Looking for good quality car from $1000-$2500 for Teenager

cyfreddy · 05-08-2008, 09:53 PM

I am looking for a car for my son. It will be his first car. I won't something cheap, but dependable and I don't want to have to put allot of money into the vechile.

I will be out of town this weekend, but will try checking the web-site. You also my PM me if you like.

zumbro clones · 05-08-2008, 09:56 PM

How about dependability, gas mileage, safety, insurance costs, winter driving conditions where you live, and how long do you want to keep it going?

HandSanitizer · 05-08-2008, 10:05 PM

Well.....with that price range you pretty much took yourself out of alot of categories. You would have to get something with very, very high miles and probably at least 5 years old and that is when cars will start to nickel and dime you. Then you have to worry about what the insurance is going to cost etc.. man I don't envy you.

clones_jer · 05-08-2008, 10:11 PM

ha! well I for one commend you for going so high! My old man talked the dealer down to $300 (from $700) ... it was pretty embarassing. The conversation went something like this:

Dad: "I wouldn't even give you $500 for that piece of crap"
Dealer: "What would you give me?"
Dad: "How bout $300?"
Dealer: "sold."

And like that I was the proud owner of a 1986 Ford Taurus. Good times.

Iastfan112 · 05-08-2008, 10:16 PM

Depending on your current vehicle situation my family has tended to give the oldest car in family to the newest driver and get a new or newer one for themselves. Its nice from the perspective of knowing exactly how the car has been treated and what problems could likely arise in the future. In that situation I ended up with a 1996 Ford Taurus.

Phaedrus · 05-08-2008, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by HandSanitizer

Well.....with that price range you pretty much took yourself out of alot of categories. You would have to get something with very, very high miles and probably at least 5 years old and that is when cars will start to nickel and dime you. Then you have to worry about what the insurance is going to cost etc.. man I don't envy you.

Sorry man, can't agree with you at all, here.

I have driven $1000 - $2000 cars my whole life, and only once did I get one that "nickeled and dimed" me to death. (BTW-1990 Escorts are from Satan. Think 75 mile life ignition units @ $100-$200 apiece

)

Cheap cars are terrific. Stay simple, Japanese if you can, but don't be afraid of going American, especially mid-sized, like a Taurus, or a Malibu, or something like that. A Corolla or Geo Prism with body cancer is my wet-dream; Same thing with a little Ford Ranger 2WD. Run away from anything 4WD in that price range.

Currently, I'm driving the German version of the '94 Geo Prism, with just 110,000 miles. 35 mpg and runs like a dream. Easy to maintain as well.

One thing I do; I tend not to buy cheap cars if they have "smoked" front wheels. That is, if there is a bunch of that brake dust all over the front wheels and up in the wheelwells, that kind of indicates a hard driver.

I'd also budget for some new belts, hoses, and even engine accessories, such as water pump and alternator, unless the prior owner has changed them recently. Timing belt & cog should be verified or replaced, as well at the correct interval.

Today's cars should run right up to 300,000 miles, trouble free, unless you completely suck at maintenance.

lennon3 · 05-08-2008, 10:31 PM

Take my car!!!!!!!!!!! 1996 Jimmy 125k miles runs perfect im just sick of gas!

cycloneroyce · 05-08-2008, 10:42 PM

Sometimes it is nice to own a car that isn't worth a crap. You don't have to worry about keeping it clean and you don't care about door dings. My only problem is that I hate going to the mechanic and I am in perpetual fear that it will break down and make it difficult to get to work.

gwoodclone · 05-08-2008, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by Iastfan112

Depending on your current vehicle situation my family has tended to give the oldest car in family to the newest driver and get a new or newer one for themselves. Its nice from the perspective of knowing exactly how the car has been treated and what problems could likely arise in the future. In that situation I ended up with a 1996 Ford Taurus.

'96 Taurus? Same here.

But it was my grandpa's old car....

Phaedrus · 05-09-2008, 12:32 AM

Originally Posted by cycloneroyce

Sometimes it is nice to own a car that isn't worth a crap. You don't have to worry about keeping it clean and you don't care about door dings. My only problem is that I hate going to the mechanic and I am in perpetual fear that it will break down and make it difficult to get to work.

Learn to do your own maintenance, even basic stuff like checking belts, and learn to listen to your car, and you won't have this fear, and you won't need to go to the mechanic as often.

Myself, I hate paying $300 every month for a car, so I don't have to pay a couple hundred, a couple times a year on maintenance.

But then, that's me, and I'm a freak.

Iastfan112 · 05-09-2008, 02:34 AM

Originally Posted by gwoodclone

'96 Taurus? Same here.

But it was my grandpa's old car....

Treated me well until 196,000 miles when the oil pump failed along with a few other smaller problems we decided to stop driving it. That self tow after it pretty much died in 0 degree weather in Jan was a pain in the butt. Kept in at my grandpa's till just recently my uncle decided to try and repair it(retired tinkerer so it'll start working is my bet) because the body and interior are still in fantastic shape. The guy has the record for most miles on a car for people I personally know, 450,000 before the Corsica stopped being able to reverse for him.

Then I drove an 1988 Grand Am for awhile, learned a lot on how to fix things on it over time I replaced shocks, tires, muffler, alternator and how to patch rust holes. Despite its myriad of troubles I even trusted it to drive me safely to Colorado and back. Only real problem recently was in cold weather this winter it just would not start. If it was 10+ would after a bit of effort but below that it wouldn't.

Cyclone42 · 05-09-2008, 06:09 AM

For that much, avoid dealers and such. You would only end up spending about 40% of that $2500 on the 'middle man'. Get out the newspaper classifieds and buy directly from an individual who is selling, and you will get a MUCH better deal. Last year, I bought a 1993 Honda Civic for $2000, discovered that it came with a $1500 audio system, and the rest of the car was SOLID, extremely well-maintained. There is no way in hell I would have gotten a deal like that from a dealer.

Of course, you will need to find a good mechanic to whom you can take a used car to have it inspected. But that is essential no matter how you are buying a used car.

SeattleClone · 05-09-2008, 06:33 AM

For that price range you should look for something in a mid-90's Oldsmobile, Buick, etc. Something with the 3800 series V6. That engine is bullet-proof and will surely run over 200,000 miles.

cyfreddy · 05-09-2008, 06:45 AM

Originally Posted by Iastfan112

Depending on your current vehicle situation my family has tended to give the oldest car in family to the newest driver and get a new or newer one for themselves. Its nice from the perspective of knowing exactly how the car has been treated and what problems could likely arise in the future. In that situation I ended up with a 1996 Ford Taurus.

That would mean he would get a 2001 Ford Windstar. He does not think it is cool to drive a minivan, and I kind of agree with him.

Jerry1982 · 05-09-2008, 07:16 AM

Originally Posted by cyfreddy

That would mean he would get a 2001 Ford Windstar. He does not think it is cool to drive a minivan, and I kind of agree with him.

hummm... Someone I know is going to sell their '93 Honda Accord. This would work great.