can u get a reliable used car for under $3k anymore?

[earlyre]

well... pre- pandemic price pandemonium
as someone said earlier, look for the "orphaned" brands...
Mercury's were cheaper than their Ford/Lincoln twins...
in today's market, I'm not sure.....

 

[Elkins45]

Yes, you can

Here is an Echo
If 2 doors is ok, here is a Yaris
Here is a Vibe (Matrix)
Here is a Mazda2

That Yaris is a deal if as advertised.

 

[SC Maintenance]

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/cars-under-4000/daytona-beach-fl?isNewSearch=true&zip=32118

I upped the price to $4000.00, but hey, there's 142 cars to look at!
I thought the Saab was cool!

So a bit off topic - but why is this 528i only $3500. Does no one want these for some reason? 4 cylinder turbo a dud or?

Autotrader - page unavailable

 

[RhondaHonda]

I know this was not what you asked but what job does your wife work that necessitates a 250 mile round trip?

 

[ecotourist]

When doing my annual Net Worth this past New Year's Day I noticed that used cars are down a lot in value from last year. So good news.

Price and Value depends whether you're buying or selling. When I'm selling I can never get a decent price for a good car. When I'm buying they're expensive.

So being in the market constantly should get you a reasonable car for not a lot of money.

I wouldn't be keen on "no longer built" cars (though I really like SAABs). Parts are hard enough to find on older cars. I'd focus more on condition than miles. Some perfectly good cars will have high miles (like 200,000 plus).

 

[ripcord]

"Nice used car, $3000. Only has 3 bottles of Lucas Transmission Fix in the transmission."

 

[ecotourist]

You could probably buy my perfectly reliable 2007 Honda Accord V6 6MT for $3 - $4000 if I was selling it.

But I'm not selling it because it's reliable and not worth a lot of money. So they're out there. You just have to find one that someone is selling.

 

[Nick1994]

2006-2010 Sonata, very happy with my 2007. These engines don't catastrophically explode like the 2011+.

Edit: I will add that I lucked out and got this old lady owned car for a really good deal. These cars aren't usually that well taken care of, but you might just find a diamond in the rough.

 

[andrew_j]

Yes my wife had this conversation with a 80 year patient she got close with who sells cars in $3k-$9k range cash only . He said Ford focus for our new driver daughter we feel will 50/50 in accident .

 

[earlyre]

Yes my wife had this conversation with a 80 year patient she got close with who sells cars in $3k-$9k range cash only . He said Ford focus for our new driver daughter we feel will 50/50 in accident .

steer clear of Focus 12-18 unless it's manual. terrible transmission, many law suits.

Ford PowerShift transmission - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[andrew_j]

If I may prod what job is worth it with 250 mile round trip but does not pay enough to afford more then $3000 car?

 

[SC Maintenance]

I didn't realize it, but @columnshift is the one with the Caprice issue. I think he needs to get his Caprice fixed, sounds like it needs an alignment and some suspension work and a radiator maybe. If it runs more or less then that is the way I would go, rather than buy another $3000 problem.



https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/t...maged-its-new-front-tires-in-under-3k.378264/

 

[2015Corolla]

 

[Elkins45]

It's $4500 instead of $3000, but I'm having a hard time keeping myself from buying this Mazda2 even though I don't want another manual.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/12450303-3199-4423-9d74-7165d639718f/

 

[STW]

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/cars-under-4000/daytona-beach-fl?isNewSearch=true&zip=32118

I upped the price to $4000.00, but hey, there's 142 cars to look at!
I thought the Saab was cool!

Yep, And the Buick with 89K miles and the 3800, that should go 300K easily. Great car and a little cosmetic

 

[JTK]

$3K isn't possible in my area unless someone is giving you a heck of a deal. I'm talking a running, driving car that has no CEL and will pass inspection. Having been through this twice helping my kids buy cars, $6500-7K is what you used to be able to get for $3-4K.

 

[sloinker]

No

 

[JimPghPA]

Get a Yaris, or a Yaris, or a Yaris.

They're small so a lot of people don't like them so the prices are low, but they run and they run and they run and they run. If property maintained it can easily go over 300,000 miles. And they don't drink a lot of fuel either. There may be an occasional thing but it won't break the bank to fix it and it won't be often. Try to find something with 100,000 miles or less on it if you can afford it, but one with more miles on it that has been properly maintained will still be a great buy, and you'll have something that will serve you well for many many years.

If you're buying an older one and you live in the Rust Belt get the underside of it well inspect it before you buy it.

As for your wife using it in blizzard conditions, I'm sure you already know,
just make sure it's got some really good tires on it.

 

[JimPghPA]

So a bit off topic - but why is this 528i only $3500. Does no one want these for some reason? 4 cylinder turbo a dud or?

Autotrader - page unavailable

Money pit!

 

[Snagglefoot]

How about a 2010 -2012 Ford Fusion with the 2.5 liter engine.