$2-3k fun

[850CSi]

Part of me wants a Protege5... But I don't think I'd find anything below $4k. And then again if I'm going to do this I think I want a raw driving experience.

[MexicoCityM3]

From what I?ve read E30s tend to be more robustly engineered than E36s. I?d go with an E30, not sure if cabrio though.

A Z3? How much would that be? It?s like an E30 roadster.

[850CSi]

Z3 might actually be an option. I was never a big fan and I like the E36 a lot more, but I can't argue with it.



Anyone think I can find a worthy Impreza in this range?

[850CSi]

I think I might be able to get something like this below $3k... Tough to beat if so

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2871315903.html

[AutobahnSHO]

I think I've bought more sub-$3k cars around here than anyone..

In that pricerange it's tough to find "dependable" and "fun". Enthusiasts know the value of their car and hold on to them longer. Once in a while you can luck out on someone that just is ready to get rid of a car. But usually not the kind you want.

Things to watch out for
-shady dealerships buy the cheap cheap ones at auction, dress it up enough to sell it, might have hidden damage or problems.
-people who say the've sunk all the money into the car recently might be a GOOD buy, they have done much of the repairwork for you, and right when they've made the car valuable again they say "i'm tired of wasting money on this car" and unload it.
-You're going to be looking at a lot of mileage. If the mileage seems way too low be very very wary.
-High mileage cars CAN be good drivers. Look at the overall condition. My Subaru had like 120k, broken a/c, and a bad axle. It's still got some kind of transmission problem (and the checkengine light is on as of lastweek) but the interior was FLAWLESS and ontop of the sparetire were some gloves, a small rug (presumably to change a tire and not get dirty,) flares, etc...  So the previous owner was very thoughtful of the car.
(Subie was $2500, a/c was $1300 a year later. Replaced an axle 2009, alternator and battery 2010, just rolled 151k miles.)

Remember too, if you buy a $2k car and replace the engine or transmission, you're still only looking at a $3-4k investment. And you'd know that engine or transmission is good for a WHILE.  If you (+friends and family) do car work, you can actually drive pretty cheap.

[AutobahnSHO]

OH and BMWs are way too expensive for beater cars. Parts alone are 4-5times as much as domestics or other brands.
[/my opinion]

[Onslaught]

My buddy had to remove some of the padding in the seat cushion to fit in his.

Yep, and if you've got long legs you can take the interior door handle off. And you can get some material to cover the doors again and you've got no holes. You can put a leather strap to pull it close or just do like I do and give it a little flip from the window as I'm getting in.

[MexicoCityM3]

I think I might be able to get something like this below $3k... Tough to beat if so

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2871315903.html

Rear suspension handles a little loose is possibly the dreaded E36 subframe issue that costs an arm and a leg to repair. Other than that it looks reasonable.

[sportyaccordy]

How about a $3500 Sunfire?

Lmfao 2 for 2

Dont listen to these guys. Buy that E36. Choose wisely though. If you do that you won't regret it.

[2o6]

How many of you guys have bought sub 3K cars LATELY?

The used car market has changed a lot.

[CJ]

How many of you guys have bought sub 3K cars LATELY?

The used car market has changed a lot.

April.  Bought the 940 back for $2100. 

[2o6]

April.  Bought the 940 back for $2100. 

Yes, a useless anecdote from a car you previously had that you bought from a friend.

[CJ]

Yes, a useless anecdote from a car you previously had that you bought from a friend.

Explain.

[MrH]

Explain.

Btw, for size reference on miatas:  I'm 6'2", about 190-195 lbs, and wear either a 30"x32" or 32"x32" in jeans (pretty much all torso).  I daily drive an NC, but my head is against the roof if I sit up straight.  I couldn't drive an NA miata.  Can't get the clutch out without my leg hitting the steering wheel.  Not having an adjustable steering wheel killed any chance of me fitting in it.

[The Pirate]

Part of me wants a Protege5... But I don't think I'd find anything below $4k. And then again if I'm going to do this I think I want a raw driving experience.

You can easily find an '01 to '03 Protege for less than $3500. It's a brilliant little car. Great steering, fun to drive and pretty robust. I've had mine for 5 years, which is the longest I've kept a car. Best car I've owned.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I think I've bought more sub-$3k cars around here than anyone..

In that pricerange it's tough to find "dependable" and "fun". Enthusiasts know the value of their car and hold on to them longer. Once in a while you can luck out on someone that just is ready to get rid of a car. But usually not the kind you want.

Things to watch out for
-shady dealerships buy the cheap cheap ones at auction, dress it up enough to sell it, might have hidden damage or problems.
-people who say the've sunk all the money into the car recently might be a GOOD buy, they have done much of the repairwork for you, and right when they've made the car valuable again they say "i'm tired of wasting money on this car" and unload it.
-You're going to be looking at a lot of mileage. If the mileage seems way too low be very very wary.
-High mileage cars CAN be good drivers. Look at the overall condition. My Subaru had like 120k, broken a/c, and a bad axle. It's still got some kind of transmission problem (and the checkengine light is on as of lastweek) but the interior was FLAWLESS and ontop of the sparetire were some gloves, a small rug (presumably to change a tire and not get dirty,) flares, etc...  So the previous owner was very thoughtful of the car.
(Subie was $2500, a/c was $1300 a year later. Replaced an axle 2009, alternator and battery 2010, just rolled 151k miles.)

Remember too, if you buy a $2k car and replace the engine or transmission, you're still only looking at a $3-4k investment. And you'd know that engine or transmission is good for a WHILE.  If you (+friends and family) do car work, you can actually drive pretty cheap.

