http://jalopnik.com/ten-steps-for-buying-a-used-car-without-getting-screwed-786640612


Great article.

Lets see, I bought a mechanically perfect NA Miata for $1300 a couple years ago.
I bought a mechanically perfect RWD Volvo for $650 a couple years before that.
I bought a mint 280ZX 2+2 auto for $800 a year before that (it was totaled in a parking lot - $3k in damage from someone backing into it)


Anyway, the cruiser is the best option. I just found 15 under $6k on autotrader. Best car Toyota sells in the US. They build a limo in Japan (Toyota Century) for the Emperor.
Cruisers will last 500,000 miles while driving through houses.

Another option would be a Volvo 140/740/940. Can pick them up cheap, Red Blocks run for ever, slow tanks. Another option would be a 850. Not the same bulletproof engine though.

I have a 2001 Toyota Echo that I bought in 2006 for about $8k Cdn. Since then, I have put on about 70,000 miles. Repairs include a set of front wheel bearings at about $400, brake pads, several sets of tires, and regular oil changes. And that is all. My 16 year old learned to drive (stick) on it and he's currently the most frequent driver since I got my Focus RS. The Echo gets about 450 miles to a tank of gas and while it's not a rocketship, it's got decent handling and will hold a LOT of stuff including a bike.

Again to the OP: Find a Corolla, Yaris, or a Honda Fit or Civic that has less than 60,000 miles on it, get it cleared by a mechanic, and you will have a high probability of not having to do significant maintenance for a long time.

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Less is more.

Don't be so cheap. BMW 2 series.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

she wants me to had off my BMW to her and for me to trade up. Not going to happen

I am cheap though got a good deal on a pre owned 3 series.

CarMax. Use their website. They don't list cars older than 10 years. Put in all your parameters (mostly price) and see what they have to offer. You can transfer cars from all over the country to your closest CarMax. They inspect all their cars, so you can feel confident about the mechanical side.

And no haggling.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Carmax's website does not list any vehicles under $10k. He wants under $5k.

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

Repairs include a set of front wheel bearings at about $400, brake pads, several sets of tires, and regular oil changes.
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What type of driving would cause you to need 'several sets of tires' over 70k miles. Assuming that the car was purchased with completely bald tires, you'd need 1 to 2 sets. Even if we're talking snow tires here, that means 1 set of regular and 1 set of snow. Right?

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

On that car, I use Nokian WR-G2 tires (now G3: https://www.nokiantires.com/...r-tires/nokian-wrg3/) so that I was never caught out by a freak snow storm or black ice. The service life of these is not as good as a set of shitty all-seasons, but I'd much rather pay for a new set of good tires every four or five years than spend a winter sliding around on treadless gumballs that are not actually intended to function in sub-zero temperatures.

The car itself weighs about 2100 pounds, which is not that much these days... if you were to put a set of mileage-extender summer tires on there you'd get over 500 miles per tank and I'm sure the tire tread would last until the rubber aged out. That's just not in my interest.

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Less is more.

Whatever happened to "No way. you can use our family car that is on its last legs, ONLY when it isn't being used. BTW, you're welcome."?

OTOH, some of the lease deals that come up are insanely good, and it can work really well if your kid is going to go away to college where she doesn't need a car. (our second car is a lease right now and both my kids can use the vehicle, if they ask very nicely).

As a rule, carmax sends everything close the $10k to auction.
And that's before accounting for the fact that they are overpriced ;)

Minimum wage plus tips.

+1. When I was in HS i saw way too many kids in an accident, their fault or otherwise. Heck, my ex's sister got a brand new VW and a week later the sister t-boned a car in a parking lot and totaled her car. Kids do stupid stuff, either due to lack of experience or just plain stupidity. Just yesterday I saw a HS aged girl get into an accident. I can only assume she was texting and driving because the light turned green and shortly after clearing the intersection there is a street that is frequently turned on due to a USPS location. Sure enough, someone turns and she couldn't stop in time and took a hard right into a street lamp.

As far as the people discussing cost. for $6k you can get a fairly reliable used car. I don't know much about cars either but I brought a friend who knows cars with me when I was shopping and I took the car we picked out to a mechanic for inspection. I haggled the dealer to fix a few things prior to buying and I ended up not needing any service other than routine oil chance and tire rotations for the first year and a half. I've had a few replacements since then but overall nothing too expensive. One thing I know is my used car I'm driving today is a ton better and more reliable than the car my parents let me drive when I was in H.S.

Here are my recommendations:

Volvo 240. Slow, safe, easy to work on, reliable if maintained
Volvo 850 A little more modern but still a good choice.
Any Jeep with a 4 liter straight six. Darn things seem to run forever.
Honda Civic, Accord or Camry reliable and common as dirt
Pretty much any Toyota except Sienna, More good stuff from Japan
VW Jetta, Golf or Passat, teutonic niceness
Ford Crown Victoria, Land yacht gas guzzler but safe and reliable.
Subaru Impreza Legacy, awd good for snowy places
Mazda Miata, about the most fun you can have with your clothes on, worth learning a standard.
Infinity G35, nice but might be hard to find a good one < $5k

Paid $2500 for a mint 2001 XJ I bought for my sister to use, bad on gas, easy and cheap repairs... will run through a wall and keep running forever...

Just leased my daughter a new Honda CRV for 3 years at a total cost of $10k. Turn in value in 3 years is $15k but I will buy that out and sell this very desirable car with low miles for $17k so my total cost over 3 years for my daughter to drive a new car is $8k ($222 per month). Not bad.

If you pay the entire lease amount in one lump sum up front, it's even less than that.

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Lifeguard: "Do you need help?" Me: "No, that's just my butterfly."

Bad on gas is an understatement ;)
Depending on how much driving is required, it might be too much for a HS to afford