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slyphoxj
join:2002-06-23
united state

slyphoxj

Member

List of best 10 year old cars (1998 models)?

Is there a "top 10" list out there on the web somewhere of the best 10 year old (1998 model) cars that are still on the road? This would be very useful for those who want a reliable ride but can't, or don't want to, shell out the $$$ for a new or almost new vehicle.

Such a list would take into account how many of a particular make/model are still on the road, the make/model's repair history.

Grumpy4
Premium Member
join:2001-07-28
NW CT

Grumpy4

Premium Member

A little OT - some of the early 90s Toyotas & Hondas can be had for around $3K or less with reasonable mileage on the clock. For a few hundred or so more to change the timing belt and all fluids, one can often get a decent low $ car out of the deal. If you do a bit of research, some of these units can do 30 plus MPG.

One of my favorite sleepers: The late 80s Chevy Novas. They are actually 99% Toyota Corollas. Their body styles lent them to being popular with older folk, and so low mileage, gently driven clean units become available from time to time. If ego vs. car's appearance is not an issue, they make for a good source of basic transport.

izy
MVM
join:2000-09-21
endless loop
ProCurve (HP) V1810-24g
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izy to slyphoxj

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to slyphoxj
I have a 1998 Honda Accord that I bought used 4 years ago. Paid $7K cash. In the 4 years I have owned it the only major problem I ran into was the wiper motor failed. $200 and it was fixed. Considering I replaced the tires last year and routine maintenance this was the best investment I ever made. I will never consider making another car payment again, when this car craps out (still has at least another 100k miles to go) I will again pay cash for my next *used* car.

Without a doubt, Honda will definitely top this list your looking for.

s bassaw
join:2006-06-11
New Rochelle, NY

s bassaw to slyphoxj

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to slyphoxj
'98 Corolla was a nice car. Only major repair was brakes ($400) and a few fuses. Other than that, nothing major!

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County
·Metronet

CylonRed to izy

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to izy
said by izy:

I have a 1998 Honda Accord that I bought used 4 years ago. Paid $7K cash. In the 4 years I have owned it the only major problem I ran into was the wiper motor failed. $200 and it was fixed. Considering I replaced the tires last year and routine maintenance this was the best investment I ever made. I will never consider making another car payment again, when this car craps out (still has at least another 100k miles to go) I will again pay cash for my next *used* car.

Without a doubt, Honda will definitely top this list your looking for.
And I agree as a 89 Civic owner and 97 Accord wagon owner.

Nick
Purveyor of common sense
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join:2000-10-29
Smithtown, NY

Nick to slyphoxj

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Consumer Reports has a list by price of good reliable cars. Granted that everything should be taken with a grain of salt but I would be ok with picking from their list.

icp1
Premium Member
join:2000-10-13
Saint Louis, MO

icp1 to izy

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to izy
said by izy:

I have a 1998 Honda Accord that I bought used 4 years ago. Paid $7K cash. In the 4 years I have owned it the only major problem I ran into was the wiper motor failed. $200 and it was fixed. Considering I replaced the tires last year and routine maintenance this was the best investment I ever made. I will never consider making another car payment again, when this car craps out (still has at least another 100k miles to go) I will again pay cash for my next *used* car.

Without a doubt, Honda will definitely top this list your looking for.
I still have my 98 Accord (bought new) - not a single engine/mechanical issue except door lock motor, so I'd 2nd the accord as a quality build that year. Of course I will probably sell mine later this year

joako
Premium Member
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null

joako to slyphoxj

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to slyphoxj
How about BMW E36? I saw a 1996 'vert in prefect shape the other day for 6 or 7k. Sedan are cheaper.

CylonRed
MVM
join:2000-07-06
Bloom County

CylonRed

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That is what I will eventually look for - a mid-90's 325i with a 5 speed manual, 4 door.

Ctrl Alt Del
Premium Member
join:2002-02-18

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I drive an 18 year old car; a 1990 Honda Accord DX and it's a fantastic car. Anything major that I've had to replace was because I caused it, for example, new exhaust because I drove over a curb and couldn't stand the rattling. I threw in a new head unit, an aux input for my iPod, two new speakers, and it's been great.

Looking at an 08 or 09 Accord V6 after I graduate college.

rosco35
Premium Member
join:2003-11-10
USA

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I have a 98 honda civic w/ 168K on it, still runs great.

BIGMIKE
Q
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join:2002-06-07
Gainesville, FL

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Toyota
most stolen vehicles are Toyota cars

Jerm
join:2000-04-10
Richland, WA
·Ziply Fiber

2 edits

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Here's another take...

I like how people say "buy a Honda" but I wouldn't consider that an automatic buy without doing some research.

