Pontiac vs Toyota: Please vote!

[tomterrific]

Want to get something with better fuel economy than the 'burban but spend less than $1000 to get it. I have an opportunity to chose between the following:

'92 Pontiac Bonnie 4 dr. Has small v-6, 150K miles, and most options. My mechanic owns this car.

'90 Toyota Corolla wagon : 200 K miles with minimum accessories

Both are decent looking. Bonnie needs tires; 'Yota needs a radiator.

Please give me your 2 cents

[58 Yeoman]

In my experience, Toy's seem to run forever.

[tomslik]

Want to get something with better fuel economy than the 'burban but spend less than $1000 to get it. I have an opportunity to chose between the following:

'92 Pontiac Bonnie 4 dr. Has small v-6, 150K miles, and most options. My mechanic owns this car.

'90 Toyota Corolla wagon : 200 K miles with minimum accessories

Both are decent looking. Bonnie needs tires; 'Yota needs a radiator.

Please give me your 2 cents

200K on a 'yoter is just getting broke in,the bonne is * near used up but prolly worth another 50k and a whole bunch bigger.

[47wood]

Echo the thought that Toy's seem to run forever.  I would take it to a dealer and ask for a "used car check" ...haven't done it for a few years, but I use to pay $30-35 for them to check all the obvious (expensive) things.  It sure saved me several times when I was trying to buy a used Honda.  My favorite was a guy who bought this Accord from a deacon in his church that had a "little fender bender."  The mechanic called me in to look at it on the rack and the drive shaft made a 15-degree turn.  His opinion was it had been an insurance total!

[Jbird]

Radiators are cheaper than tires. I've worked on a few of those GM sideways V6s, they can get expensive.
Jbird
 BTW, keep the change

[OldSub]

A friend of mine is trying to give away a Corolla wagon that has a blown head gasket.  If you are any where near Seattle we might be able to arrange a replacement radiator for the trouble of dragging the car away.

I've seen Toyota's run forever, but the two I've owned both had motor problems.

[Broman]

A car owned by a mechanic sounds like a sound investment to me.

An engine is an engine. Change the oil often and it lasts longer, skimp a few miles between changes and........poof.

Ask the mechanice how long he's owned it. If it's only been a year or so he's done "working out the bugs", if he's owned it for a long time he's unloading the trash.

Both are good cars. Hard to go on such a minimal description.

Get a non-biased mechanic to make your mind up for you - they know what goes out first and can tell you if the usual problems have been addressed.

[purplepickup]

If those are your only choices I'd check both out real good for any problems because most $1000 cars are getting close to the end of their reliable life.  High mileage doesn't bother me if the mileage is highway miles.  City driving really tears cars up....brakes, trannys, suspension components, etc.  If those two cars don't meet your expectations, there are definitely a lot more used cars out there.  

I always buy older cars for my daily drivers and I've found that there are some really good cars out there for $2000-$3000.  I look for the ones that are well maintained one owner cars that the owner is selling because the dealer will only give him $1500 on a trade-in.  One of the best cars I've had recently was a '94 Taurus that had 98K miles on it when I bought it for $2200.  I drove it for 5 years and just sold it for $1700 with 150K miles.  I guess my point is that if you can afford it, it's usually better to spend a little more and get a more reliable car then sell it for $1000 when you've worn it out instead of being the guy that buys the worn out one.   IMHO, generally you get what you pay for.

Good luck

[47convert]

If it was me, I'd buy the Poncho, Any poncho, rather than be caught dead in... well you know. But that's just me.