Hello all car afficionados out there, I’m a college student looking to purchase my first car. Nothing fancy, just a simple sedan to get me from point A to point B in safety. Decent gas mileage is a plus as well. I’m am definitely working with the traditional broke student budget and looking for a…

I would look for the best maintained vehicle you can find (don’t worry so much about make) for >$4000. Then you will have a cushion in case of unexpected problems.

I would pay attention to make in addition to maintainence. (Anyway, maintainence will be hard to know about unless they kept receipts for oil changes etc). Get ahold of the April issue of Consumer Reports, the annual car issue. They have lists of recommended used cars, cars to avoid, etc. These …

While the Honda/Toyota would be a nice idea, you’re gonna get an older model. My 99 civic has almost 90k miles on it and still books for almost $6k private party. While I doubt I’d get it, I’m just letting you know how much these cars hold their value. for the same price, you could find a 2002 Chev…

You can get a better price on a Ford Crown Vic or Mercury Grand Marquis from the late 90’s I did a quick check on Kelly Blue Book and they show 2001 Crown Vics in my area should go for around $3500 in private party sales. In town mileage will suck, but highway mileage is reported to be around 25…

The current vehicle that I have if a 99 Ford Ranger. I bought it 2 years ago for $3200 when it had 42k miles on it. It is a 4cyl 5spd regular cab and is in very good condition. I have had no problems with it and almost all of the regular maintenance can be done with a few standard sized sockets, a C…

Wow, thank you for all of this great advice! I didn’t expect such an enthusiastic response. Here’s what I’m getting out of this so far: Maintenance and make/model should both be considered, but make/model is rather less important. At this price range it would probably be a better idea to get a car…

Ask the owner if they have documentation of all maintenance and repairs. If they have the bills, they have the records. Anyone can say they changed the oil every 3000 miles. But bills for materils or the service make it obvious. And make sure that the car in question is the one on the bills; c…

While low mileage is usually good, if the mileage is extra low it might mean that the car was stored for an extended length of time. Which can be just as, if not more damaging than having higher miles. Look for something ranging between 6k-12k miles per year the vehicle has been on the road. The ne…

The Crown Vic/Grand Marquis/Town Car group are nearly the same. The Town Car is a little bit longer, most of that in the back seat. The best year for the Town Car for you is 96 (they were cheapened a little after that). Don’t buy any of these later than about 99, reliability began to decline. No…

Looking for guidance - my first car

Maintenance/Repairs

Craig58 May 23, 2008, 1:28pm 5

I agree, in this price range condition is more important than make/model. Look for something that’s not in high demand (boring) to get a better deal and have a trusted mechanic check it out before you buy it. Look for maintenance records and buy something simple (less stuff to break).

Topic		Replies	Views
First Car Maintenance/Repairs	16	1296	July 11, 2011
College student seeking advice for buying a used car! Help! General Discussion used	29	2694	March 30, 2026
Cheap car Maintenance/Repairs	14	1573	January 1, 2008
Poor college car Maintenance/Repairs	6	688	May 22, 2009
What kind of car can I expect for a certain price? Maintenance/Repairs	13	1196	August 15, 2009

Looking for guidance - my first car

Related topics