In 2005 I purchased a 2001 Nissan Sentra for $7.5k with 35k miles on it from a farmer in the country. New the car as equipped would have been $15k+ so I bought it 4 years old and gently used for "half the price".

That same year ('05) my sister bought a 1996 Honda Civic with 120k miles on it for $6.5k. That was even considered a deal, as the Hondas tend to keep their value.

Fast forward to today. My sister's car has 175k, the engine burns oil like crazy, and the mechanic says the it is on it's last legs (her HX model was known to have a pretty weak engine for a Honda). I won't even go into the issue's she's had for repairs, but it was way more than you'd think (for a honda).

My Sentra now has 72k miles on it, looks much cleaner (half as old), and runs like a champ. All I've done besides oil is replace the air filter and one hose.

All in all, I'd consider the extra $1k my car cost me an awesome deal to get a newer car and lower miles. Even though I went Nissan over Honda, it was more than worth it.

rkrocha
join:2000-09-23
Garland, TX

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Re: List of best 10 year old cars (1998 models)?

I have a 97 Civic, bought new in 97. 156K miles on it. Still running good, just standard maintenance over the years for wear and tear.

flatline_
join:2003-01-18

1 recommendation

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The 4th generation Nissan Maxima is definitely one of the most reliable import cars ever produced. There's a reason why its engine has been on Wards top ten for an eternity!

I have a '95, and it truly is a wonderful car. At the moment, you can grab a '98 for anywhere between $4,000 and $6,000 with leather, sunroof, automatic climate control, heated seats, etc. 120-130 miles is typically considered low for these cars as they tend to run well over the 200k mark. Good luck in your car search!

ROCINANTE
Original Member 007
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join:1999-06-29
Hartsdale, NY

1 edit

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I had a Nissan Sentra from that era with 200K highway miles. It never needed major repairs even though I changed the oil very sporadically (every 10k miles or so). I sold it to a kid and it still had the original clutch and timing chain.
grumpy3b
join:2001-12-11
Lompoc, CA

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I bought a '97 Super Cab ford Ranger XLT a bit over a year ago. Got a decent price it had ~98k on it. I did pop for a full 2-year warranty as I got them to throw in basic maintenance (oil/fluid changes, a tranny flush & clean as well as a couple other things for the 2-years) so I felt it good insurance overall. But ti had a shell, great paint, new tires and very clean but with taxes and everything it was $8k ($4800 for the truck, about $1500 was the warranty & the rest taxes.). I was gun shy as my last Ranger just had died and I had put two tyrannies in it over the 150k mi. I used it...it ended up with just under 200k miles of fairly demanding use.

It's a solid vehicle and basically a Mazda. It had the 4.0l 6-cylinder so the mileage on the highway is about 20mpg and in town it is awful at about 16mpg. But it gets the job done, should easily last another 100k miles. And even with gas as high as it is I can buy a LOT of fuel for the cost differential over a new pickup.

I learned a long time back that buying a new vehicle is like burning 40% of the total cost of the vehicle the instant you sign the paperwork. I was able to retire a good 10-years earlier because I put the difference in the bank.

Love the thread as I am considering a 2nd car for around town with good mileage...like the late 80's Nova idea. Not much to look at but it's a great build.

Comm Tech2
Reaper
Premium Member
join:2005-06-28
White Lake, MI

Comm Tech2 to slyphoxj

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Glad to see at least one American made car made this post!

razzorr
join:2002-01-31
Fort Smith, AR

razzorr to grumpy3b

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to grumpy3b
Mazda's pickups are Fords(Rangers).

I have a 1984 Mercury Capri 5.0 (same as a Mustang) that I got in 92 with 56,000 miles on it for $2750.00 great car. I did put a new engine in it last year 400+HP 302. The engine that was in it was running great I just could not hold off putting the new engine in it any longer.

I also have a 1989 GMC 1500 with a 4.3 V6 that almost has 200,000 miles runs great. No major problems just need to change the AC over to 134A.

pmohr
Premium Member
join:2002-09-22
Maryville, TN

pmohr to flatline_

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to flatline_
said by flatline_:

The 4th generation Nissan Maxima is definitely one of the most reliable import cars ever produced. There's a reason why its engine has been on Wards top ten for an eternity!

I have a '95, and it truly is a wonderful car. At the moment, you can grab a '98 for anywhere between $4,000 and $6,000 with leather, sunroof, automatic climate control, heated seats, etc. 120-130 miles is typically considered low for these cars as they tend to run well over the 200k mark. Good luck in your car search!
Agreed, as far as reliability the VQ will take anything (mine has spent almost the last year constantly overheating, many times until the motor dies, and yet still runs perfectly and compression tests are great), and overall the car is pretty stout.

