car shopping questions

Neziroth · Post by **Neziroth** » March 20, 2004, 1:34 am

So I'm car shopping and I was looking to get some opinions on a few things, since VV > Google according to popular opinion.

1.) Aluminum Engine Blocks - I've heard they tend to warp and aren't reliable after 60,000+ miles, true or false?

2.) Foreign cars and repairs, are they cheaper to maintain or more expensive? I've heard both

3.) Sports car and insurance rate, I know it will increase insurance but by how much? Any experiences?

So far the top of my list is a 01 Hyundai Tiburon, 80,000 miles but the clutch is shot, I test drove it and told the guy and he said I "wasnt used to it" but whatever, it was shot... he told me if it was really that bad he'd look into it and replace it if necessary, but I'm wary due to the above questions.

vv>google.

thanks guys

Denadeb · Post by **Denadeb** » March 20, 2004, 5:23 am

Aluminum blocks are a lot more reliable now and tend to run alittle cooler than Cast Iron blocks.

It all depends on what cars you are looking at.

Insurance for sports cars goes way up if your under 30 and not married.

I would pesonaly look into something diffrent than a Tiburon with 80k miles on it. Cances are its been raged the hell out and will fall apart soon.

Melrin_Specclaster · Post by **Melrin_Specclaster** » March 22, 2004, 1:29 pm

Aluminum can warp, and once it warps its about unrepairable in some circumstances, but unless you do something crazy, an aluminum engine shouldnt warp.

Foreign cars cost more to fix, but break down less in general.

To tear up a clutch, you have to do a lot more than 'not be use to it'. Clutches do wear out faster in standards, and I think normal wear on them may be 100k miles (varying a lot on driver), so thats not too big a deal, but a car at 80k miles is iffy. If the owner was hard on it, it could wear out anywhere from the day you buy it, till the next 20-30k miles. For me, I'd either take a high mileage cheaper car (older) or pay more for a lower mile car.

Axien_Dellusions · Post by **Axien_Dellusions** » March 22, 2004, 2:29 pm

If the clutch is shot in the car you will also need a mechanic to look at the engine. It's pretty hard to tear up a clutch in the new tiberons so the guy may have been driving it ragged.

I just bought a new car after my Firebird totaled out and I got a new PT Cruiser GT. I trust the car plus my extended warranty. I wouldn't buy a car from a private owner unless he can show reciepts of work done to the car and have a mechanic look at it so you don't get a lemon out of the deal.

Deward · Post by **Deward** » March 22, 2004, 5:06 pm

You'll pay more for a car at a dealer. Either way I would get the car checked out by a neutral party. A full check should only run $50. I failed to do this when I bought my truck and 1000 miles later I had a $700 brake job that had to be done. I bought it from a dealer and figured I didn't need to have it checked out first.

For sports cars expect to pay double the insurance that you would for a non-sports car. Also check with your insurance company and see if they consider a certain model to be sporty or not. You would be surprised at the shit they consider sports cars. Sports cars go faster and commonly are worth more to replace. Hence costing more for insurance. A rusted out shitbox will only cost you $200 a year in Wisconsin for liability. A older model Porsche cost me $600 a year for the same coverage.

Whenever I think of aluminum blocks, I think of a story my dad told me. When he was younger in the late 70's, he bought a pinto that was a year or two old (yea yea first mistake). The first time he took it over 60 MPH it ran fine. The second time it threw a rod. A lot has changed in 25 years but I always think about that when someone mentions aluminum blocks.