What kind of a good used car could you find for $3000.00? Got any recommendations? low milage, one owner.?

Question

Looking for a good used car for my daughter so she can go back and forth to college.

Answer 1

Great post by lover there. There are also two nice online resources you could check out, sometimes there are really crazy deals that can be made.

Here they are:

http://pinurl.com/cheap_cars

http://pinurl.com/car_auction

Hope you find that bargain, let me know if this helped.

Answer 2

3k and low mileage do not occur together.  a car that is worth 3k  going to have 100k + miles.  And I would be very skeptical of any with low miles and is only 3k....that would raise a red flag.  Good luck!!

Answer 3

You can get a decent car for $3,000 or less at a car auction. Just be sure to take a mechanic with you to check the engine, transmission, electrical system, etc.

Answer 4

for $4,000

look for

98 Acura CL, 98 Ford Mustang V6, 98 Honda Accord or Civic, 98 Nissan Frontier or Pathfinder, 98 Subaru Impreza or Legacy, 98 -00 Toyota Corolla or Echo 00

these are all reliable and will last longer than other cars in this price range.

Answer 5

I guess you should also check insurance quotes for the car before buying one, for example here: http://autoinsurance.noneto.com

Young drivers usually have much higher rates than others. And it depends from car.

Answer 6

look at a 1996-1998 subaru outback/legacy. They come with luxury things such as leather, are very reliable, and have AWD if it snows or the pavement is wet

Answer 7

You probably cannot get everything for just $3000.  If the car has low mileage, nice body, CD player, etc. Then you have to wonder what is wrong - the engine (maybe)??

For $3000 you have to sacrifice something.  And at that point you sacrifice everything EXCEPT good mechanical condition.  if the car runs well, then the car is worth fixing and keeping.  

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Here's some rules you should consider when buying a used car

(1) don't get sold on the paint job = meaning cars having good exterior, fancy CD radio, etc.

(2) look for car with sound ENGINE + TRANNY + SUSPENSION.

(3) test every button, k**b, switch, slider, etc.. Ex: even in the summer test out the heater & even in the winter test out the AC (if you can).  Slide the AC/heater to fan1, fan2, fan3, etc.  then slid the vent to defrost, front, bottom, etc.  Test the high beam, low beam, etc.  Test (flip) the visor.  Test the alarm.  Test all 4 doors.  Test the rear defogger.

  *****   TEST EVERYTHING.

(4) BEFORE the first start, open the engine bay and see if the engine is already warmed up.  Many engines starts well when already warmed up, but may have problems when cold (or cold start).

(5) test drive with the sound system off and window down. Listen for weird sound coming from the wheels & suspension.

(6) Look inside the engine bay to see if you can see see leaks, etc.  It is normal to see some oil and grease.  But too much means that the car is leaking oil somewhere. Too clean (really clean) means they just wash the engine bay - possibly hiding some oil leaks.

(7) check the engine oil dip stick. If the oil is BRAND NEW CLEAN, the seller MIGHT be hiding something.  If the oil is jet black and /or smells like gasoline (or burnt), you might have engine problem).

(8) once you are satisfied with the above - you can NOW take it to the mechanic for the engine + tranny + suspension inspection.  He won't find everything, but he will find the obvious.  Take it to a mechanic EVEN if you are buying from a used car dealer.  They cars are NO better than cars you buy from ebay and craigslist.com.  Just more expensive.

EX:  My 94 Civic is OLD with 187K miles.  It has some dents on the bumper.  It is no beauty, but the engine + tranny + suspension runs like NEW (and get over 41 MPG on the hwy).  If I had to sell it I would NOT get more than few grands.  This is the kind of car you want when you go looking for a super low priced car.

good Luck...