The Escort blew up today(literally). I officially need a new car. Manual or Auto, doesn't matter. I need one by the end of next week. I'm 17 so I can't take out a loan, and I can only afford $150/month on a car. I need all and any help I can get from anyone. I'm in dire need of a vehicle that will last me some time. I'm not looking for anything ****ty. I really need help with this one guys.
So it sounds like you need something cheap that will run forever, assuming you don't molest it. Have you thought about an older honda. Yes, I know. But I think there is one thing we can all agree on.. they are cheap and run forever as long as you don't mod it. You'll get good gas mileage out of it too. So before I get banned and killed for this post, just something to think about. I'd talk about older subarus, but I have to be honist.. I don't know that much about them. So instead of blowing smoke up your ass about that.. I'll throw out something I do know about. Maybe someone else can chime in about older subarus.
who cares if its S****y when I was 17 I got my first car for 25$ put in a fuel pump for 35$ and it ran a year. Just get a beater and save your money to buy something decent if you can't get a loan.
My first car was a 3 cyl 1 lt geo metro. My friends would pick it up and move it on me. It sucked. But you know, it got me from point a to point b. It also looked pretty sweet with that duct tape racing strip. lol
no theres nothing wrong with older honda's. yea its a honda...i know. but reliability terms it is one helluva car. as far as im concerned if you did indeed want to go older subaru like 90-94 like a first generation legacy or an older impreza the engines will run just as long as any honda. if you need something cheap the 2.2l imprezas or the legacys are a good way to go. mainly because if you are infact going to be looking at say $2,000 and under cars you can get an older 2.2l subaru with 180xxx miles and you wont have to worry about it breaking down on you over winter. and if it does (it shouldnt but) you have us to fall back on who are fairly knowledgable about our subarus. and most of us are always willing to help you out with fixing your car as long as you supply the beer. try craigslist and start with subaru. you'll be amazed at what deals you might find on older legacys because they are an abundance.. keep us informed because that is the only way we can help you in a week or so is if we know wtf you've been up too. and if you want to go check out a few legacys or imprezas shoot me a pm and i might be able to come check them out with you to give you some back up opinion seeing as ive owned both a 2.2 and a 2.5
seriously a lot of 90's japanese cars are going to be solid mechanically, but rusty. Live with the rust and embrace the reliability. I've got two early 90s (91 & 92) Nissans, with over 400,000 combined miles on them, and they're both rusty, but both run like champs, pull hard, and get over 30mpg on the highway. One I drive at rallycross and rallys, and I hammer on it. And it doesn't care, it just keep running stronger. Find one with the 1.6L and the maileage can be over 35mpg. And they're easier to find than a non-molested, non-overpriced Honda of the same age.
you are right about the relaibility of older hondas, just not the cheapness. ive seen a 93 accord w/ 145k no rust for like 4 or 5k in the paper... not cheap to me. i just bought a 93 tempo w/ 177k and new belts/tires minimal rust for $550. thats cheap(ish)
I understand the concept of "Get a car that's mechanically solid but looks like ****". It's just, I had that type of car and it still went to hell. I never beat on the Escort, seriously, and the tranny went at 150,000. I'm at the point where I want a good looking car in great shape, that I will have for 5-6 years or more down the road.
im gonna tell you this right now because you're young. 1. dont have the " i wanna have my car for 20 years" outlook becasue it wont happen. 2. your young and you will change your mind. trust me im only 20 i know. 3. if you cant afford payments over 150/month you wont want to keep the car for more than 5-6 years 4. if you have such specific standards you must know what you actually want. 5. so what do you want? 6. if you want a car that you are actually going to keep for a long time. drive the parents car for a few months until you can save enough for a down payment or you can work your way up to getting a bigger better loan.
Problem: Mom only has one car. Parents are divorced. Dad won't answer phone calls about loaning me money. I want: 1995 or newer. AWD. I've narrowed it down to; Saab, Subaru, or Mazda. The most specific car I've gotten down to is a Lexus IS250 or IS300. That's what I want.
ok well first of all you are all over the place. subaru is japanese and is all awd 96 and up but most 95's are awd too. mazda' are never awd unless you get a newer one (03- up ) and then that means they are a ford. you dont want a ford because you think they suck. so why get a mazda. saab in the late 90's was very close to becoming GM and the swedish engineering isnt the best with awd becasue they are new to it and i dont think they had alot of awd cars back then. lexus. yes great beautiful cars. the 250 just came out in 08 so you wont beable to afford that. i know so. if you do congrats i wish i was you. but no 17 yr old is going to get apporved for an 08 awd loaded is250 an is300 is rwd. the clutchs burn up on those things every 15k miles. i know my buddy had one and went through two in 1 year. the lexus mechanic told him and i that manual is300's burn clutchs faster than bob marley smoking a joint. i know bad similie ( i think thats what its called) secondly on the is300 they are all going to 10k ++ and even then the ones for that price have over 100xxx miles on them. sorry to bust your balls kid but thats the truth.
dude again dont want to turn u from a subby but i owned a 1996 mazda mx6 with 207xxx miles and beat the piss out of it haha turboed it a 211 and it still ran great i only pushed 6 psi but it was still fast lol it was the v6 but that car gave me a good time haha i loved it u can find those super cheap and they are 300k cars... make sure u get the mazda engine tho its very similar to the ford ones but better parts from my experiences.... there uber cheap too bout the car for 1500 sold it for 3000 :biggrin: haha the turboing cost me like 500 cause i got it from an older mx6 lol
Just so everyone knows. My Escort had a Mazda engine in it. I don't HATE ford, it's just - well, not a big fan. I guess I'll get whatever falls in my lap.
