Im about to go to school to get my A&P license and since I pay for all my bills Im trying to get them as low as possible by doing some drastic things.

As much as I hate to do it my 330$ insurance bill is alot so Im thinking about parking my car till I get out of school in 2 years. I wan to buy something I can pay for in cash, get cheap liability insurance and have it cheap to fix. The only thing I could think of that meet these requirements is a VW bug(I hate this car). I can get one in good running condition for aroun 1250$ and I heard they are real cheap to fix if needed. I would do some things to make it bearable (cd player, tint windows so no one can see me..lol)

Do you guys think this is a good car if not what should I get.

Thanks

 

I would recommend a 90-94 civic, but people want way too much for them. First gen rx-7. Cheap. Fits in a suitcase. Can be fast/fun. I don't think insurance will bite you too bad either if it is non turbo.

 

CR-X dammnnit

 

Heres my beater, its an 85 Chevy Cavalier, it sucks, it needs an engine rebuild (compression (#1-112 #3-145) kinda sucks) and its shocks are shot to hell, plus its rusty! BUT ITS FUN TO DRIFT ON DIRT ROADS!! I went into a ditch once, put it in reverse, pulled it out, kept driving. $350... I call it the Pimpmobile

 

as much as i hate to say it, a ford escort. bought one for 350. wrecked into a chain link fence (ice) and screwed the hood up so much i couldn't get it open. drove it for three more years without ever opening the hood!! only sold it when i bought my teg.

btw, i sold it for 350, in that condition! so it didn't cost me anything but gas and insurance.


[Modified by kg, 8:33 PM 5/15/2002]

 

The dice are the ish. Every beater needs the dice.

 

Never had to change the oil? Hehe.

 

That's what I was thinking.

 

you can always pick up a CRX or hb for $500 +/- but the temptation will always be there to do SOMETHING to it. I'm lookin for a truck or a van...

 

Id say a 84-87 or 88-91 civic hatch or crx.
How bout an older awd subaru those are pretty cheap and reliable right?
I'm thinking it would be nice in winter, either that or a rusty old Nissan/Datsun Pickup.

 

this car!! itll only cost you $300 too

 

i strongly recomend AGAINST a first gen rx7. im into rotaries also, and if you plan to have this car as a beater, to ignore it and think it'll just keep on runnin, i dont think it'll last you 6 months. rotaries are high maintanence cars (what you dont want from a beater)

 

damn..those are some sweet beaters! i could tell from the dice hangin in the mirror to the modified emblems....thats already 500+ horse power at the wheels already!
seriously...with beaters like those, no problems with theft or vandalism, or anything...just hope that it starts up and gets you to where ever your going...when driving the beater, one thing that everyone will always say when they see a fine *** girl..."I shouldve brought my teg!!!"

 

nope. never changed it. although, i would have loved to see what it looked like after all that time...


[Modified by kg, 7:03 AM 5/16/2002]

 

does the license plate say "fresh"? and when are you rollin to bel air??

 

i'd say a 86-89 toyota celica gt or gts.. they go for like $1000 or $1500.. it was my last car, and i drove it for a year with the oil light on. those things are cake to work on (i did a full rebuild after i spun a bearing and shredded a few others to pieces without any other mechanic experience), reliable as hell, and pretty quick.. 135hp 140lbs on a 2500lb car

3S-GE oWnZ!!!

 

My beater is my 92 civic Si, paid only 2000 for it and it has last 2 years so far. If I had to get another I would get a Mazda 323 GTX...or anything awd turbo.

 

get a 4th gen civic they are great cars, and very reliable/ cheap to insure, great gas mileage also. They sell around my area anywhere from $500-$2000 depending on condition, mileage etc. , but it is very easy to find one for cheap, a freind of mine just bought an 91 civic si for only $1200 and it is in great condition too.

 

Might I suggest something... like a truck. I drive an '92 Isuzu pick-up for a beater. It has a remarkable 2.6L engine that just doesn't quit. I currently have 258k + miles on it. Its good hauling in the event you do your own work on your car and need to transport a motor or other big exterior pieces.

 

I say get a truck. My buddy has a 97 dakota (you dont have to get this truck its an example) he pays 45/m on insurance for this. You can prolly get an older toyota pickup for about 1200 or so and it will be cheap to insure.

 

I have a 91 CRX Si that with intake and exhaust runs a 16 flat that i got for $1400 and with liability only my insurance is $54 a month effective in June. God I Love This Car!

 

Ford Escorts do not require oil changes...
in fact... it seems that they're bad for them.

I had my oil changed in my escort, and the brilliant folks put the drain plug back in with an impact wrench. This twisted the oil pan up nicely... and almost broke a Craftsman wrench (it felt like it was about to anyhow) so I drove it for 30,000 miles with no oil changes. I would occasionally add some oil to it... but that's it.

Well, I sold it for $500 and the dude went and got the oil changed... and it blew up the next day. I told him to leave the damned oil alone.

Escorts suck, but they suck for a long *** time.

 

Get a truck. Full size chevy, ford, or a toyota 4wd. Trucks make the best beaters, and you can actually do stuff with them that you can't with your normal car.

 

1980's vovlo 240DL

built like a tank and gets around 21-24 mpg

 

WOW!!!...Thanks for the replies.

I decided against the VW bug. Now Im leaning towards the CRX, I looked at some and I can get one for around 1500$ with a new clutch. I was thinking about a truck but I want the best gas milege* and a CRX would do that plus it would keep me in a honda I also agree with pb_foot on the fact that it would be hard to leave alone...


Thanks for the suggestions ya'll, I will look at all of those.