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

[roundhouse]

I have a 17yr old daughter looking for her first car. Safe, reliable, decent and automatic top the list. Minor mechanics I can fix. Too many high mileage 200K plus cars with questionable maintenance practices. If it's after 1996 I have OBD II in hand to check. Some problems like overheating in PT Cruisers are unknown until mentioned by another ODT member. Then there are the pictures from 20 feet away and hidden paint problems. Unfortunately I live 3 miles from FL border and most ODT folks are up north. No hurry and I'll sift through the garbage and try not to waster too much of my time or gas.

So far:
Honda Pilot 415000 miles on it! Got to be some kind of record.

Integra with engine light the guy failed to mention until I drove the 52 miles to see it.

PT Cruiser with damaged paint the guy failed to mention until I drove 40 miles to see it. Not just peeling clear coat we are talking damaged.

Maxima listed as NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS and I drove the 40 miles south turn the engine on and hear obvious bearing noise whine coming from engine. Owner tells me it's been doing that since I bought it just never mentioned on the phone.

You have to screen the sellers

Ask them
how long they have owned the car

Why they are selling the car

What needs repairing on the car

And run the VIN thru carfax before you drive to go see it


If you get a Mazda , do NOT get the automatic transmission
Get the manual Trans
If your kid doesn't know how to drive a manual yet , now a good time to teach em


The Thunderbirds and cougars are dirt cheap

https://gadsden.craigslist.org/cto/6179284869.html



Here's a Two owner , needs AC repaired asking
$1000. Which means $750 cash will drive it home

Spend $1200 fixing the AC and ball joints and you will likely get a lot of miles out of the car
https://athensga.craigslist.org/cto/6140243703.html





I'm telling you , if You want a cheap car that's easy to repair these cars just can't be beat


Here's one with cold AC new ball joints and new tires asking $1200 which means $1000 cash will buy it

Not sure what year they got airbags but I know some of them have driver bags
And they aw pretty sturdy cars
My brother takes the plastic bumper covers off his and fills the honeycomb with cement and re installs it on the car
Adds quite a bit more strength

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/6175736631.html

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[EMC45]

Another thing about CFC is that the older cars that got crushed were far easier to work on than the current crop of used cars. Not everyone has a diagnostic machine or car computer at the house.

 

[roundhouse]

Another thing about CFC is that the older cars that got crushed were far easier to work on than the current crop of used cars. Not everyone has a diagnostic machine or car computer at the house.

Yep
I won't be buying any more cars newer than the late 90s

Just too complicated for no reason at all
Other than to Make it impossible for any mechanic to work on it other than at the stealership

My next vehicle is gonna be a 88-91 K-5 blazer or maybe a dodge Ramcharger

I don't care about airbags at all
If your car needs airbags to be safe ,, you need a bigger car
What makes a car safe is weight , the heavier vehicle will win every collision


If you're shopping for a car newer than 95 you need to get a code reader
That cost less than $100
And the new ones Bluetooth to an app on your smartphone

Reading the stored codes can reveal problems

A knock sensor is a major repair , it's a &50 part but unless it's a Chevy V-8
it's usually under the intake manifold and takes hours of labor to get at it

A code saying too lean is usually a vacuum leak and easy to repair
A bad oxy sensor is easy to swap
A mechanic will sometimes charge $700 to swap an O2 sensor but is a $70 part and usually as easy as screwing in a light bulb


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[The Old Jaybird]

I have sold 4 cars in the last 4 years.

98 Ford Taurus, I bought new, very dependable, just didn't want to pay insurance on it anymore - $300, needed a fresh battery, guy [my mechanic] drove it away. still going strong 4 years later...I see it at his shop, its his "loaner" car.

01 Chevy Camaro Z28, sold to put money into truck for son, only 75k miles, auto not manual, I was about the 4th owner - $5300.

01 PT Cruiser Limited, second owner, was wife's car, about 125k, needed PS pump, everything else was OK - $1200

07 PT Cruiser Touring Edition, former rental car, bought with 18K, my work car from 08 to 15, had about 130K - $2000

Lost money on all of them, but when I have "excess inventory" I sell them. I don't trade cars in, prefer to buy for cash, simplifies the purchase. But then I had 4 cars in the driveway, paying insurance on them all, but it was nice to have a backup or loaner to other family members with car in the shop, etc.

