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Hi ! My friends want to buy a car under $2000 for traveling
, what advice you will give, what can be reliable for 10k miles ? Thank you
guys, please with no trolling
P.S. there some ideas from craiglist:
mercury sable 2000 / buick century 2003 / honda Odyssey 2002 / isuzu 1998
Mercury Grand Marquis 1999 / Chrysler Sebring 2003 / Ford Taurus 2006 / Pontiac ... ?
what car from this list most reliable for long trip ? Or ...toyota camry but not to much good for this price
My advice is get some tools and get ready to learn. Because *anything* for $2000 is going to require some repair. We're talking 15-20 year old vehicles here, so condition is going to matter at least as much as make and model. Find a car that's boring and reliable... and in good mechanical condition.
From your list, that would include:
The Buick (IF there is no sign of coolant in the oil, or external coolant leaks on the engine).
The Mercury (IF the transmission shifts well and the ATF doesn't smell burnt)
The Camry (possibly the best choice on your list)
Corollas are good.
SOME Hondas are good... but there have been lots of transmission problems, and it doesn't affect all models. Be careful and research if you get a Honda.
You don't want a dodge/chrysler- ever. Nissans are iffy. Stay away from Hyundai and Mitsubishi. Not sure about Isuzu but I have my doubts.
Toyota Camry or Corolla. Period. Always reliable, parts available if they need to be fixed. Non-Toyota brand parts are available for cheaper & are good. If you don’t know how to do simple maintenance yourself (oil change, belt replacement, including serpentine, tire rotation, brakes), it’s time to learn...go online, especially YouTube tutorials. The cars that you listed are POS.
thank you guys, so much usefull information
recently friends have told story me about guy who bought old corolla for $ 3000 and did not do anything with a year
Toyota Camry or Corolla. Period. Always reliable, parts available if they need to be fixed. Non-Toyota brand parts are available for cheaper & are good. If you don’t know how to do simple maintenance yourself (oil change, belt replacement, including serpentine, tire rotation, brakes), it’s time to learn...go online, especially YouTube tutorials. The cars that you listed are POS.
maintenance is not a problem, i've had 3 dirt bikes, enduro for 4 years 2 stroke and 4 stroke, all services i did by myself
Though I expect repairs in the future, my 98 Audi for $1500 has not cost me a cent out of pocket and I have put 20K miles on it since last year. In fact, when I had my brand new GMC, I enjoyed driving the Audi over it and ended up ditching the new truck because it made me realize you don't have to spend a lot to get a quality vehicle. The only thing it requires is topping off the oil every couple of weeks. If this car does break it wouldn't make sense to put any money into it as its not worth it but it has paid for itself in the wear and tear it has kept off our other vehicles. I think maintenance records are the #1, as well as researching the vehicle to know what it may require at certain intervals.
If I wanted a used car and I wanted to spend no more than $2K, I'd look for one that is being sold by an individual who demonstrated that he maintained the car.
When I was selling that old car, I was that guy. I had bought the car new and maintained it for 18 years. I sold it for $900 but it included a log of all repairs and maintenance items from day 1. I also threw in the shop manual. And, most important, it had received a new timing belt and water pump within its previous 10K miles.
My buyer was satisfied. I sold that car in 2 days.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Lots of good advice, but coming from someone who actually drives beaters....(for last 45 yrs)... I would buy:
One-owner for sale BY Owner
Likely Saturn or Scion. Or something like a Pontiac VIBE — actually a Toyota design.
You will not find a used Toyota cheap.
Honda has it’s own issues. Toyota is often less trouble.
Be sure you get records to know when the last timing belt was done.... you want a fresh timing belt. They last about 100,000 miles. If original owner / seller says NEVER had the Timing Belt changed... and car has 200k, that is a bad sign.... (Unless that car has a timing CHAIN and not a belt.)
At that price level the brand and model is almost immaterial. You're looking for a well cared for,
well maintained, survivor of years and (likely) multiple owners.
But even at that price you need to EXPECT that anything worth buying will still need something
that's obvious (Tires? Brakes? Clutch?) and something else you won't see. For these reasons
whatever your budget might be you need to set aside a portion for that work to be done.
^^^Bingo. Mileage on the odometer is also a huge factor. My one son flipped cars for a while, and he always dealt with cars in that price range. He looked for ones well under 100,000 miles, few owners, well kept, and generally cars like Buicks, Oldsmobiles, and full size Fords or Lincolns. He might have to put a few bucks into them to make them right, but they were very dependable and had a lot of years left in them.
There is no one criteria to look for, you have to look at multiple areas.
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Thank you
