Suggest Me A Car Under $4K

By Tech Star
in The Neobahn

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Grand Master

ATLien_0

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as i posted before look for nissan or older infinities, toyota, honda, mazda or even subaru.

don't waste your money on american for $4 you will get crap.

also I noticed a lot of people suggesting jeeps or xterras, just an fyi if you do find one for that price range you still are going to run into problems in the long run and chances are you will be getting below normal fuel economy. On a good day with my jeep running top notch I was getting 14-15 around town, for the $4k budget you will probably end up with something that gets around 12 mpg.

4,000 is a hard price range, b/c may end up with something that needs a lot of work, or on the off chance you find someone who has a good car and wants to sell it way below value just to get rid of it. do some research on blue book values also. we were able to find an Infinity G20 with 90K miles for 4,000 and it just needed tires thats it.

Grand Master

Tech Star

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Alright I might be getting a Toyota Solara, but I can't decide on whether or not a 4 Cylinder is good enough. I have NEVER owned a coupe or compact car before and I want to know if a 4 cylinder engine is good. Anyone?

Also I found a 2000 Infiniti I30 (Nissan Maxima equivalent) and was wondering if that is any good?

Grand Master

sc302 Veteran

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4cyl is enough in most cars, but you will have to try it to see if it will suit your wants and needs. for me my old 2003 2.5s altima had enough power to do everything i needed, but the new 2010 2.5s with the new transmission doesnt have the umph I was used to in my old car, so I opted for the v6. It is very disappointing that nissan did this to their cars. With my old car I could break the tires loose at a stop, even with the v6 (unless I have the wheels cocked all the way, and even then it is only a little bit) I can't spin the tires. Once I get up to about 30 is where you can tell the difference between the engines, where the 4cyl gives up at about 40mph (stops pulling hard) the v6 keeps going a bit longer.

Again it just has to meet you wants/needs/driving style. You will get better gas milage with the 4cyl (in most cases).

The infiniti will be a much nicer car.

Veteran

rathefeare

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Alright I might be getting a Toyota Solara, but I can't decide on whether or not a 4 Cylinder is good enough. I have NEVER owned a coupe or compact car before and I want to know if a 4 cylinder engine is good. Anyone?

Also I found a 2000 Infiniti I30 (Nissan Maxima equivalent) and was wondering if that is any good?

Enough for what? Enough to tow your race car to the track or your camper to the lake? Probably not. Enough to tote you and a few friends to school, work and a night on the town? Certainly. Enough to be the getaway car in your bank heist? Depends on the plan :devil:

Grand Master

Tech Star

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Well what I will be doing with the car is driving back home from college (UCSB) most likely every other week or at least once a month, driving to work there, going out with my friends, and hopefully a couple of road trips or something.

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rathefeare

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Ok, I am stuck again. :(

2000 Honda Accord 4 Cyl, 2001 Honda Civic EX 4 Cyl, or a Toyota Solara SE 4 Cyl?

See and drive all three. Those are practically the same car though the civic is slightly smaller than the other two. At a certain point it is going to come down to your own personal preference and what the individual used cars in your market happen to be for condition and price.

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Xeon

Posted
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You could pick up plenty of nice B5 (1997-2001) Audi A4's for under 4k. Reliable, luxurious, some are AWD and they are great on gas. Those 1.8 turbo motors last forever. Plenty of punch when passing on the highway, parts are dirt cheap for them now and they are very easy to work on your self if you have any mechanical knowledge. Just make sure you change the timing belt or all 5 valves per cyldiner will high five your pistons :whistle:

Grand Master

Southern Patriot

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An older Jeep would probably serve you best and are easy to maintain, as long as you can get one around 100K miles, as the transmissions tend to crap out around 180-200k. Although you could probably get one from a scrapyard for cheap.

My 1993 Jeep Cherokee is a few hundred miles short of 300,000 miles and the transmission is still fine, other than a slight fluid leak (I need to check the gasket on the pan, which is probably the source of the leak). That thing is built like a tank.

