8k to spend on a new car
 

After graduating from Kean Univ in May, I will be moving to FL. Since Im looking to start a career in law enforcement, I will need a car that will go long enough until Im out of the academy and can afford to buy new. I want to buy the car outright so I have 8k to spend. The 92 stanza will not be making the trip down there, so I will be buying a new car w/in the next month. Im really stumped on what to get but Im really looking to get something under 75k miles. To give an idea of cars Ive been looking at: trailblazer, envoy, GTP, lt1/ls1 fbody. Since its easier to spend other people's money than your own, Ill be looking forward to your input.

a 99+ GTP is a solid choice, and can be had in excellent condition for under $8k. any LS1 fbody you find will be higher mileage, trailblazer/envoy...for what? youll be in florida.

i was also guna say find a nice GTP! or of course an f-body

GTP

hey congrats on graduating man. im going to kean university now i cant wait till i get out of there...

but anyways, finding a 75k or less fbody is kind of hard for 8k...i used to want one so bad and couldnt find alot that fit the profile i wanted. but id say go with a gtp

im selling my denali for 6.... think about it...


but seriously a gtp or even grand prix gt is a good choice

GTP will get better highway mileage than a GT because of the gearing, as long as you keep out of the boost...GTPs have a 2.93 final drive, GTs have a 3.29

The downer about the GTP is that you have to buy premium gas- another $.25 or more per gallon.

Well, hes thinking of buying a Tblazer/Envoy so maybe he's putting the idea of gas on the back burner.

save the money and in one year's time you can use it (and the interest made) as a down payment on the new camaro.

~300 bucks over a whole year will hardly do anything.

seems like everyone likes the GTPs a lot, and i do too, the coupes are nice, but im gonna miss the manual. As far as the T'blazer/Envoy I just like those trucks, plus i can haul some things around town fishing gear, boat stuff, etc and and they are in the price range... Gas isnt really an issue.

Ive heard the transmissions on the GTP are crap, is there any truth behind this?

if your looking for a gtp pre 2000's are crap. the blower snouts leak and the bearings go. series II and up are good cars. i wouldnt go any older than 00.

if your looking for a gtp you can get a nice supercharged regal gs on craigslist for cheap. i see them all over

Yes and no. The trannys are good for regular driving and light mods, but once you start to go more mod heavy you will outgrow the trans pretty fast. Don't run synthetic fluid in it, either.

I just sold my GTP for $4,000 88,000 miles, $3,000 stereo system.....PERFECT condition........I'd go with GTP

if pre 2000 superchargers arent reliable... 1999 is a series II, no?

The price on GTO's just keep going down and down. I was looking at an 06 with like 30,000 miles for $10,000 a few months ago. You may be able to find one in your price range.

You might want to do your homework on this if it concerns you. If memory serves (which it may not), all 1997-03 GTPs used the same M90 with the differences being the vacuum connections.

With whatever GTP you end up with, change the supercharger oil immediatly. It is NOT listed in routine service of the car and probably will be the original oil, which has long been broken down.

I have been reading everything I can on these cars for the past 24 hours, talk about a crash course. Anyway those are definitely some concerns I have and are definite points which will indicate how the car has been maintained. Seems like GTPs are pretty solid up until 100k, so if i get anything with under 75k miles that hasnt been beaten to ****, Ill have a solid couple years until things typically start going haywire.

I've had a GP since 1999, my current one since 2000.

In the '97 I've replaced:

Steering rack and front wheel bearings
Supercharger bearings and Coupler
Fuel Pump hotwire (to bypass blown resistor)
Fuel Pump w/sender
Blower motor resistor

And that's pretty much it. Everything else was replaced as an upgrade. The steering rack was probably my own doing since I ran 245/50/16's on the car for 7 years and 225s were the stock size.

a Model-T

the transmissions are just like every other newer FWD GM transmission...about 130k miles and itll be ready for a new one. the one in my GP GT lasted til 141k before i lost 3rd gear completely (was slipping for a few thousand before that)

difference between the GTPs trans (4T65E-HD) and a non-supercharged 3.8 trans (4T65E) is the HD has a stronger differential and one of the axles is shorter...

97-98 GTPs have a few differences. 99+ has a revised coolant overflow bottle for instance...so try to get a 99-up, the newer the better basically.

they all use the same eaton M90 supercharger. s/c bearing/coupler is somewhat common on them but not a hard thing to replace, and its easy to tell if one youre looking at buying needs one - the supercharger will rattle like crazy

i just sold my gtp in october. it was a very reliable car, and fun to drive, comfortable and looked good. i just needed a truck. if i could have kept it i would have. if you end up getting one let me know i have some parts still laying around for it which are of no use to me.

an 04 SRT4???

Me being a 3.8L S/C driver i would suggest the Grand priz GTP, Regal GS, Bonneville SSEi and perferably 2000-2002's are what u want. Ive seen as good as 33mpg driving from cape may to hopatcong. usually i average 23.5. Nice sleepers. Plently of room. You do need the have premuim gas. But if you were thinking about an SUV that shouldnt matter because those cost $100 to fill.