Needing a Vehicle for $5,000 - or less!

[edthecynic]

New Cars, Used Cars - Find Cars at AutoTrader.com

Put in your zip code, how many miles away you're willing to travel to buy one and the max you want to spend and search away. Change the search results to "lowest to highest".
I found my 97 Ram 1500 truck (bought it 2 weeks ago) for $2900, it was advertised for $3500. I got lucky in that it had low mileage but most in your price range will most likely have 150K + miles.

A similar search engine for used cars that I like better is:

Used Cars, New Cars, Reviews, Photos and Opinions - CarGurus

What I think makes CarGurus better than AutoTrader is CarGurus has a category called "Leverage" which tells you how long the car has been on sale. Dealers will be more willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for a while.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I'm driving a 96 Nissan Maxima gold package right now, leather seats, sunroof, bose stereo that was owned by a school teacher. ( garage kept - very low miles - mint condition) The car drives as if it were on air. It is a great car and I am breaking my own rules by not getting out of it now - but I cannot part with the car. I love it. I've decided to just keep it.

Yea, I would keep that car........

She was an elderly school teacher, non smoker so delicate I doubt the sole of her foot has ever touched the ground. May have turned over to 70K when I got it can't remember. ( very low mileage ) It is the best car I've ever owned, Sunni. Guess how much I paid for it? $2500.00. True story.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

New Cars, Used Cars - Find Cars at AutoTrader.com

Put in your zip code, how many miles away you're willing to travel to buy one and the max you want to spend and search away. Change the search results to "lowest to highest".
I found my 97 Ram 1500 truck (bought it 2 weeks ago) for $2900, it was advertised for $3500. I got lucky in that it had low mileage but most in your price range will most likely have 150K + miles.

A similar search engine for used cars that I like better is:

Used Cars, New Cars, Reviews, Photos and Opinions - CarGurus

What I think makes CarGurus better than AutoTrader is CarGurus has a category called "Leverage" which tells you how long the car has been on sale. Dealers will be more willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for a while.

There is a reason car dealers are willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for awhile. It has seriously problems and they want to get rid of it. You are buying as is so once you drive it off the lot it's yours. Never buy a car from a used lot. Unless you like getting robbed. - Jeri

 

[Sunni Man]

I'm driving a 96 Nissan Maxima gold package right now, leather seats, sunroof, bose stereo that was owned by a school teacher. ( garage kept - very low miles - mint condition) The car drives as if it were on air. It is a great car and I am breaking my own rules by not getting out of it now - but I cannot part with the car. I love it. I've decided to just keep it.

Yea, I would keep that car........

She was an elderly school teacher, non smoker so delicate I doubt the sole of her foot has ever touched the ground. May have turned over to 70K when I got it can't remember. ( very low mileage ) It is the best car I've ever owned, Sunni. Guess how much I paid for it? $2500.00. True story.

Wow!! that was a steal.........

You could drive that for 2 or 3 years and still easily get back what you paid for it. ..

 

[Jarlaxle]

New Cars, Used Cars - Find Cars at AutoTrader.com

Put in your zip code, how many miles away you're willing to travel to buy one and the max you want to spend and search away. Change the search results to "lowest to highest".
I found my 97 Ram 1500 truck (bought it 2 weeks ago) for $2900, it was advertised for $3500. I got lucky in that it had low mileage but most in your price range will most likely have 150K + miles.

A similar search engine for used cars that I like better is:

Used Cars, New Cars, Reviews, Photos and Opinions - CarGurus

What I think makes CarGurus better than AutoTrader is CarGurus has a category called "Leverage" which tells you how long the car has been on sale. Dealers will be more willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for a while.

