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

345 messages,  Last post on Nov 25, 2009 at 9:00 AM

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

#324 of 345 public auction by qbrozen Sep 24, 2007 (9:06 am)
I guess this is really really really going to depend on your mechanical knowledge, but I just went to my first government/prosecutor's office type auction thingy yesterday. I was pretty entertaining. They had a few high-end items that went for top dollar, but they had roughly 100 other vehicles that were mostly junked or government owned. This included several plain-jane clean Escort wagons with ~100k miles and several plain-jane Crown Vics with ~100k miles ... most of these not clean, though. There were a couple of good ones. It seems (and it stands to reason) that the previous cop cars were pretty beat up, but there were other ones that were pretty nice. I'm not sure what they were used for, but they only had a small black number stuck on one fender (as opposed to all the other badging of a cop car ... most of which has been stripped away to leave nice shiney paint underneath to contrast the worn paint all around it).   There were a couple of cars I was interested in. One was of the aforementioned Crown Vics. 108k miles, darned clean, 1998, 4.6 V8 (of course). CEL was on, but she started right up with a bump of the key, air blew ice cold, tranny responded (can't drive them), and no leaks underneath. The other was an S10 pickup with the 4.3 V6 and auto tranny and working AC with 93k miles. Unfortunately, we just couldn't stay all day and after 3 hours and still not approaching the cars I might have bid on, we left. Just as well since my driveway is full anyway.   In general, the Crown Vics were fetching upwards of $1200. I figure if the clean ones stayed under $2k, it would be a pretty good beater. I didn't get to see what the Escorts fetched. Pickups seemed to be the hot item with the crowd that was there. A '97 F150 got $5k!
#325 of 345 good thread timing by stickguy Sep 24, 2007 (9:29 am)
since my son is just starting to drive (has his permit, can't get a solo license until next June), this is going to be a timely thread, given his budget!   Probably going to look at a stick, depending on how he takes to driving my Accord. That's one reason to buy now, it will save wear and tear on my clutch!   Mike, i would have given the $200 for that Buick, plus the case of beer. then caught heck from the wife when I got it home.   Also, there is one other resource to consider (if you have one). My neighbor is the GSM at a local Ford dealer. i figure to talk to him at some point to see if he can intercept some cheap trade in that they won't retail and "divert" it to us, if it is just going to auction anyway.   Or I will just ask Bill to find us an older but clean running (attractive not a requirement) 3 or 5 series!   Actually, i saw a '92 5 series parked on a loawn yesterday, but wasn't able to stop. Not sure of the price, but it had "runs great" painted on the windows. Only thing I didn't like is it had heavy cheap tint on all the side windows. Replies to this message: thegraduate (Sep 24, 2007 11:16 am) qbrozen (Sep 24, 2007 11:39 am) thegraduate (Sep 24, 2007 12:16 pm) and 2 more...
#326 of 345 Re: good thread timing [stickguy] by thegraduate Sep 24, 2007 (11:16 am)
Replying to: stickguy (Sep 24, 2007 9:29 am) Actually, i saw a '92 5 series parked on a loawn yesterday, but wasn't able to stop. Not sure of the price, but it had "runs great" painted on the windows. Only thing I didn't like is it had heavy cheap tint on all the side windows.   I'd be VERY reluctant to buy a 8+ year old European car. IT will cost a fortune to replace the normal wear/tear stuff versus a domestic, or even Japanese or Korean car.   I started my driving life in 2002 with a 1996 Accord Automatic. Perfect car for a new kid behind the wheel, just make sure you find one with ABS (mine is an LX therefore it was a rarely-found option in 1996).   I've been driving this car since then, put about 55,000 miles on it (plus 25,000 on my new 2006 Accord during that same time- I drive them both because my 1996 is so bulletproof!) I currently have 175k miles on the '96; the A/C is still cold, the automatic shifts like it always has, and I've spent about $300 a year on wear and tear replacements (brake master cylinder, cracked radiator, that sort of thing).   Same transmission, same A/C, same alternator, starter, even original rear brakes and full suspension. Getting new shocks soon as the car is starting to have a little more "bounce" over big dips in the road.   Depending on your budget, you could get a car similar to mine for $3,500 or so. An EX 4-cylinder (which would have ABS) with a stickshift would be a VERY nice/fun car with decent but-not-overwhelming power, safe handling, and stellar reliability. You know this, you have an Accord!   Let us know how your search goes! Replies to this message: qbrozen (Sep 24, 2007 11:39 am) thegraduate (Sep 24, 2007 12:16 pm) qbrozen (Sep 24, 2007 12:35 pm) british_rover (Sep 24, 2007 12:53 pm)