Grand Master

Tech Star

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You could pick up plenty of nice B5 (1997-2001) Audi A4's for under 4k. Reliable, luxurious, some are AWD and they are great on gas. Those 1.8 turbo motors last forever. Plenty of punch when passing on the highway, parts are dirt cheap for them now and they are very easy to work on your self if you have any mechanical knowledge. Just make sure you change the timing belt or all 5 valves per cyldiner will high five your pistons :whistle:

I saw a couple for around 3800 manual.

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Reliability.aspx?year=2001&make=Audi&model=A4&trimid=-1

An occasional problem on this vehicle is the failure of the Engine Vacuum Hoses and Engine (4-cylinder only). Problems with the Engine can occur when the engine oil gels. When proper maintenance schedules for oil changes are followed, oil gelling should not occur. Audi has issued an 8-year, unlimited mileage, goodwill repair for this condition. An occasional problem on this vehicle (6-cylinder only) is failure of the Water Pump. Problems with the Water Pump can result in engine overheating. The cost to repair the Engine Vacuum Hoses is estimated at $25.00 for parts and $65.00 for labor. The cost to repair the Engine is estimated at $4,775.00 for parts and $845.00 for labor. The cost to replace the Water Pump is estimated at $281.00 for parts and $390.00 for labor. All prices are estimates based on $65.00 per flat rate hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax.
An occasional problem on this vehicle (Vehicles equipped with ABS/EDL, ABS/EDL ASR or ABS/EDL/ESP antilock brake systems only) is failure of the ABS Control Module. The cost to repair the ABS Control Module is estimated at $900.00 for parts and $150.00 for labor. All prices are estimates based on $65,00 per flat rate hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax.
An occasional problem on this vehicle is failure of the Comfort Control Module. The cost to repair the Comfort Control Module is estimated at $290 for parts and $65 for labor. All prices are estimates based on $65 per flat-rate hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax.

I also have heard that they are crazy expensive to fix, yet you are saying they are not. Are you sure?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081212004036AANJjB8

Very costly. Buying is one thing, maintain it is an other. You probably facing $3-4000 repairs right off the bet. Unless it was maintained all the time, oil changes, etc, maybe.. Do you know that an oil change at an Audi shop is about $600? A light bulb is about $200, just the bulb. If you just saved enough, I don't think Audi should be your first choice. Most of them starting to have the major problems at 80K, that's why people sell them instead of fixing them. And with Auto tranny it's the slowest thing ever.
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Xeon

Posted
Posted

I saw a couple for around 3800 manual.

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Reliability.aspx?year=2001&make=Audi&model=A4&trimid=-1

I also have heard that they are crazy expensive to fix, yet you are saying they are not. Are you sure?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081212004036AANJjB8

I've owned a 1998 Audi A4, and now a 2001 Audi S4 and I find parts are comparable to almost any Japanese or American car in price.

"The cost to repair the ABS Control Module is estimated at $900.00 for parts and $150.00 for labor. All prices are estimates based on $65,00 per flat rate hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax."

An ABS module for an A4 cost me $50 to repair w/ a core exchange.

"Problems with the Water Pump can result in engine overheating. The cost to repair the Engine Vacuum Hoses is estimated at $25.00 for parts and $65.00 for labor. The cost to repair the Engine is estimated at $4,775.00 for parts and $845.00 for labor. The cost to replace the Water Pump is estimated at $281.00 for parts and $390.00 for labor. All prices are estimates based on $65.00 per flat rate hour and do not include diagnostic time or any applicable sales tax."

There is no need to replace a metal impeller water pump aside from doing the whole timing belt job, which by the way costs $500 with parts and labor.

I don't understand what the quote to repair the engine is all about really. What can you repair on an engine? Replacing valves can be done without pulling the entire motor out seeing as it's an inline 4. Besides, the costs would be the same vs any other car.

Veteran

rathefeare

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600 dollars for an oil change! I hope that you get a dinner, a kiss and cab fare home from the mechanic as that is the gentlemanly thing to do when you screw someone like that.

On the other hand anyone who pays 600 dollars for an oil changes deserves... well to pay 600 dollars for an oil change.