There is a reason car dealers are willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for awhile. It has seriously problems and they want to get rid of it. You are buying as is so once you drive it off the lot it's yours. Never buy a car from a used lot. Unless you like getting robbed. - Jeri

Or it's just a less-desirable car, for whatever reason. I bought my Cherokee off a lot...it had been there for three months. There was nothing wrong with it (aside from 160K miles), but it didn't sell...because it was a low-option Sport with crank windows, manual locks, and no ABS. (The seller also had other Cherokees, usually higher-option Countrys, Classics and Limiteds with power windows, ABS, and the like.) That was good, because I WANTED a low-option Cherokee! I sold it a couple months ago...still going strong with 215,000+ miles!

My friend's wife got a beautiful Audi A4 for barely more than KBB wholesale. It was top of the line, loaded with every option (from sunroof to heated seats to pearlescent silver paint) and with only 10,000 miles...but had been on the dealer's lot for almost four months for one simple reason: it was a standard shift! She had the car about three years and had no trouble with it at 80,000 miles.

 

[Sunni Man]

The 1990's Jeep Cherokee straight 6 motors last forever but they are terrible on gas milage. ...

 

[edthecynic]

New Cars, Used Cars - Find Cars at AutoTrader.com

Put in your zip code, how many miles away you're willing to travel to buy one and the max you want to spend and search away. Change the search results to "lowest to highest".
I found my 97 Ram 1500 truck (bought it 2 weeks ago) for $2900, it was advertised for $3500. I got lucky in that it had low mileage but most in your price range will most likely have 150K + miles.

A similar search engine for used cars that I like better is:

Used Cars, New Cars, Reviews, Photos and Opinions - CarGurus

What I think makes CarGurus better than AutoTrader is CarGurus has a category called "Leverage" which tells you how long the car has been on sale. Dealers will be more willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for a while.

There is a reason car dealers are willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for awhile. It has seriously problems and they want to get rid of it. You are buying as is so once you drive it off the lot it's yours. Never buy a car from a used lot. Unless you like getting robbed. - Jeri

Not all car dealers are USED car dealers. New car dealers take cars in trade in or off lease, and any car that is not top quality they blow out to the used car dealers. The used cars they keep are checked over by their mechanics and usually certified as first quality.

For example, my boss was looking for a truck and we saw one at the local Mercedes Benz dealer. People do not go to that type of dealer looking for a truck and it sat there for quite a while. They started out asking 24,000 and kept dropping the price the longer it sat. It was down to 17,000 when we looked at, and we offered 12,000 and got it. That was two years ago and the low mileage truck has not needed a single thing yet.

Certified used cars from new car dealers are rarely lemons.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Yea, I would keep that car........

She was an elderly school teacher, non smoker so delicate I doubt the sole of her foot has ever touched the ground. May have turned over to 70K when I got it can't remember. ( very low mileage ) It is the best car I've ever owned, Sunni. Guess how much I paid for it? $2500.00. True story.

Wow!! that was a steal.........

You could drive that for 2 or 3 years and still easily get back what you paid for it. ..

I've been driving it for five years now. It is the longest I have ever kept a car. I used to drive one for 6 months to a year and then sell it. I know I could sell it today and get every penny I paid for it but I'd have a hard time finding another one like it. So I'm keeping it.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

A similar search engine for used cars that I like better is:

Used Cars, New Cars, Reviews, Photos and Opinions - CarGurus

What I think makes CarGurus better than AutoTrader is CarGurus has a category called "Leverage" which tells you how long the car has been on sale. Dealers will be more willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for a while.

There is a reason car dealers are willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for awhile. It has seriously problems and they want to get rid of it. You are buying as is so once you drive it off the lot it's yours. Never buy a car from a used lot. Unless you like getting robbed. - Jeri

Not all car dealers are USED car dealers. New car dealers take cars in trade in or off lease, and any car that is not top quality they blow out to the used car dealers. The used cars they keep are checked over by their mechanics and usually certified as first quality.

