<p>
That’s true that new tires would cover up potential alignment problems which could be indicative of worn steering and/or suspension components but could also be indicative of frame damage from an accident. OTOH many people wait until their tires are getting close to worn out before selling the car since they don’t want to spend the $400-600 for new ones.</p>
<p>Also, it’s true that not all tires are created equal. Some people will slap on the cheapest tires they can find or worse, retreads, but this is fairly easily checked to make sure the tire brand is at least a major one (Michelin, Goodyear, etc.) and it’s something a mechanic can check as well. </p>
<p>Dealers likely won’t want to sell a car with worn out tires and they could have some liability if they do so it’s not unusual for the used car on a lot to have new tires and they could be a decent quality tire - but probably from the ‘good’ bin rather than the ‘better’ or ‘best’ bin.</p>
<p>These are all valid points and thank you all for your input!</p>
<p>Any car in my budget is going to be 10+ years old with 150,000 miles or more. That’s the nature of the beast when it comes to budget- unless I look at American cars which I don’t think are reliable up to that point. I’ve been browsing websites for dealers (including carmax) and they list nothing in their inventories under 5,000. I imagine they may have cars that meet my requirements on site, but I am reticent to go to a dealership because I have pretty severe social anxiety that I think will be triggered there. </p>
<p>I don’t have a mechanic to take a car to, I can definitely ask for recommendations on Facebook though. I haven’t had a car in almost 5 years and got rid of my car shortly after I moved to Austin from Waco, and I really don’t want a car, but my bus commute takes almost 2 hours on the way home and I take classes while working two jobs so I just don’t have the time to sit on a bus/at a transfer station for that long. </p>
<p>I was thinking about getting a scooter/moped, but Texas weather is unpredictable and that seems like a toss up. The perks of that would be being able to put down about $1500 and make payments for the remaining $1700 to build my credit on a new, under warranty scooter. I don’t know that a dealership that is reputable will work with me like that.</p>
<p>You can’t expect a 10+ year old car with 150,000+ miles to be maintenance-free. You have to plan for significant recurring expense and time to deal with it.</p>
<p>Just throwing this out there, but if you can afford $100-120/month in a payment, you should investigate lease deals. I hear them advertised on the radio all the time for that price.</p>
<p>Another idea would be to step up to $8000 range and finance it. My credit union will finance used cars and they are currently charging 1.99%. With a decent down payment you’d be looking at about $100/month, and you could get a 3 or 4 year old car with 50,000 miles instead of 150,000 miles.</p>
<p>Notrichenough, what kind of credit would one need to qualify for a lease on a car worth $8,000? Also, how does leasing work? What would you consider a decent down payment?
I don’t have the greatest credit, in the high500s-mid600s depending on which agency I look at. I have only been at my current job since the end of April and make less that $2000 a month. I have about $5000 in savings, but plan to add more with overtime in the next 4 months. I have to consider paying for insurance on top of a car payment. With a scooter, insurance is only $20-40 a month, I’m being quoted in the $80 a month range without protection for my car.</p>
<p>Weird, but I live just a few blocks away from where that car is being sold. I will PM you with a car mechanic just down the street. I sold my 12 year old Honda Civic last year. It had 125,000 miles and I sold it for 3,000. Think the guy got a very good deal. Good luck.</p>
<p>Preironic: I live in Windsor Park, I assume you live in Cherrywood or Duplex Nation? I love the Cherrywood area and lived there when I first moved to Austin.</p>
<p>With a lease you are basically renting the car. You put down a downpayment, typically $3000 or so, you pay the lease payment every month, after the lease is over you give the car back. The lower the downpayment, the higher the lease payment.</p>
<p>The advantage is a much lower payment because you are not paying for the full car. The downside is you don’t have a car when the lease is over.</p>
<p>You do have the option of buying the car at the end instead of giving it back. They will tell you at the beginning what that amount will be.</p>
<p>I don’t think you can lease used cars.</p>
