What is the cheapest car you've ever bought?

[Popsy]

Two Fiat Marea TD100 for 1200€.
One, totaled (from the back but front intact) with a working engine.

The second one, exact same model, year, color, etc. Without engine but cosmetically impeccable. Did the engine swap and best parts swap and kept that car happily for the longest time.

To this day I regret not looking more closely at the "dead" engine I got (was already put in parts in boxes) to know why it died. The guy told me it was because of low oil level, but mine never consumed oil. From the little I remember, everything was dead, crankshaft went straight to recycling, starter engine was half burnt...I don't remember getting the turbo with it? Maybe that's what went and the engine died of runaway?
Don't get old, your memories get all fuzzy...

 

[wemay]

New:
1992 Toyota Paseo (yes, i said Paseo): $9K
Just graduated from college and this was my first new car.

Used:
1988 VW GTI 8v
$1000

 

[Tdbo]

I bought mine from an estate.
It was a 1986 Chrysler Town and Country wagon.
I paid $260 for it.
Drove it 100K as a commuter car. Sold it for $1300, 24 hours after putting it in my front yard with a "For Sale" sign in it.

 

[mightymousetech]

I traded an old pair of 6x9 speakers for a car, an Olds Omega.

Also bought an 81 Rabbit for $200. Also got an 90 Civic hatch for free.

 

[dbias]

In 1983 I bought a 77 corolla with 38k miles for 400 dollars from a school teacher. It had a dented fender was silver with black interior and no AC and a 5 speed manual. Drove it for 6 years

 

[manicrodder]

57 Dodge PU step side for 200$

 

[Aichiguy]

1983 Plymouth Colt. My sister was hit in the rear of this car. She bought it back from the insurance company for $90 and I gave her $100. I added a hasp on each side of the back hatch to keep it from flopping open. It was an automatic and completely gutless. I pulled out to pass a Yugo once and barely accomplished it.

 

[walterjay]

Paid $400.00 for a 79 Mazda GLC. Drove it for a few years and sold it for $400.00

 

[RhondaHonda]

I bought a 1989 Honda Accord LXi for $50 back in 2001 or 2002. Drove it for a few years of college and for my first real job and sold it in 2006 for $600 on Craigslist. A buddy’s brother had owned it and it got hit on the passenger door. The seatbelt tensioner wiring in the door was shorted so the battery would die after a week or two. It was just sitting outside his apartment so I offered to buy it so I didn’t have to put so many miles on my supercharged Fox body Mustang. He said “50 bucks takes it” and I came back with jumper cables and a check the next day. Found a receipt for a battery in the trunk, got a brand new one for like $13. Loved that car.

 

[odie]

$125 for an '80 Dodge Colt 2 door hatch w/ 3 speed auto . Exterior and interior were in very good condition . Ran for 2 > 3 years .

 

[IndyIan]

I traded an old pair of 6x9 speakers for a car, an Olds Omega.

Also bought an 81 Rabbit for $200. Also got an 90 Civic hatch for free.

How did you do with the Omega? I had an 1981 given to me and it was kind of an interesting car in 1998 or so. I drove it from Vancouver to Ontario in 4 days so I got to know it well. The V6 with 115hp seemed to have enough grunt, 3 gears was enough, rode pretty nice, front bench seat was comfy, got mid high 20's mpg, my MIL backed into the real metal rear bumper one day, no damage on it. My wife disliked it though so when we got a 4wd it was the car to go. I sold it and a couple years later I saw it for sale again with the fellow claiming only 45k km(really 145, 5 digit odo)so maybe its still out there...
We've also got a free 1995 Neon which cost a bit to get the head gasket done, but then it went for 120k more miles without too many issues, and a free 2006 CRV which we really should have kept longer, but sold when we got the Outback.
Cheapest car I've actually bought was this 2006 Focus wagon for $2000 a year and half ago. Not too bad so far, the big stuff like AC works, I just have to do the odd suspension piece or brakes. For how much I'm driving this year its good to have something cheap sitting there. I don't have the mechanical knowledge./skills/time to take on a really cheap car to DD, I think this car is my limit.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Running or not running? If running then my 1989 Mazda B2200 I paid $1,050 in July 2018 then my cheapest not running was the $600 Mazda B2200 in March 2021 the 1990 twin one. The beetle cost me $1600 not running in October 2019. My sisters first car that she never drove or touched was $400 a 1994 Dodge Intrepid from the local auto auction. Dad brought it home for her and she said I don’t want something like that so he sold it for $400 to our mechanic friend then she came home one day dad, mom, Blake where’s my car? We told her we sold it then she regretted not wanting it LOL. That thing was amazing in the snow it would go right through it. We drove it around for a month before selling it. That car went to the junkyard the day we sold it because the water pump flew through the radiator after being driven 90mph down the interstate. Wish I had some pictures of it. This is the 1990 truck down below. Still can’t find the darn keys . Now I have to pay an extra $10 to register it as well because it’s past 30 days that I purchased it.

