A few more of mine:
$500 ‘03 Honda Pilot 178k miles, clean single owner, that needed some welding by the rear subframe mount (reason I got it cheap). Found a guy on craigslist that welded it up perfectly for $500, threw new struts/shocks on, rear brakes, changed fluids, drove all winter, sold for $5000 in the spring
“having a $3000 junk car that breaks every day”
$1600 ‘00 Maxima, 142k, fresh tires working heat and A/C, healthy motor, just had an exhaust leak and a CEL for the coils (no misfires). Put some struts and fresh brakes on it and drove it all summer, flipped for a minor profit after a bit of body work
$1600 ‘96 ES300,…
“The interior quality and plastic definitely feel like it was made in 90s despite being a 09 model.”
People make similar comments all the time insinuating 90s interiors were the standard for bad quality materials, I have no idea where this comes from. The Japanese and Ford and Chryslers hit their interior quality PEAKS…
“The interior quality and plastic definitely feel like it was made in 90s despite being a 09 model.”
People make similar comments all the time insinuating 90s interiors were the standard for bad quality materials, I have no idea where this comes from. The Japanese and Ford and Chryslers hit their interior quality PEAKS…
No, more of the article needs to be about how this engine is problematic because it did not have enough female engineers on the project team.
I’m from that neck of the woods. Prokopyevsk is a de-industrialized coal mining town in the Kuzbass basin. So basically picture the American Rust Belt on steroids. More alcohol, fewer opioids. Not any different than most other Siberian cities aside from Novosibirsk.
I’ve had a cheap old Ranger as a weekend hauler (and they inevitably become my main commuter vehicles as well), and I personally can’t justify the expense of a newer half ton when my $2000 Rangers do everything I need them to do and I never think twice about it getting scratched or caught in a hail storm.
No Element will ever match the aesthetic of an old Ranger.
“Thick layer of undercoating” If you’re envisioning a thick layer of the rubberized stuff, that is hands down the worst thing he could do, literally better off not treating it at all. Oil based undercoating however, yes a thorough spray-down of some Krown or Fluid Film would be just the ticket.
“2.5.-liter V6 rated to 175 HP. In this crowd of underpowered cute utes, that pretty much makes it the Bugatti of the bunch.”
The Isuzu Rodeo Sport (nee Amigo) you have pictured has a 3.2L V6 with 205hp, it would at the very least hang with the Freelander, and if the Isuzu is a stick, would walk the Freelander handily.
Heck the motor is the about the one thing I WOULD trust on an older E34. Refresh the cooling system (radiator, hoses, water pump, expansion tank) and keep on trucking. Buying a 230k mile chassis to plunk $5k on a swap just seems quite silly. If you’re going that route find a cleaner lower mileage automatic and swap…
Why?
This is the perfect cheap older Bimmer to just enjoy the crap out of daily driving it and not worrying about door dings. If the engine at 230k doesn’t use much oil and sounds healthy, why insist on dumping $5k into a swap? Enjoy the jet-engine smooth classic Bimmer I6.
You’d be wrong to assume that. Certainly 90F+ is rarer than in Chicago or much of the rest of the Midwest, but a lot of the more inhabited parts of Siberia (which is a fantastically generic term for a landmass bigger than the entire US) is by the Southern edge of Russia. The climate in much of it can be approximated…
“I expect the Russians would have similar sorts of trouble in high heat. An average Siberian summer day is in the 60-70F range”
Not really. And a “typical” Siberian summer day can be well into the 80s.
Reference: I’m from there.
If it’s dense and heavy enough, it can give you similar problems. You need a low range gearset and ground clearance to get around.
Get into deep and dense enough snow and it’s a matter of torque manipulation/gearing and ground clearance. Without that you’re smoking your clutch and getting stuck. I have an older Audi Quattro with a Torsen center diff and yeah on slick pavement it beats the pants off my old part-time 4Runner in terms of stable…
That was 2005 with the facelift of the 2nd gen CRV, before that CRVs too had the 4spd. If you recall, the Element was marketed as a more back-to-basics “youthful” utilitarian, more affordable alternative to the CRV, it had to undercut it on price. At the time, perhaps the 4 speed helped it achieve that cost advantage.
Yeah I have no idea what he’s on about. It wasn’t cutting edge, but it was an entirely up to date powertrain at the time, and the motor especially has proven to be one of the best all around 4cyl motors ever made: reliable, efficient, good power.
The K24 isn’t an inherently thirsty motor, the Element’s weight and brick-like aerodynamics are what did it in. And a 4spd auto in 2004 isn’t exactly some kind of crime against humanity.
Wow that’s a beast, would make a great wood hauler. Those old Mopar trucks are tough as nails.
I’m more-so thinking tighter trail buggy/hunting rig. My buddy has an old Samurai on tractor tires that’s absolutely inspired in the woods
