most reliable 2000/2001 GM sedan or coupe?

Joe, I would agree that a recent model GM sedan with the 3800 engine is a good choice. LeSabre is a good one. Park Avenues are nice if you need that extra room. Whichever you decide on, take it out for a long drive whenever you can so that the engine will fully heat up. Those routine short trips of only a few miles are not great for any engine.

---Bob Gross---

My next-door neighbor has a 2002 Buick LeSabre that seems quite nice. Too soon to know how reliable it will be long term. I imagine it will be fine. He did have quite a bit of early warranty stuff that needed to be done to it...mostly silly little stuff that didn't work, etc. But all is fixed now. Not sure if you can pick up a 2000-2001 model for under $10K or not though. He also has a

1994 LeSabre with 130,000+ miles on it and, until recently, has been very reliable. To get under $10K, you may need to look at the Impala...but go with the 3800 engine instead of the 3400.

For short trips look for late model W bodies with 3800's. The car market isnt doing so hot so you could get something nice as late as a

2001 for under 10k if not better. Just be sure to look everything over good and the more history a person can give you on a car the better. Also be sure to pop the radiator caps. If they look low or have green coolant you can be sure they have a leak or had a leak somewhere. Ask about any intake or gasket problems that are present or might have been taken care. The 3800 is a good motor despite the intake/intake gasket problems. If you get one that gives you problems be sure to post in here because there is a lot of help in here for that.

Which are W-bodies in 2000/2001? The quote below says 1988 and up...but for example, wasn't a 1999 Cutlass a L/N body?

Also, the "green coolant", are you saying that the green indicates it is newly filled, or are you saying that they have replaced Dexcool with standard coolant?

_____________

W-body cars are: 1988-up Chevrolet Lumina, Monte Carlo, Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and Pontiac Grand Prix. _____________

Bon·ne·ville wrote in

4th letter on the VIN will tell you if its a w body. Like a intrigue or=20 a regal. No one would had to of put in new coolant for a car thats not=20 even 5 years old yet. Unless it leaked out somewhere and got air in the=20 system for a period of time which could be the cause of dexcool turning=20 into a muddy substance I believe. Then the owner would usually throw a=20 fit and blaim dexcool for ruining the system and put the green stuff=20 in... Thats my theory anyhow. The other reason would be no one wanted to=20 pay that much for coolant and went cheap on their car. Either way once a=20 coolant with silicon is in the system you cant revert back to a 5 year=20 coolant and have it last 5 years...

--I hate it when my newsreader says 5 post and it only brings up 1 or=20

2... Stupid ng feeds.

For my own reference, when the 8th letter of the VIN is K, that seems to indicate the 3.8L engine. And it looks like for 2000 and 2001 Monte Carlo, Impala, Grand Prix, Regal, Century qualify as "W" bodies. Lesabre and Bonneville are "H" body. Thanks for the opinions, and I hope to hear from more people tomorrow.

Bon·ne·ville wrote

The Buick Regal, although aged by design, received top marks in it's class recently for reliability. And the Chevy Impala also did very well.

Regal is standard with the 3800, optional is the supercharged 3800. Impala base is 3.1 I believe, and the 3800 is optional.

Both are also quite affordable by todays standards, unless you compare them to a matchbox Cavalier, Neon, or Civic type vehicle. Tony

Prizm is a restyled Toyota Corolla (whether that is good or bad depends on your preferences, although it is generally considered to be reliable; also fuel efficient if you avoid the 3-speed automatic transmission).

I thought it was a rebadged Geo which is made in china. If its a Toyota you might as well buy a Toyota and deal with Toyota. I'm not found of rebadged vehicles. I mean would you buy a Geo?

I avoid buying anything but a vehicle with the 3.8 engine. Since 1985, my family has all had Regals or LaSabres (2 Regals-1996, and 2002, and a 1998 LaSabre right now). These cars have consistently gotten over 200,000 miles with nothing but regular maintenance issues. I include batteries, waterpumps, struts, alternators etc. as regular maintenence. My 1996 Regal currently has 115,000 miles and my grandmother's 1989 LaSabre has 257,000 miles. The 2002 Regal did go in for the recall to fix the gaskets but there has been no problem with it otherwise. It hasn't hit the 100,000 mark yet. Liz

The Prizm is a rebadged Geo.

The Pontiac Vibe is a rebadged Toyota Matrix.

I know that Prizm and Corolla are the same car, made in Fremont California as a joint venture between GM and Toyota. Chevy dropped the "Geo" from their names around 1999 and folded them into the Chevrolet lines. I had one on a 3 year lease once and had no problems, but I wanted to know how they held up longer term (up to 10 years).

You would buy a Geo or Chevy version just because you could get them cheaper (significant portions of the ignorant public would think the "American" version less reliable than the "Japanese" version. This is a lot like Explorers being banned from U-Haul but not Mountaineers - same vehicle, different public perception).