For example, my boss was looking for a truck and we saw one at the local Mercedes Benz dealer. People do not go to that type of dealer looking for a truck and it sat there for quite a while. They started out asking 24,000 and kept dropping the price the longer it sat. It was down to 17,000 when we looked at, and we offered 12,000 and got it. That was two years ago and the low mileage truck has not needed a single thing yet.

Certified used cars from new car dealers are rarely lemons.

I'm happy for you. I still wouldn't buy from a dealer. Not a used dealer or a new dealer. I will do my own homework and buy from Manheim or a private owner. Thanks. - Jeri

 

[MHunterB]

So far the kid is looking at a '99 Solara (Camry coupe) V-6 for about 4K - it's got something like 106K miles on it. I forgot to ask him what color it is, but who cares?

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

A similar search engine for used cars that I like better is:

Used Cars, New Cars, Reviews, Photos and Opinions - CarGurus

What I think makes CarGurus better than AutoTrader is CarGurus has a category called "Leverage" which tells you how long the car has been on sale. Dealers will be more willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for a while.

There is a reason car dealers are willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for awhile. It has seriously problems and they want to get rid of it. You are buying as is so once you drive it off the lot it's yours. Never buy a car from a used lot. Unless you like getting robbed. - Jeri

Or it's just a less-desirable car, for whatever reason. I bought my Cherokee off a lot...it had been there for three months. There was nothing wrong with it (aside from 160K miles), but it didn't sell...because it was a low-option Sport with crank windows, manual locks, and no ABS. (The seller also had other Cherokees, usually higher-option Countrys, Classics and Limiteds with power windows, ABS, and the like.) That was good, because I WANTED a low-option Cherokee! I sold it a couple months ago...still going strong with 215,000+ miles!

My friend's wife got a beautiful Audi A4 for barely more than KBB wholesale. It was top of the line, loaded with every option (from sunroof to heated seats to pearlescent silver paint) and with only 10,000 miles...but had been on the dealer's lot for almost four months for one simple reason: it was a standard shift! She had the car about three years and had no trouble with it at 80,000 miles.

I love the Audi. My next car will be an Audi Quattro ( God willing ) and I'm going to Manheim to get it but I don't want a new one. The drive is superb, it handles beautifully on the road. The heated seats are a plus, the paint sounds beautiful. I bet she loves it. I've owned a Cherokee Jeep before, keep the oil changed and you should be fine, mine had roll up windows too. I liked it. The car I am driving now has 215,000 miles on it and will easily go to 350,000 miles because I make sure the oil is changed. ( every 2,000 miles like clockwork, forget what the manufacturer tells you... change it every 2,000 - 2,500 miles and youre good ) It is a very simple thing but you'd be suprised how many people won't do it. I'm happy for you both that you were satisfied with the vehicles you purchased.

This is a demo on the Audi:

 

[MikeK]

For most Ford products a rebuilt automatic transmission will run closer to $1,300 installed. If you can handle it, look for a vehicle with a manual transmission. Clutches are the vulnerable part but can be replaced for a fraction of the cost of a whole automatic. Even a DIY project for someone with a little ingenuity, not requiring any immense skill level. Some auto parts stores will rent you tools; others will loan them for free if you buy all the parts there.

Stick shift is okay for use in a rural or suburban area, but it's not practical for repetitive stop/go urban driving.

 

[HenryBHough]

Stick shift is okay for use in a rural or suburban area, but it's not practical for repetitive stop/go urban driving.

True that most of today's drivers just can't handle anything that might require them to use a hand for anything other than texting. In those days when automatic transmissions cost major extra bucks people found manual transmissions quite acceptable. But they also paid more attention to driving.

 

[Jarlaxle]

There is a reason car dealers are willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for awhile. It has seriously problems and they want to get rid of it. You are buying as is so once you drive it off the lot it's yours. Never buy a car from a used lot. Unless you like getting robbed. - Jeri

Or it's just a less-desirable car, for whatever reason. I bought my Cherokee off a lot...it had been there for three months. There was nothing wrong with it (aside from 160K miles), but it didn't sell...because it was a low-option Sport with crank windows, manual locks, and no ABS. (The seller also had other Cherokees, usually higher-option Countrys, Classics and Limiteds with power windows, ABS, and the like.) That was good, because I WANTED a low-option Cherokee! I sold it a couple months ago...still going strong with 215,000+ miles!

