Need Vehicle Purchase advice!

Bluejuniperfarm, I have bought some nice cars for less than 2,000 dollars and have put 100,000 more miles on them. I personally wouldn't go in debt for another car if I had 2,000 to pay for one. Who needs another payment. The minivan is one of the most practical vehicles on the market. It seems to suit your purpose well enough. And there alot of them around which keeps the price down. Buy one from a private owner who lives in town and hasn't put alot of hard service in it. Remember there is not a whole lot of difference between a mid-ninetys caravan, voyager or aerostar van with 100,000 and one with the same miles thats 7 or 8 years newer except the car payment.

I have owned a 1993 Ply Voyager Minivan 6 cyl for 1500 dollars and put 90,000 miles on it before the head gasket went.

I presently own a 1994 Ford Aerostar 6 cyl mini-van for 1400 dollars and have put 30,000 miles on it in about 9 months with an alternator replacement.

I also have a 1987 Thunderbird 6 cyl bought for 500.00 with 40,000 orginal miles. It needed a manifold pipe gasket. I try to keep it clean for visiting family or going out for coffee.

I want to have sliding doors on both sides of the next minivan I buy. That makes it even more practical as a station wagon thats been streched and called a van.

Kathleen,

I know you are getting advise about minivans and such from others and they have valid opinions.

BUT you may wish to consider another option that is not commonly looked at. Look at a used Ford Crown Victoria or Mercury Grand Marquis with a trailer hitch attached. They are not considered "hot" cars by the younger set and thus are priced in your range if purchased 1-3 years off the current model year (rental or Ford Program car). I saw a 2005 last year (loaded, even had leather) on a dealer lot for under $15,000 with only 16,000 miles on it. Some slightly older for even less. As I said above these are "grandpa/grandma" cars and you will often see them for sale with only 40-70,000 miles on them. Cab companies often buy used police squads (same car) and put up to 400,000 miles on them.

They are safe (5 star crash rating front, back and sides).
They have a full frame (sturdy).
They have a 4.6 L V-8 (good engine).
Lots of power when you need it (watch it or you'll get a "fast driving award").
Reasonable gas mileage (17 city, 25 hwy).
Roomy and comfortable ride (oh, yeah, baby).
Lots of goodies standard (air, auto, pw, pb, pl, am/fm).
Rear wheel drive (able to tow a decent trailer and load).

I drove these for company cars with a prior job and I feel they are the best deal for a car, slightly used, that you can get. JMHO !

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Diamondtim

You can tell what someone thinks by reading the bumper stickers on their car. You can also tell if they think at all.

Here is my 2 cents:

I would try to stay out of debt if at all possible. Any chance you can just keep saving, until you get $8-10,000? You said if you tried you could come up with a few grand for a down payment, and could afford $300 a month. If you had $2000 now, and saved $300 a month for a year, that would be $5600 to buy a car. There are alot of cars in this price range.

I wouldn't pick any thing on your list except the Taurus wagon or Escape. Both are great vehicles.

If I were looking for value, I think I would look at a Chrysler minivan or a Ford Taurus, both used. Some of the GM cars from the late 90's seem to be real bargains.

I would look at how much I had to tow and haul. I think you would be surprised how much a 4 or 6 cyl. can haul in the car, or in a trailer.

I would look at what kind of driving I might need. Our latest car purchase was based on that.

Can you have the hay and feed delivered? It might be cheaper than having to buy a new vehicle for that purpose. I think with gas prices, you might be able to hire this done....and save yourself big bucks from driving a vehicle every day that you bought just to haul a few bales of hay. Just think....if someone will deliver your hay for $50, and you have this done once a month, it would only be $600 a year. What will you spend using a gas guzzling Toyota SUV every day, just so you have the opportunity to buy some hay??????? At $3 a gallon, I bet it is alot more than you think!!!!

I also think I would start looking for a used, beater truck, and a fuel efficient car.

