I have too many beaters. I need to pick the best one, and keep it. And put the others ones on ebay. I like them all, but have to decide. Of course, my F250 truck is the best one - and I am never getting rid of it.
Your vote, in alphabetical order:

1) Chebby caprice wagon, 93 - 5.7L engine with 100K miles, but 175K on the rest of it. 4 dents, cracked bumper and windshield. looks like h3ll. Runs excellently and gets 19 mpg, except that the gear box leaks badly and also needs replacement. Working AC. Rare towing package. I wonder, as I am approaching 200K, what will fail on it next. Probably front end, followed by tranny.

2) Mercury Topaz (Ford Tempo), 87 2.3L auto. Relatively low 110K mis. Troublesome car in the past but everything that ever broken down has been replaced, things like the auto tranny, water pump, fuel pump, ignition module, power window motors, windshield and oil changes every 2,000 miles - all at a Ford dealership. Faided paint but no dents. Burns some oil but good acceleration, no leaks. About 25mpg.

3) Subaru Loyale, 92 , 1.8l auto. Overrated cars, almost as troublesome as Ford. Not initially, but once it got to 160K miles, the entire drivetrain failed. Both engine and tranny. So now the car has 200K miles, engine 100K miles and the tranny 40K miles. The engine leaks and ticks and sensitive to overheating, but it gets best gas mileage of all 3, right around 30mpg. It's also kind of practical being a wagon. I am afraid that with that high mileage, it's due for even more repairs, like the axles - I have the spare ones, but who knows.

Every one of them got me stranded in the past. In fact, over the last 6 months, I couldn't keep all 3 running at the same time, incredibly enough. It's one thing after another. Most recent episode is when rats chewed through the fuel pump wire on one of them, stranding the car in the middle of freaking nowhere.

My automotive dilemma is that I don't really want to sell the Caprice, because it was real expensive new, and now that it runs, selling it for pennies doesn't make sense, and has working AC but not too good on gas with that 350; I don't really want to sell the Ford because it handles really well on curvy country roads and has tons of new parts and is kind of low(er)-mileage, and the Loyale, piece of junk that it is, its redeeming feature is best MPG.

 

I vote for the Mercury Topaz. Our neighbor has one and has driven it hard. It just keeps ticking along.

 

Chevvy, beat the CRAP outta it, you'll enjoy it

 

I was going to vote for the Caprice, and then I read your story. I switched to the Topaz. You've replaced everything: what else could go wrong? Stuff is going to start giving out on the Caprice, and you already know what Subaru parts cost. Sounds like your heart's with the Chevy (it would be for me, too, 'cause I love big cars), but from a purely practical standpoint, the Topax makes the most sense at this point.

 

I voted for the Merc as well there are a lot of them on the road still and people still like them because of the value for the dollar they get out of them.

 

Topaz has an incredibly long repairs list, longer than the other two combined. All but the engine has been replaced at some point. It was owned by an old lady for the last 14 years, who never drove it above 55. The engine has great compression.
Really, I would prefer 350 over any other engine, V8 or not, except maybe 460 in my Ford truck (another great motor capable of lasting forever -I've just barely broken it in at 40K miles) but 350 is a bit on the thirsty side, and I don't need it that much. Pity, because it runs [i[ very [/i] smoothly. Still 29mpg in either Ford or Subaru is hard to ignore.

 

i had to vote for the chebby...powerful, and u can beat the h3ll out of it.

 

the caprice for me. they take a licken and keep on ticken

 

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Since this is a Ford site, here the Topaz. The other ones can be seen at:

http://members.fortunecity.com/datum/subaru_front1.jpg

http://members.fortunecity.com/datum/chevy_front1.jpg

 

No.1 has the engine AND the inside & outside hauling. Cheap replacement & aftermarket parts for the engine. Nice tank just incase of a wreck.Downside , how long will it last before it's in the scarp yard?
No.2 has the looks ... but 1/2 hauling of no.1 and 1/3 of the engine. Airbags?
No.3 Riceburner , but isn't it AWD ?

 

Crazy 'bout a Mercury. Had a Topaz. 5 gear. Thrashed and sold.

On that chev wagon: caulk up the doors and set sail--you can land your airplane on top.
Subaru--isn't that a Linda Rheostat song?//

 

How much you want for the Chebby?
You can E-mail me if you like.

 

Just out of curiosity, what do you need the beater for? If you're hauling stuff, that means the Chevy. If you're wanting something cheap to drive, the Merc or the Subaru. Have you thought of getting rid of all three of them and getting one newer car? My wife has an Escort station wagon, it's pretty good on gas and has a fair amount of cargo space for a small car. However it has a 1000 lb tow rating, so a utility trailer is about its limit.

 

Just personal transportation, no hauling. I used to haul stuff but I got the F250, which does that much better anyway.

I see Fuji Heavy Industries product is the clear looser in this poll.