Anyone recommend a $4000.00 car?

Look for a 2000 or 2001 Dodge Neon should be in your price range and will be reliable as a Honda or toyota up to about 150,000 miles. No way are you going to find a Honda or toyota in that price range that new! Manual transmission cars are better that the autos.I have three Neons and the newest has 72,ooo and the only repair I have had is I had to replace the battery. the front brakes look like they will go 90,000 miles. My 1995 neon has 172,000.but the rod bearing are going out. Parts are also cheap for these cars. No resale value so they make good used car buys. I donot trade so resale means nothing to me. I am shooting for 200,000 mles on my 2002 Dodge neon. It is A ACR car and has adjustable struts and the 150HP engine.
 
DO NOT buy a 2000 or newer neon-
mine was in the shop more than i had it for the first year and got worse with age-74 grand and it was falling apart-3 motors,2 ac units all 4 struts,2 stearing bearings,2 power stearing units,altinator ect and various computer problems-so many in fact i recieved a gold warranty(up to 70k) when i was about to do the lemon law-without it i woild be broke right now

im a big on maintinance but it doesnt natter with those pos cars-
btw i am a big mopar guy-i love dodge but the neons are major garbage compared to a toyota or honda
 
Toyota, they last forever, and if you buy from the owner, not a dealership, you will be paying 4 grand for a 6 grand car.
 
Honestly, for a car in that price range what matters most is how well the car was cared for, how few miles, climate, and condition.

Still, there are certain brands I would stay clear of, "Dodge" being one that would send me running. A Dodge Neon? Yuck. I'd rather walk.

Personally, I'd look for an older Mercury, Cadillac, or Lincoln in excellent condition. Those things depreciate like rocks and the quality is better than most imports (except Lexus). I have a '95 Mark VIII, originally a $40,000 car that now is worth $3,000. Powerful and fast, good-looking, loaded with toys, and incredibly comfortable. My wife and I just bought two new-er cars, a Lexus and a Honda; the Lincoln is still the best vehicle of the bunch.

Mostly, don't jump on the first $4,000 car you find. Hold out for something in excellent condition.

Happy Shopping,
-Bob
 
By the way, here is a ranking of vehicle dependability by brand. It's the 2005 Long Term Dependability study of cars over a three-year period, so it's actually a ranking of how well 2002-model cars have held up.

http://www.jdpower.com/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2005089
Older surveys that would cover previous vehicle years are also available at the website.

Summarize:
Top Five:
1- Lexus (as usual)
2- Porsche
3- Lincoln
4- Buick
5- Cadillac

Toyota, Honda, Mercury, and Infinity are also near the top. Only a few "repairs per 100 vehicles" seperate many adjacent brands in the ranking, but there are some leaps too.

Bottom Five:
Isuzu, Volkswagon, Mini, Land Rover, Kia (dead last)

Dodge and Jeep are the lowest-ranked American brands.

There are also rankings listed for particular vehicle models, categorized by class. In your price range, to get a late-model car you are likely going to be shopping for a Compact. The top 3 compact cars are: Chevy Prism, Toyota Echo, and Toyota Prius.

Best Luck in your search,
-Bob
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm going to look at a 97' Impreza AWD on thurs.. Looks to be a good deal, $4000.00, 116,000 miles. Test drive will tell the tale.
 
There is no way I'd put my family in a Neon. Injury rate in crashes is WAY high.

I agree with Bobw. look for a one owner car that was maintained.

My wife still drives her '95 Taurus. I have no idea where this car would fall in ratings. I do know that it has NEVER failed her.The only things we put into it have been maintenace items.

It gets it carpets and seats and cleaned /scochtguarded 3 times a year, paint waxed 6 times a year. Super clean in /out.

Its worth maybe what $ 1,500 ? Find some guy who takes great care of his cars and keeps them a long time.

Sorry but i plan on keeping mine four more years.

The Dodge Neon, which performed worst on the test, the Institute said, was singled out for particularly harsh criticism in the Insurance Institute's report.

