So after changing jobs, my wife and I now carpool in a Prius most of the time so that is now our primary car. I sold off my Infiniti G since it just sat there in the garage depreciating. Now I may be taking some evening Auto Mechanic classes at a local Community college for fun and would like a cheaper high-mileage car to get to/from class and to tinker around with. Looking only to spend around 3-4k on something. I've tinkered with cars in the past and can do simple things like change brakes, all fluids, plugs, etc, but am hoping that I learn a bit more in school.
So of all these cars which one would you guys recommend?
1997-1999 Acura CL (Absolutely loved the look of this car when I was still in college. Learned later that it had crazy transmission problems. Don't know if the problems could be solved with a tranny rebuild or if it was an inherent design flaw.)
2002-2004 Civic Si (Thought the hatchback design was cool. Probably the most reliable of the bunch but it's hard to find one that hasn't been ransacked by ricers)
1999-2002 Saab 9-3 SE (I'm a Saab fan after experiencing how much fun having a turbocharger was. Sometimes these hatchbacks can go for 1-3k on CL. Bad thing is that the engine had this issue with oil sludge and it's a hit or miss depending on how well previous owners took are of it)
2007 Saab 9-3 (I like the look of the 2007 model-both exterior and redesigned interior. The newer 2008+ would be gravy. This would be borderline a replacement for the G since it would be much newer than the other cars mentioned. But of course the price would be near the 6-9k range which is not really "project car" territory.
So what is everyone's thoughts? The goal of the car would be a "fun secondary car" that I could tinker around with to replace parts and learn. It's kinda like buying an older x-series Thinkpad to mess around with different OSes.
So of all these cars which one would you guys recommend?
1997-1999 Acura CL (Absolutely loved the look of this car when I was still in college. Learned later that it had crazy transmission problems. Don't know if the problems could be solved with a tranny rebuild or if it was an inherent design flaw.)
2002-2004 Civic Si (Thought the hatchback design was cool. Probably the most reliable of the bunch but it's hard to find one that hasn't been ransacked by ricers)
1999-2002 Saab 9-3 SE (I'm a Saab fan after experiencing how much fun having a turbocharger was. Sometimes these hatchbacks can go for 1-3k on CL. Bad thing is that the engine had this issue with oil sludge and it's a hit or miss depending on how well previous owners took are of it)
2007 Saab 9-3 (I like the look of the 2007 model-both exterior and redesigned interior. The newer 2008+ would be gravy. This would be borderline a replacement for the G since it would be much newer than the other cars mentioned. But of course the price would be near the 6-9k range which is not really "project car" territory.
So what is everyone's thoughts? The goal of the car would be a "fun secondary car" that I could tinker around with to replace parts and learn. It's kinda like buying an older x-series Thinkpad to mess around with different OSes.