<p>But you can definitely finance used cars. And my credit union now lets you refinance car loans. You’d have to check with your bank or credit union to see what rate you qualify for.</p>
<p>I live in Wilshire Woods near Patterson Park. We’ve lived in 4 different houses in that same general area. My S went to that elementary school in Duplex Nation. Small world!</p>
<p>You can get a car with less miles–you just need to keep looking. Here’s an example:</p>
<p>[@@@</a> 2003 FORD TAURUS @@@ O.B.O](<a href=“http://killeen.craigslist.org/cto/4060131121.html]@@@”>http://killeen.craigslist.org/cto/4060131121.html)</p>
<p>It’s not in killeen, but it taylor. Look in nearby towns on craigslist. They don’t always list in the closest town (don’t know why).</p>
<p>Good luck. Take any potential purchase to a mechanic for them to look over.</p>
<p>We have had very good luck with Mazdas. They do not have the name recognition of Honda or Toyota, but are nice little cars. My D drives a 1997 with 90k miles that we bought in 2008 for $3k</p>
<p>The problem with looking outside of Austin is that I can’t get there! I don’t currently have a car and can only take the bus. I don’t really have anyone who would be willing to drive 40 minutes outside of town to look at a car with me.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Volkswagens from the early 2000s are generally not that reliable.</p>
<p>If you have a motivated seller, he/she might drive to you.;)</p>
<p>^That seems highly unlikely/irregular :(</p>
<p>^ You can always ask! Worst they can do is say no. They may work in your area and it wouldn’t be a big deal.</p>
<p>Would it be strange to ask someone to meet me somewhere other than my house? I don’t want a stranger to know where I live? And if said seller drove the car to me and I bought it, how would they get home?</p>
<p>If you buy it, you still may need to go to the DMV to transfer the plates. I do not know the law where you are. You would drive the person home or they would drive and turn the car over to you there. You need to make some phone calls to make the exchange.</p>
<p>
You’re wrong about the reliability of American cars. There’s no reason to think a car with higher mileage will be less reliable due to being ‘American’ versus ‘Foreign’. To compound how wrong you are on this point, you’re considering selecting a VW as the non-American car and in fact VW has one of the worst reliability ratings. To make this kind of gross generalization even less credible, some of the cars you think of as ‘foreign’ are actually built in the USA and some of the cars you think of as ‘American’ are built in other countries. </p>
<p>The good news is that this opens up a larger pool of cars for you to choose from.</p>
<p>For a mechanic to inspect the car - you could ask friends/neighbors if they know of one or you could look for a AAA recommended mechanic (try through their website) or at least look for an ASE certified mechanic to do the check for you.</p>
<p>Some of the higher end used car lots, probably including Carmax, may have a limit on the mileage and age of the cars they’re willing to sell and that has an impact on the bottom level pricing they have. The older/higher mileage cars tend to be pushed out to the smaller used car lots - the ones you have to be really careful with. The alternative is to buy one from a private party. It’s perfectly acceptable to meet that person at a neutral place if you want, like a mall parking lot or something, to check the car if they’re willing to do it. When I’ve sold cars I always had people just come to my house although one time someone bought a truck from me in a Home Depot parking lot when he saw the sign I had in the window. I also sold one through a consignment lot once.</p>
<p>Skip getting the scooter. They’re not safe and can’t be used in lousy weather. They’re also not practical for carrying much of anything (groceries, store purchases, extra people) other than the rider.</p>
<p>GladGradDad: What brands of cars do you recommend that would be in the $2000-4000 price range?</p>
<p>I realize not all “foreign” cars are built in other countries; I live in Texas where they manufacture Toyotas. </p>
<p>As far as scooters go, I don’t need to carry alot. Scooters get good gas mileage, have a lower price point, and cheaper insurance-these are the draws for me. I need something to get me to work and to school, all on city roads- no highways. I would prefer a car for weather reasons and it would be great to be able to take my dog places, but it’s not a must have. I just need to safely get out of my neighborhood and across town to work & school. Walking to the bus insn’t super safe in my neighborhood as I have experienced, and my bus ride is hours long.</p>