$5k to spend on a used car

[Burnsside42]

J-Rod, a minivan for a 17 year old boy still in high school? Are you trying to make sure the kid never gets laid?

Yeah - I don't think that is an accurate statement - I can vouch differently. It's like a rolling motel room mind you. Half the time I never made it into the movie theaters.....


VW FOX = never getting laid.

[Tweek's Turbos]

I vote non turbo 9000.

[Hirsch]

Burns, it was joke. Hence the smiley afterwards. Around here minivans are the epitome of uncool. I think it's more accurate to say that you were the exception, not the rule.

Tweek, 9000's don't exist in this part of the country. Seriously. I check CL on a regular basis looking for the right 900 to come on the market and I always check for 9000s as well. The last one I saw, on Feb 6th, was about 50 miles from me on sale for $1946. 1996 Saab 9000

They aren't looking for a project or a toy. A reliable, economical car that isn't going to cost them an arm and a leg WHEN it breaks down. As much as I love Saabs, I know that older ones can be nightmares and when they do break, they are expensive to fix. This kid isn't going to be wrenching on it himself, he's not mechanically inclined. An old Saab is not a good first car for a 17 year old with no mechanical aptitude.

They want to spend $5000 and get the best possible car they can for that amount.

[rpiereck]

I can tell you that without having to ask the kid. His requirements are a newer, fast, 2-door coupe with plenty of horsepower and great looks.

Tell you what, when I was in high school I had a 1977 Mercedes Benz 300D I paid $900 for, my brother had a Golf Diesel that was slooooow, and my best buddy had a Porsc he 912 that was VW-Bug slow. We all had a blast with those cars and enjoyed them as much as possible. When I joined the Army I gave my Benz to my younger brother, and he loved that he was the only one of this friends who could say his first car was a Mercedes. As long as it's something mildly fun it doesn't need to be a sports car.

[Burnsside42]

Volvo 240 sedan or wagon - early 90's vintage (last years). Dead on reliable - cheap to fix and safe RWD transportation. You can also locate them with manual gearboxes. I always have an eye out for that bargain combo. Mileage seems to be just a number for those cars and does not effect prices however. A 230K 1991 240 could still fetch $3500 easy... A Clean 240 with no mileage (sub 150K) could sell for easy $5000

[Dave T]

In any transaction, there is a cost of the transaction. Dealers give a low amount for a trade in (or give a high amount along with charging nearly full price for the new car) because they have to process the car and then sell it. Ideally, the way to eliminate this cost is for a car to be passed from a relative. Sometimes, this is not practical because there is no car to pass down and sometimes, the car is not suitable or in poor condition. With my car, it's not an automatic so most people can't drive it. "Why can't you buy a normal car?", I am sometimes asked, implying that my Saab is abnormal.

[J-Rod]

I'm hesitant to recommend a European car simply because the cost of ownership is so high. I can afford $250 for a brake job, but a 17 year old in high school probably can't.

I need to talk to the kid and see what his requirements are.

J-Rod, a minivan for a 17 year old boy still in high school? Are you trying to make sure the kid never gets laid?

Whoa, totally missed the "for her son" part... I should stop posting after 10 PM...

In that case....DSM DSM DSM! lolno.

V6 Mustang? Those get decent mileage. Having a ANY type of Mustang when you're 17 is the coolest thing ever.

[J-Rod]

I'd drive this. acura integra gsr

[sptsdn]

I still feel that our 1996 Toyota Corolla was one of the best cars I've even owned. It was uncomfortable and boring as all get out but it did exactly what we needed it to do: get us form point-a to point-b cheaply and reliably. We bought it a year old with 15k on it and ended up putting 165k more on it ourselves before selling it to get something "different". I still regret selling it; it is the perfect daily driver. In fact, I still see it around town once in a while (looking a little worse for wear though!). The only non-maintenance issue we had was weak starter motor contacts; common issue on the Rollover but it's less than $20 in parts and an hour or two labor that a mildly skilled person (read: me) can do.

You simply can't go wrong with a well maintained Corolla, Civic, or Sentra.

[SaabKen]

Trying to help out a friend. Single mom trying to find a decent car for her 17 year old son.

They've got $5000 to spend and need a reliable car with reasonable mileage.


I was thinking Mazda 3, but everything I'm finding has 150K+ miles on them.

With that amount of money to spend, I'm thinking a Japanese car is the way to go.


What do you guys think?

I still feel that our 1996 Toyota Corolla was one of the best cars I've even owned. It was uncomfortable and boring as all get out but it did exactly what we needed it to do: get us form point-a to point-b cheaply and reliably. We bought it a year old with 15k on it and ended up putting 165k more on it ourselves before selling it to get something "different". I still regret selling it; it is the perfect daily driver. In fact, I still see it around town once in a while (looking a little worse for wear though!). The only non-maintenance issue we had was weak starter motor contacts; common issue on the Rollover but it's less than $20 in parts and an hour or two labor that a mildly skilled person (read: me) can do.

You simply can't go wrong with a well maintained Corolla, Civic, or Sentra.

My $0.25:

Subaru Impreza (regular or Outback)
Subaru Legacy sedan or wagon (regular or Outback)
Toyota Matrix (or Pontiac Vibe)
Mazda 3 (or 323, or Protege 5)
Nissan Sentra
Nissan Altima

Some people I know swear by Saturns' reliability, but I've no 1st-hand experience.