What kind of car could I probably get in the range of 2-3,000 bucks?

[DesignDawg]

Hey all,

Been a LOOONG time since I have been used car shopping. Someone offered to buy my Firebird today, and I can pretty easily dump my Camry at a junk yard. I'm gonna have 2 or 3 thousand to spend, most likely. If something amazing came up, I suppose I could maybe come up with a little more. What do you think I can expect to buy with this amount?

BTW, I prefer something small, effecient. Don't need 4 doors, don't need a truck. 2 doors, maybe a little on the sporty side, dependable sounds good to me right now.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[mztykal]

Can you say Geo Metro?

 

[GT1999]

I was in the same boat about 6 months ago. I looked many places: online, magazines, asked friends, etc. I finally looked in the newspaper (BEST source, I'm telling you right now) and found a couple of cars. First one, too old, too cheap; second, same. Third car, exactly what I was looking for. Nissan Sentra 92 absolutely excellent condition when I saw it. It was in the range you're saying now.

A few words of wisdom. Lots of people have this much to spend on a car - so many people will pin a car with a 1K - 3K price. So be a little careful, some cars really aren't worth that much. I'd say look for a Honda, Nissan, etc. They're probably what you're looking for. My dad's Honda is great. He paid a lot more for it than I paid for my Nissan, and we both bought ours used; he also likes my car better

Also take into consideration WHO you're buying it from. They're the ones who took care of what might be your next car.

 

[DesignDawg]

Can you say BULLSH!T? Basically, I'm willing to go up around $4,000 IF it's worth it and a great deal, but I'd rather stay in the 3000 range.

BTW, I know I can get a 89 Celica convertible with barely 100K miles for that little. THis is the kind of deal I'mt alking about.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[DesignDawg]

Thanks, GT. That's the kind of deal I'm looking for. I'm looking on Autotrader.com right now. I'm a pretty good judge of whether or not a car's worth what someone's selling it for, so I'm not likely to get screwed doing this. I'm just feeling around for what others have gotten in this price range. Definitely, imports are higher on my list.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[urbantechie]

Here I go with my BMW rambling again but, get a 83' BMW and pretty much anythign 5 seiries or lower is in your price range.

 

[DesignDawg]

Ooh, I don't think so. I'd much rather have a stripped-ass, window-cranking, stick-shifting, 4-banging 5-yr.-old Jap trap than a 18-y/o luxury car. My main concern here is tightness, economy, and reliability. We just bought a brand new car, and whatever I buy is gonna be driven about 5-10 miles per day, ONLY on rainy days (because I drive my motorcycle when it's not raining). BMW is out of the question. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[DesignDawg]

BTW, until I can get a paper tomorrow, autotrader is the best I can do...and I just found a 1996 Toyota Tercel with only 60K miles for only $2500! NOT BAD AT ALL, I'm thinking. I'm gonna call about it tomorrow.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[GT1999]

<< Ooh, I don't think so. I'd much rather have a stripped-ass, window-cranking, stick-shifting, 4-banging 5-yr.-old Jap trap than a 18-y/o luxury car. >>



LMAO Smart, though, smart. That pretty much sounds like my car..

 

[atom]

A 1990-1991 Mazda RX-7 is a sweet car, but it's getting up into the $4000 range. Still, it's one hell of a car.

 

[DesignDawg]

I know. ANY RX7 is a hell of a car. They have always been right around the top of my favorites. Fun as hell to drive, too. Only thing is, I'm selling a Firebird formula w/ a V8 that runs perfectly. --So I'm not looking for a performance car. &quot;fun to drive&quot; is near the bottom mf my list of priorities, since I have 2 motorcycles. If I can find a more reliable, effecient car that is much less fun to drive, at this point, that's where I'm headed. Thanks for the suggestion, though, and you have excellent taste.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[mpg]

urban shouldn't recommend cars when he doesn't even own one.

 

[Moonbeam]

I'm not sure what you'd find in the $2 range for a car so I'd probably concentrate at the high end around $3000

 

[DesignDawg]

Good point, Moonbeam. After looking through Aturotrader.com, I noticed that a LOT of cars can be had for 3 and up, and not so many for less than that.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[wjones]

I'm looking for a car for around that price range too, $2-$3.5k. I found a few Saturn from 92-94 with around 100k miles sell for about $3-$3.5k but I never used a Saturn and have no idea how good are they.

DesignDawg, YGPM too

 

[Moonbeam]

DesignDawg, don't hit me, but I was refering to the two dollar range, the low end of 2-3000

 

[kw3i]

you can rent a really nice one for a few days

 

[Emulex]

i'll sell you my 95 cavalier for nearly $3k, even throw in a discount for anandtech

not many other cars for that price gonna give you 124HP, dual airbags, and ABS. it sure is fugly though (imo)

 

[Ornery]

Don't need a truck, eh? I think it would be a great idea to have a nice full size, half ton pickup. They're dependable, easy to work on, cheap to get parts for and handy when you need it. They hold their value pretty well too. I don't think the mileage would be that bad either.

I'm hoping my son will go for one for his first vehicle. I know it's not much concern to you, since you ride a bike, but I really think the truck would be a far safer vehicle than most.

 

[mpg]

bumper

 

[mpg]

up..interested in the 3-5K range.

 

[Viper GTS]

Look for an early 90's Accord or Prelude, I love mine.

Too bad I wrecked it.

Oops.

Viper GTS

 

[milehigh]

I just picked up a 90 Nissan 240SX for 3600. It had 94000 miles and the previous owner really took care of it good. I looked around a lot in that price range and it's tough. Found lots of Escort wagons and Saturns with 130000 miles so I was glad to come across that Nissan!!

 

[mpg]

Is it true that early 90's and 80's japanese cars have bad automatic transmissions?

 

[Emulex]

automatic transmissions are designed to last 100-150K tops.

if you get one that lasts more without slipping, bravo. But otherwise, how many 80-90's cars only have that mileage?