I've had my license 4 months and have had nothing but lemons. What would be a good reliable car for under 2-3k that will last a while and not have many issues?
In today's market you will be very hard pressed to find anything decent in that price range unless you have a friend or family member about to trade in something like an old Corolla that they're willing to sell to you cheap.
what about a fixer upper?
Depends on what needs to be fixed and how handy you are at making the needed repairs.
Sorry but be patient and keep saving. You're not there yet.
what about a fixer upper?
Not for a 1st car. Get some experience before you do that.
usually,
fixer upper = money pit
What would be a good reliable car for under 2-3k that will last a while and not have many issues?
In today’s red hot market, that is an oxymoron. A car that costs $2,00-$3,000 is not going to be reliable anymore and will be on its last legs, usually. You would have to throw several thousand into it to get it running right, so you might as well just wait, save up, and then buy the right vehicle.
what about a fixer upper?
Those are always a huge gamble.
But even those are expensive nowadays, and even more expensive to repair thanks to the parts shortage.
If you find something like a 100k mile 00's Corolla that needs an engine and you can source one for cheap? It's worth a try.
car for under 2-3k
When shopping for cars that cheap, you need to not search by model - look at them on a car by car basis.
Maybe you'll find something like an old Galant, assuming you can verify parts availability, and that it doesn't burn oil - eh might be worth a shot. They aren't great by any means but I've seen them go for a while, you will have to work on it (like replacing the timing belt), and they're oil burners.
Generally, I'd recommend saving up (at least $7k) and buying something good (3rd gen Mazda3 / late-prod E150 Corolla)
Not only because of reliability, but mainly because of safety.
https://youtu.be/_ttkVRwOtVE?t=2
In a head-on between a '98 and a '15 corolla,
the difference is in the '15 the driver would walk away, and in the '98 the driver is done.
And that's a Corolla, 2,750 pound Corolla with relatively soft metal (even on a newer car compared to a Jetta)
With so many F-150, Silverados and other heavy cars - you really do not want to drive in an old econobox.
I mean you might as well drive your parent's car until you save enough money to get your own vehicle.
As everyone else said you really can't find anything in the $2-3k range in this market. Yes few years ago before covid we bought a pretty clean 2004 Camry from a neighbor for about $4k but those times are long gone unless you have a family, friend, or even neighbor willing to sell you their car for that kind of low price. Honda and Toyota are more expensive in the used market usually because they keep their value pretty well due to their quality so yeah try to save up more so you can find a fair condition Corolla or Civic. You might have to consider a bit of a higher mileage or older car depends on how much more you can save up. But the point is for example if you had $7k in a month and you realized you can get a much better car (age and mileage) then I would suggest not wasting that $7k and waiting a bit more so you can get something better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7az0i6Dr_Js
