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Help buying a new car $5,000 - 7,500 (1 Viewer)

The Busy The Tired

Footballguy
I need to buy a used car and this is my budget. I am willing to go approximately $1,500 above or below budget depending on the deal.

Reccomendations? How low mileage should I be shooting for? Craigslist? I heard a guy got a car super cheap from Enterprise.

 
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I know a guy in Ft Worth.

2 weeks ago he hooked me up with a 2008 Pontiac G5 with 150k on it and in great shape for $2500 cash money.

 
you're always going to get a better price going private party vs dealership. I'd keep an eye on craigslist. Look for a corolla or civic. Ideally you find a one with high miles but newer. 

 
Honda civic on craigslist. If you can do your own auto repairs get a 2000-2004 subaru outback for  $2000-3500.

 
Not the most attractive but look  at the 2006-2008 Ford Taurus or Sable.  They are built solid and Ford sold so many parts are cheap everywhere.  Plus old people bought them and kept them.  There are so many out there that are in great shape with somewhat low miles.

 
What kind of car are you looking for?  If you are going the Honda/Toyota path you can't go wrong with a Civic, Accord, Corolla, or Camry.  Look in the 100-120k mileage range.  Buy from an individual owner and not a dealer.  Buy from someone who has maintained their service records.  Try to find a car that has recently had it's 90-100k major service completed (timing belt, water pump, etc...)

Just 5 minutes on craigslist have found me some Acura TSX and TL that seem to fit my criteria, although they are the upper end of your budget.  If you want something sporty and more fun to drive while still being reliable and cheap/easy to maintain look at the Acura RSX.  

If you want gas mileage you can find a Prius easily in this price range too.

 
This is Eminescence so I think shunning practical advice and making the wrong choice is the best play. 

Prob should buy a really old high mileage BMW so you can tell chicks you drive a BMW. Just be sure to set aside 50% of your paycheck to keep it running. 

 

 
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A bmw with new tires and brakes is not a bad deal. 65 to 85k miles is the sweet spot. 

Edit. Oops. Total budget. Never mind. 

 
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my recent purchase is an '01 accord with 137k miles on it for $2500.  put about $2300 into it in tires, tune up, timing belt (don't forget to budget for this sort of thing).

So far so good but the mileage had been awful.  Anyway wanted to give you a sense of the market.

-QG

 
I would avoid the VW. My father in law is a long time VW mechanic. Let's just say he's had job security for the last 20 years.

 
Not the most attractive but look  at the 2006-2008 Ford Taurus or Sable.  They are built solid and Ford sold so many parts are cheap everywhere.  Plus old people bought them and kept them.  There are so many out there that are in great shape with somewhat low miles.
Really good advice on finding a non popular car for a decent price. 

 
Might want to change the thread title or borrow a Delorean to go back to 1985 when new cars actually cost $5000-$7500.

 
I don't think anyone who is actually "the man" is driving around in a $5k car.
And yet, I bet an awful lot of folks who consider themselves "the man" drive around in cars they don't own.... and take them home to park in garages of homes they don't own.... and have a wife buying things on credit cards adding to an already staggering balance.

Something is wrong with people if they honestly can't figure out a way to get back and forth to work on $5k. The amount of money people waste on cars, and trying to be "the man" in the eyes of complete strangers, is absolutely mind boggling to me. Maybe I'm wrong though and the guy driving the Bugatti is the best person and the rest of us have to rank our self-worth based on kelly blue book prices of our whips at any given moment. 

 
Not the most attractive but look  at the 2006-2008 Ford Taurus or Sable.  They are built solid and Ford sold so many parts are cheap everywhere.  Plus old people bought them and kept them.  There are so many out there that are in great shape with somewhat low miles.
I never thought of that, but it makes a ton of sense.

 
if you go the private route, do you have a mechanic you trust to take a look at it for you? That is a must for any car I'd buy used. Lucky for me, i have a mechanic that is a client so it is a win -win

 
sublimeone said:
you're always going to get a better price going private party vs dealership. I'd keep an eye on craigslist. Look for a corolla or civic. Ideally you find a one with high miles but newer. 
so newer > high miles ?

 
BoltBacker said:
And yet, I bet an awful lot of folks who consider themselves "the man" drive around in cars they don't own.... and take them home to park in garages of homes they don't own.... and have a wife buying things on credit cards adding to an already staggering balance.

Something is wrong with people if they honestly can't figure out a way to get back and forth to work on $5k. The amount of money people waste on cars, and trying to be "the man" in the eyes of complete strangers, is absolutely mind boggling to me. Maybe I'm wrong though and the guy driving the Bugatti is the best person and the rest of us have to rank our self-worth based on kelly blue book prices of our whips at any given moment. 
Dentist, is that you?

 
so newer > high miles ?
IMO, yes. I figure that a newer vehicle with higher miles has more highway miles and fewer of the starts and stops in city driving that is harder on the vehicle. The components, wiring etc... are all newer, so fewer of those types of issues as well. As with anything it's all relative to the vehicles you're looking at, but , for example, I'd take a 2010 vehicle with 130k over a 2004 with 70k.

 
BoltBacker said:
And yet, I bet an awful lot of folks who consider themselves "the man" drive around in cars they don't own.... and take them home to park in garages of homes they don't own.... and have a wife buying things on credit cards adding to an already staggering balance.

Something is wrong with people if they honestly can't figure out a way to get back and forth to work on $5k. The amount of money people waste on cars, and trying to be "the man" in the eyes of complete strangers, is absolutely mind boggling to me. Maybe I'm wrong though and the guy driving the Bugatti is the best person and the rest of us have to rank our self-worth based on kelly blue book prices of our whips at any given moment. 
:lmao:  

 

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