Advice for buying a used car

[Rhyvu]

Hi everybody
This is my first post here although I have been a long time reader and I honestly thought it would be about oil, but as I am in need of advice and this is a place I trust I guess my first post here will be about purchasing a car.

I just moved to Tucson Arizona and realised I can not do without my own car as I thought I could so I need some advice on what cars to look at. I am student therefore my budget is quite tight, around $2500-$3000 but the less I pay the better, although I do not want to buy a car that will nickel and dime me. Besides that the only other things I am looking for in a car is that it has a manual transmission and that it preferable is a RWD or alternatively an AWD/4WD (the reason it only is an alternative is that I heard that insurance on AWD/4WD is more expensive which makes no sense to me why it would be).

Lastly and this is not a priority, but as I just moved to America I would really like to own a typical All-American car (not truck) so I have been thinking about a Ford Mustang, a Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Corvette, a Pontiac Firebird or other I might have forgotten, basically cars I grow up watching on TV as typical American cars. I know some of these cars are out of my budget and do not know if they are the type of cars that are a smart investment for my need, but if for some reason I could get one of these while keeping my budget and main requirements then the better it would be.

So after this long first post my question is what car would be recommended for me to look at and what kind of price are reasonable to pay for them?
Also does anyone know of anyone selling a good car in Tucson or know of where I should go and be looking for cars in Tucson?

I appreciate all the help I can get

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

A Mustang would probably best fit the bill for an RWD, manual transmission, American car.

It has been continuous production since 1964 so finding a relatively inexpensive used model in one the various generations shouldn't be too difficult. However, $2500-3000 won't go very far these days, used car and gas prices are sky high so I'd suggest looking for one with a V6 engine.

Try a search on Autotrader.com

 

[Spazdog]

The budget makes it rough.

You could probably find a 3.8 liter Mustang, Camaro, or Firebird with a manual that hasn't been "riced" out too bad. It's going to take some looking.

Possibly a '96-'98 Mustang 4.6 or '93-'97 Camaro or Firebird LT1. Everything is going to be more expensive and the car will be high mileage. Probably spent a lot of time street or strip racing.

Takes a LOT more looking, but on that budget if you are willing to go automatic, I would go 3rd gen Camaro RS. (they made 5-speeds but they are hard to come by)

You get a V8, albeit a 305. The TBI 305 has some reported cam lobe rounding problems but overall it is as reliable as any other cast iron block Chevy V8. Chevy cams are cheap and readily availiable too. It makes the right sounds and drives like a lot more than it really is. (Don't go picking any drag-races vs any current mid-size V6 family sedan....the average Altima SL 3.5 or Camry SE V6 are going to beat you to 60 mph by 1.5 seconds. That's a long time to lose by But the Camaro is still a fun car)

I had one of these:

Exactly like that one.
The Multiport Fox Mustangs tend to be overpriced, but if you can figure out how to force the upshift before 5000rpm on the CFI H.O. 5.0 the '85 LX 5.0 can be surprisingly quick. Let it upshift on its own at 5500 and you will get beat by a lot of lesser cars. 5000 to 5500 rpm takes so long.

 

[Rolla07]

Trans Am! in black with phoenix on it in Gold!! lol

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted By: Rhyvu
Also does anyone know of anyone selling a good car in Tucson or know of where I should go and be looking for cars in Tucson?

I appreciate all the help I can get

Its going to be tough finding anything with 300 miles of Tucson in your choice and price range.

Either you'll have to cough up more cash or settle for something else.

I did a quick search in my area (New Jersey) which always has lots of used car inventory and could only come up with one Mustang that looked decent, everything else was very high mileage.

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/inview...ler_id=57884286

 

[jimbrewer]

Hey there Wildcat! Forget about being cool. For your budget, get something very uncool and therefore cheap. Brown cars are good. Maybe a Pontiac. Maybe an Oldsmobile. Even a (gasp!) a minivan.

Having a larger car that can move several people is a prized commodity in college. Going to Rocky Point in a mini-van transporting persons of the female persuasion is way cooler than going by yourself in an old 'Stang by yourself, believe me.

 

[expat]

"I would really like to own a typical All-American car (not truck) so I have been thinking about a Ford Mustang, a Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Corvette, a Pontiac Firebird or other I might have forgotten, basically cars I grow up watching on TV as typical American cars. "

Any of the above may be a little more thirsty than you would want to live with, and those you grew up watching on TV (Rockford Files etc.) are mostly long gone.

Perhaps consider an old Crown Vic?
You won't loose too much if you sell it in six months.

 

[mechanicx]

First and formost I think you are going to want a car with a good working A/C if you're going to spend any time there around summertime.

