Is it even possible to get your child their first vehicle for a few thousand dollars?

[JDS556762]

Good find buddy! That's a NICE first ride. Mine had bullet holes in it, from me of course, but none the less....nice!

 

[CPA9mm]

I got each of my boys into a 10 year old car for $4,000 to $5,000. They both ran good and didn't look too bad. I found them both on the Autotrader. When I asked my youngest son if he wanted the Mercury Sable he said "Thanks, but isn't that an old man's car"? I told him that that was the idea.

 

[roundhouse]

Most high end vehicles get pretty affordable when they're older. People who can afford them buy new ones, people who can't try to keep older ones running. Problem is, just because a car costing $80k new still costs the same, or more, to keep in good condition when it's worth $5k. Porsche Cayenne etc cost a lot to maintain. 2000's Mercedes S class have potentially very expensive suspension problems. My brother in law went through 4 turbos on earlier Volvo's.......

Yep
A friend of mine was looking for a mid size SUV for his 16 yr old son
They were looking for maybe a FJ Cruiser or a Cherokee

And he called from a car lot saying that the BMW X- something was the same price as a Cherokee and he knew they cost a lot more than a Cherokee new

I told him he didn't want a European car that was out of warranty unless it was free or close to it

And to call his mechanic and get a quote on pads and rotors in all four wheels and a water pump and alternator on the Cherokee verses the BMW
I assured him the same repairs to the BMW would be at least double. Just because .

Plus a beemer screams "IM RICH AND YOURE NOT ! "
And you don't want a teenager driving a car that makes that kind of statement


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[Sowega86]

First car I bought for my daughter belonged to my dad. Over the years, he'd sell me his used Honda Accords. Never paid more than $4000 and they did have some miles on them but I knew that he took care of them. Do you have any close relatives you can buy a vehicle from?

 

[boxer90]

Good reason why that BMW was cheaper; they're a pain the work on and you will end up working on it.

I wanted a Porsche 928 when I was younger. Then I got a little older and realized that I'd end up paying more in repairs and maintenance than the car is worth. Here's a guy on eBay with a Ferrari for $34,500, which sounds awesome, but then think about the insurance and how much you'll spend keeping it in working condition, and then finding a Ferrari mechanic in Georgia that isn't in Atlanta. I'd guess there's a couple of 'em at most.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1987-Ferrar...ash=item33d0650a75:g:4isAAOSwlMFZFjzG&vxp=mtr

Also a guy with a 2002 360 Modena for $51k that has 100k miles. Ideal first car for any horned up teenage boy.

 

[testdepth]

I just drove it home and that little car really moves. Sounds great and no problems. The guys I bought it from were 100% straight up good people and I would buy another from them. If you are in the market for a nice car I would call them or catch them on Ebay as $99 No Reserve. The guy has been selling there since 2001 and is very concerned to keep people happy and keep getting positive feedback. Even though I had won the bidding and he had no reason to let me test drive it before paying him the rest of the money, he screwed a dealer plate on it and insisted I take it out and drive it. Very happy with my $2200 car.


Anyone need a free AUTOCHECK just PM me a VIN. I think I still have about 10 -15 left to do before I run out.

 

[MRM]

I just got my first BMW a couple months ago.
I've been learning about them.
If you can't work on cars, well, they may be significantly harder to work on.
I adjusted the valves so far.
Not any harder than any other car to me. Maybe even more simple due to the single cam and 2 valve per cyl.
Of course the mechanic will charge you more.
The parts are not that much more and are probably better overall.
I don't see how a 10-15 yr old car screams you are rich when nice examples can be had for 3k or less.
You do get better performance.
You do get a little more respect on the road from some drivers.
You don't have to drive it like a race car. But it could handle it if need be.
There are plenty of high mileage examples and plenty still on the road.
I didn't much pay any attention to them until I drove one.

 

[roundhouse]

I just got my first BMW a couple months ago.
I've been learning about them.
If you can't work on cars, well, they may be significantly harder to work on.
I adjusted the valves so far.
Not any harder than any other car to me. Maybe even more simple due to the single cam and 2 valve per cyl.
Of course the mechanic will charge you more.
The parts are not that much more and are probably better overall.
I don't see how a 10-15 yr old car screams you are rich when nice examples can be had for 3k or less.
You do get better performance.
You do get a little more respect on the road from some drivers.
You don't have to drive it like a race car. But it could handle it if need be.
There are plenty of high mileage examples and plenty still on the road.
I didn't much pay any attention to them until I drove one.

It's the perception

A Benz or beemer screams money cause everyone knows they cost about the same as a small
House when they are new
The joke with BMWs used to be
If you were curious about the cost you just add two zeros to the number glued on the trunk lid
A 535 cost about $55k
A 850 cost $85K


Same with a used corvette , even though a 10 yr old corvette is cheap


The depreciation is a killer
If the person that paid $100k for that Porsche had used the same money to buy a house in Smyrna ....

The Porsche is now worth $9K and that same house is now worth $250K


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[Hayata]

It appears I have answered my own question with a winning Ebay bid on this 2005 Volvo S40 T5 Turbo sedan 149000 miles and an engine compartment you could eat off. This company from Jacksonville FL has been selling high end cars this way for several years and I found it by accident. If you look at their past auctions of cars they sold there are several people getting excellent deals. This car will cost $2051 (beat another bidder by $1 bwahaha) + $199 dealer fee OTD. I would do this again before using Craigslist and trying to wade through the Nigerians. Here's another one of their cars that starting bid was $99 and it sold for $4020
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2002-Merced...ash=item1a2dbbb2c2:g:h7wAAOSws5pZHPpM&vxp=mtr




View attachment 1219169

Score!!!!

Congrats! Your persistence paid off!

 

[GeauxLSU]

I just drove it home and that little car really moves. Sounds great and no problems. The guys I bought it from were 100% straight up good people and I would buy another from them. If you are in the market for a nice car I would call them or catch them on Ebay as $99 No Reserve. The guy has been selling there since 2001 and is very concerned to keep people happy and keep getting positive feedback. Even though I had won the bidding and he had no reason to let me test drive it before paying him the rest of the money, he screwed a dealer plate on it and insisted I take it out and drive it. Very happy with my $2200 car.

Great to hear!
You're giving it to your teenage daughter correct? Is there a way to disable the turbos?