Looking for a Car Aound $2000 Good Condition and Reliable

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  hell0 on 07/03/2017 - 22:02

  +2

  I am not sure this is even possible, certainly not with a legit roadworthy…

  I see all my friends who purchased cars under 6k have spent another 6k fixing them as things come up often… and it doesn't end…

• 

  AdosHouse on 07/03/2017 - 22:06

  +3

  No offence mate, but you will have better luck of finding a unicorn that a cheap, reliable car in good condition. Settle for something that has paint flaking, and looks shit but is mechanically sound.
  I've seen a few, bit older Camrys around for fairly cheap, and those things can take absolutely minimal mechanical work for years and keep on chugging along.

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  airal3rt on 07/03/2017 - 22:43

  If you up your budget to $3-3.5k you have a chance to get something mechanically really sound if it has a few dings on the paintwork or similar. I got a BA Falcon with pretty low Ks on the clock for $3,500 because it had a couple of nicks and scratches, years later not a single thing has gone wrong. I've had friends spend $1.5k - $2k on cars and they wasted money on repairs only for them to end up on the scrapheap anyway. Save a little more before buying and you'll be thankful for it.

• 

  Ryanek on 08/03/2017 - 08:22

  +1

  There is only one option. A Toyota Corolla.

  • 

    dasher86 on 08/03/2017 - 09:16

    Lancer

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  Euphemistic on 08/03/2017 - 09:17

  What sort of car? Hatch, sedan, wagon, ute?

  There are plenty available at $2k. the best ones mechanically might not be the best cosmetically, but cosmetic damage can be an indicator of how well the car has been looked after mechanically.

  Whatever you choose though, make sure it is a common model, not something obscure. For a common car parts will be easier to come by and mechanics will more likely be familiar with what goes wrong, making it easier to diagnose and repair.

  Guy at work has had 2 $1500 commodore wagons. Each have cost him next to nothing in repairs, one even made him money when another car ran into it and he got paid out in insurance more than he paid for the car. They were also fairly easy to sell.

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  m0tyrider on 08/03/2017 - 12:54

  If you have no interest in fixing/working on cars. Save more cash and get something with low km's in good condition. As others have said, aim for about 6k in savings to get everything - RWC, Rego (Drive away).

  If you are interested in working on cars and fixing it - there are lots of options out there for that price range. But you will need to factor in repair costs, time spend learning/repairing, and rego/rwc/stamp duty costs. Ultimately if you can - save more money for something hassle free if you have no interest in cars.

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  xqwerty2000 on 08/03/2017 - 15:50

  Makes sense, i've been looking at maybe fixing some cars up but i might as well just save up and buy a car in good working condition honestly

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  Minimum chips on 28/03/2017 - 15:57

  It's theoretically possible, but in that price range 9/10 cars you buy will go expensively wrong within 2 years. You can improve your odds a tiny bit by ignoring cars that have any style, are safe, or are fun to drive. If you're lucky you'll find a horrible early 90s volvo or charade in a deceased estate that will go forever with minimum spend.

  If you do all your due diligence and you can avoid the more obvious lemons (under-serviced engines and blown head gaskets) but be aware that chances are every service for a car bought at that price will have extra repairs to pay for - and that's not really going to add to the value of the car so much as keep it at $2k. Pragmatically, it's better to wait and buy a car that you're (90% more) sure won't go wrong.

  Which sounds really dire and discouraging, but if you're not paying much in rent I'd still say go for it. You'll learn about cars, you can do some repairs yourself, and when you can afford a good one you'll appreciate it more. But that's just me, and since I'm on my 3rd $2000 car I clearly don't learn any lessons.

  So:
  Avoid used Merc/BMW/Audi/Other premium/German cars. The styling may be timeless, but the repairs will exceed 2k faster than other cars - probably within months. Your best bet is Japanese brands that sold well, since parts will be available in most wreckers yards.

  Mazda 323s, particularly hatchbacks are fun and stylish.

  Toyota Camry and Corolla are a little bit more reliable, and my old 99 camry had an engine at an angle that was them easy to work on.

  Mitsubishi Magna and Ford Falcon can be 2k for a 6cyl and get up to 300,000km if taken care of. Which it probably won't have been.

  If a $2000 has nothing wrong, it's a miracle, so try to find sellers who are honest about what's broken - don't trust used car yards an inch. Bad central locking, power windows that don't go, peeling paint and dirty trim bring cars down to your price level without making it undrivable, so those can be good signs - though they also indicate how little the car was cared for. When you can't see anything that's wrong, it's because the engine or gearbox is shot.

  Lookup models in google with "used car review" and you can get (usually dated but still useful) advice including common faults.

  • 

    Euphemistic on 29/03/2017 - 09:34

    Looking at it a different way, a $10k car will probably depreciate $2k per year for the first couple of years. You could buy a $2k car every year for the same money. If you get a good one and it runs for a few years you are in front, if one needs more than $2k repairs after a year, buy another. If you have mechanical knowledge you up the odds as to buying one that will last longer than a couple of years.