Wanna bet?

[Eye of the Tiger]

How many of you guys have bought sub 3K cars LATELY?

The used car market has changed a lot.

VAN

[Payman]

Here you go. You're welcome. 

http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Volkswagen/Cabrio/HAMILTON/Ontario/19_5025495_/

[Eye of the Tiger]

Here you go. You're welcome. 

http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Volkswagen/Cabrio/HAMILTON/Ontario/19_5025495_/

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Here you go. You're welcome. 

http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Volkswagen/Cabrio/HAMILTON/Ontario/19_5025495_/

A Bitch Basket?!?!?!   

[Payman]

Cheap, reliable, economical, convertible, it's black, and a manual for $2500. It's everything he asked for.

[Rupert]

Oh, and if you need help I can show you how to make some more room in one and it still look factory.

Anything else besides seat padding and door handle? I'm just curious, as if I ever buy another Miata, I will need to do something to make me fit better.

[Rupert]

I think I've bought more sub-$3k cars around here than anyone..

In that pricerange it's tough to find "dependable" and "fun". Enthusiasts know the value of their car and hold on to them longer. Once in a while you can luck out on someone that just is ready to get rid of a car. But usually not the kind you want.

Things to watch out for
-shady dealerships buy the cheap cheap ones at auction, dress it up enough to sell it, might have hidden damage or problems.
-people who say the've sunk all the money into the car recently might be a GOOD buy, they have done much of the repairwork for you, and right when they've made the car valuable again they say "i'm tired of wasting money on this car" and unload it.
-You're going to be looking at a lot of mileage. If the mileage seems way too low be very very wary.
-High mileage cars CAN be good drivers. Look at the overall condition. My Subaru had like 120k, broken a/c, and a bad axle. It's still got some kind of transmission problem (and the checkengine light is on as of lastweek) but the interior was FLAWLESS and ontop of the sparetire were some gloves, a small rug (presumably to change a tire and not get dirty,) flares, etc...  So the previous owner was very thoughtful of the car.
(Subie was $2500, a/c was $1300 a year later. Replaced an axle 2009, alternator and battery 2010, just rolled 151k miles.)

Remember too, if you buy a $2k car and replace the engine or transmission, you're still only looking at a $3-4k investment. And you'd know that engine or transmission is good for a WHILE.  If you (+friends and family) do car work, you can actually drive pretty cheap.

Wanna be--

Wanna bet?

Oh, right.

[AutobahnSHO]

ALL of my cars

Model Year/ Car/ Purchase Year/ Price
83 Honda Civic 1997 $1500
90 Taurus 1998 $2900
90 Taurus 1999 $2900
90 Eagle Premier 2001 $2500
91 Taurus SHO 2002 $2000
92 Voyager 2004 $2200
87 CRX 2005 $1300
99 Grand Caravan 2005 $4500
97 Legacy 2008 $2300
04 Sienna 2009 $9k

I only spring for the big buck$ for the family movers...    

[Byteme]

You can't buy anything good for less than $3500.

I disagree.  One can find many 90-97 Miatas for that price. 

For example:  1995 Miata M Edition, 63,000 actual miles when I bought it in August 2010, Body and interior reflected that low mileage.  Cost was $3,200 for the car plus $1,000 for the hardtop and spares (car cover, manuals, documentation, service history, and original radio).

[Byteme]

NA Miata is super tempting, but will it really be that much cheaper to maintain? I also don't know if I'll even fit in it.


Remember, not a true DD. Semi-DD that has a backup car.

NA Miatas are pretty basic.  Mine's been quite reliable.  Go to miata.net and spend some time on the forums checking out what people say about reliability.  It's a Mazda, not a Porsche or BMW so it's Mazda cheap to work on.  When I replaced the timing belt and all the hoses and and brake pads the parts totaled under $300 including antifreeze, oil and filter, gaskets, etc.  And being rear wheel drive the timing gear is easy to get to.  

I'm 5-11, 165# and fit fine. My son is 6-0 and 210 and has no trouble.  

Theres a ton of them out there so finding one shouldn't be a problem.

[ChrisV]

Buying a $3500 BMW is stupid.  Buying a $3500 Civic is less stupid.

We recently bought this for $1200. it's realiable and my kid's GFs daily driver back and forth to school.



There are a ton of E30s and E36s I can find at that price point that would make great daily drivers, so long as you are not trying to make it a concours winning show car out of it. Parts are NOT that expensive, especially online (from RockAuto, FCP Groton, or oembimmerparts.com) and the small 6 cyls are tough as nails. Yeah, you may need to replace the window regulators (the ones from FCP Groton carry a lifetime warranty) at a cost of $100 each (we did both rear ones on her car as they were making noise) but overall it's not bad.

Miatas are another great choice at this price point, if you like convertibles.

[850CSi]

Heh, Chris - wanna find me an E36? I'll come up there and get it.


In all seriousness, thanks for the help guys. I'll keep thinking about this stuff and decide what I'm going to do. We don't have our finances worked out yet (and there's even a possibility everything gets put on hold for a year because we might be going to Europe for a semester) so we'll see what ends up happening. She could ask her parents for a car and could have a $20k budget today (as could I - if I wanted an F30, I could have one tomorrow), but financial independence is valuable.

[MexicoCityM3]

Go to Europe, that experience is better than any third car. No question.

[Raza]

I think I might be able to get something like this below $3k... Tough to beat if so

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2871315903.html

I can't imagine being able to find a better car than a two door in which one door, the trunk, the windows don't open, with a seatbelt that doesn't work connected to a seat that needs to be fixed in a car that need suspension work.

Dude, do you just look at the pictures!?