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I keep telling my friend about this forum, but he hasn't posted yet so I am. His car has numerous of issues and he sold it and is looking for another car. With numerous medical bills, he can only afford $3000. He's looking for a car that is in good condition that wouldn't need any repairs. I've taken him to numerous of car lots and all of them have 100,000 miles on it or they weren't in good condition. If anyone has a car for sale that isn't a long drive from Kentucky, we would be interested in coming to see it. I appreciate any responses.
There is no such thing as a $3000 car that doesn't either need repairs or have well over 100k miles on the clock.
In that pricerange you simply have to live with some uncertainty as far as reliability goes. He can get far by knowing what to look for on specific models though.
It's possible you could find a Kia Rio, Hyundai Accent, Elantra or a Dodge Neon with under 100,000 miles for around $3,000. Cars with cosmetic defects like hail damage can be bought on the cheap. They may look ugly, but it's an easy way to get a discount on a car without affecting performance.
There is no such thing as a $3000 car that doesn't either need repairs or have well over 100k miles on the clock.
In that pricerange you simply have to live with some uncertainty as far as reliability goes. He can get far by knowing what to look for on specific models though.
Pretty much.
Buy a manual with a good or recently replaced clutch that shifts easy. Strongly prefer cars that have non-interference engines because of timing belt issues. Avoid cars with very sloppy steering, leaking fluids, or potential head gasket issues (chocolate milkshake engine oil). If an automatic is a must, no autos with burnt tranny fluid and/or shifts hard. No cars with a bunch of aftermarket/racing mods. No cars with missing titles, title issues, I have to get the title from my third cousin in Afghanistan stories.
Accept that the even the best car probably has something wrong that you can't immediately figure out or tell from the test drive. In my case, the water pump catastrophically failed with no warning or leaks. It had been replaced 40k ago, but whoever did it sealed the gasket improperly and it was just a ticking time bomb. Go figure. At least it didn't ruin my head gasket.
In this price range you buy on condition, not so much on make or model. ANY car in this price range could bneed major repairs in a month that will not show up on a pre-purchase inspection. ANY car. So a glance at how it was taken care of up to this point is more useful.
If you can't work on cars yourself, either don't look at cars that might need work (meaning: don't buy cars in this price range), or look at cars that the parts and labor costs are low. In teh US, that generally means domestics, as it costs less to repair them when they need it (vs Japanese or European cars that have higher parts/labor costs and will ALSO very likely need work shortly).
If you CAN work on your own cars (or are willing to learn) then get a car you LIKE so that when you WILL have to work on it, you can stay liking the car. And again, look for vehicles that have decent online parts sources and communities around them for tips and tricks.
Unfortunately, it sounds like your friend is in the former category. At this price point, it's a crapshoot and no matter WHAT he gets, could end up with thousands in mecahnics shop bills. It's almost better to find an even cheaper car with know issues and fix those, keeping it under the total budget. and have money left in the budget for incientals. Would suck to spend the $3k on a car and a month later have a major problem that didn't show up on a PPI.
Something else I always tell people getting into these low priced cars.. they are not new cars. if you expect them to be, you will be disappointed. If you try to make them like new, you WILL end up with a money pit, regardless of make/model. Get a car in decent condition now with a good maintenance history, and leave non-critical things unfixed. Broken cupholders, scratches, minor oil leaks at the valve covers, rattles, etc.
An example. I bought this for $375, needing a cleaning and a fuel filter to run properly:
It's dented, not perfect, etc. Cleaned it up, gave it a quick wash and buff/wax, and steam cleaned the inside.. Gave it an oil change, air filter, new spark plugs and wires, and did the brake pads and rotors. Had a total of $550 into it including purchase price at this point:
Drove it the 6 hours from Baltimore up to hartford, CT to give to a friend who had lost their job and had their daily driver car blow it's engine. A year later, it's still being driven. Same car woudl have had another thousand in labor aded to the cost had it been taken to a shop. Still a good deal.
Would I be wrong to suggest an auto auction? Couple hundred dollar car that usually doesn't have much wrong except the previous owner missing payments or being a felon.
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