Hello everyone, I have a few questions about a first car.
I have found some nice offers from insurance companies that allow me to have a car with more ponies under the hood but idk which one to pick from the cars I like most.
They are:
1989 Ford Sierra 2.0 gasoline injected NA with close 100.000 km and 120 hp. (owner says its in perfect condition and has no rust) for 3.500€
2009 Subaru Impreza 1.5 gasoline NA 3rd gen with 65.000 km and 107hp (owner states its like brand new and that he sells it cause of his family growth) for 6.500€
2009 Subaru Impreza 2.0 gasoline NA 3rd gen with 95.000 km and 120hp (owner says he does not need AWD anymore) for 5.210€
2001 Renault Laguna 2nd gen 1.9dCi Turbodiesel with 300.000 km and 120 hp still going strong (mom had it for 10 years ever since I was 7 and wants a new car)
I need help to make my choice because it is so hard to make a pick, the sierra is RWD what is good for learning to take corners from what I heard.
I heard the subies are not the best at rusting but are very reliable if they are not modified or abused too hard.
The Renault on the other hand is the car I learned to drive on even though if it FWD I took it for a few spins on the downhill and it handles quite well and never broke down.
My mom daily drove it and was never flooring the pedal.
Please help
If it wasn’t for the Subaru head gasket issue, either Subaru would be the clear choice.
2009 is the transition year. So if it got the new head gaskets, go for the Subaru’s. If it has the older head gaskets, know that you will need to change the head gasket if you do purchase a Subaru.
I did hear of older models having headgasket issues from 1990' s til 2003 but idk about the newer ones. I also wonder how often the headgasket should be changed on a subie. I mean, both have under 60.000 miles on the clock so I thought it might be safe to pick em at least when they get to 100.000 miles
The head gaskets were an issue up until the boxer engine was redesigned for timing chains instead of belts, around 2010-2011. The older ones (1990s-early 2000s) were worse, but 2009 is still in the problem range. If there is no proof the head gaskets have already been changed I would pass on those Subarus as they would likely start leaking in the near future.
I gotta announce tha I mistyped the info about the 1.5 liter Gasoline one, it's made in 2011. is that good?
TMK, 2011 is outside of the problem range for head gaskets. So it should be good. I’d like to hear others thoughts though.
Yeah Subaru redesigned the 1.5L in 2007, and head gaskets weren't that bad on their smaller engines anyway. so it should be good on that front although they still haven't really figured out the oil consumption issues.
It's a rare engine, all the information about it is on Japanese, but with the power of google translate:
I think your best bet is the '09 Subaru 2.0L
it's the latest revision of the EJ engine - by that time they figured out most of it's issues (unlike the 1.5L EL engine which hasn't stuck around for a while but does share most parts with the larger EJ)
Other than timing belts, (that should be replaced on time / slightly before time with quality components - or the valves and pistons will meet)
The thing to watch out for is very high oil consumption and constant oil leaks - which is an issue on Subarus as you must keep the oil between the low and high mark on these religiously, even the smallest deviation is likely to cause spun bearings. Also, never overheat a Subie engine, it'll get destroyed almost immediately.
It's overall a very solid car, but it ain't a Toyota in the sense that automatic transmissions, oxygen sensors, throttles, cooling systems and much more aren't particularly well built. but, usually they only cause issues at high millages and don't cost too much to repair.
Additionally, the Renault if that's a car you already own in your family, and if you know it's flawless and has been maintained - you maybe should consider just using it. with the appropriate maintenance at 300,000km (almost 200k miles), those 1.9 dCi engines can easily go another 150,000-200,000km (roughly 100k-130k miles) which is a thing I can't say about any of those Subbies that I've seen wear out before 200,000km (especially the 1.5L with it's oil consumption issues (120k miles)) but they typically last more than that.
RWD, AWD, FWD are all similar unless you drive in snow or in bad weather, and in that case AWD is very nice to have.
Thank you for your advice Sir, I was looking specifically for a manual for I feel more connected with the car. I was just looking for a fun hatch that can deliver some good times on the downhill twisties and maybe even put some sports cars to shame(like the Renault did). Do not get me wrong, automatics are great, but they are not really my piece of cake. What about the Ford Sierra? My dad used to own one and said it was a decent car. I did look up some stuff and it said it had the perfect body for drifting and that it was quite well balanced.
The Ford Sierra Is a ~33 year old car, I don’t recommend anything that old… especially when it’s just a regular Ford, not something particularly fun, not particularly special, nor is it really even that valuable…
If you want to do a lot of DIY and have a good parts supply or a have a mechanic who’s familiar with it for - it can be a fun adventure, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a daily driver… sadly, in my opinion, that Fix Or Repair Daily / Fast Only Rolling Downhill is too old…