The $1,000 car challenge

The goal, buy a decent car for $1,000.  Something to spare the 4Runner from the abuses of daily commuting including door dents from fat, lazy and disrespectful peeps, the damage that a 2-mile daily commute does to a car (cold starts followed by shutting down the engine before it reaches operating temperature), and the potential of vandalism/theft from leaving a car at park & rides and in downtown Sacramento or sitting at the airport.

A craigslist search for sub-$2,000 cars reveals these beauties:

A 1998 Cavalier for $1500.  Lots of dents and only one person was murdered in the backseat.

A 1970 Buick Riviera with no engine and transmission for $1,000.  While it would be fun to park this battle axe at the park and ride, pushing it there would get old quick.

An 89 S10 for $1,000.  Amazing photographer, I wonder if it has a front end.

This fine Accord for $1,200.  "It'll buff out."

$1200.  Rust included for no extra charge.

$1100.  Dented and ugly but runs.

$1300.  Most cars have to make due with a catalytic converter, while this one uses a "Cadillac" converter.

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So here's what I ended up with, a 1995 Volvo 850 Turbo for one grand.  

The good:  it has a very nice running and powerful 5 cylinder turbocharged engine, it has had a reasonable level of maintenance performed such as oil changes, belt and hose replacements, transmission flush, timing belt and a few other odds and ends.  Everything works, even all of the electrics.  No leaks of any kind and has brand new tires.  Mileage is a reasonable 129,000 miles.  Depending on which engine model I have it makes either 222 or 240 horsepower, making it fun to drive.  Gas mileage is okay at 19/26.  It has an airbag to coddle each and every organ and limb in my body in the event that someone fails at the art of driving.  The bad:  Front leather seats are trashed and covered with seat covers, the dashboard cover isn’t really attached to the top of the dash anymore (something I may be able to fix) and accordingly the interior has rattles, a crack in the windshield, the exterior isn't perfect and it needs a few maintenance items—driver’s side CV boot and the PCV and EGR (emissions system) need cleaning. The body metal on this car is so thick that you can barely open the trunk without the trunk struts, so that gets one check in the “bad” category and another check in the “good” category.  With proper maintenance these cars last a very long time.  Allegedly.

I brought the car home and did some cleaning.  Without even touching polish or wax of any sort, the body cleaned up way nicer than I had expected.  Things I assumed were scratches, discoloration and blemishes disappeared.  There is a crease in the passenger door and in front of the rear fender, but it’s hard to notice due to the color.  There’s a dent in the trunk lid as a reminder that talking on a cel phone while applying make-up and driving is a bad idea (was rear-ended) and the trunk-mounted spoiler needs paint.  Our fellow motorists are sure to bang it up even more, but honestly, I don’t think it looks too bad.  Someone at the park and ride saw it this morning and said it was “sporty looking.”  Sporty + Volvo do not belong in the same discussion.

I am daily driving it now, however after the holiday craziness is over I will pull it into the garage and catch it up on maintenance.  The driver’s side CV boot gets replaced first, then the intake manifold comes off so I can clean the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) and nearby EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve that both clog at higher mileage.  When that happens it causes other expensive problems.  I don't like expensive problems. 

I admit though, I may have missed out on this $1500 Ford Econoline motorhome deal.  I could have made coffee or cooked up a batch of meth while I sit in the park & ride lot waiting for the bus.

Supercharged

The 4Runner got a boost in power last month via a Toyota factory supercharger.  These units were available starting in 1997 from the performance division of Toyota, TRD (Toyota Racing Development).  The supercharger does not affect the factory powertrain warranty and is 50-state emissions legal.  I got word that there were only 33 of these superchargers left in the country, so I decided to pick one up before they were gone.

On the workbench and ready for installation:

 The supercharger is basically a belt-driven air pump that forces air into the engine rather than relying on engine vacuum, which is the long way of saying it adds power to an engine without the inefficiencies that a really large engine would have.  Because the air gets thinner at altitude, a supercharged engine does not loose power at elevation like a non supercharged one. 

The old 1997 ad for the supercharger states "the TRD Supercharged 3.4L V6 makes more torque at 1,800 RPMs as the normally aspirated engine does at its torque peak."  The graph below is for 1st generation TRD Supercharger, which boosted the stock horsepower from 183 to 265.  The second generation that I have produces five more horsepower (total of 270) and 12 foot pounds more torque than shown below:

It adds 87 horsepower to the engine, but torque is what you feel in a truck.  If you look at the bottom graph, the red on top of the black is the amount of added torque, which is significant.  Once I complete installation of the kit that improves the fuel system, horsepower will be around 295.  And of course then I can add a smaller supercharger pulley and make over 300...nice.

I had an install party and Scott and Molly and Mike showed up to help.  Scott has had a supercharger on his 4Runner for four years now.  Install took about five hours and dare I say it was easy.

Here is the stock engine:

Off comes the intake manifold:

Manifold removed.  Everything looks clean and good:

Here is the final product:

So what do I think?  It's not fast (per se) from 0 to 60; it accelerates really well for a truck but it's nothing that would impress any sports car owner.  I have owned much quicker cars (a 430 hp Supra turbo), but that said this is the most powerful truck/SUV I have driven.  (That makes me happy because my old Supra is still the most powerful car I have ever driven.)  The big bump in torque means it goes up hills exceedingly well without slowing down, it has gobs of passing power and most important for me, it will take high elevation grades while loaded with ease.  It added as much power to the existing engine as some economy cars make in total.

Economy-wise, most owners claim anywhere from a 1 mile per gallon (mpg) loss to a 1 mpg gain, or basically a wash.  So far that's about where I am.  I seem to be about 1/2 mpg down, but that might be related to my heavier right foot as I get used to a much more powerful engine.  :)

I have owned nothing but Toyota trucks and 4Runners since 1994, but the new ones have gone downhill big time.  The last good year of the 4Runner is 2009.  The 2010+ 4Runners are so bad that it just made Consumer Report's list for vehicles that scored low or "don't measure up to the standards set by previous models" and was summarized with the words "a clear disappointment." 

http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2011/03/2011-annual-auto-issue-new-cars-consumer-reports-car-ratings.html

I made a big investment into a 12-year old truck, which doesn't really seem like the most intelligent move, however the 4Runner is a long term vehicle for me...it's perfect for my lifestyle, it's probably one of the most dependable trucks made in the past century and quite simply, I like it and plan to keep it.  Oh, it's also paid for.  If I had to guess the future I would say that in ten years our cars won't be powered by gas.  Each American garage will contain an all-electric car or perhaps a hydrogen fuel cell car AND one truck for Home Depot, camping, hauling, towing, etc.  That's where the 4Runner comes in.