$4000 DD beater

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I wouldn't let the miles scare me away from this one:
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/d/super-clean-and-relaible-2002/6634073627.html

Original owner, hiway miles, a little more style than your normal beater.

Holy Fark that is beautiful!!!

But wife is taking the Versa on a road trip (L.A. to Seattle... dont ask ) so won't be doing the flip until August.
Unless she decides to take the mini van, Versa gets better gas milage, with my lead foot getting around 34 combined.

Originally Posted by VincentVega

Brakes should be $200 in parts. Spend an hour or 2 and get it done. Save up for a car you want. What's the value of your nissan? I imagine it might sting.

KBB is $3-$4K - working a lot of overtime no time for a brake job.

Originally Posted by Tobra

Miata is cheep cheep

Don't think I wasn't thinking that but see above chances are a $4K Miata will need $1K of work. Would rather save up nice $10K Miata (when the time comes).

Originally Posted by JackDidley

Chevy Cruze. A buddy has one with 150,000 miles on it. It is a special gas mileage model and it is killer on fuel consumption.

I like the Cruz, didn't see any in my quick search , but my search only about 15 minutes on the internet.

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

Here ya go, Scott...https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/cto/d/2001-mazda-protege-lxobo/6633227180.html

Nice!!! Wife isn't a fan of stick shifts I am and it is going to be my car. Did you find that this morning? I was on the L.A. craigslist yesterday and didn't see it (see above comment about only looking for about 15 minutes)

You BMW fans can you give me year and model inserted of the E number please?

I should throw out I'm okay with a diesel but other that very old MB's (yes I know they can go 250k miles easy but the interior most likely will be ratty) Some VW Diesels but I have heard rumors some of them have problems?

Thanks every one for the repiles!

PS: No love for the Volvo's?
PSS:

Originally Posted by id10t

Closest thing (and one of two cars I've sold) was my '99 altima

A Lot of Altima's came up in my search.

[Steve Carlton]

A $4,000 Volvo will need $4,000 worth of work.

[Steve Carlton]

How many miles on the Versa? I wonder if a 2015 needs struts, shocks, and bushings, although possible. My 2015 Mazda6 needed the upper and lower bushings with around 40K miles, which was disappointing. Struts include shocks in the front- are there shocks in the rear?

I'd get a second opinion from someone with a good reputation. Personally, I think only Toyotas and Hondas are the truly best Japanese cars, with Nissans being some of the worst.

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I wouldn't let the miles scare me away from this one:
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/d/super-clean-and-relaible-2002/6634073627.html

Original owner, hiway miles, a little more style than your normal beater.

I'd be willing to bet this car has an accident on the Carfax and needs a timing belt. Just a gut feeling...

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I wouldn't let the miles scare me away from this one:
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/d/super-clean-and-relaible-2002/6634073627.html

Original owner, hiway miles, a little more style than your normal beater.

The "reply" button is red and won't open so I presume the ad has been closed/car sold.

Any killer deal like that is going to be snapped up ASAP so I will have to sell the Versa so I have cash in hand... but then I'm under the gun to buy something... but as said best to wait for a deal to come up.

[id10t]

Originally Posted by wildthing

What's the Versa's MPG? Because I see Honda CR-Vs within the search parameters you provided.

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/search/cta?max_price=4000&min_auto_year=2000&max_auto_miles=100000&auto_title_status=1

I've been getting 39.2 cumulative average over 75k miles on my '13 Versa. Bought in '15 with 23k on it for $12.5k OTD

Just at 100k on the clock, no major mechanical issues that weren't caused by animal impact (deer cost my insurance co $2k, raccoon cost me $300 for a fuel leak - I had dropped down to 35mpg )

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

How many miles on the Versa? I wonder if a 2015 needs struts, shocks, and bushings, although possible. My 2015 Mazda6 needed the upper and lower bushings with around 40K miles, which was disappointing. Struts include shocks in the front- are there shocks in the rear?

I'd get a second opinion from someone with a good reputation. Personally, I think only Toyotas and Hondas are the truly best Japanese cars, with Nissans being some of the worst.

Haven't checked but around +60K miles... my first Nissan and so far not impressed but the Versa is the bottom of the line (lowest priced new car in America, at least last year).

Friend had a Maxima and the thing wouldn't die but that was a long time ago.

[slow&rusty]

Mazda 3 or Protégé for sure.

[Scott Douglas]

I'd be willing to say this is a car owned by an older gentleman that could afford to have all the maintenance done on time and the car got anything and everything it needed. And I doubt there are any accidents on its CarFax, but that's just the optimist in me speaking.

