Should I buy this car?

[serryjw]

A green Plymouth Acclaim 1994 is for sale for $1600. It is in PERFECT condition physically. I have not driven it. I assume insurance would be cheap.. I have a $2000 budget for a transportation car. Is their any other car you would recommend....I might be interested in buying an old Bug....Opinions please!

[7th_Sephiroth]

1. blah, i had one, dont buy it

they eat fan belts

[madrchsod]

2. they are good cars

if the engine doesn`t have alot of miles-4 or 6? 4cylinder engines have a habit of losing headgaskets thus warping the head. other than that not bad. have a mechanic check the compression,trans,etc.i`ve owned quite a few Chrysler cars over the years and they have been pretty reliable. or you could by a toyota or honda...

[DemWitch]

3. Engine/tranny questions to ask.

2.0 litre 4
2.4 litre 4
or 3.0 litre 6?

If it's the 4 bangers ask about if the head gaskets have ever been replaced. The 4's with aluminum heads are notorius for warped heads with the slightest overheating of the engine. If they were replaced, ask if the heads were machined before being put back on.

If it's the 6 banger, ask if the valve guides have been replaced (manufacturers defect) and if so, when. The valve guides will slip and allow oil to pour into the cylinders turning the car into a makeshift James Bond Smokescreener. Chrysler should have replaced them at their cost.

If it's a 5 speed standard, ask if the spring for the shift bearing has been replaced... another manufactuers defect. The spring isn't strong enough and the gear shift will get stuck in reverse.

If it's a 6 with an auto, ask if the electronic sensor in the trany has been replaced. It's an easy fix. The sensor comes loose, and transmission fluid breaks the contacts turning the tranny into a schizophrenic mess. Remove the sensor, wipe it down, apply die-electric grease to the contacts and reinstall. End of problem. If the owner tells you there has been a tranny replacement, more than likely that was the problem.

All in all, if it's a 4 banger, they're tough little engines, much like the old slant 225's of yesteryears. Hard to kill 'em. The 6's are fine too, although they will smoke like hell if the guides aren't replaced.

[DemWitch]

4. Also... just FYI...

I had a 91 Shadow and a 89 Dynasty... both had well over 200K miles when I sold them. The Shadow is still being driven by the kid I sold it to 3 years ago. The Dynasty, well, cancer ate the body away and shorted all of the electrical controls. RIP

[billbuckhead]

5. 3 speed automatic is very good but the 4 speed is a disaster

4cylinder is good, but the Mitsubishi V6 has soft valve guides that will cause the car to burn oil at between 70k to 120k miles. Costs about $300 to fix.

[Bossy Monkey]

6. A buddy bought one of these that had previously been owned by the state

They were popular fleet cars around '94. You might want to find out who the owners were if possible.

My friend didn't have a good experience with the Acclaim. There was a gas smell creeping into the interior; I'm not sure if they ever found the source or just ditched the car. (He moved away, and while we kept in touch, I never got around to asking about the car.)

[Bossy Monkey]

7. My mistake; it was a '98 Spirit rather than an Acclaim

Apparently, my Chrysler/Plymouth knowledge is less complete than I thought. (The gas problem, by the way, was something to do with a malfunctioning Oxygen sensor which cost $200 to replace. Otherwise, he was very pleased with the car.)