Best first car

[741chandlerw]

What would be a good first car around $2,000 if I need it very sturdy, good sound system, and gets good gas mileage?

 

[theyeti87]

For $2,000 I think you're going to be looking for a project car. People love old honda civics for this reason.

 

[velocityg4]

Get a Toyota Corolla. Those things seem to run forever. Focus on lower mileage over year. Buy a receiver and speakers later. You can get decent sound quality for pretty cheap.

Ask the seller if they maintained a maintenance log. One of the most important aspects of long life is that it got all fluid changes on manufacturer recommended intervals.

Bring it to a mechanic for inspection if you don’t know what to look for.

Make sure it uses R-134a refrigerant. Which I think is used in any car 1997 and newer.

 

[10tacle]

A Corolla is a good option. Another option is a Honda Civic coupe. Both are bullet proof. I bought a 1995 Civic beater used in 2003 and for ten years used it as my primary weekday work commuter and evening moonlighting job as a pizza delivery car. I drove the wheels off of it until giving it away to charity a few years ago for a tax deduction. It had 255K on the clock when I signed over the title. When I bought it for $2,800 it had ~120K on the clock.

Sedan version for sale on Autotrader for $1,650 with only 96K miles: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=404013775&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3FstartYear%3D1995%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceDESC%26incremental%3Dall%26firstRecord%3D0%26endYear%3D1995%26modelCodeList%3DCIVIC%26makeCodeList%3DHONDA&startYear=1995&numRecords=25&firstRecord=0&endYear=1995&modelCodeList=CIVIC&makeCodeList=HONDA&makeCode1=HONDA&modelCode1=CIVIC

^^If I was in the Florida area and wanted another beater, I'd snap that up in a heartbeat.

 

[King_V]

Make sure it uses R138a refrigerant. Which I think is used in any car 1997 and newer.

R134a - but yes, everyone was using it by 1997, and a few here and there as early as 1995 if I am not mistaken. Also, it's not uncommon to see older cars retrofitted for it (I have a 1987 Ford Crown Victoria that the first owner retrofitted for R134a)


In general agreement with most of the others, Civics and Corollas are excellent vehicles. The ONLY downside is that their popularity can sometimes inflate their price.

HOWEVER - There are reliable American cars out there that are reliable; the perception of them being unreliable is a holdover from the 70s and a little into the 80s.

These would be older, but I've found that the "downsized big cars" from GM in the late 80s to early 90s, if you can find one clean and low mileage, are darn near indestructible. Specifically, the 1988-1991 era Olds Eighty Eight Royale, Buick LeSabre, and Pontiac Bonneville (all three are the same car underneath). The 1992-1994/5 ones which got bigger and a bit more aerodynamic are also solid.

I've had a few of them - the 1988-1991 versions (1986 and 1987 sometimes had transmission issues) seem to never rust, and I live in NJ where rust is a way of life. I had a 1989 Olds 88 with 203K miles on the clock, and there was some physical part that broke, the part was no longer available from GM - and even the company that had taken in all their older parts no longer had it available: I would've had to go to a junkyard with a specialized tool (which I didn't have) to get it.

If not for that, I would've still been driving it for the next several years. My dad also had one, and my brother had one as well (interestingly, we all bought them used at different times, but they were all the 1989 model year).

Sometimes it's easy to find these in low mileage and great shape because they are quite literally "the car the little old lady down the street" owns.


EDIT: Though, to be fair, just about any vehicle that was senior owned and infrequently used is probably a good idea.

EDIT 2: Also, if you have a friend who has any kind of expertise with vehicles, BRING THEM WITH YOU.

 

[10tacle]

^^ Yeah my mother had a 1987 Buick LeSabre with the venerable 3.8L V6. Those older GM products I still see on the road today. People love to make fun of US cast iron block and head push rod engines as being outdated compared to all aluminum overhead cam engines, but they are all but destruction proof if maintained properly. Fuel economy, especially city, wasn't all that great though. If I remember correctly that LeSabre only averaged about 18mpg around the city. However, they are generally old enough to qualify in many states/counties to not need emissions testing and passing. In my county, it's 25 years or older.

Speaking of fuel economy, I just though of something: my 2013 Infiniti G37 sedan with an all aluminum OHC 3.7L V6 doesn't get any better mileage than that 30-year old LeSabre. Of course having 328hp on tap vs. 170hp is a bonus for the same 18/26 EPA rated rather poor fuel economy by today's standards. It's a fast car cranking out low 5-second 0-60 times.

 

[smorizio]

a few tips....keep an eye out for rental cars comp whe nthey sell off there old rentals. most of these cars will still be good cars and they wont drain your pcoketbook fixing it up to make it road worthy. if you have a few local credit unions walk in and ask them about use car loans. if your working and have your pay auto deposited to most of these credit unions they may give you a small car load to get a better car and only ask that you auto pay each week out of your checking account. on cars the old ford police cars are hard to kill. on gm if you can find the old cabs (caprice) those engines were hard to kill. also used kia there hard to kill but dont have high resale. also look at the toyota trucks. if your state allows salvage titles watch out for them. some cars can be smashed and repaired badly and should not be put back on the road. also watch out for flooded cars...they can look good but can fall apart...electronics wise. also make sure there no airbag recall. a lot of cars the last 5-10 years have that bad airbag inflatore issue.

