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buying a used car...

W

wviperw

Senior member
I'm looking for a new (used) car since my old one recently died 🙂(). However, I'm a poor college student so my income isn't the greatest. Therefore I'll be looking for a used car within the 2.5-5k pricerange (although 5k would be pushing it). Any recommendations? I'd prefer it to be a sporty manual coupe, but I doubt I'd get that in my price range.

Also, in your experience, what has been the best mean of buying a used car? Online, dealerships, or direct (from the old owner)?
 
Any recommendations? I'd prefer it to be a sporty manual coupe, but I doubt I'd get that in my price range.
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You should be able to find a car that fits your description. My family picked up three Dodge Stealths with the most expensive one being ~$4000.
 
I think your looking in the 90-95 year range...and i would guess a manual coupe is a possibility if your willing to drive on with 90K+ miles on it. Pretty much anythign in that price range is gunna be in the upper limits of milage though. I'm in the same boat however...have a little more to spend than you but need a car thats just gunan get me around till i go into the big world 😛 If you can find a Taurus SHO from that era they can be pretty decent...Toyata Camerys seem to have a good reliablility to them, and then there are always the many honda civics out there that seem to be good as well...just dont settle for some POS geo 😛

if you have a reliable mechanic or are compitant enough to check stuff out then go direct...second would be if you find a guy in town on ebay and theres also a pepboys in town that can be good as well (pepboys offers discounted lemon checks for ebay buyers)...third would be the dealership...but then you gotta pay all their fees which can add who knows how much to the price...
 
Hear me now:

get the car inspected BEFORE you buy!!

Do come back here in a month with a I got ripped off thread because you didnt get the car checked.

 
How about a '98 Ford Escort ZX2? It's not going to win many races but it is a "sporty" coupe, available with a manual tranny, cheap, and somewhat reliable.
 
Do either a used car lot (NOT a dealership cause they'll screw you in price) or a private sale (paper, autotrader.com, etc.).
 
Yes Toasthead, I'm definately getting it inspected before I buy.

So what's the difference between a dealership and a used car lot?

Any other makes I should be looking for? I'll check out the ones mentioned so far.
 
The best bang for your buck would be a Geo/Chevrolet Prizm (which is a rebadged Toyota Corolla, very very reliable).
 
Originally posted by: RossMAN
The best bang for your buck would be a Geo/Chevrolet Prizm (which is a rebadged Toyota Corolla, very very reliable).
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At least keep this car in mind. Everyone seems to forget about it when looking for cheap, reliable transportation.
Check Edmunds.com for prices in your area.

 
"...a sporty manual coupe..."

Am I the only one here who thinks the word sporty sounds... oh, I don't know... ghey? 😕


I'm not against dealers as much as I'm against buying a car that some boy racer probably beat the piss out of. When I was car shopping, I found lower prices at dealers than private owners were asking! If a one owner car is sold by the original owner, or traded in and sold by a dealer, it's still the same car. Dealers don't purposely screw 'em up just to fvck with people.

Whether you buy a sporty car
rolleye.gif
from a private owner, dealer or wherever, there's a good chance it's been driven in a sporty fashion. It can check out fine by a mechanic, yet still have mega wear and tear on drive train components beyond what's normal. I'd concentrate on buying something that was only driven by a "little old lady", and that may not be too sporty.
 
Originally posted by: wviperw
Yes Toasthead, I'm definately getting it inspected before I buy.

So what's the difference between a dealership and a used car lot?

Any other makes I should be looking for? I'll check out the ones mentioned so far.
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Another coupe in your price range available with a manual would be a '97-98 Mitsubishi Mirage. Again, should be fairly reliable, although the power is lacking.
 
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