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So what do you get with a 2003 Cavalier that you don't get with a 95 Civic, besides OBD-II, which is hardly an advantage?
A much newer, lower mileage car (relatively speaking) that is no less reliable and costs no more to maintain. Your example is rather unfair. I could flip it around and say the '03 Cavalier has all highway commuter miles vs. a '95 Civic that's been driven into the ground if I wanted to slant things in my favor...With any old ,high mileage car it's going to be near impossible to establish if it's seen hard city miles or easy highway commuting.
For $2500 though it's going to be extremely difficult to find reliable transportation.
About three years ago I paid $2,000 for a 1990 Accord LX with 120,000 miles. That was one of the best cars I have ever owned and it ran perfectly until the day my neighbor's new Dodge Ram broadsided it just behind the right rear wheel in a rural intersection. I had driven this car for over two years prior to the wreck and, even with the trunk area missing after the crash, we still were able to drive it onto the trailer of the guy who bought it from me for $400. I think you could not go wrong with an Accord, Camry or a Corolla. I've owned all three and they have been perfect.
Yeah I was also going to suggest a 1990-97 Honda Accord. I had a 1991 LX 4dr and loved it. It had over 200K. Aunt purchased one in brand new in December of 1990... she loved it. Hers was a 1991 LX 2dr.... drove it until 1995, it had 83K miles, never had an issue with it.
Someone is mentioning the "mini" 80s Japanese cars... remember though, while reliable, dont really have the best safety in store. The 92-95 Civics used to be one of my favorite cars, still like them, but dont rate high in crash protection, despite a driver airbag.
For $2500 though it's going to be extremely difficult to find reliable transportation.
I totally agree. I don't think it's worth buying a car that's any less than $5,000-$7,000 (and I'm talking private party sales, no dealer markups), especially if you want something that will last a number of years. That $2,500 car is really a $5,000+ car anyway, once you factor in all the repairs it will need-- which could happen any time from immediately to within a few years down the road.
While I still personally believe that most Japanese cars were and are better than most American cars, I know from first hand experience there is no such thing as a "bulletproof" car, American or Japanese. Anything under $5,000 is likely to be crap.
I totally agree. I don't think it's worth buying a car that's any less than $5,000-$7,000 (and I'm talking private party sales, no dealer markups), especially if you want something that will last a number of years. That $2,500 car is really a $5,000+ car anyway, once you factor in all the repairs it will need-- which could happen any time from immediately to within a few years down the road.
While I still personally believe that most Japanese cars were and are better than most American cars, I know from first hand experience there is no such thing as a "bulletproof" car, American or Japanese. Anything under $5,000 is likely to be crap.
LOL!
Ya'll keep believing this...
I've NEVER bought a car costing over $2,000!
Yes, you usually have to put a couple hundred bux into it within a year, but...
THat's less than a monthly car payment!
More good deals for me!
-As I have said before, Excluding Gas, but counting all other costs... It has cost me right at $1K per year to drive in the last 6 years. (When I got back from Iraq, which is as far back as I bothered to calculate) )
People who don't know beans about cars can't get a good car for less than about $7K, but I have my Scirocco that I bought for $1000, yeah I have done some work on it that corrected some issues it had when I bought it, and I have done some maintenance, probably have about $3000 in it now, but I know the car from stem to stern, have several spare alternators, etc, have driven it about 150K miles myself, it gets 36 to 39 MPG, everything but the A/C works.
The assertion that a sub $2000 car will clobber you with big repair bills without warning only holds if the owner/driver does not know cars, if you know cars you will buy something that is a good design from the get-go, and can keep up with it's mechanical conditon.
Another car that you can get in good shape for small money is an old aircooled Bug. The most expensive repair you will ever do on these is R&R the transmission, even that's not a big deal if you have a half-decent shop. You can blow the engine up like a grenade on Friday, and for less than $1500 and the weekend's working time can be back on the road on Monday.
A much newer, lower mileage car (relatively speaking) that is no less reliable and costs no more to maintain. Your example is rather unfair. I could flip it around and say the '03 Cavalier has all highway commuter miles vs. a '95 Civic that's been driven into the ground if I wanted to slant things in my favor...With any old ,high mileage car it's going to be near impossible to establish if it's seen hard city miles or easy highway commuting.
For $2500 though it's going to be extremely difficult to find reliable transportation.
My whole point is that newer and lower mileage does NOT necessarily mean better condition.
