Buying a car... any advice from the more experienced?

D

Dunhausen

Joined
Apr 29, 2006
Messages
205
I am pretty poor, but need a car to get between school, work, and home (90 miles away... already tried it on my mountain bike... no fun :p).

I really know nothing about cars, though, which is why I'm making an inquiry.

My budget is probably around $500-$3000, depending on when I make the purchase and what I'm willing to sell.

I'd like it to be something of a longterm invesment, i.e., I'd like to play around with it and upgrade it/make modifications, etc. I do electrical engineering as a hobby, but would also like to play around with mechanical improvements/hacks/modifications.

Offroad ability would be nice, both as a sport unto itself, but also because I do a lot of rock climbing / caving. But I don't terribly mind taking long hikes either, if I wind up with something without much clearance.

Anyway, any suggestions on where to go, what to look for, how not to get screwed over? I assume in hunting for a bargain I won't be able to set out looking for a particular model, but if there are any recommendations, it sure would be helpful. :)
 
If you dont know anything about cars, then take someone with you who does. That way they can look for anything wrong. I just purchased a grand caravan for only 100 dollars, leather fully loaded. They are out there. I have no need for a new car. usually spend less than 500 to purchase and less than 500 to maintain and fix. Im selling 2 good cars right now for 150 dollars a piece , my famous purple hyundai accent and a 1984 pontiac fiero. Both low miles but a few problems. Just look around , youl find something. The more cars you go through the more you learn.:thumbup:
Go for Jeep, Toyota, Honda or do yourself a favor and find an AWD subaru.
 
You need to have some idea what you want and what the going price is. In any type of negotiation the person with the most accurate/best info wins.

Also, know what your top dollar is and do not go over it. Don't fall for this is a good car but for _____ more you could get this great car.

Also, do not buy any of the extended warranties, this is where they really make their money.

Research the market, research the local newspapers, take your time, and then when you see a good deal you'll know it is a good deal. Also be sure to check the Carfax (or similar report) on any car you make an offer on. Most of the time the dealer will run this for you if you ask them, if they refuse to I'd walk away, or at least put off signing anything until you can check it yourself.

Finally do not be pressured into anything, once you sign the papers and exchange the $ it is done deal. After you do this it is too late to do the research.

I hope this helps

Eric
 
If you are patient and willing to pass over a lot of used cars, look for a car being sold by a senior citizen. They will either run like a sewing machine or haven't seen a mechanic or oil change in years.

My grand mother just sold a 15 year old Ford with 30K miles on it without a problem or defect beside some minor bumper damage when couldn't scrape the office off the rear window and backed into a pickup at very low speed. It sold for $1500 with the factory Ford 302 V-8 and pristine interior.
 
Two things:

1) Few cars can ever be considered an "investment," if we agree that investments bring us more money than we spent. Buying a car as a "toy" is not for the financially challenged, as you state you are.

2) If there is a knock or ping in the engine, especially if rebuilt, don't accept their word that "it's nothing to worry about."................don't ask me how I know........

.
 
If you don't know cars or have VERY CLOSE friends (defined as easily bribed with beer) who are able to help you fix little problems or issues, don't buy a fixer-upper! Used, crappy looking is fine, but it MUST have good engine, drivetrain and brakes.

Take it to a reputable mechanic in your area (not the one recommended by the seller) for a full going over. Explain your situation and ask them what work they'd recommend be done to the car. (Repeat, make sure the mechanic is REPUTABLE!)

The best lesson I ever learned about car buying and I learned it only 24 years after I was taught it is to figure out how much you can afford to pay as a monthly payment for a car and how much you have for a down payment. Take the down payment and buy a good used car straight out for cash. Take your determined monthly payment and stick it in a savings account or shoe-box under your bed and never touch it. When the used car goes belly-up, check the account/box to see how much you now have to buy another used car! If you have good luck and are able to sniff out the really good deals, you'll be driving more car than you ever imagined in 5-10 years!

J-
 
If your looking for something inexpensive that will double as an off road vehicle,check out the Jeep wagons and Chevy S-10 series,pickups,and small blazers.You should be able to pick up something decent in your price range.Look for something with a V6,don't even bother with 4 cylinders.The Chevy V6's are good for a couple hundred thousand miles,I have one with 260,000 on it now and it still runs good.Another issue will be what state you live in,some are harder than others with emmisions and whenyou get into 10 year old cars there are more emissions related problems.
 
