What car to buy for about $3500
 

Hi,

Its time for me to look for car to commute to school and around the town.

I want it to be a stick shift.

I narrowed down my options to a 90- 96 Honda civics or VW golf/ jetta of similar age.

I would go for a diesel MB but its really hard to find a good one with 5spd for 3500.


Thanks for reading and lets hear your ideas.

If you can get a TDI for $3,500 I would jump on one of those. With diesel and gas getting close to $3 a gallon; 40mpg+ is a good thing!

Other then that Civics are dirt cheap to run; I hate the way they drive though.

I second the TDI suggestion, but finding a good one that cheap may not be easy.

A properly maintained Camry is a good bet as well. :)

Civics are cheap to run....but in certain areas they bring a steep premium in prices...........

if your looking at civics i'd also take a look at integra's. You could definately find a good shape 90-93 in that price range(generation 2 body style), and possibly even a 94(the G3 bodystyle). They handle/ride a little better and also have more punch.
Ryan

TDI for $3500? :rolleyes: If I roll mine several times at high speed I'll give you a call :D .....It's not titanium or gold but I suspect my '01 TDI with 100K miles would fetch $10,000 +/-...

for a commuter get a Honda, if you have space needs, dogs, skis, camping gear, an LP collection....whatever....I know nothing about but would look into a ford taurus (wagon maybe) becuase I bet there are tons to choose from and used parts must be plentiful....good luck!

A diesel VW of the vintage you describe could be an awesome vehicle as well...I suspect anythoing diesel is popular right now though....

I don't know about the Taurus..unless you found a rare stick shift model.....(they exist I drove one once) becasue the auto transmissions in those cars are junk...and the 3.0 engines are even bigger junk (head gasket issues)

100,000 miles is the point these start falling appart.

LOL maybe I need to buy a taurus to march onward in my automotive H-E-doubnle hockey sticks pursuit.


Scratch the taurus idea I guess.....

THey were a very popular car...but that one engine and all the automatics were junk...

Subaru Impreza. Top notch on everything except gas mileage. My wife's 1997 Impreza (2.2 litre engine) got somewhere around 25 mpg. Tremendous modification potential, but also very nice stock. Absolutely unstoppable in snow. An SUV ran into the wife's Impreza and we replaced it with a Honda Accord. The Accord is very nice, but the wife and I both commented the other day that we would take the Subaru over the Honda any day of the week. Much more fun to drive.

I would stay away from VW. They are great for the first 100,000 miles or so, but then don't hold up as well as the Japanese cars, IMHO.

The 4 cyl stick Taurus was indeed crap. But the SHO, with the Yamaha V6, is a GREAT car. Still had the usual Taurus gremlins body and interior-wise, but those are livable. If you can find an SHO that hasn't been beaten, they are reasonably-priced, and run like hell. I sure miss mine. Weakenesses are tranny (buy one that was adult-owned and cared-for) and improper maintenance (timing belt and valve adjustment). Check out www.shotimes.com for all the info you could ever want.

I was reffering to the 3.0 V-6 which had head problems from hell....

THe 4 Cylinder stick was pretty durable and long lived in compairison.

The SHO had a wonderfull engine....but the trans was a different ballgame.

3.0 V6 -- tell me about it. POS. The g/f's Taurus is a total piece. It misses under slight deceleration (i.e. on a mild downhill with partial throttle), it weeps coolant from SOMEWHERE (I can smell it but can't spot it), and the transmission flares something fierce in OD.

The 4 cyl was durable-ish, but a DOG.

And yes, the MTX SHO had its problems, but was still better than the ATX. Mine (a '90) was just fine, but I suspect I was one of the lucky ones. That car was FAST from a rolling start, but a dog from the line. Once you got to about 3000rpm and it really started breathing... wow!

Wow... that surprises me; I'm no expert on either car, though, so I'll defer to your expertise. As a rule, I find that MTX cars are always more durable and easier/cheaper to fix than the ATX models. But like I said, I don't know a thing about Toyotas or Subarus (other than I really wanted a Subaru AWD wagon back in high school -- cool cars!).

Except for the Bronco II those had really bad 5 speeds in them.....they all were self destructing by 80K miles...

Gas:
Whatever year BMW 3-series or W201 190E I could find for $3500

Diesel:
W123 300D ('82-'85)--no manual trannies or 240D w/4spd, or a W201 190D 2.2L or 2.5L w/5spd (rare).

I had an '84 318i I picked up for $1500 ten years ago that was extremely reliable, easy to work on, and fun to drive. It was beat to hell, but never failed me and always returned well over 30mpg. Heartily recommended.

