Buying my sister her first car.. have 2 choices.. need some help!!

[Mer]

OK, so I'm buying my sister her first car so reliability and safety are my concern.
She's only 19 and has just started driving.

The two choices I have are:-

1) 1993 Mercury Sable 102K miles, 3.8L V6, power everything.
2) 1990 Chevy Lumina 122K Miles, 3.1L V6, power everything.

I am buying these from private party's and the VIN's checked out to be OK.
The Chevy has seen more drivers (7) and the Sable has seen 2.

So I'm looking for opnions from people who own these types of cars or have had any experience with them.
Sorry, I would have gone japanese but haven't seen any new good deals.
She will be driving in Wisconsin and Iowa... mainly roadtrips to come visit me etc.

Sweetness,
Mer.

 

[Brutuskend]

Never owned either sorry, I just wanted to see how your enjoying your SILK SHEETS

Haven't seen you in here in awhile!

 

[Gibson486]

I remeber my dad's 92 Sable (or was it a Taures?) It was a POS! As for the Lumina, Chevy has a very sketchy past with that car.

 

[geno]

Both cars are kind of iffy IMO, but between the two I'd say the Sable, I just can't trust an early 90s GM car...

The Sable will be a little rickety, but the engine/drivetrain is relatively reliable.

 

[yobarman]

my grampa owned an early lumina, i think 92-94. i dont think he had a lot of problems with it, but he took VERY good care of it.

 

[Mer]

Thanks guys... yeah the silk sheets are doing fine. :-D

I've been busy with work etc.

I'm leaning towards the mercury sable myself... it also has like no rust on it too

Keep the info coming!!

Sweetness,
Mer.

 

[Gibson486]

How much does it cost?

 

[serialb]

Come over Minnesota, I have a 85 Accord for you My friend had a 92 Lumina in 98. It was ok for about a year but a lot of engine related problems comes up after that.

serialb

 

[Juniper]

I wished I had a sister like you

 

[notfred]

My freind has an 89 (I think) sable with 240k miles on it, and he can still drive it, and it still passes california smog.

And wow, buying your sister a car. I would never CONSIDER buying a car for my brother.

 

[Mer]

Each is under a $1200.

Still have some negotiating to do on each one.

Might be able to get the Lumina for $500.

Mind you the original asking price was in the high $2000's for both.

Mer.

 

[Antisocial Virge]

Sable for sure. The luminas of that time are the ones that had the rear brake problems I think. If you want to change the plugs on the 3.1 you have to move the engine.

 

[duragezic]

Wow that's cheap for both of those. My bro has a 1990 Lumina 3.1. My grandparents had it until the engine died at 115k (and then it was hit & run in the night while it was parked in their yard) but my parents had a new engine put in there and fixed it. Then gave my grandparents some money for the rest of the car so it ended up being kinda expensive. It isn't very good either. The brakes suck and sound like crap (rear ones I think), the head gaskets went over the summer, and I think he mentioned something abotu the struts needing to be replaced.

For $1200 the Sable sounds like a good deal.

 

[pay]

You said you wanted reliability and then gave yourself a choice of two American cars?

Go with a Civic, Accord, or a Sentra

 

[Rent]

I'd be looking at different cars, both of those are prone to engine problems. My friend has a 94 sable and the thing is seriously about to blow up. I personally have a 89' Beretta GT which has the 2.8L v6 (the 3.1 v6 is a descendent of the 2.8) and I've had no problems with the engine. The car has had other problems, but not when I owned the car.

I'd look for something more along the lines of a Chevy Corsica with the 4cylinder engine. My dad had one which my brother bought from him and used for 4 years. Car would not die. :Q

 

[geno]

Honestly, do yourself a favor and try looking around a little more for something in your price range. Personally I recommend a 4 Cyl Chrysler/Dodge. I've gone through 2 of them and they're great for reliability and fuel economy. Check around for a Dodge Shadow/Plymouth Sundance or maybe a Spirit/Acclaim, the 4 cyl engines they put in there don't die. Either the 2.2 or 2.5 will do just fine. And the cost of upkeep is dirt cheap, and you should be able to find one in decent shape for around a grand, maybe less if someone's gonna hook you up

 

[thedarkwolf]

My parents have a 93 taurus, same as the sable, and while its not the greatest car it did make it to 200k miles before the trans let go. These cars are prone to a/c leaks, trans problems, and if over heated they blow head gaskets pretty easy but for $1200 who cares. If the car runs well for more than a year you win

 

[Thegonagle]

Of those two, I'd pick the Sable because it's newer, and has had fewer owners. Any car with 7 owners, let alone a 12 year old Chevy Lumina, is not a safe bet in my book. The Sable sounds like a very nice deal if you get it for $1200, assuming it's in good condition. Have it checked out and tuned up by a trustworthy mechanic (check out The Mechan-X-Files if you don't know one) before she takes any trips. Make sure you budget up to a few hundred dollars for this preventative maintenance. Better yet have it checked out before you buy. For $60-100, they'll tell you what minor (maintenance type) things it needs. They'll also notice anything major and tell you if you should pass.

 

[Mer]

"You said you wanted reliability and then gave yourself a choice of two American cars?" :|

Whoever wrote this really pissed me off because they didn't read my post well.
I made it pretty clear that I only had the choice between these 2 cars.
And the fact that there were no good deals on any japanese vehicles that I knew off in my area.
I only had a choice between the Sable or the Lumina! So shut up about Civics etc already!

On a different note, I purchased the Sable today.
Got it for $1000 and the couple even gave a me a new car cover, a pair of snow chains.
They had already had the car professionally cleaned and put in new carpets.
They gave me all the receipts of maintenance (which was all minor) and even drove it back to my apartment for me.

I am happy... thanks guys!!

Sweetness,
Mer.
PS: I'll try and post pics of it, but it's only a sable... hehe!!