A tiny budget.........

[thewizard16]

Exactly. I kinda want my car to break down.

Even if you love working on cars I don't see the logic in that at all. You're on an extremely slim budget, and parts cost money. It makes sense to get something that will run for cost reasons alone, to say nothing of the inconvienence of not being able to drive your only vehicle for potentially days at a time.

[El Barto]

Get the first or second generation altima, or better still, a Nissan maxima. The VQ is one of the best, if Not THE best V6 you could get in the mid 90's.

or just get the G20.

I couldn't find any 4th Gen Maximas for under $3500.  If he gets a Maxima it would have to be a 3rd Gen, which has the VG.  I've seen a few listed locally for under $1500, they had a lot of miles, but mine runs great at 146,500.  Finding one with a manual might be a problem though.

[Raghavan]

Exactly. I kinda want my car to break down.

Uh, why would you want that to happen???

[The_Joker]

I couldn't find any 4th Gen Maximas for under $3500.  If he gets a Maxima it would have to be a 3rd Gen, which has the VG.  I've seen a few listed locally for under $1500, they had a lot of miles, but mine runs great at 146,500.  Finding one with a manual might be a problem though.

Keep in mind he's not getting a car for 2 more years.  Once he's 16, he'll be able to get a car and thus cars will depreciate over the next two years.

As for what's a good car to get, it's tough to find a great car thats reliable.  I'd suggest in a couple years looking at a Ford Escort, or Chevy Cavalier as an appliance car to get you from point A to point B.  Maybe not in style or grace, but it will do.

[USA_Idol]

Dodge Stratus/Plymouth Breeze, Ford Contour, Honda Accord or Toyota Camry?

Avoid the cloud cars (Chrysler Cirrus, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Stratus, Plymouth Breeze)...especially the 1995-2000 models.? Saying that they are problematic is an understatement.

I have no experience with the Contour/Cougar/Mystique trio.

Accord and Camry are great, but they'll cost you a lot more.

[nickdrinkwater]

What about a Taurus?  Don't their values drop really badly?  And they made a ton of them so you should be able to find a few.

[ChrisV]

The problem is in that price range ANY car you will find could break the following day after buying it. ANY car. And ANY car could last for years. The key is to buy a car you LIKE at that price range so you'll want to take good care of it and want to fix it when it breaks.

A $500 Chevy Citation could last for decades with minor care, but would you be happy with it? If you're not happy with a car it doesn't matter if it still runs. That's why, even when I was a poor teenager, I only had interesting cars. And being a poor teenager taught me to work on the cars myself to save money.

[nickdrinkwater]

It depends if you're getting the car to have fun with or you just want to be able to get from A-B every day.  In an ideal world you would get something you enjoy, but if it means it needs 2,000$ of repairs after six months and you can't get to work, then it's not a good idea.  Depends on your needs.

[Onslaught]

Exactly. I kinda want my car to break down.

Yugo then.

I've actually seen Mazda MX-3 cars go for around that before. But I don't know if I'd say they seat 4 or not. I'd go with the escort suggestion that others have made.

[ChrisV]

It depends if you're getting the car to have fun with or you just want to be able to get from A-B every day.  In an ideal world you would get something you enjoy, but if it means it needs 2,000$ of repairs after six months and you can't get to work, then it's not a good idea.  Depends on your needs.

Again, in this price range, you're not guaranteed a vehicle that will run every day regardless of manufacturer or model. The more popular makes and models that are known to be reliable will be only available in older, higher mileage, worse condition examples. I bought a CRX in this price range that broke immediately after bringing it home.

That's the problem. You go for a car you may or may not like but everyone says is reliable, and in this price range, you can only find a beater example of it.

Hell, even my BMW hasn't needed $2000 in repairs... And it has 152k miles. Listening to the doomsayers here it should be a money pit.

But that's my rule for success. Only buy cars you like, and when buying real cheap, assume it WILL need to get fixed.

