Need advice on some cheap cars

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Hey there - I need to find a cheap car (around $2500 or cheaper) for a family member . He needs something to get him through a couple months of paychecks so he can show income and finance something better- I have gotten together a short list of vehicles that I've been looking at for him and was wondering if anyone can point me toward a vehicle that I might not be looking at, or give me a reason to stay away from them.

1. Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Towncar, Ford Crown Vic - in that order of preference, because they're what I drive, know and trust to keep going up to 250K miles+ without major breakdowns. Ideally, If I could find an 05+ all the bugs are pretty much worked out, but I don't see that happening in his price range

2 4.0L I6 jeeps - late 90's/early 00's cherokees/grand cherokees. The thing that worries me is rust and 4WD system issues. It's hard to find something that hasn't been lifted and abused or is rotting away underneath. Replacement tire cost is also a consideration - then again, CL is flooded with like new takeoffs with rims for around $600-800 a set off of newer jeeps.

3. Toyota Camry - I know very little about which ones are good - I know the 02+ 4 cylinder engines switched to a timing chain, but they are also known for stripping head bolts - otherwise pretty bulletproof. Hows maintenance/part costs on toyotas?

4. Ford taurus/mercury sable - early 00's models are what I see the most. I remember them being somewhat reliable (except for the climate control/radio module) but don't know what to look for or just how many miles their V6 engine can go.

5. Ford escape - early 00's models. It seems like the V6 is pretty trouble-free for 200k miles + as long as it is taken care of, but I don't know about the longevity of the AWD/4WD system in some that I have seen. generally I try to stay away from vehicles equipped with AWD just because of the added complexity and cost to maintain or repair.

6. Ford 500/Mercury Milan/Lincoln Zephyr - are these cars turds or do they last? I haven't heard much about them but always liked the body style of the milan and zephyr.

any input is appreciated - again if there's anything you think I should stay away from or be looking for please shout it out! His only requirements are safe, cheap enough and easy to fix, 4 doors and a backseat for his kid, and halfway decent on gas.

While I hated it at first, his current vehicle (a 2007 Kia Rondo) actually kinda grew on me - but he hit a deer and his insurance company wants to total it (bumper cover, bumper, headlight assembly and mount, fender, and strut, plus other miscellaneous parts and repaint), . The 2.4L engine and accompanying trans are strong but I don't know if it's worth putting the money and time into fixing it (he could keep it for $600), getting it inspected, retitled, and reinsured. He doesn't have the time or knowledge to get it all done himself and I don't have the time to do it all myself. If the interior was in better shape, I might be inclined to give him the $600 for it, but at 170k miles, its gonna need some more work shortly. Not to mention, it's over $300 just to get all the parts for a new strut assembly - I hate how expensive and hard to find Kia parts can be.
 
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Originally Posted by HorseThief
Hey there - I need to find a cheap car (around $2500 or cheaper) for a family member Anyway, he needs something to get him through a couple months of paychecks so he can show income and finance something better- I have gotten together a short list of vehicles that I've been looking at for him and was wondering if anyone can point me toward a vehicle that I might not be looking at, or give me a reason to stay away from them.

1. Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Towncar, Ford Crown Vic - in that order of preference, because they're what I drive, know and trust to keep going up to 250K miles+ without major breakdowns. Ideally, If I could find an 05+ all the bugs are pretty much worked out, but I don't see that happening in his price range

2 4.0L I6 jeeps - late 90's/early 00's cherokees/grand cherokees. The thing that worries me is rust and 4WD system issues. It's hard to find something that hasn't been lifted and abused or is rotting away underneath. Replacement tire cost is also a consideration - then again, CL is flooded with like new takeoffs with rims for around $600-800 a set off of newer jeeps.

3. Toyota Camry - I know very little about which ones are good - I know the 02+ 4 cylinder engines switched to a timing chain, but they are also known for stripping head bolts - otherwise pretty bulletproof. Hows maintenance/part costs on toyotas?

4. Ford taurus/mercury sable - early 00's models are what I see the most. I remember them being somewhat reliable (except for the climate control/radio module) but don't know what to look for or just how many miles their V6 engine can go.

5. Ford escape - early 00's models. It seems like the V6 is pretty trouble-free for 200k miles + as long as it is taken care of, but I don't know about the longevity of the AWD/4WD system in some that I have seen. generally I try to stay away from vehicles equipped with AWD just because of the added complexity and cost to maintain or repair.

6. Ford 500/Mercury Milan/Lincoln Zephyr - are these cars turds or do they last? I haven't heard much about them but always liked the body style of the milan and zephyr.

any input is appreciated - again if there's anything you think I should stay away from or be looking for please shout it out! His only requirements are safe, cheap enough and easy to fix, 4 doors and a backseat for his kid, and halfway decent on gas.


Is he for sure only going to keep it for a couple months or could it turn into something he might keep?

Personally, my choice other than a Camry would be a Pontiac, Buick, or Oldsmobile with the 3.8L. Also look for a Lexus ES300. Kind of a hidden car, it's mechanically a Toyota Camry with nicer interior and different styling. Parts are still quite cheap. They don't sell as well since not as many people know about them, might find a nice one for a good price.

1: Pretty solid choice overall. I'd avoid Lincoln as they're a little fancy and have some special parts that could be pricy, like air suspension.

2: Eh. They're kind of turds LOL. The engines are rock solid bulletproof and so are the transmissions in the regular Cherokees. Grand Cherokees had lame Dodge transmissions. They both are kind of nickel and dimers. Avoid 2000 & 2001 as the 0331 heads are known to crack, unless it's been replaced. They're all gas hogs too.

