Is $3500 just not enough to get a decent used car??

Do you know anyone that is an auto dealer?

We have a friend here who owns a used car lot. Every week he goes to an auto auction where he buys cars for his lot. He got my mom a Jeep Liberty a few years back. It was a year old and had 22k miles on it. All the options - leather, navigation, etc. - for $13k. My dad got a similar deal on a Suburban a couple years before that. I have bought a couple cars that way as well. We see all kinds of cars come through. From dealer demo cars to rental fleet cars to trade-ins. We saw a guy spend $1000 and buy 3 cars. All had high miles and needed minor work, but he said he'd take them back, put about $200 into fixing them up, and sell them for $2500 a piece. Said that's how he makes his living. He got a friend of mine a Z06 Corvette that was a couple years old for $23k. Blue book was almost $40k.

He charges us $500 on top of the cost of the car, plus we pay the fee that the auction company charges (I think $120?), but we still save thousands.

If you know anyone who is a dealer, it's definitely worth looking into.

 

I bought my 02 Mazda protege for $3200, with about that mileage, last spring. It can be done.

 

Keep looking. Personally I would be looking at some toyota corollas around 100,000 miles. My family has had 3 corollas one is at 165,000 miles , one 176,000 miles and mine is 166,000 miles and just got a used distributor for 40$ , most exspensive exspense i have paid for it , mine is old though '86.

Of course there are ford escorts and focus that come cheap but i rather have a toyota, my friend got an escort last year for 3000$ with 58,000 miles on it.

 

no it's not impossible man

 

Used Saturns. cheap cheap cheap, and if you mind the oil the SL2s will roll into 200K without a problem. Parts are cheap and they are dead easy to work on.

Only issue is, they like to go through the oil. check the oil everytime you fill up, and you're good.

Is it a Lamborghini? Nope. Just solid cheap transportation.

 

You're not going to find a 10 year old car worth having for $3500...unless you're competent to do your own repairs.

Make it a mid-90's model or boost your budget to $5,000.

 

+1, kinda. Got myself a used 2004 Ion 2 for $7k. It doesnt really go through oil any differently than any other car Ive owned has. As I have a pretty lengthy commute to & from work I change my oil around 6-8000 miles.

Why not put down $3500 on a decent used car from a dealership?

 

How about a motorcycle?

 

Jeep Cherokees (both the XJ and the WJ) can usually be had for under $4000 and have the added bonus of being able to haul a lot of gear. the 4.0L engine is also basically a giant tinker toy- anyone can fix it with even simple hand tools. i've noticed a trend that many of them seem to be 2WD, but i'm not sure if you get any snow in Plano.

but being able to do your own repair work makes the selection pool a whole lot bigger; ie. if the ad states the clutch is worn, for +/-$150, tools, and beer for your helping buddies, it can be replaced in under a day.

good luck on your search

edit: perfect example http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/ctd/1959438516.html
prices may vary in your region, but they're usually pretty cheap all around.

 

Dude thats EASY!!

Craiglook.com and be willing to travel a pray the car makes it home..

Has worked for me 4 times now.

I would NOT be put off my a toyota with a butload of miles. They really keep going.

I bought my 97 4runner for 4000 and my 98 land rover for 4000$

 

If it has been well maintained for the life of the car. Used car dealers will not have the history, or if challenged, will NOT provide accurate, complete documentation, and a free warranty.

Buy from an individual in this price range, and preferably a lower mileage vehicle!

Honda makes a excellent auto, and assuming it has been well maintained...

 

I've had a couple of hyundais and I love them. If you just up your cash a bit you can get a real nice one also. I got this exact car, power everything, sunroof, great stereo, in pretty much mint condition w 54000 miles on it for $5000 2 years ago. Craigslist.



The people before me yanked all the hyundai emblems off it, and put some irish terrone something or other thingies in place of it. I catch people checking the car out all the time thinking it's some kinds of 100,000 exotic sports car. Kinda funny.

Only thing with hyndais is some of them have transmission problems. Nothing hidden though. You can tell when you stop and go (it jumps), and on the highway (slips or won't go into 4th). If there's a problem you'll know with a test drive.

 

It is possible. Early 2000's Ford Taurus'ss'ss can be found cheap.

 

Ive gotten decent used cars from private parties ranging from $2500 to $3000. So, no, not impossible.

 

+1

I had an ’82 Corolla that I bought in 1996 for $500, it had 100,000 miles on it. I could have easily broken 200,000 miles if I had kept it, but I used it as a trade in for a slightly used ’97 Ford Ranger about a year later. The only reason I did that was because I couldn’t haul all my gear in the Corolla.

Anyway, Toyotas seem to last forever. Keep up the maintenance schedule and you have a fantastic deal on your hands.

It should be easy to find one for under $3000.

 

It's definitely possible, but the most important thing to have when looking for a car is patience. There are plenty of cars you can get along those lines like a Honda Civic, Acura Integra, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Nissan Sentra, Nissan Maxima, Ford Focus ZX3, VW Golf. Hell, you can even get an older BMW for that price. Just gotta take your time and keep looking. Good luck!