what car or car company should i go with if i want a dependable used car for 3000 dollars or less

12/19/2005 9:32:22 PM

Try craigslist
autotrader.com
cars.com
thewolfweb.com

Rule out Carmax.

12/19/2005 9:34:08 PM

i meant what kind of car

12/19/2005 9:37:58 PM

this car

12/19/2005 9:39:44 PM

^i wish
but i cant afford it

12/19/2005 9:42:12 PM

it's tough
they go for at least $3001

12/19/2005 9:43:56 PM

vtec

12/19/2005 9:49:41 PM

only bitches and hoe's drive that car

12/19/2005 9:53:28 PM

Check that it has turbo engines, though.

12/19/2005 10:04:06 PM

so anyone have any advice on any other cars but that one
we've already established that is out of the price range even if only by $1

12/19/2005 10:09:46 PM

Depends on whats out there at the time. There are good and bad examples out there of every car. Have someone check it out before you buy, ask for receipts. Lots of cars can be good just depends on who took care of it (if they did at all).

Look around at the really high mile cars for sale and see which ones come up most often. It would help if you have restrictions that you list them. For example, I would prefer 4 doors or not, 4 banger or not, trans type, economy or fun to drive, etc.

12/19/2005 10:14:34 PM

In order to pare down the BS that this board will generate:

Will you work on the car yourself?

If no: You should be able to find a mid 90's Nissan Altima or Honda Civic that will be cheap to run and have someone else perform maintenance on.

If yes: You'll get the european crowd and the japanese crowd justifying their sides: common suggestions in that price range will be an e30 325, saab 900 turbo, mercedes 300e, volvo 850 turbo from the euro crowd, and the acura integra, mitsu eclipse or possibly a subaru legacy awd from the japanese crowd.

Drive those based on your preference - one will stand out - get it.

12/19/2005 10:17:15 PM

^ True, true. A lot of reccomendations on here will assume that you have the time, money, and energy to work on stuff yourself.

12/19/2005 10:22:06 PM

i dont have time to work on the car so when i buy it, thats what i get

12/19/2005 10:26:24 PM

you need to cop a 'Rolla

12/19/2005 10:59:06 PM

I'd say go for a nice example of a 4th gen ('90-'93) Honda Accord. For around $2500 you should be able to find one in good shape without too high mileage. Good gas mileage, good interior room, handles OK, not powerful but able to get out of its own way. And it'll run forever. My dad's '91 has around 180K on it, pretty much all original parts, with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

12/19/2005 11:09:51 PM

'85-'92 vw diesel jetta/golf

12/20/2005 10:38:23 AM

^ I had a '90 Jetta - fun car to learn how to take stuff apart with, though between vacuum leaks and random electrical system issues it would frustrate someone looking for basic transportation.

12/20/2005 11:38:30 AM

i was thinkin about goin with a older volkswagon or volvo but i heard they are expensive to fix
but ive seen a couple of my friends older volvo and VWs run well over 200000 miles

i think honda would be a top choice so far
any other ideas??

12/20/2005 12:24:55 PM

^ They're not expenisve to fix, though they are expensive to have fixed by someone else.

I'd stay away from European cars, especially those you'd find for under $3k, if you're not going to do the work yourself.

The Mazda Protege is one I left out of my earlier list - cheap and actually somewhat fun to drive.

[Edited on December 20, 2005 at 1:34 PM. Reason : asdf]

12/20/2005 1:32:58 PM

Even if you're not going to do the work yourself, a Volvo 240 seems like a reasonable choice. From what I know of those cars, they don't break very often, and will run forever...

12/20/2005 3:36:56 PM