 

[King_V]

^^ Yeah my mother had a 1987 Buick LeSabre with the venerable 3.8L V6. Those older GM products I still see on the road today. People love to make fun of US cast iron block and head push rod engines as being outdated compared to all aluminum overhead cam engines, but they are all but destruction proof if maintained properly. Fuel economy, especially city, wasn't all that great though. If I remember correctly that LeSabre only averaged about 18mpg around the city. However, they are generally old enough to qualify in many states/counties to not need emissions testing and passing. In my county, it's 25 years or older.

The later 3800 was a slightly different beast, but I also once had a 1986 Delta 88 with that same 3-code 3.8L V6 SFI. If I recall correctly the 3800 was C-code.

Loved that car, despite the earlier engine's lesser HP, and that the later cars had slightly better interior conveniences.

Speaking of fuel economy, I just though of something: my 2013 Infiniti G37 sedan with an all aluminum OHC 3.7L V6 doesn't get any better mileage than that 30-year old LeSabre. Of course having 328hp on tap vs. 170hp is a bonus for the same 18/26 EPA rated rather poor fuel economy by today's standards. It's a fast car cranking out low 5-second 0-60 times.

I know I'm getting rapidly off topic here (sorry, OP!) - though it's interesting.

The G37 is no doubt faster, producing more horsepower and torque, but requiring much higher RPM to get there. What worked against it was its extra weight - what worked in its favor (at least the later ones) was its 7-speed automatic.

But power curves are interesting:
Infiniti:
328 hp @ 7,000 rpm
269 lb.-ft. @ 5,200 rpm

Oldsmobile:
170 hp @ 5200 rpm
210 lb.-ft. @ 2000 rpm

The lower RPM peaks and broad spread between peak torque and peak hp helped out the Olds, along with the weight savings, of course. (and ran on any 87 octane horse-piss you could find)

I remember an ex-gf who, in 2012, got used to her 2000 Mercedes E320, but had to restrain herself a bit because my 1989 Olds Eighty Eight was lighter and would kind of jump abruptly when she would lean into the throttle the way she had to on the Benz.



ok ok ok, I will now silence my inner car-nerd/gearhead!

 

[JeckeL]

What would be a good first car around $2,000 if I need it very sturdy, good sound system, and gets good gas mileage?

Get a 1989 crown victoria

 

[sandplasma]

Can't go wrong with Civic or Corolla for reliability.

 

[10tacle]

^^LOL! My grandfather had the Mercury variant (Grand Marquis). I have some good memories in the back seat of it when we'd visit my grandparents and the neighbor girl would come over late at night.

 

[Karadjgne]

Police auction, either a drug dealers car or an older model police interceptor that's retired. Of course you'll be up against taxi companies etc.

 

[King_V]

Back in the early 90s when I went to a police auction, used car dealerships were bidding over $2,000 on the late 80s cop cars. I would assume they pay more these days.

Also, keep in mind that while you may find a deal on some of them, the big boys do tend to be somewhat thirsty. Doesn't hurt to keep in mind long-term of price of car now vs how much fuel you'll be using long-term.

I tended to go with the big cars, though, as they tended to be far cheaper with less mileage than Hondas and Toyotas were, back when I was looking. Region and that my experience was years ago may make a difference, though.

 

[Karadjgne]

Yeah, unfortunately American made is prolly the way to go, good luck finding any Honda or Toyota with low(ish) milage for anything close to $2k unless it's been totally trashed.

 

[JeckeL]

^^LOL! My grandfather had the Mercury variant (Grand Marquis). I have some good memories in the back seat of it when we'd visit my grandparents and the neighbor girl would come over late at night.

for sure.... the seats front AND back in those things are like straight up couches

 

[mariroma]

1990 ford explorer for example?

 

[Chicano]

Honda, Toyota, Nissan are the best and most reliable cars.
I owned a 1981 Corolla coupe from 1989 up to 2007 when it got stolen. It still ran very good, did not burn oil, and all I had to spend during that time besides maintenance was replacing the voltage regulator, the pitman arm, the power steering belt adjustment bearing, a carburetor fuel bowl level needle valve, new tires, muffler, brake pads, brake caliper rubber lines.

Some good examples at Autotrader.com from 1995 to 2008 models of Honda, Toyota, Nissan. I selected Civic, Accord, Corolla, Camry, Sentra and Altima models from 1995 to 2008 with the lowest possible mileage. Had to select 150,000 and under because selecting 100,000 and under gives results of 1 mile and no detailed mileage described, but you can select cars with the lowest possible mileage under and above 100,000 miles.

HONDA, TOYOTA, NISSAN

HONDA; Civic, Accord

TOYOTA; Corolla, Camry

NISSAN: Sentra, Altima

Chevy or Geo Prizm or the more modern Aveo models are also good options.
CHEVY, GEO, Prizm and Aveo