01 L200, good buy?
 

So basically i finally got a loaner car from the people servicing mine... Since I killed the sl1, I have been looking at replacing it since it was throwing multiple codes involving the EGR and the fuel tank prior to engine failure... My loaner car is a 2001 L200, auto climate control and power seat and heated mirrors and other luxury appointments other than leather... I considered buying it so that my wife has something to drive...

My concerns:

1. mileage- it has just over a quarter million miles... I heard the 2.2 ecotec is pretty reliable, any issues to watch for? Will the automatic transmission last? It sounds like it may have an exhaust leak and I hear an extremely faint and quiet tick(injectors?) under load, and I think I might smell a slight odor of fuel on startup... The car runs fine though and drives well...

2. I think it might have a very slight amount of play in the steering on center and possibly a slightly off feeling as I turn the wheel through its travel... Not sure what that may be?

3. Random defects regarding this particular model?

4. Will it be particularly inefficient with its fuel usage?

The owner of the garage/ dealer initially wanted our sl1 plus $1500 without knowing the book value of either... I an thinking about more like our sl1 plus 800 to 1000... Too high? The kbb on that car in good condition is $1287... The value of the sl1 in good condition is $2117... It also has new tires and was recently plasti dipped, but it would cost about $700 to replace the engine and make it run...

Wish I could help, but I know absolutely nothing about the 2.2 Ecotec or the L series at all.

Rj will know

All I know is the 2.2 is fairly tough, the one in my mothers ION is nearing 180k and she was never very good about maintenance... She tried, but sometimes the oil would go 10k on a change... That was fine until she paid for two oil changes that weren't actually performed and the engine now ticks... But 250k is beyond my realm of experience...

Actually I have no idea what model this specific car is... I know its a pre facelift l series with steel wheels, auto climate control, power windows, locks, and drivers seat, the 2.2 L61 four cylinder and a slush box... I had it checked it my a mechanic... He mentioned an exhaust leak(which i suspected) and it needing a tie rod(or end) which makes sense given the steering feel... He then compared the running of the engine to a singer sewing machine, smooth as glass and as if it will continue to run for years... I doubt it has a whole lot left, but do you guys think I can get 'er to 300k? Given i can buy it for a fair price, that is?

I don't see why not. I've seen a lot of them in the junk yard with over 200,000 miles on them. If your "mechanic" said the engine is in good shape, the rest of the mentioned things are normal wear and tear items. If it's a good price, jump on it.

I was thinking a price like our (about) dead sl1 and about 800 bucks to a grand... Unless someone on this forum wants to just buy the sl1...

I ended up buying the car, gave our dead sl1 and 1200... Not a screaming deal, but a decent one given that the car turned out to be a 2002... It has fresh oil now and has just turned over 251k miles, drives fine though... All of it works(including the traction control and abs)... I had to remove the window tint, as it was too dark to pass a wv state inspection(Ohio car) the exhaust does indeed leak... Combo of low quality materials to replace the down pipe, horrendous welds splicing in the cat converter and o2 sensor section, and some rust through in places... I plan on replacing all that crush bent pipe, and possibly everything else in an effort to not be sucking exhaust fumes at rest... That aside, it could use brakes, and the tires are about half...

I do have a couple questions though...

1. Fuel mileage... The second tank I have run through the car was 23.6 mpg... Some idling, some highway, and a little aggressive driving... Is such mileage normal for this model? It seems less than I was expecting... Could it be solved by a tune up?

2. The car has a shudder when shifting to 2nd gear at WOT(6500 RPM, 40-ish mph)... Is this just the age showing? Will the trans continue to operate for a while? I found this whilst trying the car before doing the legal documents sale related... My wife will probably never see or notice this but I know it's there...

Any car 12 years old and with 250,000 miles on it is a gamble. I have driven a few out that far and they ran well. But those I have purchased with that kind of mileage on them were a mistake I wish I never made or the price was so good that if it quit on me I'd driven the purchase cost out of them.
Transmission service is the key to reliable operation. If you have any concerns get the fluid and filter changed and see what that does and while I am not a big fan of aftermarket additives, the Lucas Transmission additive has done me some measurable good so that if I service a high mileage transmission it gets added as an insurance act. It may do some good, but it will not hurt anything.
The same can be said for other Lucas products.

I fully understand the gamble in buying a car with a quarter million on the clock... Especially a car with which I am not familiar... I will keep the Lucas product in mind when I change the tranny fluid... Right now a high priority is the exhaust system, as the fumes are making their way inside the cabin at rest/idle... I can't have my wife or son sucking exhaust... Then brakes, followed by tires and anything else needed... If I can get another 50k out of this car, I would be ecstatic...

As long as you fix what you know needs fixing and keep up your regular maintenance, I think you'll be okay for a while. Gotta take care of the spouse and kid first and foremost.

On an exhaust related nite, what size piping would be best for the l61? Most performance cat back systems for cobalt or ions are 2.5" I'm looking at a new cat, o2 bung, resonator, and muffler... I am going with universal parts, so I am using a cherry bomb glass pack for the resonator, a flow master cat, and I'm not sure what muffler yet...

As I live in a state where exhaust system rusting out is not much of a problem at all, exhaust system installers bend their own tubing up and weld things together which means ALL exhaust systems are made to fit.
As far as tubing sizes for a quarter of a million million mile beater? What ever the factory put on it works for me and here there is a generic high flow cat available for about $139.00 installed and a cherry bomb muffler is about as far as I would go and stop there. Of if you don't want the buzz of listening to one, don't use one at all just put a generic muffler on it and let it go at that. If you live where rust is an issue you will generally be working with mild steel which rusts quickly anyway and will need replacements but with that kind of mileage on the car in the first place it should last about as long as the car will.
To my way of thinking that would be the most cost effective way of doing things. The last small engined car I did that with was done some 14 years ago (the OEM sized high flow generic cat and a glass pack) and is still working fine.

I not sure what size is stock on an l series behind the L61, but I figure while I'm in there, why not upgrade the system? If it were mine, the cherry bomb would be all it would get, but for my wife(she wants it quiet) I will try and make something similar to stock but better flowing, and cheaper than OEM... The longer i own the car, the more i like it and the longer I want it to last... I have set an optimistic goal of 400k for the car... So I am going to try and make all my repairs at the best quality I can do given my limited budget... I'm not going with stainless tubing, but the tubing I can get locally will probably last at least half the remaining life in the car, provided i achieve my goal...