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yact: good reliable cars for $1500-ish?

H

habib89

Diamond Member
there's a good chance i may have to replace my 87 toyota camry wagon.. i'm looking to spend about $1500.. i want fuel efficiency and reliability if possible

i hear the mid90's geo prizms are rebadged corollas and go for about that price.. any other cars that are similar to that situation?

edit: posted this down below, but if anyone has any ideas why my car isn't working, all help is appreciated

yah, the guy said he needed to replace the entire [distributor] cause oil got into it, and shorted otu the coils.. or something to that effect.. i dont' really trust the guy anymore, and it's currently at my father-in-law's shop..

this is what happened.. i was driving to work.. i'm on the freeway and my foot is on the gas.. all of a sudden, it loses power.. i pump a couple times, get gas back for a few seconds, then it goes out.. i pull to the side of the road, then it dies.. i start the car up, it runs for about a minute, then same thing.. one more start up, one more failure.. i get it towed to the shop where the guy replaces the distributor for $450... i take it home the next night, everything is fine for the 20 minute drive home.. the next morning, it happens again.. i get it towed to my father-in-law's shop, and it's there now.... he's done some checking and he said:

replaced efi relay
car has spark and feul pressure
no power to injectors
NOID checked the injector wire and there's no power
car doesn't start

he usually works on domestic cars.. works for a cab company.. so he doesn't have much recent experience with toyotas.. any ideas on what it could be? so far my manager said it might be the feul filter, and the tow-man said it could be the pump.... any other problems that i could be??

if i can't fix it, where are some good places to look for used vehicles? i've checked craigslist, and there's a good list of cars.. should i stick to honda or toyota? try to go for soemthing else?
 
try to find a lower mileage camry from the same vintage. reliable cars and not worth much, for some reason. my gf's has 120,000 miles and is only worth like $800 or less, but is a solid car.
 
Originally posted by: BD2003
I dont think that you can get anything reliable for 1500 bucks man.
Click to expand...

Sure you can. Buy a used Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic within that price range. It'll be more reliable than other used cars.
 
My 92 Camry with 117k miles is probably only worth around $1500. I'd look around 92-93 vehicles. You'll definitely have to buy from an individual though.
 
Originally posted by: J0hnny
Originally posted by: BD2003
I dont think that you can get anything reliable for 1500 bucks man.
Click to expand...

Sure you can. Buy a used Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic within that price range. It'll be more reliable than other used cars.
Click to expand...

Yeah probably, but its still gonna be an old used car...and they all get problems when they get old. The motors may go forever, but that doesn't mean they don't need other repairs.
 
i have no problem buying from an individual... also, would it be worth it to spend say... $600 (already spent $450 on a distributor) to fix whatever problem is still causing my car to not work? my toyota's only got about 90k miles on it, and it's an 87...
 
Originally posted by: waggy
For $1500? hahah yeah. reliable? not going to happen. its a crap shoot at that price.
Click to expand...

You're half right. It can happen, but it's a crap shoot. I bought a car for $350 that I never had any problems with (a domestic, no less). I've know other people who bought cars for $1500 or less that were perfectly reliable... but then some have been complete piles of poo as well.
 
Originally posted by: habib89
i have no problem buying from an individual... also, would it be worth it to spend say... $600 (already spent $450 on a distributor) to fix whatever problem is still causing my car to not work? my toyota's only got about 90k miles on it, and it's an 87...
Click to expand...

:Q
$450 for a distributor?
It probably depends on what else is wrong with it.
 
Originally posted by: habib89
i have no problem buying from an individual... also, would it be worth it to spend say... $600 (already spent $450 on a distributor) to fix whatever problem is still causing my car to not work? my toyota's only got about 90k miles on it, and it's an 87...
Click to expand...

I get into a similar spot myself...should I sink more money into a car thats value is often less than the cost of the repair? Its a tough call when your only other option is another used car, a car that potentially could have just as many problems. Sometimes its better to stick with your car, because at least you know whats wrong with it.
 
Originally posted by: PingSpikeSometimes its better to stick with your car, because at least you know whats wrong with it.
Click to expand...
This is very true. If you're buying a used car, first of all definitely have a pre-purchase inspection done on it. Even then, expect to have to pay another $800-$1K (or more) to get it into good, reliable, economical condition. Then weigh whether it is worth it. (Of course this is all worst case scenario)
 
Originally posted by: J0hnny
Originally posted by: BD2003
I dont think that you can get anything reliable for 1500 bucks man.
Click to expand...

Sure you can. Buy a used Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic within that price range. It'll be more reliable than other used cars.
Click to expand...

thats debatable.

anything you get at this price range is going to be in sorry shape. Odds are the honda or toyota are going to have far more miles then say a Ford/GM or such. Whatever you get you are going to have to put money in soon. So look at the cost of parts and repair.

I would look for a old Honda accord, civic Or a Ford escort.
 
