what's a reliable car for less than $3000?

[ThurzNite]

A female friend needs a car and has $3000 to spend (she can cover license fees and insurance). What's a reliable car for this price? She just needs something to goto college everyday, which's about 10 miles away. She doesn't know a lot about cars so she wants something with minimal problems. I was thinking about a 94 Nissan Altima. Anybody know of a more reliable car?
Jay

 

[Soybomb]

Try the search function, this question has been asked about 10 times int he last 2 months with slightly different cash values each time. I gave my opinion there and don't really feel like typing much again.....

 

[Zenmervolt]

A 3rd or 4th generation Honda Accord (late 1980's/early 1990's) can be had in excllent condition for that amount of money. A well maintained Honda can easily surpass 200,000 miles, so even if the car has 60-80K on it already, it still has a long life ahead of it assuming it was properly cared for. According to KBB, a perfect example of the 1988 Accord LX-i that I own would be worth roughly $3,000 which is rather amazing considering that that price assumes a car with 194,000 miles. An Accord identical to mine (minor body rust, but perfect mechanicals) would set you back around $2,500 according to KBB. For a reliable college car, I don't think you could do better than a late 80's/early 90's Honda. Any Honda model of that era should be within your price range and will prove to be practically bulletproof if properly cared for (ie. oil and belt changes). Follow the reccommended maintenance and the car will be running long after you get tired of it.

Zenmervolt

 

[SSP]

My dad bough an 88 Accord (body & interior in perfect condition) for 600 bucks, replaced the engine with an old one he bought from a guy for 150 bucks (same model). It's working fine now. You really don't need 94+ models to find a reliable car. Something like a Corolla will fit her just fine. Don't forget resale value and fuel economy.

BTW, thats all in Canadian $$.

 

[ThurzNite]

Great. we were thinking of a 4door car for insurance reasons. Now we're looking at Taurus's (i don't know anything about them), Corollas (on the small side, but fine for her), Accords (best bet so far), and Mazda 626 (Don't know about reliablility, but i'm sure not that bad).
Any opinions about these cars? Of course, they're gonna be late 80s/early 90s. Most likely auto trans, but I've taught her 5sp.

 

[kumanchu]

sentra's are reliable ^_^

 

[amdskip]

Taurus's r junk!

 

[SuperGroove]

'86 Golf GTI.



SWEET!

 

[Valhalla1]

$3k'll getcha a nice sexy 93 Camaro

 

[PlasticJesus]

For that price surely you are looking at something older with a lot of miles on it. For that reason I'd certainly look at a smaller car that is at least traditionally thought of as being Japanese. I say "traditionally thought of" because we all know alot of Japanese cars are made here in the U.S. The above post: "Sentras are reliable" would be my choice. The great thing about Nissans is that all you have to do to them is drive them. No real maintenance required.

 

[AUMM]

old honda accords are the best for that price, they last forever

 

[Tung]

Go with the 90 Honda Accord . very reliable.

 

[Pastore]

taurus's are a good choice if you want to stay domestic... they are well built and last a LONG time... my aunt had one that went 165k before she sold it, and it was still running perfect

 

[BigSmooth]

I've pointed this out before, but you'll notice Nissan and Mazda have lower resale values than Toyota or Honda despite having just about equal or better reliability/build quality.

This definitely works to your advantage in the used car market, you should be able to get a nicer/newer car for the money if you avoid Honda and Toyota.

Reliability ratings from CarPoint:
Civic Accord

Corolla Camry

Protege 626

Sentra Maxima

Some surprises in there, actually...

 

[Emulex]

dude i just sold my 95 cavalier for $2500. It was worth more, but i need the cash for my corrado

It was uber reliable, just fugly. Had only 79K miles (4k out of warranty).

Might want to check out those cars, if they are cared for, well worth it, has everything a chick wants: Light on gas, Automatic, A/C, Cruise, Tilt, Dual Airbags, Anti-lock brakes.

 

[Dedpuhl]

Get an old Camry or Accord. They are worth every penny.

 

[Stifko]

Get an older VW w/a good history. An 86 GTi is hard to beat!
I paid a grand for an 87 Scirocco 8V and I love it.

 

[Emulex]

vw's must be very well taken care and still require a good bit of maintenance. If you don't know a good vw shop you're screwed. I just picked up a 1990 vw corrado G60 for $3K, needed about 2.5K in repairs/mods to get it where i want it (217HP).

Be careful with really old cards If you are not a mechanic. Good thing, old VW parts are abundant and cheap!

you can r&r the whole engine and 5 speed in an old VW for like $2000K including labor..

 

[Ornery]

• 1987 MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS Sedan 4 Door Gran Sport
• Two Tons of Safety
• Police Cruiser Rugged
• Reliable
• Cheap & Easy to Fix
• Comfortable

 

[khaosspawn]

Something local (Ford etc.) or very cheaper to repair. I'm guessing that you female friend doesn't want to race the thing. You may also want to consider SUVs (2nd hand Ranger Rover or Jeep would be nice).

 

[Ryan]

Honda CRX's are good, and good looking peppy

 

[StageLeft]

Honda accord would be a great buy. If you get a '90 you just get into the new generation and could get a well maintained one for $3k. Alternatively get a car for about $2500 and perhaps put $500 aside for repairs. If you can get a '94 altima for that price go for it!

 

[Zenmervolt]

bigsmooth, those Carpoint ratings are complete BS. I have never had an engine problem beyond those expected (original water pump and alternator wore out at 192,000 miles) with my old Accord. I have known several other people with old Accords who have never had a bit of trouble with the engine. Where the hell carpoint got the idea that those cars have "significant problems" with the engine is beyond me. I think it's idiots who buy cars that are beat up and then complain that they don't work perfectly. The HVAC, suspension, and tranny are bulletproof as well. I suspect carpoint is just pulling those ratings out of their collective asses. If you look at those charts, you'll realize that the only cars with complaints against them are older, which suggests improper maintenance, not a true mechanical problem. My suspiscion is that people bought older cars that were treated poorly and then blamed any problem they had on the car and not on the lack of proper maintenance.

Zenmervolt