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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,694 posts, read 58,004,579 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ferraris
How much work/money do you put into getting them in condition to be driving?
I enjoy going to the auctions and see who drives 'last-week's-cars' back to buy another. (a few yrs ago... 600 cars / week in (3) auctions, currently ~100 cars / week (2) auctions)
I usually spend $9 for a key (since many are abandoned without a key and steering column is locked)
Sometimes I just drill out the lock cylinder. and install a hidden push button for starting.
Usually they run, sometimes not. (Most have been illegally parked and towed / impounded)
I buy tires at the junkyard for $5 and have my own tire mounting and balancing machine.
The most I have spent was for headgasket and / or a head rebuild (if I really want to keep something special).
My entire fleet (VW-D) has interchangable engines (1975 - 1999.5, many models, same brand, same block mounts and exhaust, tranny (bellhousing)...) From Scirocco, Corrado, Jetta, Passat (Quantum), Dasher, Fox, Rabbit, GTI, Golf, Cabriolet, Van, pickup, some Audi stuff will work......Swap and go! (I prefer to make GTDs (available WW EXCEPT USA and Canada.) Takes 6 - 12 hrs... 50 mpg 'sport ride')
There's a car lot nearby that all the cars are less than $1000. That dealer has a back lot too... but for cars that he is asking more than $1000... lol. I stopped by recently looking at a 1990 C4 6 speed with 99k on the clock for $6k... yes.. in the back lot.
Originally Posted by Rocko20 There will always be cheap cash cars. The question is what do you consider cheap and if the car is going to break down as soon as you drive it off the lot.
Originally Posted by cyphorx The low to mid 100's
Reality check - How long ago was it that you could you purchase a running vehicle for 100 bucks? had to be in the 1960s. When I was in high school in the mid 70s that wasnt happening, anything running was at least 2-300. Around 2007 my father in law needed a cheap car, $700 on craigslist got you something running but beat to crap, or decent looking but needing mechanical work. Running and looking halfway decent was at least $1K, and that was 12 years ago.
I sold a dodge truck with a blown head gasket for 1500 bucks. So pretty much anything out there is gonna be in the 800-1500 range and will need work.
Anything decent looking and running expect to pay 2,000 and up
When I was a kid (1950s & 60s) my Dad always had a small fleet of MOPAR cars, usually 3 or 4. At any one time, only 1 or 2 were in running condition, and the other cars were for parts salvage. He would usually buy a car for about $400, and it would be in pretty good condition. He loved the 1956 Chryslers and Desotos. The king of the fleet was a white Chrysler Imperial, and runner up was a 1956 Desoto Firedome. The 1956 Chrysler New Yorker took us on many an epic road trip across the US. The 1961 gold Chrysler 300 was pretty sharp, even with the funny looking front grill and tail fins. I saw an identical one that sold in recent years at auction for over $200K!
Inflation is what happened. $400 just doesn't buy what it used to.
That said, you can still find deals like this on Craigslist and at auctions if you're willing to put in the time and know what you're doing. It's not going to be a nice vehicle- probably marginal at best.
It's been a long time since I bought a vehicle that cheap. But back in 2005(ish) I did get a great deal on a 1996 Oldsmobile Acheiva... cost me $150 It ran, but not well. I was familiar enough with the engine though that it was easy to see what the problem was. Fixed it with about $200 worth of parts. Replaced the intake gaskets and plug wires. Cleaned out plugged oil return holes in the rear head. Busted out the plugged cat and put some decent used tires on it. Re-sealed the a/c compressor and charged it. Fixed some trim, applied touch-up paint. Replaced the trans filter, refilled with John Deere hydraulic oil
It wasn't a nice car in any respect. But I was broke at the time. It worked fine, and wasn't so ugly as to attract cops. I drove it for about a year with no serious problems. Then sold it to a tweaker for $1200 when I got the wife a better car (which I still drive) and inherited her old one (which died in Bum**** Kentucky back in 2010).
Also a lot of used vehicles are sent south of the border these days. That's also true of heavy trucks, construction equipment, ag equipment, etc. Lots of older machinery eventually goes south.
I have a guy wanting to sell me another 1995 Cougar for about $1000. I have not looked at the car, but he says it is in decent condition. I'll see. It may be all he says and I may just buy it, or it may have issues I don't want to deal with.
The $400 Cougar I drove in today, as I have said before, has terminally sun-burnt paint, some of which is flaking off the galvanized body metal, and is still very dirty. Was used around hop farms and on dirt roads. But it runs and drives, A/C works, it uses about a quart of oil in a 400 mile commuting week, and leaks about a quart of ATF over say 2 months of regular use. Part of getting a cheap used car is that you give up on cosmetic issues. The car does not have to look like a rolling wreck, but below around $3000 you don't generally get a perfectly straight body with good shiny paint. You also commonly are looking at a sound drive train, but one that you need to top up fluids periodically. Millennials who grew up on Japanese late models are not accustomed to having to add oil and ATF periodically, much less get under there to check and top off manual transmissions (Millennial: "What's that?!") and/or final drives. Keep an eye on fluid levels and these are still cheap cars, neglect this and get into expensive problems.
All I have had to do with it is replace one tie rod end and get it aligned, I have been doing some tidying up, it's missing the driver's side turn signal lens, and one of the 2 high-mount brake lights is burnt out, I'll replace both with LED replacement bulbs.
Mastering the obvious, these old, cheap, high-mile cars are for guys (mostly guys) who can do most of their own maintenance and repair. And who have tools, and a place to work. Typical for a "new to me" old car is about a year where I work on it at least 2 weekends a month, catching up on the sins of previous negligent owners. After that they are not any more trouble prone than a much newer car, in my experience.
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It ran, but not well. I was familiar enough with the engine though that it was easy to see what the problem was. Fixed it with about $200 worth of parts. Replaced the intake gaskets and plug wires. Cleaned out plugged oil return holes in the rear head. Busted out the plugged cat and put some decent used tires on it. Re-sealed the a/c compressor and charged it. Fixed some trim, applied touch-up paint. Replaced the trans filter, refilled with John Deere hydraulic oil 
