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Article Comments - The 10 Best Used Cars for Less Than $5,000

39 messages,  Last post on Apr 27, 2011 at 12:04 PM

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What is this discussion about? Acura Integra, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Honda Prelude, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Nissan 240SX, Subaru Impreza, Car Buying

The 10 Best Used Cars for Less Than $5,000 - A dealer lot is the wrong place to get a deal on a used car. Check out Autotrader.com, eBay.com, craigslist.org or a local paper. (more)

Messages Page 2 of 4

#10 of 39 Re: [bankerdanny] by tidester

Feb 04, 2009 (8:35 pm)

Replying to: bankerdanny (Feb 04, 2009 8:26 pm)
Stay away from the first gen Eclipse/Talon if you're tall,
 
I had one of those '90 Talons and absolutely loved it!
 
I am of average height and it fit like glove but, yes, a very tall person would be a bit cramped.
 
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

#11 of 39 Re: [bankerdanny] by volvomax

Feb 05, 2009 (9:15 am)

Replying to: bankerdanny (Feb 04, 2009 8:26 pm)
Finally, you can get a pretty good deal on a Porsche 944. I have seen plenty of sub 100k mile cars for $5-6k. If it's just a toy why not a Porsche vs a 240sx.
 
Because 944 running costs will eat you out of house and home.

#12 of 39 Re: [tidester] by volvomax

Feb 05, 2009 (9:16 am)

Replying to: tidester (Feb 04, 2009 8:35 pm)
I had one of those '90 Talons and absolutely loved it!
  
I am of average height and it fit like glove but, yes, a very tall person would be a bit cramped.
 
I had a 95 Eclipse GST, great car!

#13 of 39 by gearhead1977

Feb 05, 2009 (1:55 pm)

I'd love to have a first gen or second gen Miata as a "toy". Just simply a wonderful car, meant for the purity of driving a fun car. It will lose a drag race to a minivan or even a modern econobox, but it's not always about speed is it?
 
There was an unmolested 240SX around me a few months ago. It's a shame that most of them have gone to "rice rocket" land, along with the DSM cars (Don't forget the Plymouth Laser version of the first gen cars) the MR2, Prelude (another one I'd love to have).
 
For the pony cars, I've always been a Mustang fan. I never cared for the look, the interior or the driving position of the GM cars.
 
Great list, I'd give more props to the 944 suggestion, but the prices for parts,are,uh, Porsche. I recently started looking in the 5k realm for a used car. 5k COULD get you a BMW 750iL. But just researching the parts via Advanced Auto Parts internet site was sobering enough. Combine that with the V12 thirst for premium fuel and you remember why they were rare (where I live) to begin with and why many don't exist now.
 
But oh for owning a V12 powered anything!

#14 of 39 Mk2 GTi by ivannachoo

Feb 05, 2009 (1:56 pm)

I just picked up a 1.8L 16V with some minor modifications for $1500. This car is completely tossable and handles like a go-kart. We'll see how reliable it is. There is an abundance of parts and references out there for this car too.

#15 of 39 Extremely helpful by CarPro21

Feb 05, 2009 (2:37 pm)

Thanks for the article post. I've been searching a long time for the perfect kind of starter car for myself, Stick obviously, and I know there were places to find them cheap but I had no foundation and no one to say "ok, here's a list of good, decent cars and with budget you can't beat ay ANY dealer". I agree Prelude's are the most underrated car I've ever seen but that makes me chase them because I want a car that rarely anyone would see or drive. All I see is Civics, Camrys, Corollas, etc. the normal average cars.

#16 of 39 top ten used cars by forddude2

Feb 05, 2009 (3:56 pm)

I don't think that you should overlook the Ford Contour SVT as a best buy for under 5k. It has as good or better performance as some of the cars listed, plus it has four doors for hauling the kids too. It also sounds awesome and is a ton of fun.

#17 of 39 Re: top ten used cars [forddude2] by fezo

Feb 05, 2009 (4:35 pm)

Replying to: forddude2 (Feb 05, 2009 3:56 pm)
Good candidate. That's indeed a fun car and in teh right price range.

#18 of 39 Top ten used cars by torque1788

Feb 05, 2009 (5:05 pm)

Another good one would be the 89'-94' Ford Taurus SHO with 3.0 and 3.2 and 5 speed...the v6 throws out 220 hp and 200 lb-ft...I had one and the yamaha built v6 sounded really good it has plenty of interior room and 4 doors definitely cheap too

#19 of 39 Re: Top ten used cars [torque1788] by lokki

Feb 06, 2009 (8:29 am)

Replying to: torque1788 (Feb 05, 2009 5:05 pm)
How are those old SHO's on maintence? I'm not talking about door knobs and that kind of little stuff.... Is that Yamaha still a pretty good engine when it gets old? How about the 5-speed?
 
Since they're speciality items, the general rule says that they're either going to be really good.... or really bad.
 
I had a friend who had an SHO when they were still new; it was a really nice car. Then he got married, and traded it for a - wait for it - Chrysler mini van to haul the kid around. Sic transit gloria mundi, is it not so?

Messages Page 2 of 4

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