My friend's wife got a beautiful Audi A4 for barely more than KBB wholesale. It was top of the line, loaded with every option (from sunroof to heated seats to pearlescent silver paint) and with only 10,000 miles...but had been on the dealer's lot for almost four months for one simple reason: it was a standard shift! She had the car about three years and had no trouble with it at 80,000 miles.

I love the Audi. My next car will be an Audi Quattro ( God willing ) and I'm going to Manheim to get it but I don't want a new one. The drive is superb, it handles beautifully on the road. The heated seats are a plus, the paint sounds beautiful. I bet she loves it. I've owned a Cherokee Jeep before, keep the oil changed and you should be fine, mine had roll up windows too. I liked it. The car I am driving now has 215,000 miles on it and will easily go to 350,000 miles because I make sure the oil is changed. ( every 2,000 miles like clockwork, forget what the manufacturer tells you... change it every 2,000 - 2,500 miles and youre good ) It is a very simple thing but you'd be suprised how many people won't do it. I'm happy for you both that you were satisfied with the vehicles you purchased.

This is a demo on the Audi:
[ame=http://youtu.be/MjaCbpw84kw]Audi: The quattro principle - YouTube[/ame]

Her A4 was OK (aside from being underpowered). The A6 that replaced it was an unmitigated catastrophe of never-ending electrical problems that culminated in her lemon-lawing it. She is very happy with her Dodge Charger R/T Road-Track.

Changing oil at 2000 miles is ridiculous. Even 3000 is usually not needed. I changed at 5000 miles in my Jeep & could easily have gone longer. (Per lab analysis, the oil was fine at 5K.)

 

[Ringel05]

New Cars, Used Cars - Find Cars at AutoTrader.com

Put in your zip code, how many miles away you're willing to travel to buy one and the max you want to spend and search away. Change the search results to "lowest to highest".
I found my 97 Ram 1500 truck (bought it 2 weeks ago) for $2900, it was advertised for $3500. I got lucky in that it had low mileage but most in your price range will most likely have 150K + miles.

A similar search engine for used cars that I like better is:

Used Cars, New Cars, Reviews, Photos and Opinions - CarGurus

What I think makes CarGurus better than AutoTrader is CarGurus has a category called "Leverage" which tells you how long the car has been on sale. Dealers will be more willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for a while.

There is a reason car dealers are willing to take less for a car that has been sitting on their lot for awhile. It has seriously problems and they want to get rid of it. You are buying as is so once you drive it off the lot it's yours. Never buy a car from a used lot. Unless you like getting robbed. - Jeri

Yup, I got ripped off.......
So far I've had three issues, the water pump was leaking and the thermostat needed to be replaced. Since that was done the heat's not working like it should..... Looks like I'll have to replace the vacuum hoses..... might as well do the canister and PCV valve while I'm at it.... Yup, costing me tons of money.......
Other than the obvious cosmetic problems everything else is in great shape.

 

[Jarlaxle]

You have either s stuck blend door (most likely) or poor flow through the heater core (less likely). This is a common problem on that era Rams, usually crops up after ~12-15 years.

I actually did the water pump in my Dakota this weekend. With 155,000 miles, it had the original pump, hoses, and serpentine belt!

 

[Ringel05]

You have either s stuck blend door (most likely) or poor flow through the heater core (less likely). This is a common problem on that era Rams, usually crops up after ~12-15 years.

I actually did the water pump in my Dakota this weekend. With 155,000 miles, it had the original pump, hoses, and serpentine belt!

Did some research and it looks like the blend door actuator could be the problem, not the door sticking.
Thanks for the info.