My car is dead... I'm going to need some advice =o

[Jamie Bond]

So yeah... My Cavalier finnaly died on me. I took it to the shop and they basically told me that I would have to replace the engine, which is almost as much as a new car, if I get lucky.

Sooo... I want a new car anyway. But I know nothing about cars. I can't afford much of anything right now, so I am thinking maybe I can find a used one for about 4K.

I don't care if its standard or automatic, I don't care how it looks, I do care if it is the kind of car that breaks all the time and the kind of gas usage it has.

I looked online for a few cars. Found a few, but I don't know if they are what I want. I am only really asking for general advice on buying cars, not for people to go out looking for a specific car, but if you are feeling generous, I live in the Vancouver area of BC, Canada. If anyone can find a car online and is able to actually know whether or not it's a good deal, by all means tell me !

My Dad went on vacation and let me use his car until he got back, so I have two weeks before I cannot drive at all =(

[Mae Dean]

Get a volvo! You can crash into a brick wall, and you'll survive. So will the Volvo.

[Deacon]

Your ZIP code would be more helpful, if they even have that kind of advanced technology in Canada

[Jamie Bond]

Yeah, but they call it a postal code... and the area is v3r. But I am not really picky, if I have to drive a few hours for a good deal, I will.

[edge]

Volvos are beastly

If you havn't already, check out http://www.autotrader.com. A lot of the sales they post on there also link to Carfax, so you can get detailed info about the car's history.

I also reccomend Subarus. They are reliable cars, and most of 'em will drive forever. I've seen a few that had almost 300k miles and were still running like a champ.

The best advice I can give is, when you go to look at one, take someone with you that knows a good bit about cars in general. Someone that can say "Yeah...the engine shouldn't be making that sound".

If you find something you like, feel free to IM or PM me with a link, and I'll give some input.

[Metzgirl]

My hubby and I got a Plymouth Breeze for about $3500. It's a cute little car that gets decent gas milage.

[Nekra]

[quote="Greg Dean";p="501662"]Get a volvo! You can crash into a brick wall, and you'll survive. So will the Volvo. [/quote]

He kids you not, i'm sure it was a volvo Top Gear put ontop of a building then blew the building up and it still worked.

[coyote blue]

I feel your pain. My car was starting to go down hill pretty badly, so last week I went out and got a new one. If you don't mind some payments, do what I did and just go to a dealership. Some specialize in used cars only. I went to a Hyandai and got a 2000 Elantra for 167 a month. But always look before buying, especially if you find it online. And always bargain.
I also hear Kias are getting better now, performance wise. They are relatively cheap as well.

[Vektor T. Gecko]

I think the more important question is, what do you do with the OLD car? Sure you could sell it for scrap and make a few bucks, but what fun is that compared to pushing it out to an abandoned lot, draining the gas tank, and shooting it full of holes?

Or attaching high-yield explosive charges to various key systems and detonating (from behind safe cover, of course. Metal shrapnel = teh bad)

Or going at it with pickaxes!

[Blaze]

All I know is that my '89 buick, which I sold with over 200K miles, Had only ever had ONE engine problem (Fuel Pump), was in two relatively nasty accidents, and still ran like the day it was made.

If you can get your hands on an '87 Regal T-type, not only are they reliable, but they were actually the FASTEST American Production Car of the 80's.

That and they just rule.

[Zero_Point]

As much as I hate Ford in general, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to recommend the Bronco II (I know, I'm such a whore...). Cheap (as low as $500 for '80s models), decent gas mileage (20MPG roughly... What?! It's good for a SUV!), fairly reliable, and with 4WD, you can have some fun, too!

[amlthrawn]

If you could find a '88 or an '89 Toyota Cressida, you'd be set. I know a few people who own those suckers (one of them is me). Reliable as hell (one guy drove one well past the 250K mark). It's got some power behind it and will get fairly decent gas mileage.

I bought mine for 4K with (only!) 55,000 miles on it. Finest automobile I've ever owned.

[Jamie Bond]

This is helping a lot, thanks everyone

Greg, I wouldn't mind driving a Volvo.

coyote blue, I may go to a used car lot. 167/m is a pretty good deal Hope its working out for you.

Vektor T. Gecko, Don't tempt me =p Although the question of what to do with my old car is something I still must ponder on... But it's not so urgent heh.

[Sir Spankspeople]

[quote="Metzgirl";p="501670"]My hubby and I got a Plymouth Breeze for about $3500. It's a cute little car that gets decent gas milage.[/quote]

Grr... My mother had a Breeze once. She also had a Dodge Caravan that she couldn't drive, so it was essentially mine.

She had so many problems with the Breeze, and every time it was something major that needed to be fixed that eventually she decided to trade it in for a Dodge Dakota. Though it wasn't worth quite enough, so she traded the van in as well, and to this day I resent that Breeze, for stealing my van...

It was also Green with beige interior, one of the WORST colour schemes available in cars.

Lousy piece of junk car for jerks... *shakes fist*

[Teranfirbt]

The Cressida is a good car, as long as you find one with a 5MGE. the later 7MGE equipped ones have head gasket problems (actually, ALL 7MGE's have head gasket problems..)
Another good option is a mid 90's corolla. Those are known to drive to hell and back with 250k+ miles and still drive like the day it came off the lot.