cheap beater for my sister. 4k budget

[Arizona_928]

Sister needs a auto. She's really hard on cars and has totaled a Mercedes, a mk4 jetta, even a Jeep cherokee. I've been looking at mk4 jetta's, but locally I can't find any really nice ones. She has kids, so a 4 door is a must. I will be turning a wrench on it, so I think a minor fixer would be okay. Can anyone recommend a few makes/models to look at!?

[aschen]

Sounds like she needs a crown Vic complete with the tubular pit manuvor bumper

[Nostril Cheese]

+1 for crown vic or Mercury Grand Marquis

[Steve Carlton]

[Arizona_928]

The thought of a crown vic crossed my mind, and her Kids are really bad on interiors. Hmm

[Bill Douglas]

How do you say it in English. Ah, Toyota Corolla! Or even a Camry. A first she will hate you, then she will bake you a cake for Christmas.

[Por_sha911]

Start with driving lessons?
Look for something that is cheap on parts and big on safety. How about a high miles late model car? There are a million Taurus's out there so parts are easy to find and cheap.

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

How do you say it in English. Ah, Toyota Corolla! Or even a Camry. A first she will hate you, then she will bake you a cake for Christmas.

Years to avoid?
And those are non-interference engines? ?

[LakeCleElum]

When we bought a new car, we kept our '99 Camry V6 3.0......Now has 211,000 miles......Besides brakes/timing belt, total issues have been: wiper motor (29 bux on Ebay), Struts and Battery terminals....Haven't even replaced a muffler yet...Uses no oil between changes.......Bullet-proof.........

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by AZ_porschekid

Years to avoid?
And those are non-interference engines? ?

No years to avoid. They are all good. With Corollas they are cam chain from about 2002 onwards. Camrys I don't know. They seem to be a little bit better built than most Japon cars.

[Arizona_928]

Well I set up a time to look at a 99' camry in the morning. 130k mi 2,600$ I think a 4 cyl. Seems like the lowest mileage one in my area. ( It is a little cheap, but it is within NADA). It's ridiculous, they have 99-01's with 180k+ miles going for $3,200 and up. Does not seem worth the money at that point. Lucky for me, I would not be driving it, but I think they look better then the run of the mill same year GM product.

I think a crown vic would be awesome car for her, sorta as like a brother love torture thing, but she hates the idea.

[porsche4life]

If it's in good shape that's a good deal and should serve her well.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Cheap car = Japanese car. Don't get her an old mk4 Jetta unless you don't like her. Toyota and Honda are no brainers but carry a premium, most Nissans are pretty good, and I personally love Mazdas. Mazdas have Toyota/Honda reliability but are actually fun to drive.

[Robert Adams]

Recently bought a 96 Infinity I30 for my daughter to use over the summer. Built like a tank, sort of an updated Volvo 240. Has 117k miles, original owner with service records. He just dumped about a $1000 on repairs including new tires, brakes and battery. Drives like a dream, everything works AC and sunroof. Leather looks brand new. Recommend the model highly. 96 to about 2003 can be had for under your budget. I mention it because it's not a car you typically think of, but just as solid and robust as any of the cars mentioned so far and good on gas.
Only issue to me is premium fuel, but at about 4k miles a year I'm not going to lose sleep over it. Gets near 30 mpg.

[cabmandone]

1 word, SUBARU find a mid 90's with a non interference 2.2L I bought my legacy wagon for $2500 about 4 years ago. I call it my ATV with air. The thing will go anywhere. It's not sexy but it goes through snow, mud.. whatever and gets about 28 hwy and 21 city. My car has about 180,000 miles on it, leaks oil like a Porsche and I love it! Easy to work on and parts are cheap.

[Rick V]

If she is that bad of a driver please don't get her a Crown Vic, the other drivers on the road will bake you a cake for Christmas.
I will be the second one to say Mazda, great little well kept secrets.

[Arizona_928]

I actually flipped a couple mid 90's Subaru's. They understeer like a sob, and are cheap. She'll definitely break a Subaru. I looked at a I30 and they seem to be all beat up locally.
The Camry ended up being a shady sob, everything works when I talked to him on the phone, but the darn thing had tiny drill holes throughout the body, and a check engine light that was supposedly from the gas cap... insulting it really was.

Anyways I'm looking at another Camry and a 04 high mileage Mazda hatchback today.

[DanielDudley]

I got my wife a Buick. It's a tank.

[greglepore]

I'll beat her for less than 4k...

Oh, you didn't mean "that"....

w124 Benz. Will survive the next hit. Old but sturdy.

[cabmandone]

Great point at post 18
Buick Le Sabre great gas mileage, old man ride that holds up well.
Btw, don't know what Suby you were runin, but I call mine the ATV with air for a reason and it has never let me down. Not in snow or a field I drove through with ankle deep standing water. Mine is a mini tank that takes abuse and comes back asking for more. To be honest, if I had to choose a car to get rid of and the choice was my 911 or my Suby, I'd have to think long and hard about it.