SOT again - I need a DD - FAST- Any ideas for ~4k?

[PSloan]

As some of you may have read, I sold my 74 2002 and my 735i has pooped out. I need a new DD for ~4k with ac and a stereo. Any ideas of something reliable? I have a 20-40 minute commute each morning and afternoon and need something made for the freeway. sorry for being OT I just really need some ideas..........

[ryanOC]

i sold my 91 integra to buy my 2002

i still miss that car a lot (no, it was not riced out) cause it had all the bells and whistles.

drove it daily for 4 years and hardly had problems. i did take good care of it though...

damn i might have to find one for super cheap and buy it

[jerry]

my brother's gonna be getting rid of his 735i with about 120K total miles on it. the body's rough, but everything else is good. i doubt it's worth $4k, so you could buy a plane ticket to SF and drive it home.

or.,

if you insist, i can sell you my $1000 Acura legend for $4000.

[ibjettin]

Go for a Volvo 850 or S70.

[SteveJ]

I'll be first.

Get an E30.

Advantage- easy to work on, comfortable, handle decent, you know where to get advice and parts already.

Disadvantage- once you go though everything you will be closer to your $4k mark, you may grow accustomed to the comfort and spend less time/money on the 02.

You can find decent E30 318's for cheap. Spend the extra bucks and refresh the suspension and the brakes and you will have a nice car worth what you spent and still fun to drive.

[esty]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1987-325is-5SPD-SERVICED-NEW-TIMING-BELT-LOW-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ270056431120QQihZ017QQcategoryZ6007QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[PSloan]

Yeah, I looked at that e30 esty. For some reason my girlfriend is opposed to e30s. She is a bit fed up with my old car endeavors. I may need to change her mind pretty quick - thats a neat looking car.

[a54atii]

Two ideas:

Do an Ebay Motors search - limit the results to a 100 mile radius, <$3-4K and ending in 1 day. This will give you some ideas on what's available locally.

Go get a copy of Consumer Reports or a similar used car review mag. You may not agree with all the info but it will give you a list of cars to work with. The online version of CR gives a breakdown of recommended used cars by price category.

FWIW, my last two sub-$1k DDs were an '85 Toyota Camry and a '91 Nissan Sentra SE-R. The Camry was surprisingly good. The SE-R was fun but looked like crap. With $4k you could spend $2500-3500 for something decent and still have a reserve fund for repairs.

Good luck,

Karl

[esty]

http://motors.search.ebay.com/3-series_2002_W0QQa10239ZQ2d24QQa10244ZQ2d24QQa38v1yZ1977QQa38v2yZ1990QQa39Z1934QQa39705ZQ2d24QQa41Z2011QQalistZa39Q2ca41Q2ca38v1yQ2ca38v2yQ2ca10239Q2ca3801Q2ca85Q2ca10246Q2ca33512Q2ca10241Q2ca10244Q2ca39705QQcatrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQcopagenumZ1QQfcclZ1QQfclZ3QQfromZR9QQfromZR9QQfrppZ50QQfsooZ2QQfsopZ2QQfstypeZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQgcsZ13QQpfidZ2473QQpfmodeZ1QQsacatZ42601QQsspagenameZSTRKQ3aMEFSRCHQ3aSRCH

pat...i have set to search 77 to 90...you can change it in the box on the left to suit yourself

[PSloan]

Thanks. that 325is was the best thing i found earlier. Still have that 2002 for sale?

[PSloan]

Jerry, does it have reliable AC?

[SteveJ]

Yeah, I looked at that e30 esty. For some reason my girlfriend is opposed to e30s. She is a bit fed up with my old car endeavors. I may need to change her mind pretty quick - thats a neat looking car.

What is her favorite car color? Go look at only those.

What about the cabrio?

Go try a CLEAN, well sorted E30 first, then immediatly go look at the other makes. Let her compare the power, handling, solid feel of both makes.

When my wife was shopping for her car, we had a budget of $10k. She was leaving her tii and wanted a 4 door. We drove Toyotas and Hondas and Nissans and even a Chrysler. I remember her words: "Pretty flimsy" (as she shuts the door), and "no power" (as we tried to get onto the freeway). We ended up at a BMW dealer just to look at trade ins. They had a 86 325 (no e) they had just got in. Still had cat paw prints all over the hood (but she loves cats). They had to jump start the car and it was on empty. We drove it for about a mile, went back and she bought it.

That is one car that we regretted selling years later.

[PSloan]

I met the reserve on the car - I'll try to drive it soon.

[ClayW]

This one's $4500, but it's in Austin and sure to be everything that the ad says it is. Terry and his boys know what they're doing.

Aussenlackerung Fjord Exterior (Blue/Grey), 4 Speed, ICE Cold AC (blows 35deg F!!!), Weber 32/36 2 barrel, 320s Alpina Wheels, Aftermarket Sport Seats in excellent condition (perfect for those with a slightly shorter stature), 3 Gauge Pod on mounted on dash, Dash cover, Large Hella front fogs. Vehicle had recent MAJOR TUNE (spark plugs, cap/rotor, condenser, points, air & fuel filters), NEW Water Pump & Thermostat. Again - ICE COLD AC!!! We replaced the lines, installed a new drier unit, charged the system & BAM! - frosty sub zero temperatures ready to cool you down on your commute to wherever. This is a turn the key & go reliable daily driver, so feel confident in this 2002.

http://www.terrysaytherauto.com/2002%20-%2076%20Fjord.htm

[PSloan]

Yeah, I saw that on their site a few days ago. I'd feel kinda dumb selling a 2002 and then just going and buying one..........but who cares. I'll think about it.