How to get started with a used car with only 3K?

[mpg]

Looking at Mazda 1990 MX6, any other suggestions?

Friend offered to sell me a POS pontiac for 1K (he would feel bad selling it to me for this price), I suppose that would be better then I will have more money to save. Any ideas?

I would think buying the pontiac would be more practical...but....

 

[convex]

buy something cheap that's dependable. if you know how to work on a particular brand go for that. A cheap f-body is always nice

 

[kaiotes]

get a manual civic, manual also cheaper

 

[mpg]

This isn't bad...1990 CHEVROLET CAMARO, RS, fuel injection, 305 V8, automatic transmission, airbag, t-tops, power windows, power door locks, air conditioning, cruise control, fairly new tires, all stock, 120000 miles, 2nd owner, oil changed regular, well maintained, lots of power, runs great, $2995 or best offer.

I'll look into that also can I fit 4 people in it or?

 

[mpg]

Civics have very high resell value, no way in hell would i be able to get one. except a CRX.

 

[tweekah]

That was my budget when i started looking for a car. I was thinking about a CRX si, you can run by some for that price tier. But if you want a 4-5 seater you'd have to shoot for a early 90's civic. Trust me you'd want something dependable.

 

[RGN]

I just picked up a 92 Dodge Daytona with 70thousand on it for $1500. No rust, bass tubes in the back and the engine purrs like new. The only thing thats bad is the airconditioning doesn't work. No biggie, I hate it anyway.

Be patient and look for a deal.

 

[Soybomb]

RGN is getting pretty close there. Look at say 87-93 dodge cars with a 2.2 or 2.5L engine. Many of them were turbocharged and quite fast and easily souped up (if you get one I'll tell you how as I have a couple people here already). Not only are they quick but its a very reliable and bombproof engine. Its not uncommon to hear of them with 200-250k+ miles on them. Change the oil and they will run forever If you want me to help you find one let me know and I"ll send you some good links. Remember the daytona wailed on the mustang and camaro of that era.

 

[convex]

<< This isn't bad...1990 CHEVROLET CAMARO, RS, fuel injection, 305 V8, automatic transmission, airbag, t-tops, power windows, power door locks, air conditioning, cruise control, fairly new tires, all stock, 120000 miles, 2nd owner, oil changed regular, well maintained, lots of power, runs great, $2995 or best offer. >>



you can fit 4 no problem, unless they're obese friends, in which case, you might have a problem. also fbodys in general kick lots of ass and honstly aren't too bad on insurance (even for an 18 year old with 2 tickets )

 

[SuperTool]

If you can find someone to take you to a dealer auction, you could get something descent for that money, especially if you are looking for domestic cars. I paid a guy $100 to take me to one in Riverside, but it was worth it. They give you 24 hrs to check it out by mechanic. Only drivetrain is covered by 24 hr money back.

 

[RGN]

Soybomb:Yeah, the turbo Daytona's are fast. Alas my Daytona is not the 4-cyl Turbo. Its the standard 3L V6... It produces 16 less HP than my 93' Maxima. The turbo 4 would have produced about 90 more.

The car doesn't seem to bad though, but its not a main driver and I've only had it a few days.

 

[Soybomb]

RGN, the 3 liter is by no means a bad engine though. Actually there is a group of people out there who are working on adapting a turbo onto the 3.0! You can still tweak your suspension too. If you ever want some contacts to get koni stuts and shocks or strut tower braces, etc from let me know

 

[perry]

Two of my neighbors had CRX's.. Both of them had motor troubles. One blew the motor, the other sold it before it had a chance to blow up.

 

[mpg]

that camaro is crap i read on epinions! going with the daytona, hope i can find one.

 

[Phuct]

well i don't really know exactly what sort of car to buy, there's two options you should definatly look at. first is gov't seizure auctions, you can find some great deals at these things. Second, depending on where you live is online classifieds and such. If you live near a major urban center there's a good chance you could find a nice deal somewhere close by, drive out pick it up and save some cash.

 

[amb#cog]

Don't buy the Mazda man. You'll most likely regret it.

My 88' MX6 is killing my wallet right now.

Go Honda, Toyota, Nissan IMO.

 

[Emulex]

camaro's are always crap.

also the insurance on them are murder, they are NOT classified as sedans.

(fi, my old 1990 mustang lx 5.0, red,hatch,5 speed, is a sedan, and is about $80/month for minimum insurance from progressive for 20 yr male driver.)


call and talk to the insurance folks before you lay your cash down, and get a mechanic to look at any beater for $3000, you're gonna get something broxen for that kinda cash


i gotta 95 cavalier i'll sell ya for $3k

 

[geno]

Go for a Mopar. I love Mopars in all respects, but I'm not biased. For around and under $5k, they're the best cars you can get. If you take care of them, they take care of you. You don't just have to get a Daytona, you can look at Turbo Shadows if you don't mind their look, a LeBaron if you're looking for something sleek. There's plenty of options out there. There's a huge following for these cars and engines out there if you ever need any info. Parts are cheap and they're easy (sometimes fun if you wanna make it a hobby) to work on. Good luck with your search and seriously consider a Mopar

 

[kami]

I'll second the Turbo Dodge suggestion...I'll be getting my 89 Daytona this summer.

 

[Emulex]

true buy a turbo car with 100k/miles and expect to be repairing the turbo and/or rings on the motor real soon.

 

[SuperSix]

For that kind of money, you can't beat any GM product with the 3800 motor. Nearly bulletproof, and cheap to fix.

 

[StageLeft]

Lets be reasonable here. $3k isn't much for a car - but you can get a decent reliable one, if you buy the right thing. Buying a V8 camaro will not fit the bill. Say hello to the mechanic every week with repairs. Although you can buy a &quot;sporty&quot; car for $3k don't forget that repairs will bust your ass. There is a reason why civics have a high resale - because they are good used cars. Buy a civic or a nissan or a toyota. Get a cheap economy car because this time next year comparing repair bills to your '92 civic vs. a '90 Camaro you'll see what I'm talking about.

 

[Emulex]

actually, honda's are more expensive to repair than the good ole american cars.

cheap car = front engine, rear drive,american.

expensive repairs = front wheel drive,import.

 

[Suicidal]

89-92 pontiac 6000... I have an 89 6000 le with 120000 miles and it runs great. They're cheap to work on and their engines with regular maintenace (oil, spark plugs) will run way past 200k miles. You can pick them up for less than a grand. I have the one with the v6 and there's plenty of power.

 

[Soybomb]

Emulex, I hate to say it, but you have no idea what you're talking about. Maybe you've just had poor quality turbo cars in the past. Actually out of curiosity are you speaking from personal experience or just spewing out what you've heard? Its funny we have one at 113k and one at 130k and neither one of them need new rings or a turbo yet....not even a hint of smoke in the exhuast...I can't think of every hearing anyone on the mailing list with 1100 people ever telling a buyer either that the turbo would go out that soon..... If you abuse teh turbo (ride it hard and shut it off hot) then yeah it wont last as long, but with proper precautions it will last as long as a N/A car.