"This car is a disaster," Lund says. "The structure is poor, and both dummies' heads were hit by the barrier during the crash test. High forces were recorded on the head, torso, and pelvis of the driver dummy. If this had been a real driver in a real crash, it's likely it wouldn't have been survivable
 
Lone Hunter didnot tell the whole story on crash tests. Of the 16 small cars tested only two received a passing rating. Those two also failed when they didnot have the optional side airbags. The Neon is rated 4 star frontal impact and 3 stars side impact. It is also rollover acceptable. The Neon also has optional side airbags and antilock brakes,which my car has both. Small cars currently are not as safe as larger vehicles. I am 54 and never been in accident and I feel my Neon allows me to avoid alot of accidents that other cars couldnt. My Neon is A ACR model which is the competion Neon. My neon with semi-race brake pads can stop in 97 feet from 60 mph. No flaming here just wanted to tell alittle more of the story.They didnot test the Neon with the available side airbags.
 
Toyota make some very decent small cars that will last forever if you take good care of them. I recommend the Yaris, although I don't know what second hand prices are atm. The Aygo is a very good citycar too.
I hope you don't mind their looks, they have to grow on you :) .

(We have a Toyota Yaris Verso. It looks like a shoebox on wheels, but I really like.)
 
The Dodge Neon, which performed worst on the test, the Institute said, was singled out for particularly harsh criticism in the Insurance Institute's report.
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I once witnessed an accident where a Dodge Neon rear-ended a Ford Festiva at about 10mph. The Festiva seemed fine and the Ford driver was totally unconcerned, although I expect the bumper paint flaked off later. The Neon was a complete mess, probably totalled, and could barely be driven off the street.
 
I just cut and pasted a part of an article, one of many about the neon btw.

Where i first started to think about these cars was from my job, both what I respond to and the fact that my DC bought one for his daughter.She backed out of a parking space,turned the wheel put it in drive went a short distance and hit a light pole a very short distance away. The car was totaled.

I agree small cars are the worst, thats why i avoid them.The reason I gave up riding motorcycles was, while i could out brake and out steer/avoid many things that could cause a crash, thats only part of it, . I have seen plenty of folks sent to the hospital who were just sitting at a light etc. When crashes happen they don't stay in one lane, they don't just involve the orignal car or just moving ones. you can be sitting at a light or stopped in traffic 3 cars ahead of the one that first gets hit.

I did google neon and read some more, seems that the new neons are safer, but he's looking for a used(older car) and I would still avoid the older ones
 
Yea, the Neon is out of the question for me anyway. I work in the auto manufacturing industry and I put alot of stock into how a company does business. Dimler Chrysler is by far one of the worst.

I know this may draw some flack but I wont buy an american made car. I try to buy ameriican in most other areas but cars are too expensive to take a risk on. In my experence, foriegn cars are much more reliable and less "disposable". When the domestics can produce a small car thats up to par, I'll be the first in line.
 
When the domestics can produce a small car thats up to par, I'll be the first in line.
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I don't know why people continue to believe stuff like that...

As I mentioned above, the Chevy Prism is the top-ranked Compact car for long-term dependability. The top 3 Midsize Cars for Long Term Dependability are Chevy Malibu, Oldsmobile Alero, and Hyundai Sonata.

In the most recent Initial Quality Study, the top 3 "Compact Cars" are all imports. But if you move up a notch to the "Midsize Car" category, the Chevy Malibu is #1.

(The #1 vehicle for Initial Quality, the Lexus SC430. But used ones are few and far between and it doesn't have a back seat.)

Now consider the category of vehicles most suitable for a family, Full Size Cars. The top 3 in Initial Quality are all American, the Buick LeSabre, the Mercury Grand Marquis, and the Ford 500. The top 3 Full Size Cars in Long Term Dependability are Buick LeSabre, Ford Crown Victoria, and Mercury Grand Marquis.

