>$3k drive-away price>54k miles>2006 (final year of 2nd gen)>2.7l v6>1 owner>donated to auction>runs strong>very clean well cared for interior>no rust>dark exterior paint okay except hood & trunk>dealership is owned by a very good friend of a good friend of mine (80+ y.o. mechanic, my first boss at my first job as apprentice immediately after high school)What am I getting into here? I like this car. It needs a bit of work (thermostat housing leaks, etc), but it floats like a thundercloud and takes off like a jet. While parked after test drive, the engine would stutter at 4,500 rpm, but otherwise ran smoothly.$3,000 for this? $6,000 for the 2015 Hyundai Elantra Sport which had a new engine put in 25,000 miles ago? $2,500 for an old circa 2000 Toyota Camry? The $5,500 Ford Fiesta with only 14,000 miles which I went there to see originally ran great but was kinda dirty, lots of scrapes, a few missing panels inside, and the interior stank of mildew/mold, so I passed on that.Wut do?
>>28759397If the $2500 Camry has less than 300k miles it is the one to get. The Chrysler 2.7 Sludge Monster V6 rarely survives past 75k and the Hyundai is also a time bomb.
>>28759397>3k for a 20yo chrysler tta needs a bunch of work WTF IS THIS MARKET BRO FUUUUUUCCCCK
>>28759466It's pretty dire. Your only real option is obsessively browsing listings until you stumble upon some le hidden gem
>>28759397I'd buy a Hyundai long before I bought a fucking Sebring.My buddy had one of those on HS.Complete pile of garbage from top to bottom.
to be fair the issues with the 2.7's water pump were fixed around 2000, so the final few model years are actually decently reliable. id still avoid any car with that engine, but its not anywhere as dire as it used to be. if it was a '98 or something it be a hard no.the hyundai has already had an engine replacement, that should tell you which car is actually reliable.
>>28759397There's a reason these are pretty much extinct. The final years when you still saw them you would almost always heat them before you saw them. They all made a an extremely loud Hellcat-esque whine as they went by as their tranny was in the process of dying. They all blew massive clouds of blue oil smoke too. If it were a mint condition grandma car you could just drive it until it dies but this one seems like it has some hidden issues. Those are all terrible alternatives except for the Camry. a $2500 Camry will have seen some horrific things so beware.
>>28759397Underrated cars. I took a beat single mom multiple owner 2.7 sedan 150k to 225k before sellingHere's what you need to do after buying it:>5w40 full synthetic oil every 3-5k milesNew thermostat, hoses and coolant >change trans fluid and filter, wipe magnet and pan and do again later>clean throttlebody before changing plugs and intake gaskets>inspect battery age. Old batteries cause bad driavbility and mileage>inspect grounds and upgrade them with bigger onesThis is basically how you can revive any older fwd American that runs and doesn't leak btw
>>28759397I've literally had two of these cars, but with the 4cyl engine instead of the 6. Maintenance on the transmission is CRITICAL, and you absolutely must stay on top of making sure the coolant hoses get replaced before the become a problem. Both of mine had coolant hoses go bad and the engines overheated. If the engine overheats for even a moment that engine is toast. Other than that, they are honestly great cars. The ride is very comfortable, the speakers are Mercedes Benz parts bin and surprisingly good, and I think the car looks great. They're a great value for the money.
