NEW GUY FROM MIAMI

[rClassy]

Hi I'm Daniel. IM in high school and I was always interested in stick. My dad taught me on his 323i bimmer and now im looking to buy myself a car. I have a few cars in mind..what do you guys think of this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Tru ... 240%3A1318

[theholycow]

Have you visited it in person and test-drove it?

It looks pretty clean for a car that's 20 years old having been driven 8,000 miles per year (or having been driven more some years and then allowed to rot other years). Everything looks worn, a little dirty, and maybe slightly neglected...but entirely undamaged. I don't know how many 20 year old basic transportation cars you'll find that are so well intact.

If you're looking at that 20 year old car, most other cars you're looking at are probably also around the same age. I don't know how much it's worth, and bidding on ebay can be difficult, but it might be a decent car.

[AHTOXA]

Old cars are, well...old cars. You need to be careful and know what you're looking at before picking one up. That said, I would not buy a well-used car, especially an older car like this from ebay. Some would say it's fine but I prefer seeing the vehicle in person and driving it.

[ColJessip]

Welcome, I'm the resident pork chop.

I personally wouldn't look at too old of cars on ebay.

[94Corolla5Speed]

Welcome to SS! And yes, unless you can wrench, try looking for something newer.

[jomotopia]

welcome to the site.

[wannabe]

dude...craigslist is better....than ebay (anyways in this regard).

welcome!

what type of car (other than stick) are you looking for?

[padauk_dust]

Hey, welcome to the site.


If you're looking at older cars to buy and drive, you better be able to drop at least 2k on it if you're not a mechanic.

If you find the right deal, $2,000 can get you a great car. There are also many piece o' sh*t cars that cost 2k. So do your research.

If you find a car for less than 2k, great, but it's likely that you're going to have to spend some money on it. Unless it truly is a bargain and it's in great shape. But that's not the point.


A good rule is to have some extra cash leftover for the unexpected. If you don't have it, you're not ready to buy the car.


I bought my first car (a 1992 Corolla w/ 100,000 miles on it) for $1500. It needed a new thermostat. That's all. That was a great deal.

Regardless, I wish you luck and if you want any advice or help please post up

[Paolo300zx]

PENIS!

[rClassy]

dude...craigslist is better....than ebay (anyways in this regard).

welcome!

what type of car (other than stick) are you looking for?

ya ive decided not to buy the car. Anyway, I think like to buy an "oldish" car like an rx7 or a vw corrado or something that i could find for a relatively low price and fix it up.

[watkins]

Welcome!

dude...craigslist is better....than ebay (anyways in this regard).

Ebay is America's largest car retailer.

[Rope-Pusher]

I tend to agree with padauk_dust. There is some minimum dollar amount that one needs to be ready to spend on the vehicle. Spend less, and you will make up for it in repair costs in a short while. My son calimsx that for Dodge or Plymouth Neons, the dollar figure is $1300.

I also agree that you need to be able to work on it yourself if you want to keep the cost down. Network with owners of similar vehicles to find deals on parts from vehicles being scrapped-out or upgraded.

[rClassy]

So, any suggestions or advice on getting a car?

[vedran]

search around your area. like kelly recommended, craigslist is probably one of the better sites to look. personally, i would recommend autotrader.

toyotas and hondas are reliable and usually last a long time, i would recommend trying to find one that looks like it is in good shape and is within your price range. those makes are probably going to be the most reliable, considering the amount of money that you want to spend.

also, with used cars, test drives are a must.

[comingbackdown]

*stuff I wasn't intending to comment on axed*

also, with used cars, test drives are a must.

+ 1(infinity) unless it's literally in grrrrrrrrrrreat condition.

Welcome, brother! I'm one of the resident smartasses. You'll probably be seeing a lot of us, as we resident smartasses post often.