Cheap first cars...how much do they REALLY cost

[_HighVoltage_]

Today I accidentally found an article on the US TopGear website, about Top 10 cars under $3,000. Here is the article in question:
http://www.topgear.com/us/features/m...t-on-a-budget/

There are some entries in that list that are logical, but most of them are completely out of place!
1. GMC Van - WTF? Really? Who would want such a thing, what exactly is fun about it?
2. Mazda MX5 - ok, the Miatas are great cars and are reliable...but good luck finding one in a fairly good condition under $3,000.
3. Nissan SE-R - errmmm...NO! When I was car shopping, I went to a dealership and they had 4-5 early 90's "performance" Nissans. Not one was in good condition. Despite looking okay on the outside, aal of their engines suffered from rough idles, weird tapping noises or there was smoke coming out of the back. A performance Nissan for $1,000...NO!
4. VW Rabbit - Okay, this is a good choice. And the price of $1,800 is realistic. They are becoming quite rare though.
5. Ford Taurus SHO -for $2,500....hahahaha. Please! I almost bought one of these (I was really close to buying it) and it was in that same price range. However, ALL SHO's in that price range need a new timing belt and a valve/shim adjustment (the notorious SHO 60k service). It is a good car, but your budget has to be somewhere around $5-6k, realistically.
6. Jeep - okay.
7. 90's Chevy Camaro Z28 - ....great car, but again - find me a decent one under $3,000. They run around $4,000, unless you want the asthmatic V6.
8. Honda Civic - Good luck finding a non-riced Civic! And if you do, it was probably driven as a daily driver by a family and at this age has 500k miles.
9. Suzuki Swift - I like the Swift, especially the 16V version. However, these are nearly impossible to find. Geo Metro's are all over the place, but with their 3 cylinder engines they are not a very wise choice. Those engines have been completely trashed to get some power out of them. They were not known for their durability.
10. BMW E30 - I love this car, and you can get one for $3,000. But a 325is Coupe...dream on!

Overall, I don't think the Top Gear author of the article spend much time researching his entries. My guess is he did a quick search on eBay and Autotrader and found the cheapest options, without actually calling to ask about their condition.
And anyways, $3,000 is a low amount of money to buy a car. I know this, because I was in the same place just a few months ago. I bought a car under $3,000 and soon found out that not everything is as good as it looked. Generally, you need at least another $1,000 on top of the car's final price to get it to a road worthy condition, to get a car you can actually trust not to break down.

So, what are the FinalGear nominees for cheap, under $3,000 cars?

[Momentum57]

Originally Posted by _HighVoltage_

There are some entries in that list that are logical, but most of them are completely out of place!
1. GMC Van - WTF? Really? Who would want such a thing, what exactly is fun about it?

Can you say A-Team hows that for fun! I got the cigars and the plan. NOW GO GET THAT VAN MAN!

[katwalk]

The jeep and rabbit will NEVER go that cheap unless it is being sold by an idiot. Any MK1 golf will very quickly get snatched up by a VW collector and they will drop good money on one as a project car. I have looked for the jeeps myself and they are ALWAYS expensive even with plywood windows.

I will also add, at least in this area, a non-running classic beetle will cost more than a high millage but fully functional 98 new beetle.

The only way you can get a cheap car is this, you drive around looking for a yard parked car with no plates, ask if it runs and offer 1000$. My neighbors have a 90's honda accord, toyota camary, buick and 2 saturns that I don't pay enough attention to to know which model. Camry and accord are shit boxes though. One of the saturns is rather new.

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by _HighVoltage_

Today I accidentally found an article on the US TopGear website, about Top 10 cars under $3,000. Here is the article in question:
http://www.topgear.com/us/features/m...t-on-a-budget/

There are some entries in that list that are logical, but most of them are completely out of place!
1. GMC Van - WTF? Really? Who would want such a thing, what exactly is fun about it?

Vans are not about driving fun.

