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Smart Shopper Good, Cheap Beater Cars & Inexpensive Commuter Cars - how to find one?
345 messages, Last post on Nov 25, 2009 at 9:00 AM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
That would be awesome....the light on the display is lit, but it says 'code' or something like that...it's the cassette with the equalizer. The current owner (I haven't picked it up yet, she's waiting on her new car) says it worked perfectly until three years ago, when the car died and after it was towed, it didn't work. After that, she took it to the Saturn dealer, they told her it was 'fried'. Sounds odd...my experience has been that you just have to enter the code after the battery dies or is disconnected and it works, though I did have one experience with a SAAB radio (the first year they had theft codes--1986!) where it wouldn't come on for sometimes days at a time, then would suddenly start playing. Either way, I'd love to try to have it fixed, rather than put $100-150 into the radio on a car that only cost $400 to begin with. Thanks for the offer....my e-mail is ghulet hotmail.com.
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...but I did pick up the Saturn today, it 'seems' fine, for what it is...I would never have chosen it, but for a hoopty, it looks fine, runs fine (no smells, no dash lights lit, no bad sounds, though tires are a bit thin and needs an interior cleaning), brakes fine...I knew the sunroof was fishy (electric--works horizontally opening, not closing, won't close back down, and apparently leaks) and the radio and a/c don't work, but still...it is what it is...we just bought a house, I didn't 'need' a car, but this is the perfect city car/grocery-getter, I think. It's the best-looking and running $400 car I never wanted. 
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Replying to: ghulet (Aug 16, 2006 10:31 pm) I took a 1996 Saturn sedan manual in trade not long ago that was really worth 25 dollars. If I didn't have a demo car to drive already I would use it as a commuter. |
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It's a '95 SL2, automatic (which isn't so bad, I'm usually a manual guy), blue/black with tan leather, all options except CD player (unfortunately, the sunroof is glitchy), just passed 160k. It's not worth much, but I still see these (and any other non-beat up running car) all the time with silly asking prices (over $1000, which to me is silly for an 11-12 year-old domestic econocar with 160k).
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Replying to: ghulet (Aug 17, 2006 7:50 am) |
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OK, I need a car for a year, mostly around town and in-state. For the fun of it, I thought I would try to spend what I spent on my first vehicle (adjusted for inflation), a 1960 Renault Dauphine purchased in 1966 for $300; kept it two years and had to put a salvage engine in it ($75) but it ran and ran for all its 36 HP. I think I will stay away from the Koreans on this go round, see that the Escorts and Mazdas from the mid to late 90's might fit the bill. As always, I guess condition of the vehicle is most important. IMHO, buying from the private owner is the best strategy. I am going to see a 1988 CRX-si with 64K miles asking 2350 this afternoon. Any other suggestions??
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Replying to: stuartf (Aug 21, 2006 10:25 am)
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Replying to: kirstie_h (Aug 21, 2006 11:51 am) If I had to get a car for under $2k, I would be looking at Buick Century's ,Chevy Lumina's and on the smaller side Mazda Protege's The 2 American cars are plentiful,parts are cheap, and every mechanic in North America knows how to work on them. |
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Replying to: stuartf (Aug 21, 2006 10:25 am) BTW, I was the mistaken one about the CRX, it had 102K, it was genuine, but it had been modified to the taste of an adolescent, not the thing for me. I have also taken to heart the suggestion about putting word out in my networks; just missed by a week or two an older Protege that was sold for $100 (my, that beats the 1966 price of the Dauphine). Keep the suggestions coming.
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Replying to: stuartf (Aug 23, 2006 5:58 pm) Toyota Corolla 2000 for Sale - $3299 Reply to: see below Date: 2006-08-23, 11:29AM CDT U. international grad student, returning home in mid Sept, want to sell car before leaving. White toyota corolla, 2000 model, manual transmission, ~64,000 miles, good condition, everything in good working order (AC/heating, cassette player/radio, power windows, power steering, cruise control etc.) price somewhat negotiable ...
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