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Super cheapo car thoughts.

HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,582
2,010
Seattle
So the only decent riding within riding distance for me at school is getting shut down. :rant: I've been toying with the idea of getting a car out there for a bit, and this recent development is making me want to do so more. I'm a poor college student, so it needs to be cheap to buy, insure and run, and that's about all I care about. A wagon or hatchback would be ideal, and I'd really prefer a manual, but I'm not going to be picky. Thoughts? I doubt I can do better than an older Civic or Corrola in decent shape, but I'm open to other ideas.
 
sneakysnake

sneakysnake

Monkey
Apr 2, 2006
875
1
NC
I'm not sure if there is one in New York, but in NC we have the State Surplus in Raleigh. Tons of totally random stuff from old state applications...they also have old state cars as well as repossesed cars. They sell these for incredibly cheap at auction; you can get a prison bus, bars and everything, for a mere five hundo.

I acquired a legit metal detector, like they have in airports and such, there for five dollars...it works excellently.
 
HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,582
2,010
Seattle
sneakysnake said:
I'm not sure if there is one in New York, but in NC we have the State Surplus in Raleigh. Tons of totally random stuff from old state applications...they also have old state cars as well as repossesed cars. They sell these for incredibly cheap at auction; you can get a prison bus, bars and everything, for a mere five hundo.

I acquired a legit metal detector, like they have in airports and such, there for five dollars...it works excellently.
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This is actually for southern california. I go to school there, am from NY. I've got a super badass Volvo wagon here. :rofl:
 
CBJ

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,882
4,229
Copenhagen, Denmark
Corrola. You could still fit a bike inside or put a cheap rack on the back. The old escort wagon or focus wagon has tons of room but I am sure they do not run like a Corrola.
 
eric strt6

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
23,374
13,665
directly above the center of the earth
SOCAL

my buddy used to scam for sale by owner cars for resale. here's how he go them cheap

the local Auto Trader rag. he would show up at the printer office at the crack of dawn and get first copy. he had cash on him and would compare the prevoius printing looking for brand new listings. find a car for sale that he wanted and show up really early to low ball the seller who would naturally say no way. then he would flash the cash that he wanted to pay. his line: you can wait and hope some one shows up or we can do the deal right now....most times he got the car at his price
 
HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,582
2,010
Seattle
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm not going to buy anything until I go back out there in August, but it seems like there are a ton of early '90s Civics and Corrolas, even a few Accords for 1200-1600.
 
J

JRogers

talks too much
Mar 19, 2002
3,785
1
Claremont, CA
Older Civic or Corolla really is your best bet IMO. Fairly cheap, boring, but reliable. Old Subarus might not be a bad buy either, but not sure of the availability in SoCal. And I guess the AWD might not be that useful there.

Out of curiousity, what trails there are getting shut down?
 
1

1453

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
813
0
down the road from Pleasure Point
older Corolla wagons kick ***, but they are hard to come by, seems like owners never want to sell them, hell I'm driving one that has been in the family for 18 years with 210k on it, hopefully it will keep running for a while.

THat being said Corollas rust like a mother f***er in snowy conditions, and they were discontinued after 96 or so, so finding one in good condition for sale in NY might be tough.

On the other hand Matrix's seem to be getting to the point where second hand ones could be attainable for a decent price, and they are just a newer version of the Corolla Wagon.

edit, I just read your post about being in SoCal, last time I was cruising around in Santa Cruz (a bit up north) I saw one in decent shape for sale on 17th and Rodriguez, a white one with 190k on it. Maybe a monkey that works/lives nearby can get the number for you, that was about 2 weeks ago.
 
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1

1453

Monkey
Aug 20, 2007
813
0
down the road from Pleasure Point
dump said:
Not sure I've ever seen one of these newer corolla wagons. They look nice:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/1266760768.html
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huh, didn't know they sold the wagon here in 97, that doesn't look like a US market model, US models never had tail lights like that. Looks like an AE104.

sounds sketchy with no plates and all.





upon closer look, is that a RH drive car? no steering wheel on the left side.
 
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jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
86,083
24,611
media blackout
eric strt6 said:
SOCAL

my buddy used to scam for sale by owner cars for resale. here's how he go them cheap

the local Auto Trader rag. he would show up at the printer office at the crack of dawn and get first copy. he had cash on him and would compare the prevoius printing looking for brand new listings. find a car for sale that he wanted and show up really early to low ball the seller who would naturally say no way. then he would flash the cash that he wanted to pay. his line: you can wait and hope some one shows up or we can do the deal right now....most times he got the car at his price
Click to expand...
I wouldn't call that a scam as much as extremely aggressive buying tactics.



