Is it possible to find a reliable /working car for $2,500?

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  • miguel

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    12   0   0
    Oct 24, 2008
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    Try an auction. Might work.

    Or any Toyota with less than 300K miles on it. And yes, I'm serious...
     

    snapping turtle

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    Dec 5, 2009
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    Currently sadly not without a lot of looking.
    2500 is A Good start then add tires, brakes, other basics like battery tune up ect the bring a 2500 to what I think we would consider good to go.
    Now if you find the old lady who only drove to church on Sunday and the local grocery on Thursday. You know who has the camaro from 1979 in the garage.
     

    mom45

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    Nov 10, 2013
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    I have one in the classifieds...my son's vehicle since he is away on his trip. I really don't want to sell it, but he says to do so because he doesn't know when he will be back. Other than the A/C needing recharged, it needs nothing. I've been driving it for the past year since he left.
     

    Bfish

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    13   0   0
    Feb 24, 2013
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    A buddy of mine just got an old VW Rabbit for $2500. It runs, locks, the windows work etc. The paint looks terrible but that's about it. And it gets like 48MPG. It'd be the prefect car for a college kid. He'd have to know and or learn to drive stick though. You can find something for sure. And if something breaks it's easy to fix, tires are cheap etc. I've seen those as well as the old Chevy Sprints cheap as well. A good option may be an old honda or toyota as mentioned above though. It all depends on your nephew, I'm just stating options that I didn't see.
     

    natdscott

    User Unknown
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    Jul 20, 2015
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    To get to that price point, mileage has to be really high. With that prerequisite, I'm sorry to say it, but import brands are the only option.

    Subaru, Honda, Toyota, Mazda, maybe Nissan (don't know them that well).

    Watch out for the Toyota I4 engines of certain years, they burn oil at a rate of about 1 quart a week, and they won't issue a recall.

    Watch out for the AWD on some series of Honda CRV's, as it is the worst AWD I've ever seen with regards to tire damage. It also doesn't pull at ALL like a Subaru. Not equal.

    Watch out for Subaru head gaskets on the Boxer 4. If the coolant was replaced with anything but Subaru coolant (usually orange), the head-gaskets will "dehydrate" from lack of the Subaru additive, and then crack and start putting oil in places it is not supposed to be. MOST often, it will present as an external oil leak, and often on the rear cylinders. If you know where to look, it is an EASY diagnosis without even starting the engine.

    For any of the above, take a mechanic friend (no, not your buddy from HS who changes his own oil...unless he is also a mechanic), and take a code reader. Look into what the permanently-recorded codes are in the computer, if any, and "get okay" with whatever shows up (even if the idiot light is not illuminated).

    Don't buy until you have fully checked the internet for common problems with whatever vehicle you end up serious about, and CHECK for those issues. The internet isn't always right, but if you see HUNDREDS of the same complaints and symptoms on internet forums, chances are, it's a real issue.

    The internet told me about the Toyota I4 issue, and paired with my time and flashlight, probably saved a family member $5,000.

    -Nate
     

    warthog

    Shooter
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    66   0   0
    Feb 12, 2013
    5,166
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    Vigo County
    I remember my first car, cost me $200. A 1975 Newport that I named the Queen Mary because the shocks were shot and it rode like I was on waves. Painted a number of stick figures on the door to look like kills, used to make the students on campus scatter as they thought I had run a bunch of folks over. I miss that car, burnt up when the electrical system went bad and it was a total wreck. :(
     

    Biggredchev

    Just some guy
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    6   0   0
    Jan 16, 2017
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    Pretty much Michigan.
    Look for neons. Theyre super cheap, good milage, and cheap as dirt for tires and repairs. I have a beater i picked up a few years back. Waited till tires went on sale at walmart and picked up 4 for under 200 bucks mounted and balanced brand new. Junk yards are also full of them so if it needed something major down the road, it can likely be had for cheap. Got mine with 167k for $800, and im now at 214k. Ive had to replace a cv shaft and wheel bearing but other than that its just been routine stuff.
     

    WILSON

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    Dec 26, 2008
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    Top, left-hand corne
    To get to that price point, mileage has to be really high. With that prerequisite, I'm sorry to say it, but import brands are the only option.

    Subaru, Honda, Toyota, Mazda, maybe Nissan (don't know them that well).
    That'd be my list as well (but with Volvo thrown in). I've had great luck with Honda, Toyota, and Nissan (in that order).

    I've always thought FERD's little Rangers & Escorts were really underrated. I've never seen a Ranger that didn't last a quarter of a million miles.
     
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