Help me find a vehicle!

[zeturi]

I know we've got at least a few auto-smart folks on this forum, so that's why I'm asking here.

My budget is around $1000 to buy outright, possibly around $2000 if I need to buy from a dealership. I need to get a car that'll be decent on gas. It'll be mostly for commuting to school, my job and back. Probably never more than about 40 miles a day, and that's pushing it. I don't care much about how it looks, as long as I'm not buying a salvage title.

I've been looking at Accords, Civics and Integras, as that's what seems to be the most affordable in my area. But please, feel free to give me your opinions on what to get. In case you wanna be a real swell fella I live in the area of http://sfbay.craigslist.org/cta/ , so if you wanna help me peruse through all of what's available, I'd appreciate it.

 

[PalmerTech]

Look into a Honda CRX. Common, dirt cheap, and 50+ MPG.

 

[bic]

And won't last 5 seconds if you park it in the wrong part of town. Ricers love those things.

Three questions:

1. How mechanically inclined are you?
2. How much work are you willing to put into making it look/run decent?
3. Can you drive stick?

 

[zeturi]

1. I have absolutely no experience with vehicle repair. Not even changing my own oil.
2. I'd rather have everything working, for the most part. If the AC is out, or the radio isn't working, that kind of stuff is fine by me. Anything cosmeticly wrong is totally fine by me, I can always take care of that later. But as for the vehicle actually running, I'd hope to have everything running well for the most part.
3. I never learned to drive a stick-shift. I've seen a lot of good deals on cars just to find out that they are manual.

I don't have much going for me.

 

[jleemero]

Learn to drive stick.

If you can't drive manual, you can't drive, and if you haven't driven manual, you've never driven.

 

[GOGOROBO]

This is your car.
This car has zeturi written all over it.

 

[Mako321]

STFU Snow

 

[bic]

Beggars can't be choosers. Learn to drive stick, and pick up a wrench and a Haynes manual.

 

[jleemero]

Dirt cheap and easy to work on is an old VW.
Something pre-1973, and you can do pretty much ANYTHING to it with a simple toolkit.
Even an incredibly inexperienced *Can'tSayThisOnTV* can drop the engine in a VW Beetle in less than 20 minutes, 5 minutes if you know what you're doing.
Every possible bit of maintenance, you can do yourself.

 

[bic]

A classic VW beetle as a daily driver... Hmm...

1. No power at any time of the year

2. No heat in the winter

3.

Sounds like a good idea to me!

Might as well just buy a motorcycle; you'll get all that and better fuel economy!

Here's a '96 Passat that apparently needs a new water pump. Might be worth looking at.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/2017945534.html

So might this thing:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/2017820507.html

 

[jleemero]

1. No power at any time of the year

Plenty of power, amazing amount of torque for what they are.
And modification for high-performance is affordable, and easy.

2. No heat in the winter

Volkswagen Beetles have had heaters since 1938.

3.

Gas Tank == Crumple Zone.


They'll also never overheat (You can redline a VW Beetle for hours on end), making it great for, ya know, idiots.

 

[robm]

Honestly, just get a 1995 - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville, Oldsmobile 88, Buick Regal, Chevrolet Impala, with the 3800 (3.8L) engine. Exceedingly reliable cars, not that expensive to fix, and are great cars, overall. I drive an Olds 88 right now, and I love it to death.

 

[jleemero]

If I bought an 88, it'd be a '58 Super 88.

 

[bic]

2. No heat in the winter

Volkswagen Beetles have had heaters since 1938.

Not really. They don't have a "heater" as much as they have "a pipe that runs parallel to the exhaust". You could also bring a netbook running Cinebench with you and get more than double the heat!

 

[PalmerTech]

Remember that Zet lives in California. Our temperate climes reduce the need for heating to near zero.

 

[jleemero]

2. No heat in the winter

Volkswagen Beetles have had heaters since 1938.

Not really. They don't have a "heater" as much as they have "a pipe that runs parallel to the exhaust". You could also bring a netbook running Cinebench with you and get more than double the heat!

After about '45, they used actual heat boxes, two of 'em, vent fans and everything.
If the car's in good working order, you'll be sweating by the time the car's warmed up.
The people in the back, however, will freeze their nads off for all eternity. But they don't matter anyway

 

[bic]

See if you can find an old Ford Panther platform car. (Crown Vic, Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Car.) Easy to work on, dead reliable, dirt cheap, seats 6, big dirty closet for a trunk, there's millions of them, and nobody will screw around with you because they'll think you're a cop!

 

[zeturi]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'll be pretty busy looking for all these cars, now.

 

[vskid3]

So might this thing:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/2017820507.html

Silly bic, he said he wanted good gas mileage. A 460 drinks enough to keep every gas station around him in business.

I would recommend a (stick shift) Civic. The 94' in my sig has 260,000 miles and the 97' has 215-220,000 miles. They both run great and show no signs of stopping. We got the 94' for $900. Had a couple things that needed fixed, did it ourselves but it would have only cost a few hundred at a shop. Get a friend that knows about cars and have them check it out before buying. I'm getting a 96'-04' Civic of my own in the next few weeks, thats how much I like their reliability and gas mileage. Just don't rice it up.

 

[bic]

Silly vskid, he's in California where there's no such thing as a not-riced used Civic.

Besides, old trucks are the flax.