I am a junior in college who is looking for transportation for the summer and the coming year. I need to find a CHEAP used car/suv, but am having a dilemma when it comes to selecting what I need. Here’s my criteria;
-Good mpg-which means at least low to mid 20’s on the highway
-Decent reliability-I have wrenched around cars, trucks, atv’s and tractors…so I can take care of minor things.
-Ability to haul my bikes(mountain bikes) and skis, as well as room for luggage and people for other such outings and trips(tacking them on the roof or trunk isn’t a good option, I routinely drive long distances to do this stuff). It would also be nice to be able to take most of my stuff to school and back in this vehicle-let me stress capacity
-Ability to travel, I go to school 6 hours from home and make that trip at least once a month.
It my seem like a laundry list, but I’ve been giving it a lot of thought lately and would appreciate any input. I am flexible on most those criteria other than cheap…Thanks for your help!!!
Subaru Forester/Outback.
Twotone
Add to that above used CRV,one of best repair records of all compact older SUV s and tons of older ones around.
If you’re looking for more function over form, then a minivan would be the best option
If you hold onto about $2,000 for repairs to the used vehicle, how much can you spend on it?
The vehicle can only be a couple thousand total (i’d like to be under 5k said and done, the farther the better…I am in college and money is tight), I don’t need it to last more than maybe 2 years…Like I said, I don’t mind picking around ‘salvage’ yards to find parts to make this thing run and doing the labor myself. Thanks for the feedback-
Look for an extended cab toyota pu, aobut 1994 or so. Look for one with less than 150k miles on it. One of the last best years for that truck. go for one with the 22r injected engine. Have it checked out by a trusted mechanic before you buy. You should be able to get one for around 2500 buckaroos. Put some good new tires on it, and have the brakes and clutch done.
If you are willing to get 20 MPG or so, look at a 2001 Explorer Sport. It’s a few thousand less than a 2001 Rav4 or CR-V. That’s a lot of gas.