[nickdrinkwater]

Again, in this price range, you're not guaranteed a vehicle that will run every day regardless of manufacturer or model. The more popular makes and models that are known to be reliable will be only available in older, higher mileage, worse condition examples. I bought a CRX in this price range that broke immediately after bringing it home.

That's the problem. You go for a car you may or may not like but everyone says is reliable, and in this price range, you can only find a beater example of it.

Hell, even my BMW hasn't needed $2000 in repairs... And it has 152k miles. Listening to the doomsayers here it should be a money pit.

But that's my rule for success. Only buy cars you like, and when buying real cheap, assume it WILL need to get fixed.

I see your point.  What I would say though is that by owning 'interesting' cars, you're gonna have to spend more on fixing them than on something mainstream where you can get parts easily and for next to nothing.

[the Teuton]

Mr. 2o6, there are two places to shop in NE Ohio for a used car.  One is classifieds and Craigslist.  The other is Lorain Ave. in Cleveland or other streets lined to the gills in semi-ghetto Cleveland.  Go there with $1500 and I GUARANTEE you will come out with a cheaper than expected car that will serve you well and looks reasonable good.  Trust me.  I've done it before.

[2o6]

Mr. 2o6, there are two places to shop in NE Ohio for a used car.? One is classifieds and Craigslist.? The other is Lorain Ave. in Cleveland or other streets lined to the gills in semi-ghetto Cleveland.? Go there with $1500 and I GUARANTEE you will come out with a cheaper than expected car that will serve you well and looks reasonable good.? Trust me.? I've done it before.

True, True.



Ok, I've got an Idea.



Saturn SL

Saturn SC

Mazda 626

Infiniti G20

Nissan Altima

Nissan 200ZX
(MAYBE.........)

Ford ZX-2

Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique

Mazda MX-6

Dodge Stratus/Plymouth Breeze

Honda Accord (3rd or 4th Gen)

Acura Vigor

Chevy Cavalier

Toyota Camry

Toyota Corolla

Mitsu Galant

[the Teuton]

True, True.

It most definitely is.  PM me for my adventure stories.

Ok, I've got an Idea.



Saturn SL

Saturn SC

Decently reliable.  Kinda buzzy.  Engines are cheap as hell to replace, if need be.

Mazda 626

They have been known for both tranny failure in auto models and head gasket failure all-around.  I wouldn't.

Infiniti G20
Nissan Altima

Both are decently reliable.  Make sure you find a "T" or sport model of the G20, as it had an LSD.  They're both decent choices.

Nissan 200ZX
(MAYBE.........)

There's no such thing as a 200ZX in America.  There is in Japan, but not here.  As for the 240SX, I have a friend who could sell you a kinda beat up, but great-running 1993 SE model (read:  LSD, 5 speed, 266k miles, strong runner, lots of rust) for $800-950.  Lemme know.

Ford ZX-2

It's a safe choice and, quite honestly, a great, little car.

Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique

My brother has had a ton of luck with his 1995 Contour V6 SE 5 speed (roughly 5,000 built in 1995), but a lot of horror stories have come from them, too.  See Eddie about that one.

Mazda MX-6

Beautiful car, but has been known for engine issues and the auto has had some of the same issues as the 626.

Dodge Stratus/Plymouth Breeze

No.  It's for your own good.

Honda Accord (3rd or 4th Gen)

Acura Vigor

Reliable, but expensive.  You'd most likely find a high-mileage car.  Very high mileage, but we sold our D15 gen 4 Civic with 185,000 miles on it and it ran like a top a few years ago.  There's no reason why these won't be as reliable.

Chevy Cavalier

Is there such thing as reliable junk?  If there is, this is it.

Toyota Camry

Toyota Corolla

See Honda.  Reliable, but expensive for low mileage, especially in Ohio.  Go to Cleveland for cheapies.

Mitsu Galant

Tranny, head gaskets.  I wouldn't.

Seriously, other than typical 20-24 mpg city driving, what's wrong with a Subie?  Also, can I recommend an old Volvo, Sentra, or a Civic?

[Onslaught]

True, True.