3: 97-01 Camrys are the best, absolutely bulletproof. I'd hop in my 00' right now and do a cross country road trip and back without blinking an eye at 230k miles. Timing belts, but non-interference so not a big deal even if it were to break.

4: Turd alert! Look away.

5: They're ok I guess. Not something I'd buy though

6: Super Turd!
 
Doh! Forgot to put the GM's on the list - I was really interested in hearing what people had to say on buicks, Olds and Pontiacs. Are the rest of the engines as good as the legendary 3800? like the 3.1 and 3.4L found in the Buick Century and oldsmobile intrigue?

Thanks for the quick reply Nick! He could end up in it for a while if it's nice enough, but he'd probably be looking for something newer within the next year, once he gets back on his feet.
 
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I guess Nick 1994 really hates Ford products.

I would own & drive any of these, except I do not like jeep reliability. Just personal experience.

In Texas, good ex-cop Panther bodies are under $2000 all day long.

A friend of mine bought an ALL WHITE, 2011 Interceptor Crown Vic with 102,000 miles for $2100
 
lucky
Originally Posted by Linctex
I guess Nick 1994 really hates Ford products.

I would own & drive any of these, except I do not like jeep reliability. Just personal experience.

In Texas, good ex-cop Panther bodies are under $2000 all day long.

A friend of mine bought an ALL WHITE, 2011 Interceptor Crown Vic with 102,000 miles for $2100


good call on the jeeps - especially around $2500 in Michigan, most everything in that price range is the kind of vehicle that anyone with any sense would stay away from. Otherwise, I wish I had that kinda luck! Looking at houston craigslist right now when I should be sleeping (oh well!). Its amazing to see how they don't remove the cages, racks, and lightbars from some of the CV's - I mean, I guess why bother removing it if it's not going into another vehicle, but dang! You just don't see that much up here. In contrast, Grand Marquis' are like double the price down there, but clean! I'm gonna have to make some travel plans to texas next time I'm looking for another car!


As far as the metro detroit market goes, it can be tough to find something decent and in an area where you don't feel like you're gonna be murdered. For instance, I found this gem while looking through facebook marketplace
lol.gif

[Linked Image]
 
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The thing with cheap old cars is that you really can't say which brand or model will be better. There are far too many factors. The hope is that one can purchase a used car and drive it for a good long time.

The reality is that older, cheap cars will likely all need work and have very questionable reliability.

People love the older Camry's and so they cost more. Used cop car Crown Vic's are available for $3K in good shape. But you will still need repairs.

Picking an older Taurus is risking transmission failure.

Last year, I picked up an auctioned $3K with 68,000 miles, cop car for a friend and drove it from South Florida to NY. Fun drive, for sure! I changed the oil prior to departure, and cleaned the interior. The car made it no problem. But it was clear some serious maintenance was required, brakes, tires, shocks and so on. Took another $1000 to make it right.
 
Smoeone had a nice Buick/Oldsmobile up for sale yesterday, I think it was at 3000 with shipping or something along those lines, only 38k on it. Its up on ebay.
 
Originally Posted by Nick1994

3: 97-01 Camrys are the best, absolutely bulletproof. I'd hop in my 00' right now and do a cross country road trip and back without blinking an eye at 230k miles. Timing belts, but non-interference so not a big deal even if it were to break.


Just flipped one of these. Had two 02 camrys before... they "fattened" them up but also cheapened them. They're not bad, they're just not as good. The 97-01 are a brick [censored] house.

Everyone's afraid of timing belts but the 2.2 is pretty easy to change. On the test drive make sure the car has plenty of power; I tried restoring a 2.2 but failed due to internal engine issues.

In my hood the 97-01s are still running great (mostly) but people don't want them b/c they're afraid of age. Get one with 170k miles or so.

If he's broke as a joke, the 98-02 corolla/ prism are ok $500 cars too. They just burn a bunch of oil. Look for rot under the rockers and where the fuel/ brake lines arch up aft of the rear seat.
 
Ford Fusion and Focus are good cars that will run nearly forever with their Mazda designed 4 cylinder engines....
 
I just picked up an 02 Taurus with 95k miles for $2300 and that was even a bit high. Yeah they're the most boring car ever made but they're as reliable as anything else and real, real cheap. For no longer than a few months I'd say find the cheapest vehicle that passes all fluid and noise tests, drive it easy and move on. I'd be more concerned with resale value than condition.
 
Yeah really except for unreliable transmissions if mistreated or not serviced regularly Escapes are above average in reliability and they are ok to drive. My 08 v6 with the "junk" cd4e tranny is going strong at 220k miles on the original engine and transmission (minus some oil consumption) and my 2010 four cylinder has been 30k trouble free miles since I bought it less than a year ago... 60k when I bought it 90k now. Don't forget the Mariner is identical to the Escape but seems to be even cheaper sometimes.

I think you're as likely to have transmission problems with a retired cop car Crown Vic as with an Escape.
 
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For cars under $2500, it's mainly about condition. Just get the best-running car in your budget.

You should consider the Echo. Toyota makes great cars. Maybe this one might be good.
 
Originally Posted by HorseThief
As far as the metro detroit market goes, it can be tough to find something decent and in an area where you don't feel like you're gonna be murdered. For instance, I found this gem while looking through facebook marketplace
lol.gif

[Linked Image]



Haha that background PERFECTLY matches that car!
laugh.gif
 
I agree with Nick about #4. My sister had one of those (Taurus) she'd bought brand new and it was a roadside repair queen. And the whole car also just completely fell to pieces. I can't count the number of times it left her stranded on the side of the road.
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Civic or Corolla


Civics attract ricers here. Corollas get old ladies.

If nothing else, check insurance rates on both.
 
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