Car for an HS student

[CraigRT]

You have so many options, man.
I am a supporter of the Saturn S-series, but no S-series despite mileage (only made up until 2002) is worth even up to $5k, so you can get more car for your $ if you look elsewhere.

However, if you did find a mint SL2 or SW2 over 2000 (commonly in 5 speed as well) it would be a great car for you. They get wicked gas mileage..

 

[zCypher]

Shouldn't you be able to find a low mileage Aveo/Swift/Wave very easily in your price range? I've easily been able to get a consistent 35 highway mpg and 28 city mpg, despite Edmunds rating it quite a bit lower. I use a ScanGauge to monitor my mileage in realtime and on average. My Aveo has not caused me any trouble, and I bought mine with 34k miles (now have 60k). It was only 4 years old when I bought it, and it was cheaper than a 10+ year old Civic. Now it's almost 7 years old (it's an 04), still drives like new.

If you're looking for fuel efficiency, you should look at Civic, Corolla, and the diesel VWs (although the VW might be more of a maintenance bitch).

With plain/ugly cars like the Aveo and similar boring rides, you won't get bothered by cops for no reason.

If you go with a slightly bigger car like an Accord, you'll still have reliability but you won't get amazing mileage (should still be good).

Look up some of the cars suggested to you in this thread (lots of good ones so far), use a few different sites. Here, we have Lespac and Kijiji but I'm sure you have similar websites to look up cars (Autotrader?). Search for cars in and under your price range, make a list of all the ones that look good and start calling/going to see them.

Good luck!

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Maybach

/obligatory

 

[hanoverphist]

my daughter is going to drive my restored 1980 cadillac sedan de ville when she hits 16 (and has maintained a B average for a semester). she is jazzed about it, she loves the car. she isnt happy about my paint choice tho.

 

[BurnItDwn]

It'll get shitty gas milage, but a Crown Vic Interceptor should last you, and if you suck at driving, it should do a decent job of keeping you safe.

 

[Shadow Conception]

My dad's now looking at a 1991 Volvo 240 for $4100. The car's only had one owner, and it has been maintained by said owner its entire life. The car's owner is also a well-reputed Volvo mechanic and has been servicing Volvos since the 1970s. Some pics are below:




We don't know the mileage yet, but it's supposed to be somewhere north of 100,000 miles. Does this seem like a good deal?

 

[c3p0]

I didn't read every post, so pardon me if I missed it somewhere. Who is paying for this car? If dad is paying, you get what dad wants you to have. If you are paying for it, then get what you want. That's the way it works in my house anyway.

c3p0

 

[Shadow Conception]

My post wasn't about what he or I want. My post was about whether or not the car is worth that price. Informative responses will serve to benefit both him and me, as he does not want to waste money and I do not want to drive an unreliable car. Thanks.

 

[Zenmervolt]

My dad's now looking at a 1991 Volvo 240 for $4100. The car's only had one owner, and it has been maintained by said owner its entire life. The car's owner is also a well-reputed Volvo mechanic and has been servicing Volvos since the 1970s. Some pics are below:




We don't know the mileage yet, but it's supposed to be somewhere north of 100,000 miles. Does this seem like a good deal?

$4,100 for a 240 is on the higher side, so it's probably in good shape. The 240 series cars are all but indestructible. Dog-slow and not a great handling car, but they're tanks. I've long said that if I ever have kids their first car will be a Volvo 240 wagon because it's reliable and not fast enough to encourage too much trouble.

ZV

 

[Shadow Conception]

Thanks a lot for the response, man!

The main worry that we've had over this car is that it's nearly 20 years old. And for similar prices, we can easily find 1998-2001 Volvos on Autotrader at similar/slightly higher mileages. Should the age of the car be a significant factor when determining which car to purchase? This thing needs to last me >= 5 years (senior year of high school, four years of college). Is 20 years a lot for a Volvo?

 

[StageLeft]

I also think those are very reliable, but that seems a lot of money for a car that age.

 

[Throckmorton]

If you aren't going to be driving many miles per year, buy an early 2000s SUV

 

[Throckmorton]

A 20 year old Volvo, even though it's a Volvo, isn't going to last that much longer without needing major service. Who is going to pay the repair bills, you or your dad? You might want to call the local parts stores and mechanics to figure out how much you'll be spending to replace parts that were built before you were born.

 

[StageLeft]

A 20 year old Volvo, even though it's a Volvo, isn't going to last that much longer without needing major service. Who is going to pay the repair bills, you or your dad? You might want to call the local parts stores and mechanics to figure out how much you'll be spending to replace parts that were built before you were born.

