How much of a car could I possibly get with...

[Humdizzy]

$250 or even $400?

I've been looking to purchase a car since I now have my senior (no restrictions) license in the state of New York. Even though I don't need a car, which a lot of people tell me to just forget about getting a car, I still want one because I went through too much trouble (and money) to get my full license a year earlier than usual. I had some false sense that someone would lend me their car to use (cough uncle cough), but now that I actually have my license its a different story and everyone has their keys locked up tight. If I don't get a car before my 18th birthday, I could just call all of that time, money, and long commutes to drivers education a waste.

So yea I was looking at junk yards and I'm trying to figure out how much they give people for their POS cars. I'll take anything thats running and is legal to drive, but first I need to know the value of cars like that. I rarely see people even trying to sell junk cars on eBay and craigslist is a sea of nothing.

No I didn't forget about insurance, but I'd like to :p.

 

[Smiler]

I dont think you can buy any kind of car for that money unless someone is desperately of needing money. Get a bike instead and you will be better shape. Or save more money and until you get at least $1000. I think the car you can buy with this amount of money is less likely to breakdown compare to a $500 car. OK Pare.

 

[Spirix]

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/

Then set the maximum money amount to $400 and you should hopefully find one for that much.

 

[Humdizzy]

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/

Then set the maximum money amount to $400 and you should hopefully find one for that much.

Thanks. That helped a lot. Even though I didn't see any for 400 I found some for 500.

I dont think you can buy any kind of car for that money unless someone is desperately of needing money. Get a bike instead and you will be better shape. Or save more money and until you get at least $1000. I think the car you can buy with this amount of money is less likely to breakdown compare to a $500 car. OK Pare.

Thanks for the response. It's extremely hard for me to save for a specific thing because if I do eventually save up for something I want (usually valued at quite a bit), I'll not want to part with it and I'll end up spending it on little things like food and clothing contemplating whether or not I should use it all.

 

[dgridley]

I once bought a 1959 Plymouth for $3.50 (yup).. guy needed beer money. Ran good, no back floorboard Push button tranny.. I once got it up to 100mph at an abandoned airfield in Miami.

 

[Humdizzy]

I once bought a 1959 Plymouth for $3.50 (yup).. guy needed beer money. Ran good, no back floorboard Push button tranny.. I once got it up to 100mph at an abandoned airfield in Miami.

Think you could find that guy again? XD

 

[homebuyer]

Money Pit

You get what you pay for. Your $400 car today might be your $1,500 repair bill tomorrow. You might also want to think about how it might kill you to break down in a bad part of town one night in that jalopy. So do yourself a favor, forget the junker. It will dollar you to death. Instead, be patient. One day you'll have your new car.

 

[dgridley]

He's probably dead.. we're talking 1969 here..

Think you could find that guy again? XD

 

[Humdizzy]

He's probably dead.. we're talking 1969 here..

Maybe he has a generous when in need of liquor son as well.

 

[homebuyer]

$20,000 to $45,000 Cash Bonus

Want some new car money in your fat wallet soon after you turn 18?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20453080/

 

[Humdizzy]

Want some new car money in your fat wallet soon after you turn 18?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20453080/

Why did I see that coming from a mile away? Maybe it was the "soon after you turn 18" part.

I'm not really interested at all in joining the Army. There is always the very big chance of coming back maimed or not coming back at all. Thus rendering my new car money useless or non existent having to spend it all on special living arrangements for whatever handicap I receive during service, mental or physical.

Anyways it would still defeat the whole purpose of me taking the drivers ed course and I'm just fine with purchasing an extremely used and abused car within my budget for my first car.

 

[CHILLY]

Yeah, you can get a car for $400.00. I had got a van (350 overdrive trans) for carrying stuff around for $400.00 about three years ago and it is still running great. It looks like *&%^$^%& but still runs. I see your in N.Y. check the Jersey papers, of course you have the risk with break downs ect.. so you should have a little cash set aside for that, maybe try to hook up with a " well known shade tree mechanic with good rep." that can do small jobs for less money (i.e. instead of midas charging you a $xxx for new muffle the shade tree mechanic would just tie some metal coat hangers around the old one for $20.00, you know what I'm saying..) and also for the inspection sticker, license,registration, and insurance..so it adds up also i would recommend aaa. Inspections..try to find "one of those gas stations where you can kinda like buy a sticker" :notme:. so you have to research it a little and then weigh you options and see what you can do....

