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We have been looking, online, Craigslist, and at dealers. You might find something, but to be honest, Raleigh is NOT the place to buy a car. Very over priced. Due to the increased cost of used cars in the area, we even looked at new. Of 17 Hyundai Elantras going to the local dealership, 12 are already bought. The rest are going for $1k over MSRP. Prius? HAHA. 2 month wait time, I don't even want to know how much they are going for over MSRP.
As far as used cars go, I tend to follow prices as I like to buy older cars and fix them up to resell. Prices have practically doubled in the past year.
I would consider going out of the area. We are going to be purchasing in either FL, NH, or SC, as prices there are much more reasonable. In Raleigh, demand is strong and so are prices. I wish you luck, you never know you might find something here. Also I don't know of many true car dealerships that sell cars for $3k and below, I would be looking on Craigslist or AutoTrader.
Same here. Looking for a car for our daughter. Here is what we have found. Craiglist is almost a waste. It is full of scammers. Wife called on one just last night. Looked to be ok deal about a $4000 car. What we were looking for. call the number. Ask the good question. Do you have a clear title, has it been wreak, Does it have a salvaged title? All the things you need to know. Guess what his brother has the title in his name and he lives in New York. Wrong answer. Good luck with the search. By the way thanks cash for cluckers for what the market has and is asking.
Are you trading in the SUV to buy the economy car? Seems kinda crazy to spend $3K on a car + insurance + registration + property tax to save a few cents per mile on gas.
Are you trading in the SUV to buy the economy car? Seems kinda crazy to spend $3K on a car + insurance + registration + property tax to save a few cents per mile on gas.
Older cars are really cheap to operate. With a $3k car (about what ours are worth) we pay $20/month in car insurance for liability only, prop tax is around $40/year, and if trading down gas costs going from 18 to 20-ish to 30-ish are pretty significant depending on how much you drive.
When my car was brand new, prop tax on it was over $700/yr, and insurance in the neighborhood of $400/year more. That is wasted money, it's gone forever.
Sometimes you can find a reasonably priced good car on Craigslist but they sell very fast and timing is everything. I have also seen some good mechanics special cars to be had, but you really have to know cars or have a good mechanic on hand to spot the easy fix repairs from the expensive money pit cars.
You won't find hardly anything around here at a dealer with wheels and a motor for under $3K, so your best bet is a private seller in that price range but we're talking 10-15+ year old cars that have high mileage and may need some repairs.
Here are some
2000 Focus w/ 113k for $2800 (http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2473262759.html - broken link)
1996 Saturn w/ 165k for $2850 (http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2496286673.html - broken link)
1996 Accord w/ 167k for $2800 (http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2495926391.html - broken link)
2002 Focus w/ 125k for $3000 (http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2495732987.html - broken link)
2004 Cavalier w/ 164k for $3000 (http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2488058910.html - broken link)
2001 626 w/ 130k for $3200 (http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2484497238.html - broken link)
2001 Sonata w/ 160k for $2995 (http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2494471885.html - broken link)
Those Focuses and the 626 might be worth your time, Mazda builds a decent car, not sure about the Focus, if you get a manual transmission not much can go wrong in that department except the clutch. Also I would buy from a woman, they tend to take better care of them (except my sister-in-law). A couple years ago a Focus of the same vintage were selling for more like $2000 or under, prices have really come up.
Older cars are really cheap to operate. With a $3k car (about what ours are worth) we pay $20/month in car insurance for liability only, prop tax is around $40/year, and if trading down gas costs going from 18 to 20-ish to 30-ish are pretty significant depending on how much you drive.
When my car was brand new, prop tax on it was over $700/yr, and insurance in the neighborhood of $400/year more. That is wasted money, it's gone forever.
Agreed, but if you are keeping the SUV, the only savings are gas related, which would probably be offset by the extra insurance, property tax, repairs, etc. to say nothing of the purchase price. That's why I asked if the SUV was being traded in.
Using your example:
20 mpg SUV using premium @ $3.90 vs 30 mpg economy car @ $3.65, you'd have to drive over 300 miles/month just to break even, without considering the purchase price. The OP wants something to just "run around town", so not sure if 300 miles/mo is worth it.
Take a trip to Youngsville / Franklinton area, there are several smaller dealers with cars in this price range
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