WAY out of your pricing for what you want. cold hard truth, AWD and luxo? http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/856372786.html dont be dumb, get a solid car you can AFFORD
WISE words!!! I bought my 1995 2.2l AWD Impreza Automatic in 2004 for $2500 out the door. ($2000 + $500 fees/tabs/ect...) Found it in the bargain lot of the Star Trib. It had 96,XXX miles and some minor damage, nothing too serious but the bumper is kind of tweeked. Now I have 184,XXX miles, with only kind of routine maintenance. It has seen 2 turbo kits, and gets pounded on every single day. The car is still solid in body and mechanically. (piston rings are starting to go, and I blew a Trans doing something stupid at an ice race) If I would have driven this car like a grandpa it would run like a top for another 3million miles. But I havent so in 20k more miles I will do piston rings and then it will be good for another 4 million miles. Seriously though anything w/ a phase 1 EJ22E will be the most reliable thing on the planet.
Dude, as for the car you want.. when I was your age (well, more like 18, which would have been in 2000) all I wanted was the subaru wrx. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. Skip forward 7 years.. I got my degree, got married, bought a house, and just got my 3rd promotion at my company. You know how I treated myself? Yup.. the wrx (not a 2000, but '05). The point of my story is that when you're 17 you've still got your life in front of you to buy those cars that you couldn't afford when you were young. The other car I've always wanted in my life is a BMW M3. Will I buy that? Maybe someday. It's good to have goals and dreams. Keeps you motivated in life. Key part is, make those goals and dreams realistic and obtainable. Saying something like "I want a ferrari 430" (which I do) is somewhat unrealistic. Am I saying you can't do it? Hell no. Is the chances of it happening slim? You bet your ass. So, You want an IS250. Keep that in mind as you make life choices. Buy that car that sure, the chicks aren't gonna be "OMG look at that" about, but who cares. Buy a car that you can *afford*, not something that's gonna make you broke to the point you can barely fill the gas tank. Don't be like the people who are getting foreclosed by jumping into something over your head just so that you can have that nice car (or house). Side rant: Today in American it's all about the Bling Bling. People aren't exercising fiscal responsibility and that's why we're in this nasty situation. Before buying anything, ask yourself "Can I really afford this?" and "Do I really need this, or is it a want?" Don't let some dbag in a suit and tie tell you that you can afford something, look at your finances and tell yourself. That guy doesn't care if you get foreclosed/repo'd, he just wants your money for his commission. I hope that helps some. Now I need to shower and go to work. -Ryan
Just throwing it out there - I have a 1999 tauras sedan I'm getting ready to sell. It has 135k on the clock - previous owner was traveling salesman so mostly highway miles, but is mechanically sound. The body & interior are in pretty good shape as well considering it's a 1999 model. It also has power locks & power driver's seat. 2 yrs ago when I bought it I had a complete tune up performed - all new plugs, wires, coolant flush, tranny flush, brakes checked & fluid flushed, etc. etc. Last summer I changed out almost the whole suspension - new struts, new tie rod ends, sway links, front coil springs, new tires, & more items. Brakes are still in very good shape with lots of life left on them. I'm looking to get around $3,500 for it or best reasonable offer - I know it's probably not your ideal car, but if you do the maintenance on this, it should last you at least another 3-4 years. Not to mention that insurance should be cheap on this for someone your age. Pm me if you want more info.
There are plenty of cheap, AWD Subarus around. You just have to look for them. My old EJ22E had 198k on it when I pulled it, and ran like a champ. It still made compression in the mid 140's, which isn't fantastic, but it was even across the board and decent considering I beat the thing like it owed me money. The first gen Legacys will generally run for ever. You may have to do a wheel bearing or two, but that is a standard maintenance on high mileage cars. Check out craigslist. I found my beater wagon for $800. It needed some work, and still does, lol, but it runs great and gets me around.
Reidy, I work at Walser Subaru and if you want a specific car I can help you find it. In terms of a $150.00 a month requirement and you said you're 17 and can't take out a loan where would the money be coming from? A personal bank that your parents would sign for you? A $150.00 car payment would entail a car that is around $5,000.00 dollars... We have a couple on our lot around that price range or I can find one for you. Give me some examples of makes, models, price, and mileage and I can try helping you out. Let me know what I can do for you.
