- #5 of 345
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'89 Subaru Loyale Wagon
by raybear
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Mar 29, 2001 (2:14 pm)
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4WD stick shift. Paid $300 for it 4 years ago, had to put $600 into it right away. Not real powerful, but has low range 4WD so I can take it in the woods. My fishin' car.
Replies to this message:
- cutehumor (Feb 14, 2003 3:49 pm)
- cutehumor (Jul 13, 2002 6:22 am)
- afk_x (Jul 13, 2002 10:04 pm)
- rroyce10 (Jul 14, 2002 5:48 am)
- ghulet (Jul 17, 2002 9:00 pm)
- hudrahead (Jul 18, 2002 4:28 pm)
- ghulet (Jul 19, 2002 12:45 am)
- ghulet (Jul 19, 2002 1:39 am)
- rroyce10 (Jul 19, 2002 2:59 am)
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- tboner (Feb 14, 2003 3:49 pm)
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- #6 of 345
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Beater cars: how do you find one?
by cutehumor
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Feb 14, 2003 (3:49 pm)
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Replying to: raybear (Mar 29, 2001 2:14 pm)
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- #7 of 345
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by cutehumor
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Jul 13, 2002 (6:22 am)
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Replying to: raybear (Mar 29, 2001 2:14 pm)
hi
I'm looking at purchasing a beater car for basic transportation only. Can anyone recommend reliable makes for this purpose especially those not asking for a premium price? I'm looking for a car or truck under the 5k range with low miles if possible up to 5 model years old. Do they exist? Does anyone have any experience with these kinds of vehicles? How should you look for one? only buy from someone with maintence records? Especially since reliability is the most important factor for me. Some people think I'm crazy, but I love low insurance costs, no car payments, and regular maintence is a plus which you would have to do with a new car anyway.
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- #8 of 345
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Sounds like you should
by afk_x
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Jul 13, 2002 (10:04 pm)
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Replying to: raybear (Mar 29, 2001 2:14 pm)
Buy a used Saturn. Private party you should have no trouble finding one in your price range.
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- #9 of 345
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Cute ..
by rroyce10
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Jul 14, 2002 (5:48 am)
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Replying to: raybear (Mar 29, 2001 2:14 pm)
.... You might try a Toyota .. Ooooop's I mean a Chevy/Geo Prizm, perhaps a 96 or a 97, or a Mazda Protege' .. also a 96/97. These are great little vehicles, will run 150k+ with little or no headaches ..
Should be in your price zone .. !
Terry.
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- #10 of 345
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$5k
by ghulet
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Jul 17, 2002 (9:00 pm)
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Replying to: raybear (Mar 29, 2001 2:14 pm)
That's hardly a 'beater', at least not to me. Finding a good $5000 car isn't difficult, finding a decent $500 car is, LOL.
I agree with what Terry said above (and has said countless other times). Also, you might do OK with a Ford Escort or Chevy Cavalier, especially with a 5-speed; they're not exactly glamorous or state of the art, but you can find one (probably 97-99) for around $5k, and it should provide years of low-cost transportation.
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- #11 of 345
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Can you say D-A-E-W-O-O ??
by hudrahead
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Jul 18, 2002 (4:28 pm)
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Replying to: raybear (Mar 29, 2001 2:14 pm)
trot on down to your local Daewoo dealer (if you can find one open)they have a large selection of instant beaters. You will really be in the "cat bird" seat if you are a cash buyer. Locally A new Lanos can be had for about 5K !!
hud 
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- #12 of 345
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for a 'real' beater
by ghulet
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Jul 19, 2002 (12:45 am)
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Replying to: raybear (Mar 29, 2001 2:14 pm)
Drive around a marginal neighborhood, there should be some cars with 'for sale' signs in the window. Read ads in the local 'freebie' papers (usually found on the way out of the grocery stores), check the classifieds in a local newspaper (the one with the worst demographics, LOL). Check autotrader.com, cars.com, etc. Also, quite often there are cars for sale at local gas stations and repair shops. These cars are usually those with owners who can't afford to fix them, or pay for the repairs after they've been fixed.
I was shocked at how relatively easy it was to find beaters (a true 'beater' costs under $1000, IMO). I wanted a Honda, Toyota or Mazda for under $1000 recently, I found probably two dozen that technically fit the bill.
Some advice from one who has owned many beaters, good and bad:
1. Know what cars are desirable and/or acceptable to you. Don't buy a beater car just because it's cheap or looks good. Even at an advanced age, a car that was a good, reliable car when new will likely be a better, more reliable car when old. Pick a car that meets your needs: reliability, gas mileage, space? Keep it simple, don't buy a 'complex' car when something basic will do the job better. From there, narrow down what kinds of cars you want to look for.
2. If you absolutely have only $1200 to spend, do not look at $1200 cars. Remember, it generally costs about $200 in taxes and registration to 'put the car on the road', etc. Also, it is fairly likely you will have to put *some* money into the car soon after you purchase it. Leave a couple hundred dollars, at least, in your coffers for emergencies.
3. Swallow your pride a bit and accept a car with some cosmetic problems. Last year, I bought a really nice looking Saab (avoid) for $1500 that turned out to be one headache after another. It currently needs about $1500 in repairs just to make it safe to drive. I bought the car for looks instead of for its real purpose, basic transportation. Big mistake.
4. If you find a car you like, don't be afraid to make a 'low-ball' offer. If the seller is asking $1000, it's fairly likely they'll take $750-800, so offer $600. The worst they can say is 'no', and you can either walk away or haggle/counteroffer. It's not that painful or lengthy a process on a cheap car. If the car is too expensive or has issues you can't accept, it's OK to say 'no thanks.' Kinda like with dating, 'there will be others out there.'
4. Have the car looked at by a mechanic, or at least bring a friend who knows something about cars, to look at it with you. Having someone along to offer a 'second opinion' isn't a bad idea, especially if you're an impulsive person or one who tends to make emotion-based buying decisions.
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- #13 of 345
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more
by ghulet
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Jul 19, 2002 (1:39 am)
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Replying to: raybear (Mar 29, 2001 2:14 pm)
Books and repair records are always nice to have. If it has them, great, but don't necessarily 'expect' them on a beater. Don't necessarily 'trust as law' what the owner tells you has been replaced, fixed, etc, but ask anyway. Often it's easy to see what's new on a car, and ask the owner to show you if he/she claims something has been fixed or replaced.
Above, I said 'don't be afraid to walk away', which is fine on a so-so car. If you see a car you like, even if it's the first one you've looked at, that is remarkably good running or nice and checks out OK, snap it up. In other words, don't be afraid to buy a car that you like. You may look at six other cars that day only to end up wanting the first one you looked at, which has already been sold when you get back to it.
Oh yeah, about the cosmetics. I just bought one beater car over another because one was factory-looking and the one I didn't buy had dark tinted windows, non-standard rims and metallic-flecked paint. Classic 'polishing a turd' stuff. Don't buy a car that doesn't fit your personality or one that you'll be totally embarrassed driving. Nobody is in love with driving a beater, but the car need not be 'all wrong' either.
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- #14 of 345
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Ghulet ..
by rroyce10
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Jul 19, 2002 (2:59 am)
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Replying to: raybear (Mar 29, 2001 2:14 pm)
.... $5,0 for a beater ..?
I remember when my 1st car was $100 .. well, we won't go there .. l.o.l..
Terry.
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