Recommend Reliable First Car?

[Neunundneunzig]

Hey all, I've recently started looking for my first car, but overcome by all of the possible choices, I don't really know what exactly I should be looking for. My budget is quite limited (about $1,000), but I'm looking for basic, reliable transportation to get me back and forth to school without costing me a fortune in repairs. What do you guys recommend?

[MagicRat]

That budget puts you at the absolute bottom-end of cars. Yes, you can get a good runner for that money, but there is a lot of junk out there, so you must look for a good one.

Buy the best-condition vehicle you can afford, regardless of brand or type. You will probably get a better deal looking for boring everyday 4-door sedan than anything sporty or with 4x4.
So, look for the older Camrys, Accords, 4-door Chevys and Fords etc, the typical, old, low mileage little-old-lady cars. You will really have to look, but they're out there.

If you want something cooler - forget it. Anything "cool" in that price range will be completely thrashed, and definitely not for someone on a budget. Also will probably cost more to insure.

Avoid any European car - parts and service are very expensive. Avoid Chryslers, Dodge, andJeep too. There are many serious reliability problems (Transmissions, 2.7 V6 engines etc) in older ones.

Finally, some of the best used-car values out there are actually compact pick-up trucks. The Ford Ranger, and GM S-10/S-15/Sonoma can be really good buys. For some reason, older ones have a very low resale value, so chances are if you can find a good condition one (pretty rare), you can get it cheap.

[speediva]

Other cheap, reliable, older sedans include the Nissan Sentra, Nissan Altima, Mazda 626, Mazda Protege, Mazda 323, Toyota Corolla, and although they're desirable, an older Honda Civic.

As a general rule, the late 80s/early 90s Japanese-maker cars are typically in better condition than many of their American-made counterparts.

But as was mentioned before, that is an EXTREMELY tight budget. Have you factored in money needed to install tires? Change oil? Buy washer fluid and wiper blades? Pay for car insurance? If your budget doesn't include those factors (and that's NOT an exhaustive list of the little things that will nickel and dime you), then perhaps it's best for you to not invest in a car. Cars are money pits no matter what you buy or how expensive it is.

Good luck with your decision!

[Ray paulsen]

Originally Posted by speediva

Other cheap, reliable, older sedans include the Nissan Sentra, Nissan Altima, Mazda 626, Mazda Protege, Mazda 323, Toyota Corolla, and although they're desirable, an older Honda Civic.

As a general rule, the late 80s/early 90s Japanese-maker cars are typically in better condition than many of their American-made counterparts.

When you only have a G note to work with,,, I don't think any label
comes into play

Magic Rat,,, said it all with these simple words,,,

Buy the best-condition vehicle you can afford, regardless of brand or type