We have been considering a second car for a while. Since I am torn between getting a stick or a slush box, We have decided that instead of getting a new $$$ car we will get a beater and try it out for a couple of months.

The requirements are
* Cost shold be less than $5000. Although want to stay between $4K & $5K, definitely go lower
* Has to be sedan as it will need to be a baby hauler too.
* Should be dependable, in other works dont want it to be maintainance nightmare.
* Should be able to either sell it quickly or trade it in for $3000 - $3500 in a couple of months
* Preferably a stick.

I guess time to hit CL & Local car trade magazines..

 

this is great. im in the same boat as you are. mind if i join your thread? i dont wanna jack though

 

Get a 4 door GSR.

 

Def a good place to go is CL, check out some mid 90's accords...they typically sell pretty fast if in decent shape and manual. I would also check out some Nissan Maxima's; they are very reliable cars and you may actually be able to find a manual one for $5K with some effort

 

Older Volvo, V70. Try 1998 / 1999. Those are cheap, safe, and can haul kids and stuff.

 

Can you get those with the T5?

 

Do you know how to drive a manual or are you going to learn how to drive a manual with this car ?

Also what size car are you looking for Compact or Mid Size ?

 

toyota camry

 

Accord, Civic, Corolla, Camry etc.

 

Pretty much.

 

97-99 Maxima

 

Get a 90+ Accord with a stickshift

 

legend

 

Yes, just search for a V70R for that model and you'll see results like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-...=p4506.c0.m245

 

pretty much any honda or toyota.

 

That is a bad A$$ wagon! I never really liked Volvo much until I drove an 04 S60 R 6 speed..I look at them in a completely different way now.

 

No problem, You are very much welcome.

I know how to drive one, but haven't owned one. Once in a while I drive when some one who has a stick needs me to drop him at airport or we needs some help etc. But since I never had it for my daily grind, I want to make sure it is pracical and reliable. However I will be encouraging my wife to learn, whether she will bite or not we will see.

I was hoping to get into a midsize like a Accord, Camry, Altima/maxima. The 4 banger in compact will probably be too much less more to haul ass. Again 4CYL in the midsize will be enough, just the compact may be too less power to haul my heavy ass and the kids.

 

I had heard Volvo is prone to electrical problems... Am I way off base or is this one of the vehicles which escaped the gremlins.

 

the maximas come with a 6 cyl 3.0

 

Bought a 2000 VW Passat V6 wagon last October for $4000. runs like a top, real smooth and quiet. Gets good mileage and fits 2 carseats in back and lots of stuff in the hatch. Stay away from a 1.8t unless you have it checked for sludge. Volvos are nice, but repairs can be pricey, as with VWs as well. Maybe a used 97 Accord wagon if you can find one.

Just for the record, I am wagon and VW biased I don't think sedans are good for family hauling.

 

Acura Vigor

 

Biggest issue should be safety. I would be extremely nervous driving around a 5k vehicle. IMO of course

 

Wuss..

I drive around in a free car quite a bit

 

Used accord??

'9X model??


I'm not up on used prices that much.

 

Perhaps. Maybe I should clarify...I wouldn't hand over a 5k car to any loved ones. would be worried if it was a death trap. Brake failure, below par safety features, etc.driving is the most riskful activity the average person partakes. get your priorities straight

 

integra

 

and btw, a $5000 vehicle is as safe as you make it. there are some 10k cars that can be more unsafe.

 

my dads 93 1500 dollar toyota corolla lasted him up to 225K with oil changes and the only reason it gave out was due to a head on collision. he came out without a scratch

 

Have you tried Autotrader.com? I don't know where you live but this is an example of what turned up in my area.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=20

 

If you're willing to lose 2k in a few months why not just rent a car?

 

1988 Honda Accord Lx-i, my first hand me down car! Sportiest Accord sedan with the flip up lights!

 

Accord, Camry or Maxima.

 

If you only need it for a couple months just find someone that wants out of their lease early..

 

One of my pet peeves on the forum is when a thread is started with suggestions and questions but the OP never follows up with whether he used the suggestion and whether it was helpful or not. When I took my new to me car for an oil change I realized I never came back and updated how my search went.

Well we started out by looking at 00 - 03 Maxima and found them to be mostly priced between $4000 - $6000. Drove some maxima stick shift, didn't like the throw and feel of it. Then considered some 98 - 01 Accords... Some more car hunting led me to 1G RL... boy did that car depreciate a ton which infact made it a great choice for a beater car. We found some 96 - 98 for $3250 - $4500 but really liked the 99 - 01 changes. So I ended up getting a 2000 RL for $6500, incidentally the 2000 Accord EX were going for the same price. It was a little over my initial budget, but we felt that this car was something that we could keep for a little longer like a year or two.

 

That's why you get as new a car as you can with high mileage because the odds are that car would have been used as a long-distance commuting vehicle.

And a 100k mile Maxima is going to give you another 100k miles easy if you take care of it.

 

Just picked up a 97 Acura RL for my daughter. 107K miles, ABS, Traction control. Car had all records and key stuff (timing belt, water pump, plugs/ignition, brakes, tranny flush) all done. All I needed were 4 new Kumho Platinum LXs and she is good to go. $5100 private seller

 

+1 for a 4g maxima.

EDIT: just saw that the OP found some 5g maximas in his price range. that's not a bad choice either.

my first car was a 96 maxima, which we drove for nearly 100k miles before it was wrecked.

i know many that still have 99 and 00 maximas, and they're going strong after nearly 150k.

 

Nice! How many miles on the RL?

 

civic or accord........though accords will probably be more reliable in that price range. Dont get a camry, unless you like being bored to death......I owned one for 8 years, I think it actually gave me grey hairs and made sex less exciting.

 

+1 I can't believe how cheap the RL's have become.