I paid $1k for my MR2..was supposed to just need a tranny - we put in a tranny, clutch while we had it apart...timing belt, starter, head gasket & cleaned/machined head, valve seals..and I just did plugs/wires/fuel filter/coil/cap/rotor...this is in about four months' time. You might get lucky, or you might not...might just be better off fixing what you have.

Originally posted by: habib89
i have no problem buying from an individual... also, would it be worth it to spend say... $600 (already spent $450 on a distributor) to fix whatever problem is still causing my car to not work? my toyota's only got about 90k miles on it, and it's an 87...
Click to expand...

$450 for a distributor? Ouch. What's it doing now?
 
Originally posted by: CadetLee
I paid $1k for my MR2..was supposed to just need a tranny - we put in a tranny, clutch while we had it apart...timing belt, starter, head gasket & cleaned/machined head, valve seals..and I just did plugs/wires/fuel filter/coil/cap/rotor...this is in about four months' time. You might get lucky, or you might not...might just be better off fixing what you have.

Originally posted by: habib89
i have no problem buying from an individual... also, would it be worth it to spend say... $600 (already spent $450 on a distributor) to fix whatever problem is still causing my car to not work? my toyota's only got about 90k miles on it, and it's an 87...
Click to expand...

$450 for a distributor? Ouch. What's it doing now?
Click to expand...

yah, the guy said he needed to replace the entire unit cause oil got into it, and shorted otu the coils.. or something to that effect.. i dont' really trust the guy anymore, and it's currently at my father-in-law's shop..

this is what happened.. i was driving to work.. i'm on the freeway and my foot is on the gas.. all of a sudden, it loses power.. i pump a couple times, get gas back for a few seconds, then it goes out.. i pull to the side of the road, then it dies.. i start the car up, it runs for about a minute, then same thing.. one more start up, one more failure.. i get it towed to the shop where the guy replaces the distributor for $450... i take it home the next night, everything is fine for the 20 minute drive home.. the next morning, it happens again.. i get it towed to my father-in-law's shop, and it's there now.... he's done some checking and he said:

replaced efi relay
car has spark and feul pressure
no power to injectors
NOID checked the injector wire and there's no power
car doesn't start

he usually works on domestic cars.. works for a cab company.. so he doesn't have much recent experience with toyotas.. any ideas on what it could be? so far my manager said it might be the feul filter, and the tow-man said it could be the pump.... any other problems that i could be??

if i can't fix it, where are some good places to look for used vehicles? i've checked craigslist, and there's a good list of cars.. should i stick to honda or toyota? try to go for soemthing else?
 
2 years ago, I bought a '96 Sentra with 120k miles on it for exactly $1500 (7 year old car at the time).
I got an amazing deal. Runs in amazing shape today @ 150k miles. Gets me 40-45 mpg for my daily 80 mile commute 🙂

The only repair I made was replacing the flexpipe ($120) which rusted, but I knew about it at the time of purchase.
I also changed the clutch, but that's more maintenance on wear/tear than repair.

I'd recommend a Nissan for Toyota/Honda reliability, but easier on the wallet.
You'd be looking at a mid 90's Sentra or early 90's SE-R for about your price range.
 
If you live in the bay area I'll sell you my 90 Honda Civic DX hatch for $1500. Engine rebuilt 20k miles ago.
 
Keep that $1500 and spend it on car maintenance and repairs for the vehicle you have. It's usually cheaper in the long run to maintain a car than to buy another car. Someone will be able to figure out what is wrong with it. Call car talk.
 
Originally posted by: CadetLee
I paid $1k for my MR2..was supposed to just need a tranny - we put in a tranny, clutch while we had it apart...timing belt, starter, head gasket & cleaned/machined head, valve seals..and I just did plugs/wires/fuel filter/coil/cap/rotor...this is in about four months' time. You might get lucky, or you might not...might just be better off fixing what you have.

Originally posted by: habib89
i have no problem buying from an individual... also, would it be worth it to spend say... $600 (already spent $450 on a distributor) to fix whatever problem is still causing my car to not work? my toyota's only got about 90k miles on it, and it's an 87...
Click to expand...

$450 for a distributor? Ouch. What's it doing now?
Click to expand...

Yea but who did the replacements/repairs? Most car repairs are very little on parts and mostly all on labor, if you've got the skill and time then more power to you! Like fixing a computer...
 
You may get lucky if you look around. I picked up my 92 Mustang for $200 4 years ago with 42k miles on it. Everything worked, too.

It just turned over 72k on Tuesday, while driving it from Michigan to Long Island, and I've never had a serious problem with it. There are a couple things wrong w/it now, but it's stupid little crap - leaky trans pan gasket, rusted out exhaust, broken door handle, and I think the PS pump is going out.

Still, 30k miles for $200 + routine maintenance and less than $250 in repairs (excluding wear items) over the time I've had it ain't half bad. Not to mention, I routinely pull 30-35 mpg on the expressway in it.
 
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