CastIron

Greetings!

I'll admit that I posted an identical post on another forum, but this one seems to have more people and more information. I searched for a while and found some good info, but I still have some specific questions:

For various reasons, I'm considering purchasing a mid-mileage ucf20 ii. The cars I'm looking at are in the 70k-90k mile range and the 11k-13k dollar range. Above all else I want a car that is extremely reliable, but I also want it to be comfortable for traveling, get decent gas mileage, be quick enough to be fun, and be reasonably safe and capable in the snow with proper tires. So, I have a few questions.

1. Is it really as reliable as I'm hoping? If I buy a car with 90k miles, what can I expect to encounter for repairs by the time I hit 150k miles?

2. With snow tires, how capable is it? Will I get stuck in 6" of snow when I'm trying to make it home for the holidays?

3. The EPA rating, from what I gather is 19/25, and EPA ratings can be way off, especially for powerful vehicles. I don't care about city mileage, but with the cruise control set at 70mph for an interstate trip, what kind of mileage can I expect?

4. (Don't scoff, and I promise I'm not a ricer.) My current sedan, a Volvo S60R, ran a 14.1 at 100.2 with a conservative launch the only time I tracked it. Is the LS400 at least close? Has anyone here tracked (drag) his/her LS400? Are there any ecu-tuning options to delimit the car (if limited)?

5. Anything to look out for when looking at used examples in my mileage range? Any known issues?

Thanks!

hobojoe

My 91 1uzfe gets 28 or so mpg consistantly on the hwy with 1 mod. And i run hankook ipike snow tires and i cruise around totally fine with trac on. only limiting factor to snow is how low the car is = possibility of high centering it. And timing belt is the major Mantinace for 90k i just had mine done for the 2nd time in its life at 155k.

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

I get 26 on the highway regularly, at the speed you indicate or a bit higher. In the city usually about 20.

Mine is lowered on coilovers and 19 inch wheels/tires. First time in the snow, not changing tires, will tell you in few months.

There are plenty of these cars in the 200-300k range. With proper maintenance 150K is nothing, barely getting broken in.

CastIron

I've seen other posts regarding the timing belt. Is it unusually difficult or expensive on these cars? How much should I expect to pay to have that done?

Also, how are they performance wise? It's not a deal breaker, but will I be bored?

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

Please search. All these questions have been answered lots of times. If you do the full timing belt (meaning EVERYTHING) OEM, parts are 900. SHould be about 800-1000 for labor at a reputable place.

Or you can do your own.

Good luck searching the rest of the questions. Any car can be a performance car with enough money. I believe in different cars for different purposes.

steveski

I have over 226,000 on mine and drive it daily to work (80+ miles). It is a great road car and has been extrememly reliable. Before I completely changed the suspension the car was like a motor boat on the highway - Lincoln Town Car type.

I drove in snow only once and found the car to be decent - not as good as a front wheel drive car by any means.

Even with high mileage I have been averging 22 to 24 lately. Seems to get better mileage in the cooler weather.

The LS is pretty quick - maybe not as quick as your Volvo however it will last far longer with fewer issues.

Timing belt is the biggie as others have stated. It can cost $700 to $1,000 and is a must.

If you buy it as a road car you won't be dissappointed

CastIron

I did search, as stated in my first post.

Of course any car can be fast, but that isn't really helpful is it? I too believe in different cars for different purposes; that's why I have more than one.

Thanks, that's a lot of what I was looking for, and thanks to all of the others who posted worthwhile information.

There are a couple in town that I plan to test drive in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully I can get a decent good deal on the trade.

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

I did provide helpful info, but lets be real, you didn't search. If you did you wouldn't have asked the timing belt question. Few threads down, there is a 10 page thread, created by me. It has the amount spent on parts, where I bought it from, and all that info. A quick search would have brought that up.

Good luck on the buying.

CastIron

You cought me. I'm lying.

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

Caught. Clearly you were.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

wow, i didnt have to do anything

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

He can't handle your wrath

Lexkost

1. Is it really as reliable as I'm hoping? If I buy a car with 90k miles, what can I expect to encounter for repairs by the time I hit 150k miles?

At 150K you will need the whole front end gone through and motor and trans mounts and drive shaft parts.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

^he means front end as in suspension, car doesn't need a boob job

by 150k you will have bushings/balljoints/shocks that would have been/need to be changed, drivetrain should be fine as long as it's been maintained, interior should be decent.

ryanSC300lover

iTrader: (1)

Boob job....yummy mami