Used car suggestions

[JoeFahey]

Well I've put it off long enough and determined that I need to finally get my own car as I move into my junior year of college.

I've always had an interest in Jeep Wranglers, or similar builds, although I might want to broaden my search. I am probably looking to get an SUV or something with decent storage/hauling capacity. Whether its hauling lumber back from Home Depot or just loading up the vehicle for traveling, I've decided that I need the extra room.
Also, living in New England I want something that can handle well on snowy/icy roads.
I am trying to set the price ceiling at $5000.
I have been using autotrader.com and am finding a lot of Grand Cherokees well within my price range.




All suggestions welcome on types of cars and on websites to search through!
Thanks!

 

[Heller]

if 5k is your budget spend 3500 on the car and save the 1500 for repairs/future maintenance.

Oh and try posting this in the , hmm i don't know, the garage??

 

[HappyPuppy]

Rofl!

 

[IronWing]

My Olds Custom Cruiser brady wagon is currently on Craiglist. With fold flat seats and seating for eight you can haul god and the whole choir. $1000 and it's yours.

 

[JoeFahey]

Oh wow, I see some forums have been added since I was active on here...

Can a mod move this thread?

 

[Tristicus]

4x4 TrailBlazer might be nice for you.

 

[NinjaTech]

Rofl!

Evidently you are use to your parents buying everything for you because you have no clue what things cost. You are not going to be able to touch a decent used car or truck from a dealer for under 10k.

If you are going back and forth to college you want to get something economical. If you owned a truck it would cost you megabucks in gas. Also, it's unrealistic to think you would be able to get a decent SUV or Jeep for under $5k. Sorry but "thems" the facts.

Best of luck.

~NT

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Evidently you are use to your parents buying everything for you because you have no clue what things cost. You are not going to be able to touch a decent used car or truck from a dealer for under 10k.

If you are going back and forth to college you want to get something economical. If you owned a truck it would cost you megabucks in gas. Also, it's unrealistic to think you would be able to get a decent SUV or Jeep for under $5k. Sorry but "thems" the facts.

Best of luck.

~NT

You might want to preface that with, "On the East coast..." It's also been my experience that only kids living with their parents or, clueless about the world, would even consider buying a used car from a dealer instead of a private party.

 

[NinjaTech]

You might want to preface that with, "On the East coast..." It's also been my experience that only kids living with their parents or, clueless about the world, would even consider buying a used car from a dealer instead of a private party.

I just bought two used cars this year and I live on the East Coast. At least with a reputable dealer you can usually get at least a limited warranty and you don't have to worry about it breaking down a couple months down the road. Unless you know a lot about cars I would be very careful about buying from a third party. If not, before you give them any money make sure they agree to let you take it to your own mechanic. If you are serious about buying it spend the $50 to get it looked at first.

~NT

 

[Bignate603]

If you want to haul stuff inside the vehicle forget the wrangler. It's got so little interior room that it's laughable. The 4 door JK would probably work but even the oldest of those will probably be double your price range.

Go find yourself a Cherokee with a 4.0L engine. You can probably find a 4x4 with around 100k on it for less than $4k. It's got enough power, rear seat folds flat and you can fit a surprising amount in there, and most importantly its reliable, easy to work on and cheap to fix.

 

[DrPizza]

Only important thing is trying to guess from the person you purchase the car from whether they maintained it well or not. You can tell a few things from the car itself, but not everything. Just purchased a Ford Taurus for my son, just a hair over 100k miles on it, black. After he tinted the windows & put some elbow grease into the body, it's a pretty sharp looking car for $1200. More importantly, it seems to run great.


Moving this to the garage forum too.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I just bought two used cars this year and I live on the East Coast. At least with a reputable dealer you can usually get at least a limited warranty and you don't have to worry about it breaking down a couple months down the road. Unless you know a lot about cars I would be very careful about buying from a third party. If not, before you give them any money make sure they agree to let you take it to your own mechanic. If you are serious about buying it spend the $50 to get it looked at first.

~NT

Hence my "clueless about the world" comment. Obviously, in your case, you were willing to spend several thousand dollars more for peace of mind. I don't think too many students are.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Grand cherokee bad
plain cherokee good

 

[CurseTheSky]

Is this going to be your only vehicle or an alternate vehicle?

If it's you're only one, try to score a high miles Ford Focus hatchback for $5k or so. Stick to 2005 and newer for the better, more reliable Duratec engine. It won't be the best for hauling lumber or cargo, but it's much more practical, MUCH better on gas, and cheap when you take into account what you're getting.

If this is an alternate vehicle just for hauling and whatnot, it's hard to go wrong with an F-150. Fuel economy won't be great, but as long as it's not a rust bucket it should be plenty capable of hauling and easy to fix. Common problems, in my experiences, are rusty wheel wells and rusty straps cutting into gas tanks.