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Good, Cheap Beater Cars & Inexpensive Commuter Cars - how to find one?

356 messages,  Last post on Nov 14, 2010 at 10:25 AM

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What is this discussion about? Acura Integra, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Ford Escort, Honda Civic, Mazda Protege, Buying Insurance

Messages Page 26 of 37

#245 of 356 1990-1993 acura integra by jetdriven

Apr 29, 2005 (1:57 am)

When I got laid off from my airline job I sold my wife's 3 year old Contour SVT. Our second car became our good car, a 1991 eagle talon with 200K on it.,
 
When I got recalled in Jan 02 I bought a 1991 Acura Integra from ebay for 3,500$. It had 89K on it and was really nice. no paint work, or ripped interior. air blew cold and everything worked. Soon after I got it home I put in motor mounts, and changed the timing belt. total cost for this was 300$. In the 3+ years I have owned it I put on tires and brakes plus an oil pan gasket.
 
So for a 2,000$ car it has been great, we still drive it daily, in fact. 25 city and 31 Hwy. it does use a quart of oil every 1000 miles though.
 
I'd recommend one of these for a cheap dependable car that will get on the freeway without drama. they can be had on ebay and autotrader for around 1500-2000 dollars.

#246 of 356 I didn't want to drive my convertible in the winter... by lhess

May 05, 2005 (11:51 am)

here in WV (lots of snow, cinders, and salt) so I bought a 1997 Geo Tracker (in 2001), 4wd, 5 spd with 60K miles, new tires, super clean vehicle, ran as well as a Tracker can, paid $5000 for it. Drove it 3 winters, took good care of it, and sold it for $4500. The only downside to it was the insurance was almost as much as my 2001 Eclipse Spyder. Still, it was worth it to keep my car off the nasty winter roads and it saved mileage on it!! I just bought an rx8 and hope to do a similar thing for the upcoming winter.

#247 of 356 Best American and Foreign Used Car by natalicious

May 05, 2005 (5:58 pm)

Hello all, I have a question. I currently have a 1993 Plymouth Sundance duster with 130,000 miles, it recently started giving me problems and I was told that it's the fuel pump. The Mechanic is trying to charge me $500.00 to fix it but the car only cost me $600.00 4 years ago. I am currently in grad school and i'm so broke..yes very broke. I'm currently have $2200.00 that I can spend, i'm not looking for a fancy car I just want a good, reliable car that can get me through my last year of grad school. THe question is this, What are the best USED American and Foreign cars? How much should I spend on another used car? What years are the best to get for that price? The dealers are always trying to sell me crap or something that I can't afford, so please help me. P.S. I've been looking on Ebay, have any of you ever purchased a car on Ebay?

#248 of 356 nat by lancerfixer

May 05, 2005 (7:07 pm)

Well, at the $2,000 price point, I wouldn't expect miracles, but I would expect something better than a '93 Duster!
 
At the $2,000 price point, I'd look for the following:
 
Mazda Protege
Ford Escort
Early-mid '90s Ford Taurus
Mid-90s Chevy Lumina
Volvo 240
Early 90's Toyota pickup
 
Your profile says you're in Buffalo...I've got family there, and I know what those roads (and salt) can do to a car. At $2k, finding a rust-free anything will be a challenge. Also, don't expect the car to be maintenance-free...the best thing to do would be to have it checked out by a mechanic prior to purchase. Also, do not, repeat, do not buy a car with a "salvage" title. Even though it looks like a better deal (more car for less money,) these cars are problems waiting to happen...usually, they've been totalled in an accident or flood, and someone has "fixed" them (I use the term loosely.)
I'd also recommend, if you don't know how to already, learning to drive a manual transmission...at this price point, going with a stick will save you some money.
 
I'd recommend a Camry or Accord for reliability, but good examples of these cars would be hard to come by for $2,200 or less.
 
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

#249 of 356 Panthers? by andys120

May 06, 2005 (3:34 am)

An old but not too abused Crown Vic or Grand Marquis could give you good service for cheap money, they seem to last a long time and aren't expensive to fix but take up a lotta space and get poor gas mileage.
 
A musician friend of mine carts his Moog around in an ex-State police CV.

#251 of 356 Re: nat [lancerfixer] by asafonov

May 07, 2005 (7:07 pm)

Replying to: lancerfixer (May 05, 2005 7:07 pm)
Great list of the usual suspects. I would, off course, add the ubiqitous Geo Prizm (probably 94-96 vintage, maybe a 97 with high miles), and possible the discontinued Mitsubishi Mirage, but I have heard that the latter have poor crash test ratings.

#253 of 356 1995 Acura Integra Special Edition - Price by sf3010

Feb 16, 2006 (9:31 am)

I'm on the lookout for a 1995 Acura Integra SE (or even LS). Any ideas on the price? Preferred 75000 to 80000 miles.
By the way, what is the difference between LS and SE?

#254 of 356 Loosing Anti-Freeze 3.1 95 Monte Carlo by mikel56

Mar 04, 2006 (4:45 pm)

Getting white build up on oil cap and valve cover, and just wondering if this is due to an intake manifold gasket cracked or leaking. 125k, no external anti freeze leaks. Been adding anti freeze about every couple of days to the over-flow bottle. Any related problems with the 3.1's out there?

Messages Page 26 of 37

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