#327 of 345 Re: good thread timing [thegraduate] by qbrozen Sep 24, 2007 (11:39 am)
Replying to: thegraduate (Sep 24, 2007 11:16 am) Personally, I don't see the added expense of parts on a euro car that people talk about. The brakes on our Honda cost just as much as my volvo. The tune-up on my mazda cost just as much as my bimmer. Etc. Etc.   well... ok, the bimmer was a tad more expensive, but that was due to 2 extra cylinders, so 2 more wires and 2 more plugs. But you get my meanings. When it comes to brake pads, wires, plugs, fuel filters, air filters, shocks, struts, rubber bushings, or what have you, I have not found the make of the car matters 95% of the time.   Now, the other 5% of the time can be a killer. $100 a pop for the shocks and struts on my Alfa is a bit out of line. But that applies to alot of parts on the Alfa. The Bimmer is downright cheap in comparison. Replies to this message: thegraduate (Sep 24, 2007 12:16 pm) qbrozen (Sep 24, 2007 12:35 pm) british_rover (Sep 24, 2007 12:53 pm)
#328 of 345 Re: good thread timing [qbrozen] by thegraduate Sep 24, 2007 (12:16 pm)
Replying to: qbrozen (Sep 24, 2007 11:39 am) The Audi dealership I used to frequent (my ex-girlfriend's father was GSM at Tom Williams Porsche/Audi in Birmingham) had MUCH higher prices than Honda did; that will vary dealer-by-dealer though. (And, Audi IS a VW = $$$ in repairs!!).   I'd steer clear of ANY VW at all costs! Replies to this message: qbrozen (Sep 24, 2007 12:35 pm) british_rover (Sep 24, 2007 12:53 pm)
#329 of 345 Re: good thread timing [thegraduate] by qbrozen Sep 24, 2007 (12:35 pm)
Replying to: thegraduate (Sep 24, 2007 12:16 pm) oh well heck, of course dealership costs are higher. that ain't the car's fault, though. ;b   For me, the parts have similar costs and the jobs take me about the same amount of time, so I am assuming a good indy shop will charge you the same for both cars for similar repairs.
#330 of 345 Re: good thread timing [thegraduate] by british_rover Sep 24, 2007 (12:53 pm)
Replying to: thegraduate (Sep 24, 2007 12:16 pm) Oh you can't compare Audi parts prices to BMW or Merc prices. Audi doesn't support a car after they are more then about 5-7 years old so the part prices go up at a near exponential rate.   My wife had a Audi 100 years ago before we were married. The expansion tank tarted to leak where the return hose came in. The audi dealer wanted 800 something bucks plus tax for the tank. I couldn't find the part anywhere else so I repaired the tank using a bit of PVC pipe and the highest temp epoxy I could find.   I got some PVC pipe that was just a bit narrower then the entrance for the return tube in the tank and epoxied it in place. Worked like a charm and only cost about 15 bucks plus a couple of hours of labor.
#332 of 345 Re:Good thread Timing......... by 2doorpost Apr 10, 2008 (8:16 am)
My favorite beater cars- 2002-2008   5) 1978 Monte Carlo (traderonline) 135k miles Ran and drove Southern Car 700 bucks   4) 1974 Nova Coupe (Local Paper) 70k miles Ran and drove 500 bucks   3) 1977 Pontiac Grand Prix (traderonline) 101k miles Ran and drove 300 bucks   2) 1964 Impala 2 door (sitting down the street in yard) Ran and drove 800 bucks   1) 1974 Nova Hatchback (on line ad ) Runs and drives currently 300 bucks
#333 of 345 93 escort LX radiator swap by dudeman1 Dec 16, 2008 (1:03 pm)
Hope this is the right forum for this,   I recently hit a deer and it pretty much totalled the front of my car. I have bought replacement parts at the junkyard for $125 (hood, bumper, grill, condensor, headlite assy, turn signal assy, hood latch assy) and a new radiator ($150). I put the new radiator in and refilled the fluids with 1/2 water and 1/2 anti-freeze and started the car. Once running, I noticed a fountain of water coming from a little silver valve mounted on top of the manifold on the passenger side of the engine. It's right next to the fuel pressure line and i don't know why its spewing water. Any suggestions on what it could be? Replies to this message: dudeman1 (Dec 16, 2008 4:35 pm) kirstie_h (Dec 17, 2008 7:17 am) fezo (Dec 17, 2008 6:40 pm)

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