 

[Humdizzy]

Yeah, you can get a car for $400.00. I had got a van (350 overdrive trans) for carrying stuff around for $400.00 about three years ago and it is still running great. It looks like *&%^$^%& but still runs. I see your in N.Y. check the Jersey papers, of course you have the risk with break downs ect.. so you should have a little cash set aside for that, maybe try to hook up with a " well known shade tree mechanic with good rep." that can do small jobs for less money (i.e. instead of midas charging you a $xxx for new muffle the shade tree mechanic would just tie some metal coat hangers around the old one for $20.00, you know what I'm saying..) and also for the inspection sticker, license,registration, and insurance..so it adds up also i would recommend aaa. Inspections..try to find "one of those gas stations where you can kinda like buy a sticker" :notme:. so you have to research it a little and then weigh you options and see what you can do....

Thanks a lot for that info man. First thing in the morning I'll try to find someone with a New Jersey news paper in hand at Penn Station or something.

 

[SpareDomains]

you can find cars cheap, I have bought a few for $200 and $500 and fixed them up myself as I like working on them, I generally use to buy late 70's oldsmobile cutlass & chevy as parts are cheap and available and they are cool looking cars if you can work on them, if you have no mechanical knowledge then grab a honda or a toyota, they may rust out but the damn things run, I use to go to farm towns and hit the grocery store parking lot and there would be tons of cars for sale cheap, my buddy picked up a toyota for $200 at that grocery store that ran for over 2 years and all we ever did to it was put brakes on it and tune it up, be a good idea to bring someone with that knows about cars as they should be able to tell if it is solid motor & transmission wise as you are more concerned with running condition over looks in that price range, good luck.

 

[Humdizzy]

be a good idea to bring someone with that knows about cars as they should be able to tell if it is solid motor & transmission wise as you are more concerned with running condition over looks in that price range, good luck.

My dad is a mechanic and has been since way before I was born (he has an almost finished 65 'stang in the garage that he wont let me touch :lol , I've picked up a few things from helping him out at his friend's auto shop so I should be able to see a couple things when looking at a car, but I'm sure he'll want to see whatever I'm buying.

 

[briman1970]

Today it's very hard to find a good running vehicle for less than $500. Those days are just about over. If you had $750-$1000, you'd do much better. Go with a Honda or Toyota car or an Isuzu p'up... '92-'94 models are great! I bought my '94 new and it's still going strong with ZERO major repairs. It looks like total hell, but the a/c still works and it'll get you there!

BTW, I checked www.KBB.com using zip code 10002 and it says you should be able to buy a 1992-1994 Isuzu pickup (with 100,000 miles, a/c and manual trans) from a private party for $750-$1000... not too shabby!

 

[SpareDomains]

http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/car?query=&minAsk=100&maxAsk=500&addTwo=by-owner&hasPic=1

$100-$500 with pic search, if your budget raises modify the search

don't buy this one...

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/car/402619101.html :lol:

 

[.X.]

here is one , within your budget, http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/car/406306415.html

 

[homebuyer]

Option B - The Timing is Right.

Okay, so the army is out for you. Here's something that can work.

Pick up a college newspaper. College students entering their fall semester, as well as exiting their spring semester, are notorious for being hard up for cash for school. You'll find many a student who, despite thinking that they needed a car for school when they started their fall semester, sell their cars for whatever they can get for them.

These motivated sellers aren't valuing their cars the way you do. You see dependable transportation costing you a reasonable amount of money. They, on the other hand, see their cars as helping to pay for their very survival in school.

I remember years ago, when I was 20, having a top of the line vehicle. It meant everything to me. Then, I got the opportunity to start college and join the ranks of the educated ladder climbers. Suddenly, my vehicle lost its value to me. All I wanted was enough cash leftover from the sale to pay for my room and books until I could get a part-time job to help pay for college. So I sold it cheap.

To sum it up, I'm still getting a decent return on the sale of that vehicle.

 

[Humdizzy]

Thanks for the last four posts you guys. I found a couple of good things on craigslist.

It's hard to find a Jersey news paper in NY when everyone (including people from NJ) read and sign up for the NY Times.

And hmm I never thought about college students.

I just made a post on craigslist. Last time I did I had a decent amount of responses, but no upfront prices. I assumed they wanted a lot as they would tell me to make an offer.