You're in college. You should be able to figure out what would be "fun" about a van.

I'll give you a hint about one of the four main reasons to get a van:

"If the van is rocking, don't come knocking."

I bought a car under $3,000 and soon found out that not everything is as good as it looked. Generally, you need at least another $1,000 on top of the car's final price to get it to a road worthy condition, to get a car you can actually trust not to break down.

That's the case with almost all private party used cars - figure that you're going to spend about $1000 to change all the belts, hoses, fluids, perform a tune up, repair little glitches etc., etc.

[thevictor390]

My car is worth about $1500 according to KBB. Interior is near-perfect, engine starts immediately, runs smooth. 69k miles. Electronics are all fine (the ones that are there... no power windows or locks). It really is a perfectly acceptable daily driver.

In the two years I've had it, it needed a new alternator, and new front struts. And it slowly slowly leaks oil, a problem that is almost completely solved by that super-thick oil additive that replaces a quart.

[Labcoatguy]

Cheap first cars that are good and fun and somewhat reliable are damn hard to find. I had to get driven two hours away from home to pick up my last car, a '93 Toyota MR2 for $3k, and it was only so cheap because it was an automatic with 114k miles on it. If you want good value on a good car, you have to be patient and search long, hard, and far.

[thevictor390]

Please don't interpret my post as a claim that my car is in any way fun.

[katwalk]

Originally Posted by Spectre

Vans are not about driving fun.

You're in college. You should be able to figure out what would be "fun" about a van.

I'll give you a hint about one of the four main reasons to get a van:

"If the van is rocking, don't come knocking."

apparently you can fit a mattress in the back of a beetle if the seats are folded down so I assume every hatchback on the road is fine for that


except for of course, cars with no trunks like minis...

[Posmo]

My car fits this thread perfectly, so Ithought I'd post my experiences.

I paid 500€ for the car, knowing that I'd have to redo the exhaust, get a new headlight and bumper, fit a new headgasket, and fix a ding in the front.

So far it has cost me a bit under 700€, but I have fixed pretty much all the rust, and I have tools /paint etc. to fix the ding. I've bought a full gasket set for the engine, cylinder head bolts, spark plugs, ignition cables,etc. I also have a new exhaust (not including manifold & "downpipe") awaiting fitment. All of these included in the 700€

I've also arranged to buy new front& rear bumpers, headlights and a cossie mask for 80€.

By the time I've gotten it to be a decent runaround, I reckon I will have spent about 850€. I still need to either black out the taillights, or get a stock one for the right hand side, since they are not the same colour, and maybe fix a few interior bits, but they won't cost too much.

Cheap first cars can be cheap, but you have to know what you're getting into. When looking at 20+ year old cars, it's hard to find cars that haven't had careless owners /botched repairs. If you find a gem, great. If you don't, atleast the spares will be cheap.

[InfernalVortex]

This recently sold locally for $2k.

I almost crapped a brick.



Has several minor issues, but as someone who is familiar with these cars, nothing too drastic. I mean everything works, just a few leaks and a cracked dash and faded paint. Nothing too unexpected from a 15 year old car. I mean this is a Z28 AND it's a 6 speed! Unfortunately the 93's got slightly weaker T56's and the gear ratios arent as good.

People need cash these days... if you get lucky you can score amazing rides for cheap.

[prizrak]

Picking up a 1999 Saab 9-3 Convertible 2.0T for $1,500 this weekend for my better half Car in perfect condition but I know the seller and it's literally a steal.

apparently you can fit a mattress in the back of a beetle if the seats are folded down so I assume every hatchback on the road is fine for that

Vans don't generally have windows.

[racingfan1]

Originally Posted by _HighVoltage_

5. Ford Taurus SHO -for $2,500....hahahaha. Please! I almost bought one of these (I was really close to buying it) and it was in that same price range. However, ALL SHO's in that price range need a new timing belt and a valve/shim adjustment (the notorious SHO 60k service). It is a good car, but your budget has to be somewhere around $5-6k, realistically.

