First car possibilites

[Champ]

I say keep up with the Saturn's, I worked there for 3 years and loved the cars.  It is one of my top cars under $5k to buy - I always look at them come winter time cuz I think of storing the Vig.

[CJ]

I have one thing about those Saturn's.  Are the transmissions any bad?

[TheIntrepid]

I have one thing about those Saturn's.  Are the transmissions any bad?

Is you good in English?

[CJ]

At least I don't have an Intrepid.

[ro51092]

At least I don't have an Intrepid.

That really shows that you're good at English.

[CJ]

[TheIntrepid]

At least I don't have an Intrepid.

That's right. You don't even have a car.

[ro51092]

YU MUSHT NOHT UHNDURSTAHND ME. TREP SAY THAT U NO GOOD ENGLISH. YU SAY HE HAS TREPID. I SAY YU GOOD ENGLISH NOW. YOU CONFUSD. UHNDURSTAHND?

(sorry to be a jackass, I couldn't resist)

[TheIntrepid]

YU MUSHT NOHT UHNDURSTAHND ME. TREP SAY THAT U NO GOOD ENGLISH. YU SAY HE HAS TREPID. I SAY YU GOOD ENGLISH NOW. YOU CONFUSD. UHNDURSTAHND?

(sorry to be a jackass, I couldn't resist)

I'm sure my cab driver from last night speaks better English than CJ

[ro51092]

Please reply to me in Luxury Talk.

[sandertheshark]

YU MUSHT NOHT UHNDURSTAHND ME. TREP SAY THAT U NO GOOD ENGLISH. YU SAY HE HAS TREPID. I SAY YU GOOD ENGLISH NOW. YOU CONFUSD. UHNDURSTAHND?

(sorry to be a jackass, I couldn't resist)

First thing that made me think of:

[ro51092]

First thing that made me think of:

[3.0L V6]

As I was in your shoes at the beginning of this year and I ended up with a Saturn SC1.

Weak points:
Oil burning. They are noted for consuming oil. Keep an eye on it.
Engine Coolant Temp Sensor. $20 part and 10 minutes to upgrade it to a new sensor.
Top motor mount tends to wear. Easy fix.
Differential pin. If your car has done one wheel spinning, the differential pin could go and destroy the transmission case. Make sure your car wasn't abused by a previous owner. The pin take a fair bit of abuse.

Pros: Parts are cheap.
Easy for a novice to fix
Excellent gas mileage.
Other than the issues above, reliable.

Edit: Can't spell.

[Champ]

Not really any more likely to go bad under normal driving conditions than any other tranny on the market.  I don't remember anything specific so to me it's a non-issue.

They really are quite good cars.

[Laconian]

850s are maintenance nightmares.

[BimmerM3]

Whenever someone has the $5,000 issues, I always have the same answer:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=22&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7CE-ANY%7CM-_30_%7CB-5000%7CH-%7CD-_283_%7CN-N%7CR-100%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CX-popular%7CZ-75074&aff=national&paId=134535591&recnum=3&leadExists=true

Cheap, reliable, fun to drive for what it is. I've known so many people that owned these cars, I can't help but endorse them. Shit, that one even has a sunroof.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Whenever someone has the $5,000 issues, I always have the same answer:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?tracktype=usedcc&searchType=22&pageNumber=0&numResultsPerPage=50&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE+descending&certifiedOnly=false&criteria=K-%7CE-ANY%7CM-_30_%7CB-5000%7CH-%7CD-_283_%7CN-N%7CR-100%7CI-1%7CP-PRICE+descending%7CQ-descending%7CX-popular%7CZ-75074&aff=national&paId=134535591&recnum=3&leadExists=true

Cheap, reliable, fun to drive for what it is. I've known so many people that owned these cars, I can't help but endorse them. Shit, that one even has a sunroof.

This is my answer to the $5000 question:



I need to get one next summer. Wicked bad.

[TheIntrepid]

If I only had $5,000 to buy the best value for my money, and wanted reliablity and good gas mileage, like CJ does, I'd buy the best Camry available for $5k, probably something between 1998-2000.

Oh wait, he already has a 2000 Camry.

[CJ]

If I could find a Miata for $5,000 when I'm ready to buy, I'll see what my dad says about it.  That is, after all, one of his favorite cars....ever.  To the Protege: I'll definitely look for those.  Honestly, they escaped my mind. 

If 850s are nightmares, then they're off the list.

[nickdrinkwater]

Are used cars that expensive over there?! wow....

For 5 grand I thought you could do much better than a 10 year old Volvo.  Why don't you look at American brands, as the Saturns show, their values drop a lot more steeply AFAIK.  Plus the maintenance will be cheaper I'd guess from the fact that parts are easier to find and less expensive.  Something like a Pontiac or a small Buick comes to mind.

Otherwise, what's wrong with a Camry?  Not the most exciting thing but it's reliable, comfortable and pretty safe.

Failing that, if you really want something a bit different, the W124 is a GREAT choice.  Those things are tanks.  The diesel would be a great bet, as it's been said it will last a lifetime and won't be too bad on fuel consumption.

[CJ]

What's wrong with our Camry is the fact that it has been wrecked.  It was wrecked quite badly nearly 3 years ago and nearly totaled.  Idiot teenage brother behind the wheel of a speeding car on a wet curvy road with storm drains FTL.


I have the possibility of getting my Grandma's Buick if she passes away in the next year, but I don't want that to happen.

[nickdrinkwater]

When you say wrecked, you mean it was a write off, or just damaged and then repaired?
It it was repaired properly what's the problem?

[Raza]

5 grand is a lot of money on the used market, believe it or not.

I'd get a 3 door Focus stickshift. 

[The Pirate]

If I could find a Miata for $5,000 when I'm ready to buy, I'll see what my dad says about it.  That is, after all, one of his favorite cars....ever.  To the Protege: I'll definitely look for those.  Honestly, they escaped my mind. 

If 850s are nightmares, then they're off the list.

You should at least test drive the Protege, and shoot me any questions about them.  I have a 2001 ES, and I like it a lot.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a more fun to drive car in that category. 

[Laconian]

I can find a million NA Miatas for under $5k.

Mine was $6k for a '95 with 53k miles, popular equip package (incl. LSD), and a hardtop.

[ro51092]

NA's are nice. I think the Proteg? is an awesome choice.

[the Teuton]

Whatever you wanted, throw them all out the window.  This car will hit 60 mph in the low 5s, maybe high 4s.  If it weren't in Texas, I'd buy it.

http://houston.craigslist.org/car/424013318.html

[ro51092]

Whatever you wanted, throw them all out the window.  This car will hit 60 mph in the low 5s, maybe high 4s.  If it weren't in Texas, I'd buy it.

http://houston.craigslist.org/car/424013318.html

You win.

[the Teuton]

Did I mention that it's still insured as an Impreza L -- one of the lowest costs of insurance out there for compact cars?

[The Pirate]

Did I mention that it's still insured as an Impreza L -- one of the lowest costs of insurance out there for compact cars?

So when it's wrecked, they'll give you replacement cost for a 12 year old base model Subaru, around 2 grand if you're lucky.


Were something to happen that required an insurance claim, you'd be bitten in the ass.