Enthusiast

Xeon

Posted
Posted

Not even the R8 is that much. After all, the R8 is just your average 4.2L Audi motor. Unless were talking about the new 5.2 V10, which I still can't see being $600 haha.

I saw a couple for around 3800 manual.

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Reliability.aspx?year=2001&make=Audi&model=A4&trimid=-1

I also have heard that they are crazy expensive to fix, yet you are saying they are not. Are you sure?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081212004036AANJjB8

Rule of thumb, don't believe everything you hear on the Internet. My friend has 2008 Porsche 911 turbo and the dealer charges $250 for an oil change. $600 oil changes an a 10 year old A4, I can't see how anyone could possibly believe that.

Veteran

rathefeare

Posted
Posted

I also say bs on the 600 for an oil change. I believe the r8 is that much, but not your standard a4 or s4 (or a5/s5, or a6/s6). my boss has one and I can assure you with his penny pinching ass it is not 600 for an oil change.

I tell you what I would not pay 600 bucks for an oil change even on a R8. Oil is at most 100 bucks even for some super synthetic that promises to also help you regrow hair and make your crankshaft bigger and the regular good stuff can normally be found for about 20. A filter is again at most 100 for some special one made out of exotic materials and your average one is about 10 bucks. So you are left with 400 dollars for labor. With a pit or a lift (which I assume they have) an oil change is a 30 min job and half of that time is in the waiting for the oil to drain out. Even with a jack and jack stands it is only a 1 hour job. And if they designed the car in a way that I can't perform a required preventative maintenance item with a 3 to 6 month periodicity in a reasonable amount of time then that is on them. I certainly will neither pay for their bad engineering or trust their other engineering for that matter. There is no way that I am paying someone 400 to 800 dollars an hour to do a simple preventive maintenance item.

Likely that 600 dollar "oil change" the guy complained about was really a complete tune up along with brake replacement and other items. Maybe even some repair items on there that he caused himself because of abuse or neglect. He just was shocked and is complaining about his "600 dollar oil change" because he is ticked off.

Grand Master

Tech Star

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Well I don't know about the $600 oil change part, but people say to repair Audi's is very expensive.

On craigslist I found a 2001 A4 Turbo for $3800. I am wondering why are Audi's going for that low with low mileage (92,000 miles). Is it because that it's too expensive to fix and they are just trying to get rid of it or what.

Grand Master

sc302 Veteran

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  • Veteran
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I tell you what I would not pay 600 bucks for an oil change even on a R8. Oil is at most 100 bucks even for some super synthetic that promises to also help you regrow hair and make your crankshaft bigger and the regular good stuff can normally be found for about 20. A filter is again at most 100 for some special one made out of exotic materials and your average one is about 10 bucks. So you are left with 400 dollars for labor. With a pit or a lift (which I assume they have) an oil change is a 30 min job and half of that time is in the waiting for the oil to drain out. Even with a jack and jack stands it is only a 1 hour job. And if they designed the car in a way that I can't perform a required preventative maintenance item with a 3 to 6 month periodicity in a reasonable amount of time then that is on them. I certainly will neither pay for their bad engineering or trust their other engineering for that matter. There is no way that I am paying someone 400 to 800 dollars an hour to do a simple preventive maintenance item.

Likely that 600 dollar "oil change" the guy complained about was really a complete tune up along with brake replacement and other items. Maybe even some repair items on there that he caused himself because of abuse or neglect. He just was shocked and is complaining about his "600 dollar oil change" because he is ticked off.

well if some stupid ass hat engineer decided to put the filler cap on top of the engine and the stupid oil cartridge on top of an engine on a mid engined car where the only way to get to the top of the engine would be to unhook the body from the frame and lift the body off the car, that would be one way that it would be $600. possible yes, probable no as anyone would see this as a design flaw, however to get to my transmission filter it requires someone to cut the frame or take the engine with transmission out of the car, a hefty job for just a trans filter and seal (the bolts are about 5cm away from the frame which is covering all of the bolts on 1/4 of the pan; drain and fill is all that can be done without several hours worth of labor and you can't drain the damn converter either). Stupid crap that these manufacturers do.

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