There have been reports of VQs well above 300k miles, so far as I've seen on the org.

MPScan
Premium Member
join:2001-08-24
Boston, MA

1 edit

1 recommendation

MPScan to flatline_

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to flatline_
said by flatline_:

The 4th generation Nissan Maxima is definitely one of the most reliable import cars ever produced. There's a reason why its engine has been on Wards top ten for an eternity!

I have a '95, and it truly is a wonderful car. At the moment, you can grab a '98 for anywhere between $4,000 and $6,000 with leather, sunroof, automatic climate control, heated seats, etc. 120-130 miles is typically considered low for these cars as they tend to run well over the 200k mark. Good luck in your car search!

I swear by these cars. I've owned two 4th Gen's, a 95 and a 98, and all had no problems at all and well over 200K miles on them. The VQ engine is just about as close to rock solid as you're gonna get.

I now have an '07 Maxima, and love it, but miss the 4th gen's.
jpg3660
join:2004-04-09
Humble, TX

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Agree.. plus the 98 corolla has a timing chain, not a belt.
Mr Den
Premium Member
join:2006-10-17
Elyria, OH

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said by Comm Tech2:

Glad to see at least one American made car made this post!
I hear that.. hope the American auto makers are reading this one, and taking some notes.

KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
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join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK

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Mind enlightening me as to what a "4th Gen Maxima" is?
jlsjrf29
join:2002-05-12
San Jose, CA

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1986 Honda Civic Si ....333,989 miles on it ...I paid $1500 cash 7 years ago...still looks new inside and outside and love the car...passes california smog each year without a hitch..The only major problem was the Manual transmission started to give out at 269K. I also played it safe on the last timing belt replacement and replaced the radiator for safe bets considering the age of the car. I only use Honda coolant and out runs osme of the V-6 cars today with 2x the horse power. Love this car ...runs so quiet and smooth and average speed on the free way is typically 80-90 mphs with the rpms just hoovering at 2100 rpm thanks to my request to have a nicer tighter gear ratio added for better fuel economy..I average about 35 mpg high way with the new tranny at 80mph typically ...the only tranny I only seen about 28 mpg... I also owned a 89 Toyota Pickup when it died at 329K...I had one american car that only lasted to about 129k before the engine gave out...american cars are just crap ....

flatline_
join:2003-01-18

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said by KrK:

Mind enlightening me as to what a "4th Gen Maxima" is?
Apologies, I should have been more clear on that. The 4th gen maxima was produced from 1995-1999. The only significant changes between 95/96 and 97-99 were made with respect to the trunk lid, front bumper, grille and rear bumper.

Geekboy
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I've got a 98 Mazda 626 4 cyl 5 sp and this thing is awesome. I am the original owner of this car. It's got 80,000 miles on it and it runs like a top. Just normal maintenance, oil, brakes and tires. I did replace the battery last year, there was some corrosion on it. I probably could have cleaned it, but I felt bad for the car.

This thing still looks and runs great. In fact, I want to buy a new car (wife wants a Mazda SUV). But there is nothing wrong with this. How can I part with a free car?

slyphoxj
join:2002-06-23
united state

slyphoxj to s bassaw

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My last car was a '97 Corolla. The only real issues I had were a $300 on front brake job @ ~66k and a $65 gearshift indicator light replacement. I went through two sets of tires in the time I had it. Regular maintenance was a bit expensive though (timing belt @ around 60k and around 120k). I took it to the Toyota dealer where I bought it for almost all of the major maintenance.

It never really let me down. Once it almost didn't start, but eventually turned over. Interior ergonomics and visibility were wonderful.

I shoulda just got the stupid brakes done again @ 143k and kept 'er for a bit longer.
slyphoxj

slyphoxj to izy

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Hear hear about paying cash for a used car. I wish I'd just taken the $8k I put down on my '05 Accord and gotten a used Accord, Camry, etc. instead and saved for non-routine repairs the money I would have put toward a car payment. I woulda been rich by now . My next car will most likely be used and paid in full.

I hope I have the same kind of luck with my '05 that you've had with your '98, but I'm not so sure. My '05 has a few squeaks and rattles and has had one recall thus far. The interior ergonomics suck (especially the radio and climate controls) when compared to my last car, a '97 Corolla. And the driver's seat comfort could be better. Also, the Corolla was a bit better on gas.

grendal
Mmm Donuts
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join:2001-10-10
San Jose, CA

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I'm the original owner of a 97 Toyota Camry V6 w/ 198k miles. At the rate it's going, I can easily see it going 100k more (though I wish it would break down so I can justify to the wife to get a new car). Check the oil dip stick, still clean.