And it's not just cars. Most dependable mini-trucks, Chevy and GMC followed by Toyota. Most dependable midsize trucks, Cadillac Escalade EXT, Ford F150, followed by Toyota Tundra. Most dependable full-size trucks, all American.

Sorry for the rant, I'm just puzzled as to source of these misconseptions about American brands.

-Bob

work in the auto manufacturing industry
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I don't get why you're asking us about car shopping; we should be asking you. Off Topic, you wouldn't by any chance know anything about Honda? I just bought an S2000, my first convertible, first Honda, and first import. I just don't quite know what to expect, even though it's consistantly a top-ranked vehicle in it's class (I've always owned Mercuries and Lincolns).
 
Another nay on the Neon. Not that crash results bother me, but what crummy cars. Blowing heads, trannys, and suspension parts like crazy. Spend some time watching Craigslist. You'll notice lots of 'FREE: 1999 Dodge Neon, 60K, needs engine work." Same thing with cars like the Stratus.

I'm not a domestic basher, but I can't believe the above reports are accurate, or reflect the real world. Caddies and Buicks might run for a long time, but every one I've seen after a few years is falling apart inside and out. I love Crown Vics, though. Not sold on Japanese trucks, either.

I've had some funny luck with cars. 1985 Grand Caravan is still like new but the Japanese engine wasted. 1985 Subaru ran like a top but rusted out in no time. 1990 Mazda 626 has nearly been driven into the ground but it's dead nuts reliable. 1994 Grand Cherokee is mostly a great truck, but with an awful Dodge transmission.
 
168k on my 1981 wellsite Toyota 4X4 PU. It went through -38F temps, axle-deep mud, cross-country drives, and desert dust. It was running fine when I sold it...with the original clutch.

188k on my Toyota 1987 Camry wagon. A workhorse that drives daily. As much power as when new. 34 mpg on mountain interstate driving. We will get antique tags in 5 years. Drips a little bit of oil.

166k on my Toyota standard PU. Runs strong and reliably. Replaced clutch at 145k. Engine strong with few problems. Hauls heavy loads of firewood every year. We are keeping this vehicle.
 
I have a 1985 Toyota Tercel Wagon

1 owner, less than 88,000 miles, garaged, and with complete maintenance records.

There are good deals that come along, and they are usually not advertised.
 
when i was having problems with my new neon the service lady had the balls to say too me-"what kind of quality did you expect from a neon"

i replied-enough that i would want to move up the dodge line to a better model-

things starting falling off the neon within the first week i had it-it was one of the better american cars ive bought

i will never buy another american car-had ferds and they made the neon look good and i wont even tell you about the new car i bought in the 90's from Generick Made Crap-
 
shotgunner11 said:
Yea, the Neon is out of the question for me anyway. I work in the auto manufacturing industry and I put alot of stock into how a company does business. Dimler Chrysler is by far one of the worst.

I know this may draw some flack but I wont buy an american made car. I try to buy ameriican in most other areas but cars are too expensive to take a risk on. In my experence, foriegn cars are much more reliable and less "disposable". When the domestics can produce a small car thats up to par, I'll be the first in line.
Click to expand...

Same for me, brother!

I used to be "buy American" but after three bad cars in a row, following mediocre ones before that I gave up. In 1988 I bought my last U.S. truck, a Chevy S10. Biggest POS I ever drove. By 1990 I was tired of having it towed back to the dealership and agueing about the leamon law. I traded for a Toyota pickup and never looked back!

That little truck went 140,000 with no problems outside of expendable stuff like brake pads, two batterys and an exhaust system. When I had my rotator cuff operated on in September of 2001 And could not drive a stick shift anymore, I did not even think of another brand truck. I bought a 2002 Toyota Tacoma and at 59000 miles it's been great.

I won't buy another American made truck. When I get in my vehicle I want to get to where I'm going and back again. Not be waiting by the shoulder of the road for the roll back! I've tried Ford Ranger, Chevy S10, and the Dodge Dakota. They made me a Toyota man.
 
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