Advice on 1st Gen Caldina's Please

[solitaire]

Hiya,

Did a search for "caldina" and got through the first page without finding anything.

My sister n law is looking at getting another wagon and quite likes the caldina's.

She only has $3500 to spend so it's going to take a while no doubt. It must have roof racks as well which doesn't make it any easier and being a girl she will probably have a color in mind. She was keen on a manual but the only manuals i have found in that price range are 4wd's.

So. Questions if i may :

1. Are these Caldina's with the 3sfe relatively reliable? Comparable to a corolla with a 4afe?
2. is the 3sfe auto an absolute dog or is it not too bad? How would it compare to a manual 4afe in terms of get up and go?
3. Any concerns around the 4wd manual caldinas? my gut tells me to keep away from it.
4. Any other recomendations for a wagon in the $3500 range? (i am a toyota fan boy but if its not feasible she will have to get another brand i guess)

Cheers - Apreciate any comments you may have

[mr30%jr]

if i can say anything by it i had a carib with 3sfe and manual 4wd it went REALLY well bulletproof but could be different.

[XSVWGN]

I have a 3sge st195 caldina, auto as my daily driver and its a good spacious car but forget about trying to tow anythng haha. I have had mine for nearly 2 years and i did the cambelt when i got it.

It has passed warrents every time with only fails being light bulbs. Great reliable car but being 4wd it does go through more gas


Matt

[Scottie]

Sorry for cutting in on your thread solitaire. But I am also looking for a similar car.

forget about trying to tow anythng haha.

Just wondering why you say this??

[Santa'sBoostinSleigh]

because the 3sfe isnt a powerhouse towing engine, its the economy single cam one

CarpetBurn's curren was a 3sfe and it went reasonably well and was pretty economical
however coupled to a slightly heaver car (ie wagon), and 4wd system would slow it down and make it drink a bit more gas i'd say

[strx7]

because the 3sfe isnt a powerhouse towing engine, its the economy single cam one

Actually they have 2 cams not 1. its just one is driven off the other.

3SFE's make 140hp from memory. they are designed to make torque lower down the rev range than a 3SGE. there is probably near 100,000 3SFE powered vehicles on the roads in NZ, nothing wrong with them. usually good for 350k's+ as long as they are serviced.

No reason to steer clear of a ST195 either (4wd) you wouldn't be breaking the drivetrain in a hurry.

[Santa'sBoostinSleigh]

my bad - making assumptions based on 4afe's
its definitely the economy engine though!

[XSVWGN]

Sorry for cutting in on your thread solitaire. But I am also looking for a similar car.

forget about trying to tow anythng haha.

Just wondering why you say this??

Mine is the 4wd 3sge not fe. Its just gutless towing anything


Matt

[Santa'sBoostinSleigh]

3SGTE caldinas arent superb for towing either, but they do handle it
mines pulled a small boat, trailers moving house/rubbish/random stuff and even the corolla on a car trailer

[RomanV]

my bad - making assumptions based on 4afe's

4AFE are the same thing, twin cam but only one cam gear.

Not that knowing this makes them any less painful to drive

[Santa'sBoostinSleigh]

i posted rubbish on purpose so that someone would prove me wrong and we would all learn more, honest!

[Rob]

ST190's are mint cars just gotta be careful with the radiators on them.

Could go for an SXV10 camry, I sold one at christmas for $1800 and it was pretty sweet even though it had done 400000kms and my brothers one has done close to 460000kms now