DF78A396-693B-44CB-A440-11333B6E6F43.jpeg

• AutoMechanic
• Apr 10, 2021

The 1990 Mazda

CF978381-79BA-4044-A3B9-CE75D352FCFA.jpeg

• AutoMechanic
• Apr 1, 2021

Truck coming home 3/27/21

 

[PWMDMD]

1989 Dodge Daytona ES. Friends father bought a new car. I was complaining I didn’t have a car (I was 16) and he said make me an offer on my old car. I said $100 kidding around and he said, “Deal!”

He was just being nice. It was probably worth at least a couple thousand.

 

[01rangerxl]

I bought my 1994 Explorer XLT in December 2018 for $250 at a tow yard auction. It was inop/no keys, but I had the major issues repaired by February 2019 and was regularly driving it then. Summer of 2020 it was in really great shape and I was driving it everywhere. September 30th 2020 when I was driving home from work, an unlicensed driver at a stop sign pulled out right in front of me while I was doing about 40 MPH, and that was it for probably my favorite vehicle of all I've owned. Aside from some bruises I was uninjured. It was listed as run and drive at Copart, but there was no fixing it to drive on the street again, maybe as a trail rig. Someone bought it for the same amount I paid for it plus Copart's fees.

 

[HemiBenny]

$500.00 for a 1978 Camaro back in 1993. Primer gray and a 250 6 cylinder, but it was a good running car.

 

[odie]

Internet changed book values for the worse for used car buyers . Up , up and away ! We'd go to the local library to look at N.A.D.A.. Had to ask the librarian for it at the desk because it was kept behind the counter . That was back in late 80s' and early 90s' .

 

[Tomioka]

1992 Nissan Sentra 4Dr. Uncle gave it for free, spent $500 getting it road worthy (cracked windshield, leaking waterpump, bad shocks.)

 

[Skippy722]

My first car, a 2011 Kia Forte Koup SX in 2011. Right around $15,000 at the time if I remember correctly. Kind of miss it… it was a fun little car.

 

[BigJohn]

$400..... for a 1972 VW Bug. It had a dead battery, otherwise, it ran like a top. I changed the oil added seat covers and drove it for 40k miles over two years.... on newly purchased Sears Tires that were retreads for $21 a tire. This was in 1994. The bug was 22 years old and Hot Cherry Red!

Sold it for $1,150..... to pay for our 3rd kid.... and the sale paid for the boy, cause we didn't have insurance! Paid the doctor and hospital cash for the delivery of the boy and 36 hours of recovery for the wife.

Good luck doing that today!

........

 

[odotb]

Way back in 72 I bought a 63 chevy pickup for $250. It was rough but ran good, 6 cylinder 3 speed. Only chrome on it was the key. Drove it to pick up wife at hair dresser and Lady there said her husband has a truck just like mine and he wants to sell it. His was a 62, same color and shape as the 63. Bought it for same money $250. Put the 62 up for sale that weekend for $500 and sold it for $475. I had the 63 with only $25 in it, drove it for 5 years and really enjoyed it. Thing was so beat up and looked so bad that I never washed it or worried about somebody stealing it.