need car help!

[PipeDreams]

hey bros, i have never been big on cars, it just isn't an interest i have.

but today the tranmission went up in my car, and im going to need to buy a new one.

the thing is im in college right now and money is very tight, i figure i would like to buy something for $2k-2.5k.

i went to www.autotrader.com and searched around and they do have some nice cars at that price.

my question is if i buy a car for 2.5k are the chances that its a POS and there is something wrong with it, hence the low price?

or can you get a decent used car that runs for 2.5K???

and how many miles should i look for, most of them have 100,000 to 150,000, how many is too much if i want this car to last me 3-4 years without having to get it repaired all the time?

sorry but i dont know shit when it comes to cars.

thanks.

 

[crewboss]

bro as much as i'd like to vouch for all american products, there simply is no beating the reliability of the little rice burners. before i get stoned let me say i plan on trading in my 2000 prelude SH for a f-150 super crew come spring. but at that price, IMO there's nothing better than a civic with 100K + on it, and it should run you another 100k with basicly nothing but oil and gas. one big "if "here: at that milage you definitely must make sure the car has already had a timing belt change, because if it goes on you, the civic has a free-wheeling engine, and you're fucked. the little rice burners are definitely not big on comfort but nothing beats them on efficiency. just my .02 bro, good luck.

 

[PipeDreams]

hey bro, thanks for you reply. i will see what they have as far as civics.

 

[VDC]

Consumer Reports says that most of Hondas models are great used car purchases,,,The Civic is a good practical car,,,I want a Ferrari Enzo,,,Does anyone have $750,000 they can give me;-)???VDC

 

[dolfe1]

I used to work for Honda, and call me bias but for that kind of money you can't buy a better car other than a civic or accord.

 

[Salvia]

dude...you can get your tranny rebuilt for about $1200....or you can get one from the junkyard for $300-$400 dollars,but theres always a chance a junkyard tranny will be shit..........i bought a junkyard engine for my wifes car,that was 2 years ago,not a problem yet........if the rest of your car works fine,i'd just fix the tranny.........

 

[crewboss]

good point. if it's just your tranny you might want to drop a new one. but if your car is one problem after another you might want to trade up. what kind of car do you have now?

 

[ratmonkey]

it's important to know what you have now whether or not it would be more cost effective to replace or rebuild your tranny.

 

[thick]

sometimes you can get sweet deals by calling local credit unions and banks and seeing if they have any repos. still run a risk. like stated above it would help knowing what u currently own

 

[FTW]

dude...you can get your tranny rebuilt for about $1200....or you can get one from the junkyard for $300-$400 dollars,but theres always a chance a junkyard tranny will be shit..........i bought a junkyard engine for my wifes car,that was 2 years ago,not a problem yet........if the rest of your car works fine,i'd just fix the tranny.........

What i was gona say , and your tranny problem could be a simple as a 12$ U joint that my 8 year old son could replace and wouldnt it realy bite the big 1 if u bought another ride and it had a bad tranny also LoL.

 

[dumbbellpress]

I would take a Toyota ANY day over a Honda. Look at any source .....JD Power and Associates, edmunds.com, master mechanics who you can talk to in person......they will ALL tell you a Toyota is superior in terms of durability/reliability as compared to a Honda.

LMAO Look at Acura vs Lexus. This is Honda vs Toyota and guess what......The lexus is a superior automobile in every aspect.

dumbbellpress Future Husband of Jennifer Love Hewitt Cowboys 2004 NFL Champs

 

[crewboss]

they're both solid cars. lexus is often referred to as the best line of cars in the world, so i can't argue w/ you there. acura's are just as reliable, but they're not quite as refined. toyota/lexus are considerably more expensive than honda/acura though. i'm a big fan of the CL3.0 type-s, one of the best values out there. costs roughly the same as an Es300 w/ 260hp and all the refinement. w/ nav it's a kick-ass car, competes w/ cars costing $10K more.

 

[dolfe1]

I'm not sure about this but I don't think you can buy a lexus for 2500, if you can let me know about that I'll buy ten. So let's talk about cars you can buy for 2500, an accord or a civic, and if you've done any research you'll know that neither the camry or corolla are rated over the civc or accord. As a former employee of Honda I know as well as anyone that the quality of Toyota is just as high as Honda, to say that Toyota is superior is foolish

 

[nj juice]

i would look into a nissan, especially a maxima. I had a 91 maxima, most dependable car i ever owned and when i sold it in october it had 178,000 miles on it and still running strong...Had the car over 2 years and spent maybe 500 on it for maintenance.

 

[joebuff]

buy a toyota

Honda's are very reliable rice burner's...but I think I'd get a Toyota instead. Ever look under the hood of a Honda? Fucking vacuum lines everywhere! you can't even see half the motor sometimes. Honda's are interference motors,meaning if the toming belt breaks the pistons hit the valves and your screwed. Toyota's on the other hand...just change the timing belt and have a nice day. Either way you can't go wrong with Honda or Toyota for the money. Hope this helps.

Joe

 

[monster.]

LOL...nothing funnier then watching a juicehead getting out of a compact car.. Too crammed for me.. What kind of car did you have in mind.. Does it snow where you live.. In all honesty, i would agree with Salvia, and fix the trans.. Save the extra cheese for a cycle bro, or some tuition..

good luck