 

[letusbuyyourcar]

My old landlord back in Perry is about to sell his daughter's 06 Mazda 3 that's white and pretty clean. She's getting her mom's 2012 Sorrento and mom gets a new car. Anyway the Mazda will sell pretty cheap. PM me if you want details.

 

[testdepth]

I think most of that computer garbage is just that garbage! Serves no purpose other than something that breaks and needs servicing. My wife's 2004 Yukon has power memory seats that when I changed out her dead battery the memory lost its software for some reason and it cost me $80 to have the dealer hook up their hand tool computer and reload the software in 3 seconds. If I could I would rip it all out of every car I own and put in a $200 hot rod wiring harness with fuse block and trash all of the computer useless garbage.

 

[testdepth]

You have to screen the sellers

Ask them
how long they have owned the car

Why they are selling the car

What needs repairing on the car

And run the VIN thru carfax before you drive to go see it


If you get a Mazda , do NOT get the automatic transmission
Get the manual Trans
If your kid doesn't know how to drive a manual yet , now a good time to teach em


The Thunderbirds and cougars are dirt cheap

https://gadsden.craigslist.org/cto/6179284869.html



Here's a Two owner , needs AC repaired asking
$1000. Which means $750 cash will drive it home

Spend $1200 fixing the AC and ball joints and you will likely get a lot of miles out of the car
https://athensga.craigslist.org/cto/6140243703.html





I'm telling you , if You want a cheap car that's easy to repair these cars just can't be beat


Here's one with cold AC new ball joints and new tires asking $1200 which means $1000 cash will buy it

Not sure what year they got airbags but I know some of them have driver bags
And they aw pretty sturdy cars
My brother takes the plastic bumper covers off his and fills the honeycomb with cement and re installs it on the car
Adds quite a bit more strength

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/6175736631.html

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Some people cannot be taught to drive stick. I tried with my oldest daughter and there's just too much going on. Left foot on clutch, right foot gas or brake, right hand shift and left hand steer or is it the other way around. Then pay attention to everyone else. I prefer a stick but there was no way she could get it.

 

[roundhouse]

Some people cannot be taught to drive stick. I tried with my oldest daughter and there's just too much going on. Left foot on clutch, right foot gas or brake, right hand shift and left hand steer or is it the other way around. Then pay attention to everyone else. I prefer a stick but there was no way she could get it.

Well you do have a point
You can't TEACH anyone how to drive a manual
They have to LEARN

Kinda like riding a bicycle
You can explain it but the only way to learn is to be motivated and to just do it
And with riding a bike you fall over 27 times before it clicks in your brain and then you never fall over again

Same with a manual Trans
It take motivation and experience

She could learn it if she wanted to
Like say , if Zuckerberg decreed that only people learned to drive manuals were allowed access to Facebook , she would learn it in about 45 minutes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[testdepth]

Well you do have a point
You can't TEACH anyone how to drive a manual
They have to LEARN

Kinda like riding a bicycle
You can explain it but the only way to learn is to be motivated and to just do it
And with riding a bike you fall over 27 times before it clicks in your brain and then you never fall over again

Same with a manual Trans
It take motivation and experience

She could learn it if she wanted to
Like say , if Zuckerberg decreed that only people learned to drive manuals were allowed access to Facebook , she would learn it in about 45 minutes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I understand your point however for my safety and the safety of everyone else on the road we sold the stick shift Nissan and bought her an automatic. Just looking out for my fellow road travelers.

 

[Tex06]

Well you do have a point
You can't TEACH anyone how to drive a manual
They have to LEARN

Kinda like riding a bicycle
You can explain it but the only way to learn is to be motivated and to just do it
And with riding a bike you fall over 27 times before it clicks in your brain and then you never fall over again

Same with a manual Trans
It take motivation and experience

She could learn it if she wanted to
Like say , if Zuckerberg decreed that only people learned to drive manuals were allowed access to Facebook , she would learn it in about 45 minutes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Snapchat these days, and it wouldn't take that long!

I'd jump on the Mazda 3, they're good solid cars. Easy enough to work on, a lot of FoMoCo parts under the hood.