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

[BearX00]

I got a 1994 Plymouth acclaim for exactly 3k and i cant say it was a bad buy at all, a very very reliable car, pretty roomy too. it might not have the best styling or look as great as a civic or something like that but its got a heck of a lot more room and hasnt done a single bad thing and i put 30k miles on it in the fisrt year i got it...
great buy

 

[Emulex]

And would you sell your car for $3000? no.

We're talking $3000 cars here. Most of them probably did not have turbo timers on them ? won't you think.

Find me a $3000 turbo 4 gas car, with 130K/miles on it, that won't require any major engine/turbo service soon. None around here in the south.


How would you know if the old car was taken care of? Oil changed every 3k miles is a requirement for turbo cars, right? Turbo timers are also a requirement,right? Clean air filters are majorly important too.

Dont think i don't know how great turbo's are, they are, but they are also a real pain in the ass if they haven't been uber-maintained..

I would not recommend someone with $3k to go out and buy their first car , a turbo car, unless they know exactly what they are getting into..

Does this guy even know what a bad turbo bearing might sound like? Or if the wastegate is functioning? Do you think he might know how to determine if the engine is abused? Or if any of the cylinder banks might be running lean? Is there any detonation occuring?

These are important things to consider when buying a car which could have been abused (ie raising boost).

There's lotsa cool cars you can buy for $3000.

but if you gotta shell out big bucks every 6 months.

then that sucks.

seriously, get a mechanic to look at your car to buy, if its a turbo, then make sure you take it to a shop that knows what to look for.

most people don't sell their cars unless theirs a reason, and many times, the reason is problems that are, or about to occur that might make it pointless to continue to own the car.

 

[Soybomb]

Can do boss. Turbo timer isn't necessary, never had one. One of our cars I bought for $600, it needed some work, another I drove off the lot for $1200.

Will this work for you:
1990 4door dodge shadow auto 2.5 turbo new red paint(some dings) 16 inch rims all power inside new sruts and shocks lowerd 1 1/2 inch has new turbo and bottom end cold a/c $3000 obo. Located in largo florida. e-mail eurofx16@aol.com

Look here and there are plenty more http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/4601/shelby1.html honestly any of them over $3000 except collectors cars are probably overpriced. What does a bad turbo bearing sound like, i've never heard one...

How to avoid trouble when driving a turbo car:
1.) If it smokes, don't drive it.
2.) If it doesn't reach specified boost, don't buy it.
3.) If you're anal have a compression check done.

If you follow those I can all but guarentee you're going to be getting a good car.

 

[Bignate603]

The most reliable cars I've had are older tanks on wheels. I still drive an '85 crown vic and the thing has only failed me once when the 5 year old battery died after a cold snap. Old big cars last a long time but they get horrible mileage. You could probably pick up cheap but you'll pay through the nose for gas...

 

[Emulex]

by the way, when you buy a car, you'll know right away if the owner took care of it. Never ever buy a car used without all service records (including warranty/recall).

Good owners of vehicles will keep records of every oil change, every tire replacement, etc.

Bad folks who don't take care of their cars, usually don't keep records.

Records add a ton to the value of the vehicle, because you can see if the car was a pain in the butt to the owner.

Also, spend the $$ to get a carfax report on the vehicle , if there is any record of salvage or damage from accident, you'll want to consider that. A car thats been wrecked, will never drive the same...

 

[Soybomb]

Now there is some good advice emulex! He's right too, if the interior is nasty you'll probably be able to tell that he doesnt do much upkeep. Look for the oil change sticker too and see how long its been since the last change. Ask for major repair receipts too

 

[mpg]

soy icq por favor

 

[Ornery]

Bignate603 nailed it. I heard you say practical and seat four people. Can't go wrong with a 1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS for a couple thousand. Leaves you a grand to tweak it into shape. Safe, roomy, powerful, easy to fix and parts are common and cheap. But, no, it's not kewl! You will NOT find more bang for the buck, though.

 

[Ladies Man]

get a 87-88 thunderbird turbo coupe
you can't go wrong

you can find them for around 2-3k they are nice
4 cyl with turbo is nice, they have 190hp and kick rice burners butt

 

[mpg]

saw this...1991 HONDA ACCORD, EX, automatic transmission, fully loaded, MODEL PC, power windows, power door locks, power sunroof, am/fm, CD, alloys, alarm, great condition, very reliable, excellent gas miles, asking $2500

whats model PC?

also got reply on a daytona soy, but its manual and the guy lives in pheonix.

 

[KaBudokan]

My best luck with used cars has been with Toyotas, and some OLD GM's with the big fat 350 and 8mpg.

My current car is an 87 Toyota Corolla FX16GTS that I bought about 2 1/2 years ago. I bought it for $1600 and put about $400 into it immediately (that I knew it needed and talked the owner down on the price after I had it checked out). Had about 92k when I bought it.

Since then, I have spent approximately $125 on repairs on the car. (Replaced the slave clutch cylinder.) Other than that, it has been totally reliable, never had any problems.

I also had a 79 Corolla wagon for a while that was a great little beater.

Just a thought, but most of the Corollas are reaLly reliable, and if you can find one with fairly low mileage, I think you'll be happy.

 

[mpg]

Oh by the way, I recieved a e-mail asking if I'm taking donations. The answer is yes i am!

 

[uncouth]

have you seen "Gone in Second Seconds" ?

 

[mpg]

yes what do you want me to do? Produce a multi-million dollar movie and cash in?

 

[mpg]

Ok undecided again

its basically between

1990 Mustang (I'm almost in love with this car)
1990-1991 Honda CRX
1990 MX6
1989 Daytona Turbo (cant find any in area)
1990 Dodge Shadow
198X-1990 Dodge CSX ???

Mustang is one of the easiest to find in my area so is the CRX. The others are limited or sold when I look up

 

[SVTPower]

get a manual civic, manual also cheaper

Best Response on the thread

Great little cars

Cheap Insurance too, Call on a few of those other cars... if you are 16 and Mention Mustang to a Insurance agent and hear a snicker in the background, Don't be fooled... YES they are laughing at YOU

 

[Valhalla1]

get the Camaro.

trust me.

 

[mpg]

I dont know how to manual! I'm 17 ... 18 in augest

 

[mpg]

Can anyone help on advice for a used car? Where is the best place to look that wont sell you a dud? ETC stuff like that.

 

[SVTPower]

Honda Manuals are easy to learn on. The clutch only goes down about 2 inches.

It's not like my old 72 K1500 where you had to just about take in a deep breath before you could push that sucker in

Hey besides your name is MPG so you want to have a high # of that right

 

[mpg]

whats the point of manual in L.A. stop light every 5 ft. and traffic....

 

[SVTPower]

Point taken get the Slush system.

 

[mpg]

I think its between the CRX or some other midsized car and Daytona or so other car in that catagory. the Daytona is cheap insurance YET fast. only going to be 1070/yr with the daytona.

 

[NaughtyusMaximus]

Lets have a HELL YA for the Mercury Grand Marquis. Excellent car. I have am '88 Grand Marquis GS. Fuel injection engine, and Manual w/ overdrive yeilds 17/24 mpg (city/hwy). Granted, mine was my grandmother's car (once a week to get groceries, etc.), but you should be able to find one of these beasts for fairly cheap, and they will last you forever.

 

[Cpt. Duke]

I would get a Volvo. Sure they are boring, but they're tanks and last forever. I got mine about 5 years ago for $2800 and it's still going with almost 250k. Oh and the only keeping me alive from the unstoppable and insurrmountable depression this beast causes me -- a sweet sound system