C VW's (I have three sitting in the driveway) I would certainly not call them a reliable daily driver. The oil and valve change intervals alone take them firmly out of that realm for anyone who isn't already dedicated to it.

 

[jd_1138]

A Plymouth Valiant or Dodge Dart would fit your criteria, if you could find one that hasn't yet rusted away.

I bought a white '72 Plymouth Valiant (same as Dodge Dart) 4 door sedan off an older lady in the late 1990's for $600. She and her husband had bought it brand new. It ran perfect and was rust free (California). 225 ci slant 6, AT. It was a no option car (except for the AT). It even had a plastic cover over where the radio should have been that said "Chrysler Corporation" on it. It had steel wheels with Plymouth baby caps on it.

 

[jd_1138]

the worst car would be the k car

They look pretty cool though, at least from the perspective of 2013's rounded off soulless transportation devices. Plus the K cars sat 6 people (in a pinch) and were pretty reasonably priced. Above, I posted a pic of an early 70's Plymouth Valiant. Probably a lot of Valiant/Dart buyers bought K cars in the early 80's. They went from a solid bread and butter slant 6 to a pretty solid 2.2 4 banger (if maintained well).

 

[Northern Sweet]

Guys,

I am not overly passionate about a lot of things, but when it comes to a reliable vehicle, nothing, and I mean nothing compares with a mid 80's Toyota 4x4 with a 22RE engine in it. Check out "Top Gear" if you need more proof! Only problem is that the bodies and frames weren't quite adapt at handling snow and salt.

This old baby still starts everyday even at -40 in winter. But the frame is held together with angle iron from a bed frame!!

So if you can find a NON-RUSTED ONE, go for it!!!

 

[L84ARACE]

I had a jeep Cherokee XJ and the 4.0 engine & drivetrain are great as mentioned. But I had some electrical issues like the dash would just go out intermittently, and the speakers would cut out.

 

[fteufert]

Ford Fairmont with a straight 6.

 

[Val_C]

BMW 5-series e12 sedan?
Fun to drive, easy to work on, M30 engine is literally indestructible, parts are available, great message boards support.

 

[pauls_workshop]

I have a '94 cherokee suv with the 4.0 L legendary inline 6 and also the legendary auto transmission in it. It depends on your year. I think after 2000 they got the Chysler transmissions which are not good. These things get terrible mileage, but they are pretty reliable, but they do RUST badly all over. I had to have mine welded where my foot was going through the floorpan (picture Fred Flintstone driving method). Also needed to repair hard brake lines recently as one rusted out and lost all my brake fluid! That was not fun but avoided an accident barely. Otherwise, as close to robust as possible. 300K easily attainable. I only have 130k on mine and mainly drive it in the winter months only and keep it around for that purpose. In the rest of the year, I drive a car mainly.

Find an old Mercedes or BMW. They are some of the most reliable high mileage cars and well designed you can get. Or change your requirements and get a Honda, or Toyota, or Nissan, or Mazda, all of which can get to 300K miles with maintanance. I would put Subaru in there but get rid of that before 120k miles or it gets expensive fast with those. Or get an American car that is also a POLICE car. These are made to be robust! Ford Crown Vic is an example. 200k + is no problem with those. - Paul

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

[QUOTE Jeep Cherokee (XJ)

No offense to jismay, but do not get a Cherokee. My Gf bought one a year ago & that is the biggest pile of **** i've ever had to work on. Nothing but problems.... & it's never been abused & doesn't have a ton of miles on it either.

I agree 100% on the Nova. I had 2 of them with the 6 & they seemed like they would run forever. Rust was a problem on those though. You'd need to find a southern car.

Edit: My gf's Cherokee isn't an XJ. Hers is an '02 GC limited 4.7. (lots of problems with it)

Thanks for the edit, the 1991 and up 4.0L cherokees (chrysler fuel injection) are damn near bullet proof. Ive got the 5spd manual, 4x4 with the 4.0L, 200k miles, does not burn or leak a drop of oil, and I get 25mpg Hwy. Its not been beat on. Its had a clutch, alt, brakes, shocks, belt, and thats about it. Id drive that thing to Alaska tomorrow morning, without any worries.

That and they are dirt cheap to buy and operate. After FI, you can not give me a carburetored anything, on wheels. My quad is fuel injected, I love it, because it starts and IT RUNS!!!!

Lots of good choices being offered up here !

 

[sharp21]

Straight 6? Cummins powered Dodge Ram!

4x4
Power all day
Super reliable motor

S.

 

[kerrynzl]

Ford Fairmont with a straight 6.

If it was the Aussie Fairmont yes

Otherwise for outright reliability the early [70-80] Toyota Crown, and Nissan [Datsun] Broughams
These monsters will do a million km's reliably

They were the cars of choice here for last car going demolition derby's [ they couldn't kill them ]

 

[ctb]

Early 240 series volvos. Tough, safe vehicle, easy to fix. Easily go half a million miles if maintained. Good rallying history.

My dad had a 245 turbo back in the early 80's. It moved out pretty good.

 

[RedBKM]

Since you didn't mention easy on gas... 80s Jeep Wagoneer!

4 door
Optional 258
Easy HEI conversion (parts from GM 250)
Solid front and rear axle
Leaf springs
Simple

I had an '86 with a 258 back in high school. I still see it on the highway and I sold it with 290k. Finding one without rust can be challenging but possible.