If you want to buy under 2 grands, what year car would be good? (auto, gaskets)

[ToyotaHon]

Originally Posted by stilldriveem

Paid $900 for my 79 Thunderbird in April 02. Still my daily driver. Zero breakdowns so far and only $89 in simple repairs. $32 a month for insurance. Can't motor much cheaper than that.

Do you have a tip for how to choose a well running car like that?

[StealthRabbit]

I stick with evil (50mpg) diesels... (I use FREE fuel. (since 1976)... discarded Jet A, Heating oil, used oil, cooking oil, Bio Diesel, peanut oil, turkey fryer oil...)

$2000 will buy you a SWEET ride (with only ~ 300k on the clock)

Doesn't matter to me...

For a used Generic car... I find a LOT of deals in (mostly) rust free TX, AZ and CA.

Even my 50 yr old cars do not have rust (except a few with interior water leaks in a rainy climate...)

I buy 'non-rust' all the time... jump on a cheap airflight and drive it home. (over a weekend if working)

Lots of variety of vehicles... I paid $800 for a 2001 Minivan T&C, under 135k miles, I needed a $165 part, but has been very happy for last 5 yrs 50k miles (including 3 cross country trips.)

Nice thing about a van... you can LIVE in it!

[Rocko20]

A car at 2K is a very high risk vehicle.

[jambo101]

Look on craigslist in your area for a well maintained Toyota Corolla/Camry or Honda Civic.

[unit731]

Originally Posted by ToyotaHon

If you live in rust country would it be better to purchase a used car out of the rust country range and drive it back home?

Best way.
Avoid any rusty junk.

Originally Posted by stilldriveem

Paid $900 for my 79 Thunderbird in April 02. Still my daily driver. Zero breakdowns so far and only $89 in simple repairs. $32 a month for insurance. Can't motor much cheaper than that.

I paid $400.00 for a parts car that ran. Radiator leaked. Fixed radiator and drove car for 3 years as daily driver.

I always look for a one owner no accidents used car.

You do need a couple of things. One is knowledge of cars and how they work. Two you need a good local honest mechanic shop.


On another note. We have a guy in town that only buys used Toyotas for around $1,000.00. He buys off Craiglist or Facebook. He buys used cars that do need some work. But he has knowledge of what work is needed and the cost associated. His latest one is a Toyota Camry that needed brakes and a muffler. He sets aside the money needed for those repairs. Today the car runs perfectly.


When I buy a used vehicle the first things I check are the oil dip stick and the automatic dip stick (some don't have this anymore). If the oil is dirty or down I skip that car. If the automatic transmission fluid is dirty or down I don't buy that car. Automatic transmission fluid is usually pink (some are clear).


Part of the process is sizing up the seller. You have to size up the seller. Something that comes with age and experience.

A best bet is to buy your grandmothers car.

At this price range never purchase from a used car lot.

And finally if you know nothing about cars - take along a friend who does. And pay to have car looked at on a lift at any car repair shop.

[sdlife619]

Originally Posted by stilldriveem

Paid $900 for my 79 Thunderbird in April 02. Still my daily driver. Zero breakdowns so far and only $89 in simple repairs. $32 a month for insurance. Can't motor much cheaper than that.

Those old late 70’s Fords were actually pretty darn good besides for all the million smog vac lines under the hood.
They had solid drive trains and very well made strong bodies and frames.

Only major ****ty part about those cars, or the majority of Fords of that vintage, is there electronics and wiring was bad. The typical issues are the power windows won’t work which is also caused by broken regulators, same for the door locks, lights flickering and dimming. Electrical gremlins plagued old Fords, but because I own a Lincoln of the same era, I know how they are.

Smooth great running cars none the less.

[Snort]

I think the key is to target cars that are under-appreciated, and therefore, undervalued. Instead of buying a used Toyota or Honda, I went with a used Mitsubishi.
Of course, I've replaced just about everything on the car since I got it, but I got it cheap.
I do most of my own work, so it's been okay for me. To people who don't work on their cars themselves, I'd recommend making "reliability" the first box to check off when buying a used car. Thankfully, nowadays, all that info can be found online.

[HappyRider]

Last summer I needed transportation for two months away from home. Started looking at a grand then upped it to two. Never found anything decent. The closest was a Ford 500 but that fell through. Another was a Dodge Stratus I believe but had body damage and other weird things. I ended up renting. The last thing I needed was to spend time at shops in a strange town. I would say you need to spend $5k at a minimum.

[HappyRider]

Seems like people avoid neighborhoods that have cars that owners are working on. And it is not just in the driveway. Even garages aren't immune to being judged. What's a car enthusiast to do?

[NY Annie]

I have a 2002 Kia Sportage - sadly we are going to sell it. 3 vehicles and only 1 driver. It mostly sits in the driveway now but we start it every month or so and take it a couple miles' drive. It was the only vehicle until 3 years ago when we bought a truck for towing and then a van for animal transport. It's just sitting there - but is still the best vehicle I've ever owned. For 12+ years it was the only vehicle we had. If it were only bigger inside and had more heft to handle the farm equipment and trucks on the roads around here, the 4 cyl light vehicle is not a good fit. At some point soon, I'll clean it out and get it ready for sale.


If I were looking for a used smaller vehicle, that's what I would look for - good daily driver, economical, it's had good pm and it's lasted 16 years and still going.