Question About Cars- Concorde vs Prizm (1 Viewer)

[James Edward]

I have the opportunity to get a 1995 Chrysler Concorde for 1,000 dollars. The car has 51k miles, and is in perfect shape. Always dealer maintained, and driven by my 67 yr old aunt, which explains the fairly low miles. She has already had the A/C compressor replaced twice, and the transmission once.

Here is the question: I currently have a 1994 Geo Prizm(Toyota motor and trans) with 90k miles, which I could sell for 1500-2000 dollars. Outwardly, the deal seems great. A bigger car(Concorde) in better shape with lower miles. What I am afraid of is the track record of the Concorde. I seem to see a lot of Chrysler problem areas whereas the Prizm is pretty much trouble-free. And if something does go wrong with the Prizm, it's pretty cheap to fix.
Do you think I have a good shot at the Chrysler being trouble-free for 2-3 yrs? I have no job, so the thought of an expensive repair job is daunting to me.
So: Keep the Prizm, or go for the Concorde?

 

[Kevin P]

Why is she unloading the Concorde for so cheap? I would think it's worth a bit more than $1K at that mileage.

For a trouble-free car keep the Prizm. If you need something bigger check out the Concorde. Heck for $1k you could probably keep both cars.

 

[James Edward]

Yes- It is worth more, but since my uncle died in 1998, I have done lots of things to keep up her home, her car, her computer, etc. So that's why it would be $1k.

 

[Randy_Sh]

I personally would keep the Prizm. The tranny you say has already been replaced once in the Concorde and you don't have the income to afford a major repair?

I am driving a '92 Geo Prizm with about 115k miles. If maintained properly, I think that they'll run forever. I haven't had any major problems with it at all (knock on wood.)

Also, think of your driving habits, what will the car be used for. The Geo gets great gas mileage, Concorde not as good. Although, if doing a lot of highway driving, it might be nice to have the Concorde. A bit more stable on the highway than the Geo.

Good luck.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

Keep the Prizm. Any car that goes through 2 AC compressors and 1 transmission in only 51k miles is not a good bet for reliability.

The Prizm is, as you know, a Toyota Corolla. A Corolla with 90k on it has more trouble-free miles left in it than a Concorde with 51k miles.

I work in the service dept of a largish Toyota dealer and from my experience that Prizm/Corolla has at least 200k in it with normal maintenance.

If you absolutely must have the Concorde, set aside 2500 or so for the second tranny replacement, probably before it hits 100k.

 

[Eric_E]

I'll echo what everyone else has already said - that a car that has had two A/C compressors and a transmission replaced is not going to be the best choice if the thought of further repair is going to be a major concern for you.

If your '94 Prizm has *only* 91k miles on it, I would say you probably still have many many years of good miles out of this car. I drive a '93 Prizm LSi with 136k miles and it has not had a major mechanical failure in the 10 years it's been in my family.

I'm just skeptical of American cars' reliability, and stories like yours about the Concorde just reinforce my cynicism.

 

[DaveGTP]

A lesson I learned from my POS '93 Grand Am - Less miles does not mean better car. I spent over $2,000 in one year on it (89k-101k). The camshaft was ready to go when I ditched it to a dealer (my Grandma cosigned to get me out of it and into my Beretta).


I bought my '94 Beretta Z26 @ 89k. Sold it @ 169k. Alternator replaced under warranty at 99k. Replaced the radiator @ around 140k. Great car, $600 in repairs in 80,000 miles. And I am pretty hasty, I don't drive like a Grandma.

Lesson I learned : if you find a reliable car, KEEP IT!! I *almost* regret trading it in on my '00 Grand Prix GTP.

If you really want the larger car and have some spare cash, buy it and keep it as a secondary for a while =) You can never have too many cars (unless you are an apartment dweller)!

 

[Eric Kahn]

keep the prism, 95 LH series chysler cars are really crappy, but the tranny was one of the sore points and it has been replaced, rebuilt trannies usually go for about 80,000 miles and if it was recent, the rebuilt unit is better than the original

you could always buy the concord and sell it for a profit, you should be albe to get $3000 for it