ISO beater under $3,000

[k24a4]

I had a '92 protege 5-manual, my first new car, and it was great. Regret selling it after 7 years (scratched the itch). It had the Miata engine in it, IIRC 125hp.

If the 2000 is in decent shape it could be a fun drive. Manual or Auto? Cars of this era that have been well maintained seem to have little trouble hitting 200k miles and beyond.

I do not recommend going with a Miata. You would have a difficult time parting with it come Fall...

 

[Hokiefyd]

The Mazda is out, too. It's a good car, and it looked like a go. KBB, Edmunds, Truecar, and NADA were all in agreement, in the $1200-1400 range. I called her and offered her $1300 for it (it's an hour and a half away, I like to line up price before I make a trip), but she's seen some low mileage ones on Autotrader for $5k, and she wants to get $3k for it. She's a family friend, so I simply thanked her for her time and said that I'd pass.

I may go look at a '98 Intrigue GLS with 154k on it. Seller wants $2100. KBB is $1750. Any surprises awaiting me with the 3800 engine and what I assume to be a 4T60-E transmission? LIM seal issues with a '98 3800?

http://fayetteville.craigslist.org/cto/4436862930.html

Edit: anyone know if the 140 mph speedometer means this car has the optional Autobahn package? I do see it has Eagle RS-A tires (which would be H-rated).

Edit 2: actually, it looks like all Intrigues had a 140 mph speedometer. The Autobahn package did come with H-rated tires and larger brakes. No way to know, I don't guess, without looking at the RPO codes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Intrigue

 

[01rangerxl]

Oh wow...$5K Proteges? What? 3K Proteges? What? The F-150 is starting to sound like a deal.

That Intrigue would be a good buy at $1500. I imagine at $2000, even as clean as it is, it would be a hard sell. I thought all Intrigues had "Shortstars." I have seen a few and don't recall one with a 3.8, but obviously that one has it. Probably a pretty good car without the Shortstar. Maybe throw the seller a curve ball and ask about intake gaskets. Pretty sure they were questionable in '98.

If LIM gaskets have been done and coolant/reservoir looks clean, it's probably a good car. Just not a $2K+ car.

 

[Vikas]

Around here, that Intrigue would easily sell at that price.

 

[yesthatsteve]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Oh wow...$5K Proteges? What? 3K Proteges? What? The F-150 is starting to sound like a deal.

That Intrigue would be a good buy at $1500. I imagine at $2000, even as clean as it is, it would be a hard sell. I thought all Intrigues had "Shortstars." I have seen a few and don't recall one with a 3.8, but obviously that one has it. Probably a pretty good car without the Shortstar. Maybe throw the seller a curve ball and ask about intake gaskets. Pretty sure they were questionable in '98.

If LIM gaskets have been done and coolant/reservoir looks clean, it's probably a good car. Just not a $2K+ car.


Had the 3.8 for '98 MY only, IIRC.

 

[Brandon Gatz]

I'm selling my 96 Volvo 850 Wagon, 5sp, $1400. True mileage unknown, odo stopped counting at 196k. I am guessing actual mileage is somewhere around 250k-275k. Lot of work done to it in the 4 years I've owned it. Both axle shafts, clutch master cylinder, cam seal, plugs and bougicord wires, 2 new front tires with less than 1k miles. I replaced the brake line and wheel bearing on the front wheel drivers side in March. Regular oil changes, doesn't leak a drop or smoke. Though it's a non turbo it's quite fun and fast enough for most intents and purposes. ABS module has never worked, and the dash light is on. Sunroof motor works like a charm and seals do not leak. Driver side window motor will need replacement one day, as it is slower going up and down and needs a push sometimes. V70 radio with CD + Cassette. Speakers work, but do not do well with low bass or high treble. I only listen to NPR so I never bothered with them. Check Engine light recently came on with an EVAP leak code. Front shocks need replacing, the ride can be harsh on rough roads. A/C recently stopped blowing cold, compressor is good though.

Overall it's a good lookin beater. Fun to drive and quite rare in 5sp guise, only 5% of the N/A 850's were equipped with this transmission.. Spacious wagon with no worries.

I am in NC.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Interesting turn of events. My folks found a dealer in Florida who is giving $5,000 off 2014 models (most dealers are doing about $2,500 off). My folks talked to them on the phone and said that they could put in an order today for a 2015 and it'd probably be there by mid-May. And they're still giving $5,000 off. So I'm not looking for a beater anymore after all...