Dave, see if you can find one of these, they're everywhere in China:

 
HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,582
2,010
Seattle
jonKranked said:
I wouldn't call that a scam as much as extremely aggressive buying tactics.



Dave, see if you can find one of these, they're everywhere in China:

Click to expand...
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:




But actually, that looks kind of cool. They'd haul a lot of crap, and they've got to be stupid cheap. I see some potential issues with US safety regulations and such, but that's just details.
 
Sandwich

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,099
6,036
borcester rhymes
Avoid anything german, unless it's a BMW. You may be ok with an older VW, like the boxy golf, but anything else is going to be a nightmare. I'm done buying german cars for a while.

My vote goes to the 92-95 civic, in either a HB or 4 door sedan. The seats fold down (holy crap) and you can fit a lot of stuff in them. They last forever with limited maintenance. Not as big a fan of toyotas, but other like them. Avoid anything with custom anything on it...just go stock.

Since rust isn't an issue down there, you may be able to score a decent yota pickup, but I doubt it...everybody wants those since nobody sells prerunners anymore.
 
HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,582
2,010
Seattle
Just found a '91 735, 1400 obo, 130k. And it's gold. :rofl: Not exactly practical, but it would be awesome.
 
HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,582
2,010
Seattle

It looks pretty beat, I'm not actually going to buy it. I'm just amused by the idea of me rolling around LA in a gold 7 series. :rofl:
 
gsweet

gsweet

Monkey
Dec 20, 2001
733
4
Minnesota
depending on your feelings about roof/trunk racks, i'd suggest an early 90's tercel. i drove one of those things for most of my highschool/early college years and they are indestructible. cheap as hell to own and maintain, and they're so simple that nothing wears out that you can't fix with duct tape, a hammer and a 6 of beer.

oh, and they can be had for pretty damn cheap...
 
HAB

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,582
2,010
Seattle
gsweet said:
depending on your feelings about roof/trunk racks, i'd suggest an early 90's tercel. i drove one of those things for most of my highschool/early college years and they are indestructible. cheap as hell to own and maintain, and they're so simple that nothing wears out that you can't fix with duct tape, a hammer and a 6 of beer.

oh, and they can be had for pretty damn cheap...
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My feelings about roof or trunk racks are that I don't want to buy one. I'd rather do something I can just put a bike inside. Taking wheels off is fine, so that means just about anything will do.
 
gsweet

gsweet

Monkey
Dec 20, 2001
733
4
Minnesota
HAB said:
My feelings about roof or trunk racks are that I don't want to buy one. I'd rather do something I can just put a bike inside. Taking wheels off is fine, so that means just about anything will do.
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hm, well if memory serves....the tercel is too basic to have fold-down rear seating. i believe i got drunk and locked my keys in my trunk one night; had to pry off the rear-mount speakers the next morning and fish around for the keys for an hour or so. basically, throwing the bike in the trunk is out. though things could be different on the new models (i had a 91)

i'd say pick up a tercel for 1-1.5 G and a trunk rack for 50-100 bucks.

edit: i take it back. apparently they come in hatchback, four door and wagon!

hatch
wagon
 
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jonKranked

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
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jcaramia

jcaramia

Monkey
Oct 28, 2007
914
0
Clifton, NJ
How much are you willing to spend?

If I had the money I would buy an old e30 generation BMW 325 or 318. They are rated the most reliable and cheapest to own car ever produced. You can easily find a nice 5 speed in excellent condition for around 2k or get a beat up one for under a grand.

Check

r3vlimited.com
e30tech.com

EDIT: My uncle has 84 e25 with over 160,xxx miles on it and it still runs great.

Although it isn't a hatchback or a wagon, you can easily put a roof or trunk rack on it. Or take the wheels off and put your bike in the trunk.
 
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jimmydean

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
41,294
13,410
Portland, OR
I had an '85(ish) E30 I got without 2nd gear for $250. I got a trans and heater core for $150 and drove the piss out of it. It needed a timing belt, so I sold it to a buddy for $500.
 
Leppah

Leppah

Turbo Monkey
Mar 12, 2008
2,294
3
Utar
Old ford escorts from the mid 90's are alright. Cheap, and pretty much mazda's. The civics would be the way to go though.
 
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