Alternatives to G100?

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Hi there, I have been lurking here for a while now, but haven't posted much. Here's my situation, I have two cars that I like to take good care of, a '02 Grand Caravan and an '04 Malibu. Detailing the Malibu all by hand isn't too bad because it isn't a very big car, but the Grand Caravan is another story!!! I would like to get something like a G100, which would make detailing the Grand Caravan a much more enjoyable process , but the price of a G100 is way out my price range (I'm on a very tight budget). My question is, are the buffer/polishers that you can find at Sears or other auto parts stores any good? I understand that I wouldn't be getting something a versatile as a G100, but it would be better than doing it all by hand, right? If I am thinking stupid, let me know. Any advice would be appreciated.

Brian

[the other pc]

Re: Alternatives to G100?

There are other machines on the market comparable to the G100 but the Porter-Cable is actually the least expensive. The cheaper machines are far less capable.


PC.

[hammer55]

Re: Alternatives to G100?

seen a polisher at sears for 49.00 on sale, problem it only had two speeds, on and off. the pc 7336 at lowes for 109.00, havent seen the pc7424 except one line for sale and its about 119.00

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Re: Alternatives to G100?

That is kind of what I was afraid of. From the reading here that I have done, I would lose a lot of versatility with the Sears type polisher, but the G100 and the PC are a bit out of the price range I was looking for. Maybe I'll have to wait and save some more (my arms hurt already thinking about waxing the Grand Caravan again by hand).

[the other pc]

Re: Alternatives to G100?

If you’re not trying to remove swirls or other below-surface defects you don’t have to work the products very hard. Even by hand you can do a fairly large vehicle without killing yourself.

When you’re doing your own cars (as opposed to doing a detail for a customer) you don’t have to do it all at once either. You can wash the car and then clay and wax one section of it. Wash it again a week later and clay and wax a different section. After a few weeks the whole car is done. If you want to remove scratches, swirls, etching, etc you can just do smaller sections over a longer time to spread the work out.


PC.

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Re: Alternatives to G100?

After reading this thread this thread I have decided to wait and get a PC or a G100. I have a guy at work who says he wants to buy a set of wheels and tires from a truck I no longer own. If he does, then I will have enough money to get one. And, my wife is cool with it too, as long as I detail her Grand Caravan first. So, hopefully things will work out.