sir_eccles

Remember to factor in title, registration, tax etc etc into your budget. Then add on insurance on top of that...

lander91

I was speaking to my dad recently about what we should budget for cars when we move, and he recommended budgeting between $5-10k for a used car that will last any amount of time without shelling out for repairs etc. He's gone through a lot of used cars and most of them made it at least to 150k miles with good care.

Kristi

Jan Alaska

since O'Barmy did his cash for clunkers deal the price of even the rustiest junker has gone up also NY performs car inspections so likely the cheap cars are only cheap because they won't pass the next inspection. If you are going to be living in upstate NY you will probably need 4wd or at least something that can deal with the snow and you should be able to get a loan on a car even with zero credit history as long as you have a downpayment.

Bob

If you're moving to anywhere that gets snow, or the car has come from anywhere with snow...or flood prone areas, then no.

It's a doable budget, but you're looking at something that will have serious issues within a year, transmission, emissions, whatever else that is expensive to repair.

If you can fix it yourself you're probably golden as a lot of the jobs seem to be labour intensive. Mechanic up in Maine, $35-60 hr, down my way $95-120 hr.

Mate of the missus beginning of the year bought a Mercury boat, their Suburban version for $3.5K and now finding that the transmission is a lot worse than it appeared and going to be $3K to fix up.

Decent studded tyres are worth the money if you're out in the boonies, but they are pricey and noisy and lower the mileage. Decent all seasons aren't bad option either, but need to be careful. Our last set, Coopers, 12K miles and they were shagged after the winter, whilst most of our previous tyres would do 25-40K, Michelins did loads more but also cost more.

Bob

Yeah, most cheap cars in the OP's budget are going to start on that kind of mileage

Pulaski

My last set of Michelins on my Accord did 100,000, the previous set (only) 60,000, the first set 80,000. I just put a forth set on last spring at 240,000.

Neither the F250, which just passed 60,000 miles on Bridgestones, nor the Mustang, which is at just over 40,000 miles on Goodyears, will pass the inspection next April because the tires will be too worn by then.

On a $2,000 car you shouldn't be putting anything but the cheapest legal, warrantied tyres, and you might get 20,000 miles on them, but if you don't it'll be because the car failed, not the tyres.

Lion in Winter

I bought a 2001 Kia (from before they got fancy) in 2006 for $3,000 in the Chicago area (ie not a cheap area). It was a trade-in at a dealer's, that I bought off the salesman before they had even cleaned it out (I later found a lot of empty syringes pushed down between the seats, and in the wheel-well in the back, that were marked "heparin" - vampire drug dealers? You have to love a car with a history). Anyway, it is still going strong although I don't put too many miles on it. It is well over 100k but I can't remember how much right now. Most expensive thing on it to break was the water pump. It has a fair bit of rust, but it starts and runs very reliably. $2000 these days gets you a very beaten up or very old car, in this neck of the woods anyway.

RICH

I have been driving my ex mil's 94 maxima since 2004. Its on 170k miles now. It was valued about $2k then. Less than $1k now, but still going OK. Less than perfect but worth considering

Pulaski

Scouting the trade-ins at Kia and Hyundai dealers might not be a bad idea! They depreciate rapidly and "nobody" wants an eight year old Kia, most dealers won't give 2¢ for an older used Kia, so they aren't worth much and many end up traded-in back at Kia dealers.

hoffage123

Oooh thank you all all this info is really useful ... I am going to save a bit more money whilst I am working here in the UK, before I move, and do the research into auctions/kia dealers/etc. ... hopefully once I get regular work out there in the US, then my options will widen in terms of what I can afford

TimNiceBut

One of the problems is that in snowy areas that dump a lot of snow on the roads in winter - aka the infamous "rust belt", and IIRC the Northeast is part of it - most daily driven cars turn into Flintstonemobiles within a decade, so there is not really a ready supply of cheap bangers.

Unless you have the time to do a fly & drive into the cheaper and rustfree areas like Atlanta, GA, you need to budget more for a car.

I'm pretty handy when it comes to fixing cars and I've survived for over a decade driving bangers in the UK. I also don't mind having a couple of cars to ensure I have one that works.

I bought my first ever brand new car four months ago because trying to run more bangers as daily drivers (I still run one as a track car) wasn't really feasible anymore. Go figure.

S Folinsky

One of my offspring and significant other live in Rochester. They have a 10-year old Subaru and a 2008 Pontiac Vibe. Both cars originated in California.

The roads in Rochester are quite good and are well maintained. They tell me that both cars did fairly well in the winter with the exception of a fuel line problem in the Sube that never showed up in temperate climes.

I can't testify as to prices. But I believe that Hondas, Toyotas and Subarus will be at a premium. However, it pays to note that the Pontiac Vibe and the earlier GEO Prizm were analogues of Toyota models [Vibe/Matrix and Prizm/Corolla] made on the same assembly line at the former NUMI plant in Fremont, CA. They might have lower prices if one can find one.

Zez

We are in California and had to spend $4k to get a 13 year old car with 100k on the clock if we didn't want a total skip on wheels. Our Chrysler pt cruiser that we sold for £1400 with 40k on the clock would translate to 90k on the clock and $4000 here.

Used cars are crazy prices!!!

hoffage123

Indeed! I am have convinced the MIL to put me on her insurance as she doesn't drive her car now due to being housebound - she has agreed in principle, so at least I should have some temporary 'wheels' until I get my own when I am over there ...

Hoffage

Rete

Oh my, that they do. My niece lives in Rochester and you get many inches of snow up there. Unlikely that you will fine a servicable used car for only $2,000 in Rochester. Yes, you can buy a car for that amount if you buy from a private owner, not a dealership.

Just now looking into buying a used car for my daughter and my mechanic said just yesterday that he could find her one for $2500 and up that is in good repair and a limited warranty.

Remember that in NYS you need a yearly inspection on the vehicle and emission system.