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Smart Shopper Used Vehicles Best Values
948 messages, Last post on Aug 11, 2009 at 11:51 AM
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Replying to: kyfdx (Apr 04, 2009 6:52 am) Are the maintenance and repair costs on this car expensive? Does the autonomatic transmission on this model have problems--as opposed to the stick shift? And what are the insurance costs on the car like?
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Replying to: lhy (Apr 03, 2009 6:09 pm) I would recommend midsize GM car from the late 90's early 2000's. Parts are plentiful for these cars and any mechanic can repair them.
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Replying to: lhy (Apr 04, 2009 5:35 pm) Not much. Too old. If you can raise your price from $4 to $6, you can easily buy twice as much car for it. LOTS of people want cheap cars; they often wind up paying extra for it. Ford Taurus is a good bet, too. an '06 with 40k should be in the low sixes... that's a lot of car. A little over $10 is an absolute sweet spot. TONS of one- and two-year-old cars available for that. If you're doing payments, that's the way to go. -Mathias |
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Replying to: lhy (Apr 04, 2009 5:32 pm) Head gaskets, wheel bearings, and automatic transmissions were trouble spots on earlier cars, however you should be able to get something newer than that with your budget. I would still be more likely to target a Ford Focus, and I would try to limit vehicles to 8 years old and newer and In terms of the larger sedans, are cars with V6 (or V8) engines worse in terms of gas mileage? And are V6 engine cars more expensive to service and repair than 4-cylinders? Remarkably not as much as one would think. The General Motor 3.8 liter pushrod V6 (very old technology, relatively high displacement - big - motor) can get in the 30s on the highway. I am not a big fan of the 2.8 or 3.1 liter GM engines. The much more modern 3.5 and 3.6 liter engines from GM are out of your price range. A low-tech, 30 year old design 3.8 liter motor will likely be cheaper to repair than a "high-tech" 4 cylinder of the time. A timing belt change for an Accord from that time is $600-700 and that is routine maintenance, not a repair. The GM motors have a chain. |
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Replying to: lhy (Apr 04, 2009 5:35 pm) How many miles are on it? Are there maintenance records showing whats been repaired over time? My guess would be it needs shocks and struts - more specifically the rubber bushings that they mount to on the vehicle - need service. That isn't excessively expensive, I would estimate <$500. Some of them had an issue with the power steering, but I can't remember if that was the earlier style (1990-1994) or that one. I would still try to find something newer, that car is 15 years old already.
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Replying to: dtownfb (Apr 04, 2009 6:07 pm) 1 - Avoid anything nice or trendy or that claims high resale value. You want something that is a reliable car that is panned by the industry and magazines. 2 - Get something with a reliable engine. Ever moreso, get something with a cheap to fix transmission. . A Camry's transmission is about $3500-$4000 last I checked. A GM's 4 speed is half that to fix, because the design was unchanged for nearly 20 years. 3 - Get a used midsize car. Small is fun, but a tin can, no AC, no ABS.. it's just not worth it. And the larger and originally more expensive cars were built better - thicker metal, heavier brakes, better tires... So they age less quickly. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=259699218 5 years old, GM 3.8 Engine. It's a basic car, nothing special. But it will do another 100K easily, while averaging 28-30mpg highway. It'll fit 5 people and luggage as well in a pinch. Not bad for a 3600lb car. This is the same car as that year LeSabre, just different interior trim and body panels. I'd recommend stretching the budget a bit and getting a 2003-2005 GM with the 3.8 in it. Pay cash. No loan means you can also drop collision/full coverage as well.(I have everything on mine except if I hit someone and kill my own car) - This saves me a good $400-$500 a year. It's not worth spending the extra money on a $K or less vehicle. If you have a loan, though, they'll require it. ** Note - the is an exception. If you are mechanically inclined, go much older and get a 4x4 with manual transmission. I drive my manual 4Runner in Los Angeles traffic every day. It's not impossible, or even hard to do. The $400 clutch job versus a $2000 automatic replacement is a huge incentive. A good daily driver that's been gone over and had work done on it to go off-road can be had for 3-4K. I recommend a Toyota(4Runner or Pickup) or a Jeep Wrangler. Both are fun and cheap to fix. It won't depreciate a dime while you drive it, because there is such a following and desire for them. Though, you will have to spend a hundred or so per month keeping it up fixing small things. That's far less than car payments on even an Aveo or other super cheap tin can. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=260405317 Perfect example. Mine has almost 400K on it, so this much mileage is nothing. |
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Please do not post spam here. Mods,,please ,,delete this,,of no use to anyone. Poster registered today and posts this! 
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Replying to: lilengineerboy (Apr 05, 2009 6:12 am) |
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Replying to: deltheking (Apr 05, 2009 5:10 pm) 
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