Thats interesting advise, "dont bother with 4 cylinders", why is that? I wouldnt rely much on a blazer, but i think a straight six in an older cherokee is priceless. Just wondering?
Matt
 
He's driving 90 miles daily to work ,whether that would be 90mi round trip or 90mi one way,it's too many miles a day on a four cylinder,a V6 will handle that mileage a lot better.I would agree on the straight six in a Cherokee,but I'm also talking about 10 year old vehicles and I don't believe that Jeep has used those in the past 10 years.He could possibly go back a few more years on the right vehicle but I still think he would e better off staying in the 10 year range.
 
$500-$3000 Doesn't get you much unless it's from a friend.

I sold one fellow my wife's 1989 Honda Accord 4 door for $500 when it had 90,000 miles on it and dead a/c. He's still driving it at 160,000 after replacing the exhaust system, clutch (@110,000) and brakes (@125,000)............... He has a first class beater but he was a friend so he knew what he was getting.

My brother sold a 1995 Nissan Maxima to one of his buddies for $2,000 @!60,000 and it's still going too but the transmission sounds like a Cuisinart on HIGH and, of course, the A/C is long gone. He doesn't drive very far which is probably a good idea.

My point is that you need some history on the car before you "invest" Lots of things that can be on theior last legs cost LOTS of money to repair. TRANSMISSIONS cost a fortune. Top ends cost a chunk............ brakes and steering are critical for your safety.

Have an mechanic go over it for $100

Syn
 
Go online and Google worst resale values in cars. Last time I checked it was the Kia Spectra and Hyunda. I then started looking for those models used. Found one locally Kia Spectra 100,000 mile warranty on it, car had 16,000 miles on it was only one model year old for 6,000. I bought it for my daughter, she has no trouble except minor junk covered by warranty. They are good cars, just bad resale values, had I looked for even an older car, it would have been much cheaper and still under warranty.

Just my 02 cents and your bucks,
Jim
 
Sell some stuff or save some money -- $500 will buy you a nightmare from hell that will max out your credit cards and leave you stranded on a regular basis.

Consumer Reports sez to avoid Ponitacs and Ford, and to look for a Honda or a Toyota.

Try to find a car that had a single owner -- preferably an old person who hardly drove it -- and if they have a stack of receipts from the mechanic showing regular maintenance, that is a very good sign. Buy a car from a college student and it may have been driven 25,000 miles between oil changes with the tank never being more than 1/4 full and the shocks and transmission both ready to drop from abuse.

For off roading, look at a Jeep Wrangler -- they're not too difficult to work on and parts are readily available.

For driving 180 miles every day, consider a Geo Prism. Tiny little car, but practically unkillable and certainly within your price range.
 
I don't know where you live, but my first several vehicles (in Florida) were motorcycles. I bought my first bike in 1992 (10 year old Honda 750) for $1000 in very decent shape. After I wrecked it, I bought a new Yamaha 600 (Seca II) for $3700 and put 60,000 miles on it before selling it. The entire time I owned it, it got a consistent 55mpg. That bike was the best money I've spent on transportation. In comparison, I just spent $3000 on suspension work and a new set of tires for my 9-year-old Oldsmobile.

If you do consider getting a bike, be sure to ask for advice about that, and you'll get your ears talked off.
 
Get the Consumer Reports anual auto issue and study it thoughly. The info within is gathered by knowledgable people, and its damm good advise. The frequency of repair charts for all the different cars is very interesting.
 
I second the motorcycle suggestion. Even if you live in a place that gets kind of cold, if you get a bike with a full fairing you'll be surprised at how much wind it cuts.

An on-off dirt bike, like a Kawasaki KZ600 will take you places a jeep can't.

Chad
 
On the motorcycle thread, I just bought a 2007 KLX-250S for $3412 plus a $135 documentation fee. Take the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) course if you are going to use this option.

Motorcycles can be good basic transportation if you aren't driving in heavy traffic with newspaper reading, cell phone IM'ing, etc. idiots.

Kawasaki has an 8% rate on their motorcycles financing right now and you can get a Good Times Protection plan for $330 for an extra 24 months of extended coverage with no mileage limitation. 48 months is ~$430 I think.
 
Another point to consider, smog checks. In my state, cars 1973 and older are smog exempt. An '86 Mazda with 170K may have a hard time passing smog. With a '65 Plymouth Valiant that won't be a problem. Both will need some work along the way but with an old car it's so much easier to work on them. Also the old cars are cheaper to register and insure.

