[carguy66cars]

Hi All, Looking for a good used car for my son, he is in Eureka, Calif. and going to school there. Hoping a forum member near him can help. Dosen't have to be a Pontiac, but would be nice. Open to pretty much anything as long as its reliable and within his price range. He is going to school out there and has already had one lemon. Would like something that has already passed the emissions and within a reasonable distance for him to pick it up. Any help would be appreciated!!! You can send me a P.M. or email gp66@frontier.com

Thanks Lyn.

[mechanickeith]

Any 1 of the 8 in your signature would be perfect!!!

[carguy66cars]

Thanks Keith, I'm sure he would like that too, but at 19 I don't think any of my cars are in his price range! That Catalina would work if it didn't need the mechanical work.

Lyn.

[carguy66cars]

Come on somebody has to have something in northern California! Dosen't have to be a Pontiac?

Lyn.

[boostmaster]

what's the price range?

[John V.]

I'm on the opposite coast and nothing to sell anyway.

What is his budget?

There are a couple nice looking '05 Bonnes from private sellers in Calif on autotrader.com right now, listed for under $5000.

Probably goes without saying, but a 4 dr sedan driven and maintained by a mature owner will probably serve him better than a sporty car that has been beat on.

I would suggest he look at a 4 dr. Civic, Accord, Corolla, or Camry. As new as he can afford, ideally without a timing belt (no idea what models that applies to), and lowest miles.

[carguy66cars]

Around a $1000.00 or less as he is only working part time and the closer to him the better! Just needs something that will pass emmisions.

Thanks Lyn.

[John V.]

Lyn, that is a toughie.

I sold 2 cars in the past couple years.

1st was a '97 GMC Safari, owned since new. 195,000 miles. Got $2200 for it because the engine was a new rebuilt with about 20,000 miles on it. I had spent over $5000 on it in the prior 2 years for the rebuild, new starter, new fuel pump, new PS pump, the list went on. I think the guy I sold it to got a deal. If I had to do it over again, I would have junked the vehicle when the original engine blew up.

The 2nd was a '99 Sunfire GT convertible. I think I took $1500 for it. I paid $6000 for it in late '03. Ran great when I sold it but had a leaky clutch cylinder. Mechanics were decent. But it needed a new top and weatherstripping. Cosmetics in and out were fair to poor. You had to really want a cheap convertible and the buyer did. But that car will never be worth what it was going to cost to make it road worthy in the rain.

Buying a car for less than $1000 will be a waste of money IMO. It will be dead in 2 months. Do that 6 times and you would have been a ton of money ahead to buy a decent car for $4000 that will still be worth something a year later. Remember, the true cost is not what you pay but the depreciation in value. A $10,000 car that is worth $8000 a year later only cost you $2000.

Check autotrader, there is virtually nothing that runs selling for $1000.

Here's an example in Cali, who knows what it would cost to deal with an overheating radiator? Or whether the engine has been damaged?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...ngId=320941839

What does he need a car for? Could he get by with a motor scooter or even a bicycle?

I've sent 4 to college, 2 there now. The cars they take to school have always been mine. The youngest has my '03 Jeep. Very dependable. Paid about $12K for it in '07. Mainly used to get him back and forth from home, he can use it to get to campus although often can take a bus. His brother has taken our mint '08 Civic up to the northeast for grad school. We bought that new and was my wife's originally. When the Sunfire became unreliable and more money to fix than it was worth, he got it and my wife bought a new '12 Civic a year ago. Sadly, my wife figures the '08 will be a pile of crap if and when it returns here because of weather and traffic up there. Luckily he lives near campus, he picked up a used bike and rides it when the weather is good and public transportation when it isn't. The car was mainly a way to transport him up there, to travel around the area when he has time, or for shopping. But he is in a big city, so has transportation alternatives and his job is on campus.

Neither could afford the cars they have. Fortunately, I can afford to pay the expenses for them, including insurance.

Could your son get by on $40 cab fare per week? $2000 a year for that will surely save him money vs. the expenses of a $1000 car that probably wouldn't last the year.

[carguy66cars]

All good points John, I just bought a '02 Chrysler Concorde LHX one owner, very nice car and loaded for $300.00. Has new tires and battery, need brakes and rotors but thats only another $120.00 and a couple hours of work. I'm not to big on Chrysler products, but the price was right so I couldn't pass it up. Drove it home and it runs great. Has 197,000 miles but not sure that matters as the car was always serviced and drove by a older woman. I think I will let my son take my old '96 Lumina and drive it back to Cali. and just leave it in my name like you did. Will be cheaper in the long run.
Thanks for the responce!

Lyn.

[John V.]

Lyn, sounds like you got a great deal on the Chrysler!

I'd think Carmax would give more than a $1000 for that car any day of the week.

Tell me you didn't take advantage of a gray haired widow! LOL

Those deals are probably out there but few and far between.

The Lumina sounds like a good choice if you are confident it can make the trip. The drive to Cali is a long haul from Ill.

My oldest took my '93 Taurus to school about 600 miles away when it was 10 yrs old and a bit long in the tooth. His mom thought it was risky, but I had owned it from new and was unconcerned. And it was a LOT more car and better condition than the '64 GTO I drove to college 30 years earlier. Comparatively, the Taurus was a luxury car with all power options.

Downside, he still is a big Taurus fan, drives a '03 these days but I'm sure would take a new SHO if he could afford one.

[fiedlerh]

I'm thinking about selling my 96 Civic, but I'm in Illinois.