I did drive the Intrigue and it was okay. Falling headliner, inop cruise control, badly faded silver paint that didn't show up well in the photos, ripped leather here and there (that also weren't pictured), etc. None of those were issues I couldn't overcome, as long as it was priced accordingly. At best, it's a $1,400 car. He wanted $2,100 and would go as low as $1,900.

I did drive a '97 Altima with a 5-speed and made an offer on that. It was in fairly good shape, 149k miles. Asking $2,600; I offered $1,900 (which is still higher than what I thought it should be). They said they'd think about it (this was yesterday) and they'd let me know today. I let them know that my situation changed, and they didn't comment either way on whether they were going to take the $1,900, so who knows what they'll eventually get for it.

It was fun to be car shopping again.

 

[rjundi]

Car shopping is fun IMHO when you have a decent budget. $3000 is not that.

 

[Vikas]

Jason,

Just between you and me, would you do something similar when reach that stage in your life? I supposed one may decide that you have "suffered" enough through working life and deserve to get what you want brand new every three four years. I mean you can't take the money with you when your time comes!

It is all hypothetical. Nobody can seriously predict how they will behave under similar situation in advance.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
Just between you and me, would you do something similar when reach that stage in your life? I supposed one may decide that you have "suffered" enough through working life and deserve to get what you want brand new every three four years. I mean you can't take the money with you when your time comes!


You mean buy a new MDX? Not to take this thread too far off topic, but...

You're absolutely right: you can't take your money with you. My folks have their investment situation in a great place, and dad is a retired Navy O-4. His Navy retirement will pretty much pay for their day-to-day living expenses and they have quite an egg built up in their retirement portfolio where they can take enough money out to buy a car and still not really touch the "principal". In other words, they have more interest/growth income than they'll take out to buy a car. They're 62 and have many more years to go. They're set up well for the future. So what's 60 grand every few years for a new car? So yes, I'd do the same thing.

The MDX isn't the cheapest thing they could buy, but it was very clearly the best choice in the segment for them. They drove the Lexus RX, the Cadillac SRX, the Jeep GC/Dodge Durango, and maybe one or two others. The Lexus was nice. The SRX was unimpressive. I really liked the Jeep/Dodge vehicles, but they did drive 'heavy'. They loved the '05 they had, and that we now have, and are as excited about a '15. They were doing the Jeep thing for a while, and dad also served as president of their 4WD club for 4 years, but they're ready to move on from that. They're moving to Florida as an income tax-free state and one that is close to North Carolina (for lots of grandchild time).

We love their '05 MDX, too! My plan is to run this MDX another 5-6 years and likely buy their '15 in '20 when they look to upgrade again. We'll probably keep our CR-V for another 8 years and pass it down to our 8 year old daughter when the time comes. What will I do for wheels when that happens? That's probably the next time I'll be doing car shopping!

 

[Vikas]

Quote:
So what's 60 grand every few years for a new car? So yes, I'd do the same thing.
This is where I am having little bit hard time. We only know each other as contributors to BITOG and I know this is little bit more personal but even if ample resources were available, both you and me would have more hesitation to plunk that kind of cash. In the back of our mind we would be doing the cost benefit analysis. You are still fondly talking about keeping your vehicles for way more than a decade. Some of it could be the need but most of it is desire and challenge. For example, even if I were fortunate enough to afford brand new S-class or SLK, I would be looking for a bargain priced one. May be once we reached our financial goal, our consumption pattern will change but don't count on forgetting the life long habits!

 

[Hokiefyd]

Yes, I'm sure our consumption practices change over time. My parents have always bought new cars throughout their lives, and both will tell you that they wasted a ton of money doing that. At this point in their lives, the money isn't a factor so it's really a moot point.

Dad is big on safety and technology. He'd rather spend the money to have the latest. He's buying the MDX Advance because he wants the Adaptive Cruise Control and the Collision Mitigation Braking System and the Lane Keeping Assist System. In another 5-6 years, a newer model will be out with more of these safety features and they'll probably be ready to upgrade by then.

I used to be more into driving different stuff more often than I am today. We are 100% content with our two vehicles and it's been a LONG time since that's been the case. Does my desire to keep them for a long time stem from austerity or frugality, or simply because we REALLY like what we have? Probably a little of both. I have, in the past few years, become much more interested in our financial portfolio and getting our money were it needs to be to grow the most long term, so I imagine that that plays a part deep in my brain as well in terms of not spending more today than we really need to.