My parents' SHO was bought for just over $2000, sure it's not in the greatest condition, but it runs, didn't need any major repairs, and the repairs it did need weren't vital to the running of the car. One was the parking brake and the other is the cruise control. Parking brake wasn't too bad because it's parked on a flat surface, and cruise control is something you either use because you can't keep speed, or to get the cramp out of your leg.

I'm sure I could find many more instances around here where the seller thinks 'well it's just a Taurus'.

[LeVeL]

idk about Greece, but in the US you can find miatas in decent condition for under 3k and there are plenty of decent stock civics to choose from

[E34lover]

you can get a little 200sx, a 2 door Sentra, for 1500 with 120k miles.

[Spectre]

My XJ6 was $800. My old Nissan Z31 turbo was $1000 at a police auction. My Pathfinder was $1800.

If you shop carefully, you can get some screaming deals. Especially if it's a bit of a project car and you know how to fix the issues.

I once got a 79 Porsche 911SC Targa for $1100 at a police auction with a blown fuel pressure regulator.

[No Boss]

My MX5 was $900.... it's a 90 with only 73k AND a hardtop

[MattD1zzl3]

Originally Posted by _HighVoltage_

7. 90's Chevy Camaro Z28 - ....great car, but again - find me a decent one under $3,000. They run around $4,000, unless you want the asthmatic V6.

*raises hand* Erm, 1995 Z28, with desirable 6 speed, t tops, power everything.

$1,800.00


And i want a GMC van! Vans are for lots of the win.

[Posmo]

Originally Posted by MattD1zzl3

*raises hand* Erm, 1995 Z28, with desirable 6 speed, t tops, power everything.

$1,800.00


And i want a GMC van! Vans are for lots of the win.

God I hate you Americans, V8 muscle car with six on the floor for a bit over 1000€..


Also, vans are win. I've always wanted a Toyota Hiace

[Spectre]

Originally Posted by Posmo

God I hate you Americans, V8 muscle car with six on the floor for a bit over 1000€..


Also, vans are win. I've always wanted a Toyota Hiace

You won't after you've driven one. Remember the Bedford Rascal and how it flipped over? Hiaces are worse.

[JCE]

I have a bit of experience in this area since I've owned mostly cheap cars in my lifetime. Here's my top list if $4000 is the limit. The year in the brackets [] is the year I bought it.

• [2008]1997 Chrysler Town and Country LXi long wheelbase. 74k miles, pristine condition and lots of kit (10 speaker Infinity radio!) $1,500 USD. Retails for $6,250 in this condition.
• [2000]1990 Chevrolet Camaro RS V8 automatic. 117k miles, receipts and records and in very good condition inside and out $2,700.
• [2004]1995 Nissan Maxima SE black on black. 140k miles, good shape inside and out and had the Bose upgraded radio $3,500.
• [2006]1999 Ford Crown Victoria P71. 107k miles, all recalls done, retired detective's car, pristine shape inside and out and had strobes installed $4,000.
• [2006]1998 Nissan 200SX SE-R 5spd. 100k miles, in excellent shape inside and out, nice color (blue!) and only had 1 issue (2nd gear synchro) $2,900.

So I've had some good ones, I still rock the Camaro. I had 251,849 miles on the engine before a surprise oil leak due to me bottoming the car out caused a spun berring. I only changed 3 batteries, 3 alternators, 1 radiator (the day I bought it because I wanted to), 1 water pump+thermo, 1 catalytic converter , 1 muffler (my choice) and 3 sets of belts. I'd call that very good value for my money. Almost 9 years of reletively trouble free motoring.

Originally Posted by Posmo

God I hate you Americans, V8 muscle car with six on the floor for a bit over 1000€..

Is it true that in order to ship one across the pond and getting taxed and registered (MOT?) you'll be looking at $5,000 or more before you even get to the price of the CAR?