Old cheap cars should be bought on condition, and a car that was a good design to start with. Mid 80's VW cars, Mid 80's Toyotas, particularly those with the 3S-FE engine, most Honda and Toyota from the 80's and early 90's - all are good designs with good build quality - so if you find them in good condition, at a good price point, they can be a good deal.
OF COURSE any car that you buy for less than about $3~4K is going to have some needs, the "art of the deal" is to recognize these needs in advance, and get something with issues you can live with or fix without busting your budget. The better mechanic you are, the bigger problems you can take on, but any red-blooded young man can do most basic maintenance and repair of the good old cars mentioned above. Replacing a head gasket would cost "more than the car is worth" at a shop, but it's do-able DIY if you have some tools and skill, and a place to work.
Now of course if you live in salt country, well, you are screwed from the get-go, and will have to throw money at rust, and/or drive junkers, at least in the winter, until you leave those unhallowed lands.
We are looking for several cheap cars right now. The Japanese cars just cost more and in that price range, you are limited to junk. You can get a better used Big 3 car for that price than you can Japanese or German. Any car in that price range is going to be worn out. Because of the higher prices, Japanese cars will be more worn out by the time they get down to $2500/$3000. Around here, Japanese parts cost more, take longer to get and are hard to find (not much in junk yards). The overall cost is higher in the long term. Plus your neighbors may hate you if you pull up in a Japanese car after they, or a close relative just go laid off from a management job at one of the former big three.
Japanese parts availability will improve in SE MI. There's a lot more of them then there used to be, and the same will happen to South Korean cars...have seen a lot more of them the last two or three years since Hyundai quit trying to be the new car finance company of last resort. (Owning a Kia Rio still screams "I had a job and $199.") I had a Pontiac salesman a few years ago upon hearing I was considering a Versa tell me I'd never find a shop to work on that tin can, but there's critical mass for a lot of Asian models (but not Acura, Suzuki, and Mitsubishi) here now so there'll be parts and service after a while.
Back to subject. Three words: Tercel, Prizm, and Corolla. I'd say Vibe but those have amazing resale value for a GM and I don't know if '03s are at $2500 yet. Used Civics are overpriced and at this price range may have been raced.
A Suzuki Esteem, a Suzuki Swift, a Suzuki Aerio, or a Chevy Metro might be interesting, too. Very low resale values on all (though the Swift and Metro hold value better when gas prices go way up), the Aerio and Esteem were actually made in Japan, and I've never heard anything bad about Suzuki reliability (except for the Daewoo-made ones, avoid unless practically free).
On Craigslist go to the cars and trucks for sale in your area. Enter NO model or other info in the search box*. Just put 1500 in the 1st price window. That will get rid of the trash. Enter 3000 in the 2nd price window. That's the maximum price. You can probably talk most of them down. Click the "search" button. You now have every car or truck listed in your area in your price range. Go down the list. When something catches your eye take a look at it. If you like what you see check it out on google or wikipedia. Most cars in that price range will be pretty lame. But all you need is ONE good one. Good luck!
Update: I was getting too many results so I started listing the things I DON'T want in that search box as follows:
At that price point, you buy on condition, not on make or model. At that price point, youre looking at American cars with 100+k miles, or Japanese cars with 150-200k miles. So overall condition will be about the same. The "better" brands/models that people want to recommend, will often be dented and have high miles and be soon in need of expensive repairs (like the expensive front brakes on Honda Accords, or automatic transmissions about to go bad on them or Camrys...). If you're just looking for basic transportation, don't be afraid to look at the cheap domestic stuff, too. Saturns, for example, can be had under 2 grand and last forever, while getting good fuel mileage.
And, as was mentioned before, if you can't work on your own cars, and really don't know that much about cars, you shouldn't be shopping in this price range to begin with. $3500-5000 is a better starting point in most areas.
Oh I dunno...we may be selling a 2000 Ford Focus in that price range with 85,000 miles.
We've babied the car and it's in great mechanical shape and no dents, interior is pristine. Runs like a top. Recent tune-up, flushed radiator, new spark plugs, etc. Always changed oil on schedule.
Why are we selling? Because we've a chance to buy a low mile Honda Civic from a friend's Mom that's also been babied. And after 14 years with same car, we're just ready for a change.
Only con with the Focus is that the paint is peeling off in places...we've no garage and it took some hits with pine cones in a hurricane....chipped the paint.
So you can find a decent used car at your price point. Of course I've no way of knowing if the Focus will last 250,000 like some of the Japanese/German cars do But this car is very dependable and is fun to drive.
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My advice
