Buying a car - Reference, Opinion, Etc.
 

In about a month I should have the money I need to hit the public buyer auction down here in Columbus. By then, I'll have about 2.6 thousand dollars to invest in a car.

I cannot finance this car, you have to pay by the next Thursday. With that in mind, the car I need has to be reliable and drive decently as well.

I need the opinions of forum members on what to look for within this price range and specifications. I know typically you'd be looking at a honda or toyota, but I wonder what else would work? I hear Mazda's are reliable, but I'm not sure how expensive they are, or how they drive.

Regardless, what I would like is to start a discussion on reliability/affordability for cars/trucks/suvs/whatever, it would benefit me greatly to hear a few names I could do some research on, because you apparently really need to know your cars before you hit one of these auctions.

It depends on the mazda. Normally at these auctions you don't have time to run a repair history on the car. Bearing that in mind I would stay away from any Mazda with a rotary engine (rx-7, rx-8, etc) because if they've ever had problems such as overheating, you can generally write the engine off.

Honda will probably be your best bet except that they retain their value fabulously well, so to get a car in that price range you'll probably be looking at a 4th gen (88-91) civic that needs some definite TLC.

Nah, I saw a 94 civic ex at a used dealership for 1.7k. 100k miles but it ran fine according to them.

assuming it really runs fine, you should probably look at that. I have my reservations however.

I bought a 96 ford contour with 59 K miles for $2600. Aside from regular maint , I havent spent a dime on the car in 20 K miles. Its a 4 cylinder with a 5 speed, and is actually a pretty zippy little car, no problems merging or anything. Though , going up hills with 4 adults gets a little bit rough.

I found a 96 dodge neon for 1.5k and a 94 thunderbird for 1.2k in the paper. Neon has 93k miles, TB has 100k, what do you think? Are either of those prone to breaking down often?

I remember Dodge had a very bad rep in the early 90's, I'm hesitant to buy. It's automatic too, thought that hardly matters considering what I'm planning to do with it.

man... i went to one of those auctions... found this awesome lil toyota truck... was early 90s... 40000 miles... but man.. i got my ass kicked during the auction (first time at an auction like that) lol... if its your first time at an auction like that maybe get a friend with a bit more experience to go with...

I bought my car from a public action. A 1997 Black Chevy Malibu LS, with only 60,000 miles. When I saw that car I thought it was too good to be true. I got it for a little over 5 grand. It was worth every penny. The car has power everything and run likes a dream. Id recommend doing a carfax report on your premium choice. It helps to have an idea of the cars history. Mazdas are nice cars, but unreliable. I have had many friends with Mazdas and had constant problems with them. Hondas, Toyotas are great if you can get them. Edmunds.com is a great site to read up on the car history. i.e. recalls... As for those cars in the paper. I wouldn't touch them, I know you are on a tight budget. But my dad had a 96 dodge neon for a week (rental car), he said he would rather walk to work. I remember it having a problem with the transmission, keep in mind the car was new when my dad rented it. And any early 90's Ford has a life of about 10 years, I don't know many people who have them anymore and actually work. I'd stick to hondas for your budget. Cheap, reliable cars. If you need anymore advice on actioning and such let me know.

Neons are plagued by far more ridiculous little problems than most would lead you to believe. In my opinion, if you could net a Toyota Camry for that money, you'd be very well off. Those cars are damn near indestructible, and are just as reliable and get only slightly less gas mileage than most small sedans, while providing you with a fair amount of quiet, comfort, and luxury.

If the T-Bird has the 4.6 V8, it's a good car. The 3.8 V6 used in those cars is an underpowered head gasket blowing piece of junk though, so avoid those.

My two prime targets for Teusdays auction is a 94 Mercury Cougar XR7 fully loaded with 115k miles, and a 95 Ford Taurus GL with 106k miles, fully loaded.

I've been to many auctions before, so I know what to expect. I know what to do and competition typically excites me. I don't have a lot of cash to work with though so I've got to watch it. My business partner will be there as well, he's been doing this for years and knows his cars very well, so along with all of the research I've done and his experience we should be good.

Just starting buying/selling used cars, what I've found is the most fun is contacting a private seller, looking at their car, offering them like half of what they want and leaving them with your number saying "Well, if you change your mind give me a call and maybe we can work something out". They almost always ask too much, spend money on advertising and get frustrated then want to get rid of it, so that's another way to get a good deal.

Both of those have transmission problems around that mileage, however you also stand a good chance that it was recently replaced.

If either have the 3.8, avoid them unless you want to shell out $1000+ for head gasket repairs. They blow them around 70-100k miles, and then about every 30k from that point on.

Won't be my problem, I'm going to turn around and sell them immediately.

well in that case........who gives a fuck?