 

[earlyre]

dang, it's well out of your price range, and many hrs/hundreds of miles away...
My Older Brother in Dallas, TX has a 98 Mustang GT, 5 speed, leather, premium (factory) stereo, with 16-17K mi, that he never drives. bought it new, got tired of the manual in DFW Rush hour, so he parked it. takes it out a couple time a year, just to keep the inspection current.
we've been trying to get him to sell it for years, but he still insists on getting $10 grand.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: Rhyvu
Hi everybody
This is my first post here ...

I appreciate all the help I can get

No one else said it, so

to the site! Good luck in your hunt, I agree a Mustang might be the best option...

Here is the search from Autotrader:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/...=true&Log=0

 

[bigjl]

I also vote for the Crown Vic.

Obviously it has to be a Police Interceptor, with push bars! And black painted steel wheels!

Other than that I would consider a Jeep of some description.

Plenty of board members have put huge mileages in the 4.0 petrol Grand Cherokee model.

My choices do have a hint of family man about them so maybe not to your taste.

But plenty of good suggestions already in the thread.

Don't be scared of getting an automatic.

Once you have one and get stuck in some traffic you can see the advantages.

I do like the older Camaro though, but not overly keen on the Mustang in the era you would be buying.

 

[apwillard1986]

Another vote for Crown Vic. Reliable, reasonably economical (both to run and to maintain), and a great value pre-owned. They aren’t manual but even so it is a good place to start.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

XJ Cherokee! Manual transmission is hard to find, but the AW-4 Autoamtic lasts forever, they are extremely cheap to buy and the engine in them lasts forever as well.

Not that fast, they don't handle so well ... but hey, it's an american icon!

 

[cptbarkey]

another vote for crown victoria or ex police interceptor. like others have said be sure the AC works, you are talking about 110+ weather for a very long time in that area. absolute must.

also, buy several cans of spot shot or heavy duty carpet cleaner to disintegrate the body fluids, pubic hair, and general shedding of society that no doubt would inhabit every single one of these vehicles.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
another vote for crown victoria or ex police interceptor. like others have said be sure the AC works, you are talking about 110+ weather for a very long time in that area. absolute must.

also, buy several cans of spot shot or heavy duty carpet cleaner to disintegrate the body fluids, pubic hair, and general shedding of society that no doubt would inhabit every single one of these vehicles.



First thing I'd do after buying a CVPI is go to a junkyard and pull the interior out of an old lady owned one.

 

[PandaBear]

I'm not familiar with the typical all American cars you mentioned, but one advice I can give you is: if the price is too good to be true compare to the rest of the same cars on the market, there is a reason, and if you are not familiar with how to fix a problem, don't buy it.

 

[jimbrewer]

Crown Vic/ Mercury Marquis! Now those are cars! Rock solid, speaking from personal experience. Again, college students tend to socialize in groups. It you are at all gregarious its a social advantage to drive a larger car.

 

[yesthatsteve]

In that price range, a MT, RWD, cheap to insure/operate/maintain American vehicle sounds a lot like Ford Ranger to me.

 

[Rhyvu]

Wow I was not expecting this kind of feedback, thanks for all of it I appreciate it. I honestly do not know if the child in me is not letting me see clearly and that I maybe should get a japanese car like everybody else keeps telling me (no love for german cars it seems) so I am open to suggestions other then all American cars. My one and truly only requirement is it having a manual transmission (I know in traffic that might not be the best, but I just don't enjoy driving automatics like I do manuals).

So far besides the cars I mentioned these having been suggested too:
Crown Vic / Mercury Marquis
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Ford Ranger (although this one looks like it might be a truck)

Any other cars I should be looking at?

Also appreciate being informed of things I didn't think about such as how a larger car might come in more handy in college situations (although I am not a very social guy so I rather have a normal car) and neither did I didn't think about fuel economy, that is important too. I guess since I am used to paying around $10 a gallon for 95 gas (the equivalent of 87 gas here) I have the habit of thinking "Oh only $4 a gallon thats a steal", but I need to get out of that habit now that I am living here and get used to the prices. Thanks again.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I visited Tucson, AZ, in June a number of years ago. Right now the weather may not be too bad -- actually I'll bet with the dryness it's pretty nice -- but soon it will be HOT. The reason I mention this is that I rented a recent-model Crown Vic last year, and the air-conditioning was powerful! Even a little more so than my Buick Park Avenue, which has great A/C. The outside temp here was over 90 F. The air coming from the Crown Vic's vents was cold enough that I could set it up to 70!

So check that on any Crown Vic/Mercury Grand Marquis you look at. Good A/C is a pearl beyond price in a hot climate. (A good idea, too, would be to have your windows tinted as dark as is legal, buy reflective sunshades for the front and back glass, and park in shade whenever you can.)

By the way, the Park Avenue or its smaller cousin the LeSabre would be worth looking at, too. Solid, a proven engine, low parts costs, and reliable. No manual transmission on those, but if you decide to compromise on that, Buick is worth considering.