Need advice - $5,000 to spend on an AWD/4WD vehicle

[911boost]

I have a young lady that needs a reliable vehicle for $5k. She has the money saved up and is ready to pull the trigger.

Her only requirements are AWD or 4WD, being as she goes into the mountains some and as good of reliability that vehicles in that price point have.

I’ve been poking around the internet and looking and it seems the smaller Japanese SUV.s all have 200.000 miles or close to it. Plus what I have read on the CRV hasn’t painted a pretty picture.

My initial thoughts are possibly older 4Runners, Subaru Outback’s or Foresters......

What am I missing? I know there is a wealth of knowledge here so I appreciate any feedback. She is not interested in leasing anything and holding on to the cash.

Thanks in advance.

Bill

[WPOZZZ]

What about a 1st gen Mercedes ML, BMW X5 or X3?

[Dansvan]

Mid to late 2000’s Mercedes 4matic.

[sc_rufctr]

Toyota RAV4. You could find a really nice one for 5K in the US.

[Arizona_928]

I'm in the market for a Subaru right now. Just waiting for the right one to pop up for sale.

[DanielDudley]

Rav4

[BoxsterSteve]

Subaru Forester.
Ours has been near flawless since we bought new in 2007.

[cabmandone]

Subaru but know that they had some head gasket issues and they have a timing belt that should be replaced before 100K. I have owned several Subaru's and really liked them all. You should be able to find a decent Impreza for your price and maybe one of the hatchback's. Rav4 would be a good choice too, I currently own a very low mile 2008. You might have to go to the older body style to get something in her price range. The Runner is a great vehicle but they tend to be a bit thirsty on gas. The Subaru will get about 28 on the highway as will the Rav4

IMO the Rav4 isn't as capable as the Subaru's in snow and offroad. I think the Subaru has a better AWD system.

I also drive a 2008 Ford Taurus X AWD that I wouldn't take offroad but the AWD system is pretty good as long as you remember to lock out the damn traction control. I got stuck in some deep snow once because I had the traction control on. Once I got unstuck and turned off the traction control the car went through the snow I had just been stuck in with ease. I haven't had a lot of problems with the car. There's the older model Freestyle that was a decent car but both of those don't have very flashy styling. The Taurus X has a 3.5L V6 that will walk away from the N.A. Subaru 2.5's and the 4 cyl Rav4 and it'll get about 23 mpg on the highway.

[kach22i]

My 1998 Chevy S-10 has been alright for me for the last ten years.

At 5k you better change all the hoses in fair weather, change the water pump when the radiator goes, and be prepared to put up with less than new car operation like when one brake light is dimmer than the other or when you have to change out hinge and door latches on the driver's side and F-it-up so you have to key lock it now.

Going to learn about cars at 5k, and education isn't cheap.................runs me about $1,000 a year in maintenance/upkeep unless I'm doing it myself.

2003 Chevy S10 Crew Cab 4x4 v6 105k hail damage - firm price - $4900
https://cosprings.craigslist.org/cto/d/2003-chevy-s10-crew-cab-4x4/6710117520.html

1996 Chevrolet 4x4 S10 Pickup - $6000
https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/1996-chevrolet-4x4-s10-pickup/6709786673.html

2002 CHEVY TRUCK S10 ZR2 LS - $3850 (ARVADA)
https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/2002-chevy-truck-s10-zr2-ls/6707454417.html

2003 Chevy S10 Pickup - $5500 (Greeley)
https://fortcollins.craigslist.org/cto/d/2003-chevy-s10-pickup/6704856367.html

On the V6 4.3L the intake manifold gasket goes at 75k, can be fixed properly or with goop in a can that blocks up your heater core.

The 4WD system isn't as good as my old 1990 Geo Tracker was, but with good tires it's good enough for Michigan, Colorado I cannot speak for.

[fanaudical]

Older Toyota pickup?

[ckcarr]

How old is this person?

For $5,000 she might get lucky and buy a vehicle that requires little maintenance. Or find one in an older person's garage that's barely driven.

Colorado though has a double whammy going. First, everyone wants AWD or 4WD, second is that they USE them. So they get beat up a little and they are higher priced than many other states.

But, reality is that these days a lot can go wrong, and cost a lot to fix. Can you do repairs for her? If she ends up putting $100-200 per month into repairs, well that's a payment.

Does she have a real job? She might want to just make a down payment, buy a newer vehicle, and make small payments. There are some interesting finance deals out there for young women, people starting careers... Often zero interest.

My favorite vehicle for young people is a Jeep Renegade, new ones 2015 on...


All just my opinion though.

[RANDY P]

Japanese vehicle owned by a retiree. Fixed.

[VincentVega]

We have a very clean Hyundai Sante Fe for sale, but only 2wd. Solid vehicles that are cheap to maintain. Would work great with winter tires. I'm sure there are lots of similar out there. I'd stay away from anything Euro for maintance/repair costs. Suby is a great choice, just about any model will fit her needs.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by WPOZZZ

What about a 1st gen Mercedes ML, BMW X5 or X3?

I don't think that those would be a good choice for someone that had to save up $5k. She would never be able to afford the fuel and repair costs on an older ML or X5. In fact, I would not recommend those vehicles for anyone. If you can afford the maintanence on those, you can afford a newer, better vehicle.

[911boost]

Great posts so far, thank you.

I will be around to help work on it some...

[Captain Ahab Jr]

2nd Gen 4Runner

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by RANDY P

Japanese vehicle owned by a retiree. Fixed.

Yup. Anyone suggesting a European car for someone with only $5k is smoking crack. Some domestics would also be a good fit. Really at that price point it’s as much about condition than anything else, set Craigslist to search cars for sale by owner of $6k or less with AWD/4WD and start looking daily.

[Tobra]

She needs to buy a used one of whatever out of AZ or CA, rather than CO.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Tobra

She needs to buy a used one of whatever out of AZ or CA, rather than CO.

CO doesn't use products on the road that cause rust, it's not a bad place to buy a car. They do tend to get a lot of rock and windshield chips though when winter driven.

[MRM]

She needs a cheap reliable car that’s good in the snow. I don’t think she can get that in her price range if she insists on four wheel or all wheel drive. I also think that focus is misguided. Four wheel drive is no magic bullet. When she hits the ice four wheels out of control is no better than two.

What she should do is what I did before I could afford four wheel drive vehicles. Get a cheap, reliable Japanese front wheel drive and get good dedicated winter tires. A front wheel drive with snow tires is far better than all wheel drive without snow tires and it’s really a close second to AWD with snow tires. Our AWDs with snow tires are mountain goats but when we had front wheel drives and dedicated snow tires we never needed additional traction.