Ok, I've got an Idea.



Saturn SL

Saturn SC

Mazda 626

Infiniti G20

Nissan Altima

Nissan 200ZX
(MAYBE.........)

Ford ZX-2

Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique

Mazda MX-6

Dodge Stratus/Plymouth Breeze

Honda Accord (3rd or 4th Gen)

Acura Vigor

Chevy Cavalier

Toyota Camry

Toyota Corolla

Mitsu Galant

If you get a 626 or MX-6 auto make sure it has the warranty transmission oil cooler from Mazda put on it. If they had that then it should be ok. If not then it's probably not running now anyway!

[2o6]

Just for the record, all these choices would be manual trannies. (And I meant the 200SX, not the 200ZX, which is basically a Sentra coupe)




And I totally forgot about subaru.

[the Teuton]

Check Craigslist and set your price limit at $1800 as I'm sure you'll be able to knock $300 off anyone's price.  There are plenty of great choices there from Honda, AE86 for $300, and Volvo.  Check it out.

[Soup DeVille]

Two words:

Ford Festiva

accept it. embrace it. Love it.

and then beat it to hell and gone.

[S204STi]

I bet you might be able to get an early Ford Focus in two years for not a lot of dough.  They weren't too expensive in the first place, and don't seem to hold much value, but they're fun to drive and fairly reliable.

[2o6]

I bet you might be able to get an early Ford Focus in two years for not a lot of dough.? They weren't too expensive in the first place, and don't seem to hold much value, but they're fun to drive and fairly reliable.

Not from the Year 2000.

[the_koof]

In the year 2000.....In the year 2000!!! Conan O'Brien watchers will get it.

A Volvo 240 should treat you well and they were offered with stick shift. Not uncommon for one to be seen with over 200,000 miles and still be a daily driver or so I've read. They seem to last forever.

[Raza]

It's been on the road all summer.? Whachu talkin' about, Willis?

Doesn't it not have an engine?  Or do you mean it's not on a lift?

Clever, if you do. 

[Raza]

Will someone fucking listen to me?

Dodge Neon.  Good on gas, cheap as dirt, fairly reliable, handles very well. 

[omicron]

Acura Vigor sounds like a pill for curing erectile dysfunction.

[93JC]

Sadly it's more likely to cause erectile dysfunction...

[3.0L V6]

On Neon: watch for headgasket issues. Also, Neons that have done lots of "one wheel peels" will most likely throw the differential pin at some point, destroying the transaxle. Watch for timing belt, as I think this is an interference engine.

I'd recommend the GM models, just for a couple reasons: Both the Saturn and Cavalier have timing chains. Watch for oil consumption problems with the Saturn, Engine Coolant Temp Sensor issues ($20 part, 10min to replace), also watch for "one wheel peels" as seen for Neon.

Cavalier 2.2 pushrod engine is fairly good, but might need a headgasket (unlikely though). Cavaliers were engineered down to a (low) cost, so things like struts tend to wear badly.  Also, with GM cars, parts are plentiful and relatively cheap.

Don't know enough about the other models listed to comment. Good luck!

[etypeJohn]

There is a decent chance that you will have trouble with any older car, and that risk increases with age and miles.

And complexity,  throw in power everything and a bunch of electronics and your repair bills can skyrocket in no time.

[SaltyDog]

You can make a lot of money in 2 years...maybe you can get something >$1500.  Not that you can't get a lot of car for $1500.  But something desirable or fun in that price range will probably need work. 

Edit:  You can find good running examples of b13 SE-Rs for under 2k    That's a lot of performance for your dollar.

[SaltyDog]

Will someone fucking listen to me?

Dodge Neon.  Good on gas, cheap as dirt, fairly reliable, handles very well. 

You're right about that.  The only trouble is finding one that's not red or white :P

[TheIntrepid]

Will someone fucking listen to me?

Dodge Neon.  Good on gas, cheap as dirt, fairly reliable, handles very well. 

It's ass to drive though. I would know, I drove one to school for the majority of this past school year.