Cheap reliable car.....

[Codewiz]

I currently have a '95 Dodge Ram 1500 that is of course paid off. I am on my second transmission, getting ready to go on my third. I graduated from college in 2002. I just landed a job back in May so I am a little bit in debt(around $3000). Mostly from having to move around looking for a job.

Anyways, I don't want to take out another loan to fix my old truck when the transmission does die. There becomes a point where money is just being wasted especially considering that any number of problems could happen right after I fix the transmission again. I would like to find a cheap cheap somewhat reliable car that will be me to and from work for the next year or two. I can technically afford $400/month car payments but that is not what I want. I want to save money and pay off my debt as quick as possible.

I am looking for something less than $3000 with a year 2 year warranty. I have been looking on Ebaymotors at Kia and Daewoos. Both are crappy cars but I just need something to get me to and from work.

Any suggestions?

 

[RossMAN]

Used Car Best Bets

Maybe you can find a mid 90's Geo/Chevy Prizm (rebadged Toyota Corolla) for around $3k?

 

[chin311]

corolla/civic/accord/camry something along those lines...

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: chin311
corolla/civic/accord/camry something along those lines...

Those are all great suggestions but unfortunately for buyers they hold their resale value quite well.

 

[chin311]

this is true...BUT, you could still probably find one in the 90-95 range for 3k$...

if not, im not a fan of domestics, but maybe a bonneville or any GM that uses the 3.8L v-6, only one ive had semi-g00d experience with.

 

[RossMAN]

Yeah 90-95 for $3k can be done.

Best to check out the local newspaper's classifieds autos section, you might score a 1 owner, low miles car.

 

[chin311]

i personally lucked out when my old neighbor sold her 96' corolla for 3k$, just check around, a lot of my friends have scored 1-owner imports, probably the most reliable thing you can get for your money.

 

[Ornery]

WTF ever happened to good old American trucks? :disgust: Used to be able to get a nice sturdy 350ci, 2bbl attached to a bulletproof Turbo 350 and drive the living piss out of it till the wheels were square. Last thing you ever had to worry about was the engine and tranny. This is BS!

Good luck finding something for 3 grand with a warranty!

 

[Pepsi90919]

WTF ever happened to good old American trucks?

they became bad and even older.

 

[DougK62]

Cavalier/Sunfire. You can get a fairly new one for $3k, and despite what this board would have you think, they're quite reliable. You can beat the poo out of them and they just keep on going. Even if it does happen to break parts are dirt cheap for them.

 

[Ornery]

It's so fvcking retarded. Detroit has been making a cast iron small block V8 since... Christ, FOREVER! They had the TH350 perfected like 40 years ago. It was used on $145,000.00 Bentleys for crying out loud. Now all of a sudden the tranny is a weak link. WTF?

 

[chin311]

Originally posted by: DougK62
Cavalier/Sunfire. You can get a fairly new one for $3k, and despite what this board would have you think, they're quite reliable. You can beat the poo out of them and they just keep on going. Even if it does happen to break parts are dirt cheap for them.

hmm, not too sure about the 'you can beat the poo out of them and they keep going part', never had that experience w/ domestic cars, some trucks, maybe.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: chin311

Originally posted by: DougK62
Cavalier/Sunfire. You can get a fairly new one for $3k, and despite what this board would have you think, they're quite reliable. You can beat the poo out of them and they just keep on going. Even if it does happen to break parts are dirt cheap for them.

hmm, not too sure about the 'you can beat the poo out of them and they keep going part', never had that experience w/ domestic cars, some trucks, maybe.

Cav and Sunfires will go as long as they are taken care of. They don't hold their resale very well, but that is a good thing when buying a used one

Also look at S-Series Saturns. Can be had cheap and very good.

Or look for a mid-90's GM car with a 3.8L v6. The 3.8L makes a lot of low end power. The 3.8L to gm V6's is what the 350 is to GM V8's, very good and solid.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: chin311

Originally posted by: DougK62
Cavalier/Sunfire. You can get a fairly new one for $3k, and despite what this board would have you think, they're quite reliable. You can beat the poo out of them and they just keep on going. Even if it does happen to break parts are dirt cheap for them.

hmm, not too sure about the 'you can beat the poo out of them and they keep going part', never had that experience w/ domestic cars, some trucks, maybe.

Cav and Sunfires will go as long as they are taken care of. They don't hold their resale very well, but that is a good thing when buying a used one

Also look at S-Series Saturns. Can be had cheap and very good.

Or look for a mid-90's GM car with a 3.8L v6. The 3.8L makes a lot of low end power. The 3.8L to gm V6's is what the 350 is to GM V8's, very good and solid.

It's probably easier to find a well maintained Saturn or Buick than Cav/Sunfire, but I mostly agree with Marlin, those can be excellent cars for what you're looking for (saving, which is commendable, BTW). I just wouldn't buy a Cavalier or Sunfire for $3000. If I had $3000, I'd surely buy something else.

I have personal experience with a '94 Saturn SL2. I sold it, but it's still going. It now has 225,000 miles on it, with nothing major ever having been repaired on the engine (no head gaskets or anything), with the original clutch, and doing urban pizza delivery duty for the last 3 years and 50,000 miles!

My girl has an '88 Buick Lesabre with 195,000 miles, and she still considers it "reliable."

 

[Codewiz]

Originally posted by: Ornery
It's so fvcking retarded. Detroit has been making a cast iron small block V8 since... Christ, FOREVER! They had the TH350 perfected like 40 years ago. It was used on $145,000.00 Bentleys for crying out loud. Now all of a sudden the tranny is a weak link. WTF?

Go to any Dodge forum. The automatic trannies SUCK on dodge trucks. My first transmission went out at 72K and the dealer didn't want to service it under the extended warranty that I bought. I had to threaten with a lawyer to get the warranty honored.

They probably put the biggest POS tranny they could find in it. I am now at 93K and I can tell the torque converter is shot and the shift is all screwed up. It will die in the next two month.

The truck has required no major work except for the tranny. That is also why I feel that something is bound to go. I plan on keeping the truck but I don't want to rely on it. I also don't plan to fix it until I have extra $$ to throw into it.

 

[Ornery]

I had a friend with a mid '80's Chevy half ton with a 307ci that required a new cam at about 80K. That is sick! That engine design is as old as dirt. How the hell did they manage to screw it up? :disgust:

Sounds like Chrysler managed to do the same thing with their tranny in your case. I believe their 'Torque Flight" used to be a solid tranny. There's no excuse for this crap.

 

[Codewiz]

Originally posted by: Ornery
I had a friend with a mid '80's Chevy half ton with a 307ci that required a new cam at about 80K. That is sick! That engine design is as old as dirt. How the hell did they manage to screw it up? :disgust:

Sounds like Chrysler managed to do the same thing with their tranny in your case. I believe their 'Torque Flight" used to be a solid tranny. There's no excuse for this crap.

Well this is how they lose customers. I won't EVER buy another Dodge no matter how "good" they are. I understand when some people have a problem like me but this isn't a minor problem that some people have. After I started researching it, I found hundreds if not thousands of dodge owners that have the same problem. Tranny always goes before 100K miles. Mine is 2x4 and while it is less common in the 2x4 it does happen. Most of the people I see with the problem have the 4x4. The common issue is that they all have the exact same symptoms before dying.

Last time it died, I was on a very busy interstate. Hopefully that won't happen again.

 

[RossMAN]

I owned a 1990 Dodge car.

100% POS