Although some vehicles are obviously more reliable than others I hope that the OP realizes the very real possibility of whatever car he buys for sub-$5k needing a new transmission not long after. Such a thing is unlikely, but a car without warranty and age could give a buyer major repairs. Or it could go another 100k with minimal work. Never really know for sure.

If I had no money at all for repairs instead of $5k I'd spend $2k tops and pocket the $3k for potential repairs. I had to spend $1500 on a new transmission for an accord I bought about six months after buying it. And that was pretty cheap, one could easily spend a lot more.

 

[Zenmervolt]

A 20 year old Volvo, even though it's a Volvo, isn't going to last that much longer without needing major service. Who is going to pay the repair bills, you or your dad? You might want to call the local parts stores and mechanics to figure out how much you'll be spending to replace parts that were built before you were born.

In my experience, that's not really true. Age tends to have little to no effect on a car that has been well taken care of. Yes, things do wear out, but by and large it's mileage more than age that affects how much service a car will need (assuming equivalent condition).

ZV

 

[IronWing]

My 88 Olds wagon is still for sale. Weighs 6000 pounds, should be safe enough.

 

[l0cke]

1992-1996 Subaru legacy AWD. The EJ22 motor will last forever. Mine is at 230,000 and still running strong.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Gimme a 'B'
Gimme a 'U'
Gimme a 'S'

Whats it spell?

 

[punjabiplaya]

The only thing I see wrong with that Volvo is that it's not brown/beige. Nothing like driving a Swedish tank.

But seriously, the price seems a little high to me. You should be able to talk him into $3500 at least.

 

[sdifox]

gimme a 'b'
gimme a 'u'
gimme a 's'

whats it spell?

sub?

 

[angry hampster]

Mazda Protege from the early 2000s. Very very reliable and pretty fun to drive.

 

[StageLeft]

I perused craigslist last night, there are a vast number of cars costing about $2k that the owner claims "runs great, nothing needed" and in most cases it's probably true. Then you have $3k for repairs. If it's a manual you can get a new tranny for half that.

Fact is as long as a car isn't rusting apart it can be kept on the road indefinitely, it really just comes down to at what point the owner gets bored of it.

 

[HarryLui]

Thanks a lot for the response, man!

The main worry that we've had over this car is that it's nearly 20 years old. And for similar prices, we can easily find 1998-2001 Volvos on Autotrader at similar/slightly higher mileages. Should the age of the car be a significant factor when determining which car to purchase? This thing needs to last me >= 5 years (senior year of high school, four years of college). Is 20 years a lot for a Volvo?

As a owner of below cars, I can tell you that the 240 parts are much cheaper, more durable, and a lot easier to replace than 850 or any other FWD Volvo made after 93.

My 240 had 200k. Original engine and transmission, both works great. Had to replace all the worn out maintenance item on it when I got it, plus the rear main seal, heatercore hoses, radiator hoses, radiator, crank position sensor, rear suspension bushings, struts, shocks, tires, all fluids. Parts are cheap for the "redblock" engine and design is pretty much bullet proof, and the n/a version of it will last forever, provided you keep the oil and coolant level up. The car is not refine compare to the newer car, but it is simple, and can take abuse well. Turning radius on this thing is tight, better than any other small fwd out there. I paid $1700 for mine, without a working a/c or the wheels you see in the pictures. $4100 seems way too much for it, unless a lot of recent work are done with receipt, a/c working, and everything in tip top shape


My 850 on the other hand, parts are at least 2x the price on everything. Whatever work and parts I did for my 240, I also did them for my 850. FWD with an inline 5 turbo engine makes everything harder to access in the engine bay. Interior is much nicer, stock handling is better with the center gravity lower.


I would recommend 240 over any FWD Volvo for a student, due to the cost of maintenance.


Get on http://forums.turbobricks.com/ and post a WTB and see if you can find anything near your area.

I would also suggest to find a car for around $2000 and use the left over money for maintenance, and tires. All older cars will needs maintenance and tires, no way around that.

 

[Shadow Conception]

The reason it's $4100 (before negotiating) is apparently because the owner did quite a bit of work on it a couple months ago. And I guess it's in really good condition? It must be if it has been serviced by a good Volvo mechanic its entire life...

- Rust free
-4-cyl. Engine
- Automatic Overdrive Transmission
- Power Steering
- Power Brakes (4-wheel disk)
- Power Windows and Door Locks
- Air Conditioning (fully refurbished w/ new Compressor)
- Driver Air Bag
- new Tires
- Volvo Roof Rack (black)
- Heated Seats

More pics:

 

[HarryLui]

What kind of work? You may want to ask that and have a list of that.

Power steering, power brakes (4 wheel disk), power windows, door lock, air bag... all standard equipment, really nothing special about them.

Roof rack, if you need them, they're great. If you don't plan on using them, they're just drag and bring your mpg down.