Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Hi all,

Wondered what your opinions are on a good secondhand car or truck for under $5000? Obviously I'm most probably looking at something about 6-8 years old as a result..bit of a comedown but at least it's not on credit!

Moving to Chicago and as such will need something that can put up with the elements.

Also need to take insurance costs into account. :eek:

Thanks,

Scott

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Where are you living now ?

As you are moving to a 4x4 necessary place but maybe currently live in a 4x2 necessary place then it might be easier to get the 4x4 in the new location. It depends what is around where you are now.

"Good" for under $5000 is a really hard call. It's way too cheap for anything recent or low miles.

Better go for something that is cheap to repair which means either a Ford or a Chevy or a Dodge. Nothing "foreign" and nothing with a Supercharger or Turbocharger.

Try to find something with a known service history. If you get the VIN you can check at the dealership for that brand if it has been serviced there or has had it's recalls done. The manufacturer will have this info on their service computers.

Best bet is to get something from someone you already know. A "private" sale rather than buying from any kind of lot. For that amount of money, even something unknown out of a newspaper is better than buying off a lot.

Use Carfax to check the history of a vehicle. We do, at the dealership, when we appraise dubious or unknown vehicles. You should too.

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Hows it going Pardoe. Question..... Why is buying from a stranger in a newspaper safer than buying from a lot? I thought it would be the other way round.

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

These might be useful:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...&highlight=car

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/used.htm

http://www.autotrader.com/

http://www.edmunds.com/used/index.html

You're in the UK, correct? (I just saw your post about moving). It's hard to say what will be available for that price. I'd probably start with something reliable, like a Honda or Toyota as they run forever (they are everywhere in the US). However, they also hold their value so they may not be in your range (unless they have 150K miles). Ask friends, colleagues, etc., and spread the word that you are car searching.

Generally you will pay tax on top of the price, even if it's a private sale. Tax is paid when you go to register the car. So, keep that in mind.

Insurance will depend upon your age/your wife's age and the type of car.

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Why is Chicago a "4X4 neccessary place". Its a city and should therefore be ploughed regularly in the winter...I would widen the OPS options by suggesting a FWD car. 4X4 usually have a higher purchase price and also higher repair costs due to the increase in drivetrain components...especially on a car 6 to 10 years old.

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Just fine Plonker.

Do I know you? Even my Company's owner calls me by my first name. Last time I checked such a greeting was conspicuously rude.

It's as plain as the nose on your face unless you are as dumb as a rock.

A Manufacturer's Dealer lot will not have a truck as cheap as $5,000. If you buy a used vehicle from a lot at that price it will likely be a "Buy Here - Pay Here" lot. They do not have the best reputation. You will be paying the profit for the lot in the $5,000. You will have no idea what the lot paid for the vehicle and the $5,000 will have a high percentage of profit in it.

If you buy from a private seller you will not be paying dealer profit, you will be talking direct to the actual previous owner, you may get to see service history, etc. etc. etc.

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Maybe he's a British public school teacher :)

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Depends where he is actually moving to.

"Chicago" could cover a multitude of sins. If the local used lots have a predominance of 4x4s over 4x2s it is a less than subtle hint.

I do not think I suggested a truck vs a car, just a domestic manufacturer on repair cost grounds.

The only viable 4x4 car in that price bracket is a Subaru. I have vivid memories of the repair costs of an old Subaru with major mechanical problems.

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Maybe his first name is Schmuck and he doesn't like to use it. :rolleyes:

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

I never said you suggested a car over a truck...but you did suggest a 4X4 over a FWD for Chicago...which I assumed to be the city or the suburbs.

I'm not criticising Terry, just confused why you'd suggest a 4X4 for "Chicago'. I don't imagine the lots in Chicago are all full of trucks and 4X4's anymore than the districts immediately surrounding NYC. Towns are sedan territory I thought.

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Most people have a truck or Hummer here - lots of elephants in the mall parking lots lol.

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Yeah but you're on the west coast....the west coast is the home of the stupid everyone knows that.

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

You forgot to add "present company excepted" :mad:

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Perhaps I jumped to a conclusion based on the OP reference to "the elements". I did not realise that he may still be in the UK. If that is the case then a BE member actually living in Illinois would give better advice on vehicle needs.

Never having lived in the Frozen North here, except Manhattan where we never owned a car, I have no idea of the geography of Chicago or technical driving needs of a Chicago resident. I just know that it is bloody cold and windy in winter.

My personal opinion is that $5,000 vehicles are fine for 2nd or 3rd units. I would want something in warranty for me or my wife. Mind you, I firmly believe in leasing - which is an entirely different argument.

It's amusing, here in FL, the number of people who buy 4x4 trucks because they need to pull boats up wet boat ramps. I have friends who haul theirs out with a Honda Odyssey. Plainly, the boat ramps of FL are not littered with trapped 4x2 trucks and trailers.

Half the issue is how you drive, not what you drive.

Re: Good secondhand car/truck under $5000?
 

Maybe they are called a Hummer because they, metaphorically and environmentally, stink ?