By the way, the above shot was taken just minutes ago when I clicked on the link in the above post, not even my original post.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I'd be willing to say this is a car owned by an older gentleman that could afford to have all the maintenance done on time and the car got anything and everything it needed. And I doubt there are any accidents on its CarFax, but that's just the optimist in me speaking.

By the way, the above shot was taken just minutes ago when I clicked on the link in the above post, not even my original post.

Craigslist email working now and I sent a email.... but I'm n a precarious situation where I need to sell the Versa AND our renter is moving out so we will need to drop a couple grand on paint & fixes.

[scottmandue]

Okay, I'm going to reiterate this is going to be after my wife's road trip and we get a new renter in place (have to pay back original renter first/last)

But expect another post like this in a month or so.

Dunno why I'm looking the same place you all are (craigslist) but not finding the deals you are.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by lendaddy

How about just drive the Versa and ignore the nonsense from the mechanic? You can't bring a 4+ year old vehicle into a garage without an "it need this" list as long as the Gettysburg Address. You'll know when your car is broken when it....breaks, drive the damn thing.

Exactly right.

If you don't like the car, sell it...

[RKDinOKC]

Did some looking and spent $800 for a DD Winter Beater. It was a 1992 Range Rover.
Here is the web site I made for it. Sold Rover for $2500 4 years later.

2004 Cayenne S in great shape for $9000. lot more cumfy and more road trip capable.
Here is the web site I did for it... Sold it 3 years later for $9000.

Current DD winter beater is a 2005 Cayenne Turbo. Got it for $10K but have spent about $5k fixing stuff.
At $15K total still feel like a got a good vehicle for a good price.

[UconnTim97]

Originally Posted by Scott Douglas

I'd be willing to say this is a car owned by an older gentleman that could afford to have all the maintenance done on time and the car got anything and everything it needed. And I doubt there are any accidents on its CarFax, but that's just the optimist in me speaking.

By the way, the above shot was taken just minutes ago when I clicked on the link in the above post, not even my original post.

Are there a few bodies in the trunk or is the rear end sagging just an optical illusion?

Probably one of the best under $4000 cars you will find.

I love one older owner cars. My last Buick came with a folder full of all the dealer maintenance since new. The older gentleman that owned it had every service done on schedule. It was like a new car.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

Unless she decides to take the mini van, Versa gets better gas milage, with my lead foot getting around 34 combined.

I'm not sure it counts if you have the thing to the mat and old folks with walkers are passing you.

Don't think I wasn't thinking that but see above chances are a $4K Miata will need $1K of work. Would rather save up nice $10K Miata (when the time comes).

When I got my first miata and my wife's old miata, we searched for the fabled "fantastic, needs nothing $4k miata". I didn't find any. I'm sure they exist, but you've got to be patient and willing to spend months, at least, searching for that unicorn. When I buy a car, I'm usually ready to buy the car. I'm not like a lot of the guys here that just constantly peruse the car ads in case something interesting pops up.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by RKDinOKC

Did some looking and spent $800 for a DD Winter Beater. It was a 1992 Range Rover.
Here is the web site I made for it. Sold Rover for $2500 4 years later.

2004 Cayenne S in great shape for $9000. lot more cumfy and more road trip capable.
Here is the web site I did for it... Sold it 3 years later for $9000.

Current DD winter beater is a 2005 Cayenne Turbo. Got it for $10K but have spent about $5k fixing stuff.
At $15K total still feel like a got a good vehicle for a good price.

I'm guessing none of those got 35-40mpg?? I think the OP is looking for a fuel sipping road-trip kind of car.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by masraum

I'm guessing none of those got 35-40mpg?? I think the OP is looking for a fuel sipping road-trip kind of car.

I'm willing to back down to 28-30 MPG to get something comfortable to road trip in.

However $9-10K is definitely out of the picture for now.

Too bad the Acura will be gone by next month or I would be all over that!

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

Here ya go, Scott...https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/cto/d/2001-mazda-protege-lxobo/6633227180.html

Sweet looking ride... but " registration needs to be caught up." Hmmm, how does that happen?

[Jim Richards]

You pay DMV registration and late fees to bring registration up to date when you title it after purchase. Their website describes the charges, so you can have a pretty good idea what they are. They cap these fees at 2 years. I bought a car that sat unregistered for 16 years. Thankfully, I didn’t have to pay for all 16 years to get up to date. The seller of the Mazda seems prepared to help cover (some or all?) of these DMV costs.

[ckelly78z]

I've been driving a $2500 2004 Mustang GT convertible (triple black) for 3 years now with virtually no problems. It needed tires and brakes, but most cars of any age do also. It gets about 20 MPG, but provides far more grins than the 4 door Saturn SL2, I traded even up for it. I can't imagine ever driving a Versa for anything but a disapointing daily rental.