I just replaced a $950 beater, after the head gasket went out for the second time. If I hadn't been able to put a down on a newer car I would have looked for a Dodge Dart with a Slant6. Hondas and Toyotas are really good cars but in that price range they're going to have a gazillion miles on the clock.

And stay away from old Bugs unless you really like tinkering.

Good luck.
Frank
 
Here's a few general suggestions based on "some" years of experience with vehicles. Trucks are tougher and more durable than cars. If you choose wisely you can get more for your money in a standard two wheel drive pickup truck than you will in any car. American trucks are good, but maybe Japanese trucks are better. There are an awful lot of good used Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu, and Mazda pickups on the market, too. A trailer hitch is useful, but you may want to avoid buying a truck (or car) that shows evidence of a lot of use as a tow vehicle, such as having one of the heavy duty class 2 or class 3 trailer hitches. Heavy towing/frequent towing is hard on transmissions etc. Some lighter towing is fine, but just be prudent when choosing a used vehicle. If you think you found something that looks good, ask to have it for half a day or longer and pay a good mechanic fifty bucks or more to run a compression test on the engine and look it over in general. It's called a pre-purchase inspection and smart people have been known to save themselves a lot of money and grief by having it done before closing a deal. I've never been afraid of buying a vehicle with 100,000 miles or more on it if it looks like it's been well maintained and driven intelligently by a mature adult with good sense. If you get an older vehicle you should plan to spend several hundred dollars on a new battery, belts, hoses, tires, and maybe brakes and shock absorbers in the first few months you own it. Plan to get an oil and oil filter change almost as soon as you buy it. Transmission and differential fluid changes are a good idea, too. New air and fuel filters will be a good idea. Especially in an older vehicle, I prefer to use a good 20W-50 oil unless you will operate it in cold winter conditions. I use that oil year around where I live. 10W-30 is as light as I'm inclined to go. Part of what I'm saying here is be prepared to spend some money in the very near future fixing up an older vehicle. You can leave it ugly and uncomfortable, but you need to make it reliable. And you need a gun and a cell phone in the glove compartment in case it isn't. Good luck.
 
jackknife said:
Get the Consumer Reports anual auto issue and study it thoughly. The info within is gathered by knowledgable people, and its damm good advise. The frequency of repair charts for all the different cars is very interesting.
Click to expand...

I can go into more detail if you like, but I have a number of friends who are engineers in the auto industry (both import and US) who have been directly involved with how Consumer Reports rates vehicles, and from speaking with them I am convinced that CR's test and analysis methods have no validity. Zero. You'd be as well off tossing darts at an eye chart.

For example, they now rate headlamps. The rating is done by an engineer with a background in tire design and no experience whatsoever with optics or vehicle lighting. The rating is based upon her "subjective impressions" of how good the lights are during a nighttime run around a course that does not mimic actual roads or vehicle usage. It is set up such that a short wheelbase and firm suspension result in a low rating for the headlights, simply because headlights move more on a vehicle with these features. This is not taken into account.

Headlight manufacturers have whole purpose-built test chambers dedicated to evaluating vehicle lighting, run by people with doctorates in physics and optics and electrical engineering, which produce actual numerical results that can be compared directly. CR has no interest in these facilities or their expertise, and prefers their bumpy track and their tire engineer.

I saw a test where they gave a Toyota model a "best buy" and castigated the Chevy equivalent, even though the two cars in question are bolt-for-bolt copies of each other made at the same plant by the same people and are identical other than badging.

Seriously, they may know vacuums and microwaves but when it comes to cars that magazine is not worth the paper it's printed on.

My recommendations are as follows:
Small car - Used Geo Prism. It's a Toyota Corolla (possibly the best car ever in practical terms) but the resale value is nonexistent because it's badged as a Geo.
Large car - '91 or older Crown Victoria or Grand Marquis. They're fun, cheap, and durable. Parts are cheap, and the vehicles are easy to work on.
Truck - Early nineties Ford F150 with the straight 6 motor. They're invincible and easy to work on. Once again, parts are cheap, and vehicles are plentiful. People foolishly overlook them because they don't have a V8. The I6 is a better motor for a daily driver.

At this point don't bother with anything with pretensions of sport or luxury.

I disagree with the previous post, I've had several $500 cars that provided years of safe and reliable transportation.

If you're handy and don't mind a project I'd take a look at a basic American car from 1972 or earlier. They're simple as can be and in many cases parts are still readily available. Falcons are cheap and look OK. Watch out for rust.
 
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