Huh... good to know!

these were the ugly ones that had the quarter windows that wrapped over the top. gearset and bearings wore out.....really bad design.

I would add to your list the Mazda Protege, in particular the model run that ended in 1994.

These cars are bullet-proof in every regard, and have been the darling of Consumer Reports ad-infinitum, garnering the Top pick year after year after year.

We had a 1994 Protege LX, which came with the same 1.8 liter DOHC engine that was used in the Miata. Very peppy little car, and handled like a BMW 3 series.

What's more, Mazda's have never had the cache of a Honda or Toyota, so resale values are much lower.

i concur. i have had about 10 subaru cars (1991 thru 1998). imprezas and legacys are both awesome. you can get a real nice one for $3500 if you look around. they don't fall apart like alot of newer model hondas i've looked at.

Well thanks for the replies guys.

Ive been looking around. I looked at rice burners and gassers in general but the diesel is coming back to my head :evilgrin:

I looked at a 97 Jetta TDI with 226000 k km on it. One owner etc...everything was good except for the rust :( . It had bubbles here and there so I said forget it. Ohh asking price was $6.5k Canadian.


Then I called about a 95 Passat Wagon TDI with 140 k km for $5.6 k Can but it was sold.

Well I gotta keep on looking for a good diesel. Maybe a W123 but they are so hard to come buy. Actually there is a beautiful one near my house with 220k km in mint cond, but the owner wants $12 k Can :pukeface:

240D with a stick. Nothing else. :)

Mike

cheap ride
 

how about a diesel vw? you can get a diesel jetta or golf for the cash you are talking about, they do age well, the common problems to look for in an older model are, axles, radiator, those damn little switches for the heater control, and the typical power window problems german cars are famous for. i have had a ton of these cars and they were all great. i will tell you also if you do get a vw (gas or diesel) be sure that the water pump has been changed at least once, reason....steel bolts, aluminum housing i think you know the rest! ( i have actualy bought these cars because the bolts are broken off in the housing and the owner would not fix it, not hard but no fun either to fix. takes a cuple hours and some blood loss thru the knuckles :(

Agreed, they are great cars.

They are "appliance" cars. A Toyota Camry has all the personality and spirit of a cheap toaster oven.

Yuck.

Mike

We're still talking about a $3500 mode of transportation that gets you from point A to point B with less maintenance than a benz. I don't think he's looking for a car that has a "personality" like our benz's... but a cheap and reliable transportation.

Lately ive been bitten by the diesel bug, in particular a 1995 -1997 VW Passat TDI :D

Yeah but if I still had my Camry I would have a heck of a lot of money in the bank! :D They are not ment to be fun to drive, just a decent ride that is dirt cheap to run.

I know, I understand all that. Toyotas are well-built for the most part.

I just couldn't resist an opportunity to poo-poo the Camry in particular. I think the Camry and the Ford Taurus are quite possibly the two most bland, boring, uninteresting, uninspiring, anonymous-looking cars ever built. They are not beautiful, and they are not ugly.... They are just kind of "there", which I can't stand. Yuck. :P :)

Mike

My '96 Passat tdi was probably the most reliable, satisfying and trouble-free vehicle I've ever owned--40-45mpg w/brisk acceleration. Sold to free up cash for down payment on home. It's not likely you'll be able to find one anywhere near $3500 though, as they're in high demand.

Agreed.

I thought that would kind of be assumed since we are talking about a car in this price point. :rolleyes:

And again, for that price point, I could not reccomend a Camry more. My wife's is great, never anything more than regular maintenance. I've driven it EVERYWHERE in all kinds of conditions and it drives as it were new. While my Benz has been great and I love the way it drives, I feel it is only smart to have an appliance car as a back up. I bet I can go over 200k before I have to pull the head on that thing. :D

Hey guys,

Today I went to a car auction where and I found this 91 190E 2.3 with 25625 miles on it :eek: The car is in new like condition and it seems like a original milage car. It is white with tan MB tex. I will put a $5700 CAN bid on it, hopefully I will buy it!!!

My uncle bought a 92 190E 2.3 with 71000 miles for $4600 CAN so I am hoping I will buy this one!!!!

ill agree camrys are good, but no diesel.......now that would be good!!

If I had the money I would buy a late model Camry as a daily car and keep the old MB's as toys. :D A 2002+ Camry with a V6 and in black or silver would make a nice daily ride. Put fuel in it and forget about it.

They are nice because they do blend in, you can do 80+ mph and people don't notice, in a MB you are a jerk.