We love our base automatic Chevy HHR, and it gets GREAT mileage. It is EASY to get 37 MPG and up on the interstate. You can buy them used pretty cheap, relatively speaking. Four people can ride in comfort. You can haul alot of stuff, and weight in the back. 5 star safety rating to boot.

As for a truck, we live in Chevy country, and trucks are getting cheap here. I just saw a 94 or 95 Silverado Extended cab in very well used shape for $1800 obo. I saw a Ford SUV in good shape...one of those that came out just before the Explorer, for $1500 obo. I lucked into a 95 S-10, well used but runs perfect for $200...the deal of a lifetime.

Oh, one other thought: We have a 98 Monte Carlo. It has been a great car, gets 31 MPG on the interstate, and the V6 is trailer rated.

Clove

Diamondtim - Well there you go sharing one of the best secrets of the used car market, LOL. Everything you say above is quite true.
There is, IMO, one negative to the CrownVic, Grand Marquis cars. The deep-well trunks make lifting heavy items in and out more difficult than sliding heavy items on the floor of a Taurus Station wagon or minivan of any stripe. That said, there is also a positive you have overlooked. Due to the statistical average age of Crown Vic-Grand Marquis owners, the auto insurance on these models *may* be more affordable than other autos.
Varies by location, no warranty expressed or implied, consult your local agent, yada,yada, yada. LOL.

Up North,

Two other advantages. 1) A Crown Vic is one of the hardest cars for thieves to steal (told to me by a guy who lives in a rough neighborhood. 2) In a rough neighborhood, the bad guys tend to disappear when a Crown Vic appears 'cause they think you may be an unmarked squad car.

Two minor disadvantages. 1) They will tend to fishtail in the snow if your a leadfoot. 2) You need to clear the snow off of your trunk lid before opening - or it will slide off into your trunk.

The trunks are deep, but very roomy.

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Diamondtim

You can tell what someone thinks by reading the bumper stickers on their car. You can also tell if they think at all.

With used vehicles, you often end up purchasing whatever is the best value at that time. The last thing you want to do is purchase a used clunker (aka money pit) just because its the exact make and model that you "thought" would suit your needs.

For a general purpose good all around vehicle - I think some of the mini-vans are hard to beat.

My oldest DD and her husband's first car after they were married was an old Crown Victoria, former cop car. But I hadn't thought of getting one -- I'll have to check on that. I know they are comfortable to ride in. I'd really like to get better gas mileage, though, with a twelve-mile (minimum, if I don't do any shopping) trip to town several times a week.

I've been pondering whether maybe we ought to just spend the car money on fixing the two vehicles we have -- try to keep them running for a while longer, maybe until we have to go to horses or bikes, LOL!

Kathleen

Hello,

Just my $.02,but don't be so quick to cross something off the list because someone says that parts and labor might be more expensive but doesn't provide and further information.

If you can find a Diesel you like, buy it. Diesels get 20-40% better mileage than the same exact model in a gas version. They also last much longer, which is why they seem expensive compared to gas vehicles w/ about the same mileage. They also are much less complicated mechanically, so there is less to go wrong. Keep in mind that a well-maintained VW TDI diesel can be reasonably expected to last up to 300,000 miles or more. Very few gas cars or trucks will last that long. There is however a caveat. You must have access to someone who knows them well. They're not for shade tree mechanics; they're just too advanced for that.

Good luck

Scotty

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I'm all for being religious but stay away from organized religions, they seem to cause more harm than good.

Take the Taurus to a trusted mechanic and have it fixed up. Keep the rest of your down-payment money in the bank, and add to it.

Those Tauruses are all over the place, and can often be bought cheap. There are lots and lots of used parts in yards.

The other suggestion is the local municipal auction or police auction. I saw a Taurus go for $650 at one locally. I bought a Nissan Stanza for $500, put about $400 in it on fixing little stuff, and so far have 8,000 miles on it. OK, I got $900 in it, and when it craps out, I will be able to sell it for scrap for $250. That's 8,000+ miles for $650, and still rolling.

If I really have just a little to spend, I'd just as soon buy a reliable beater (Nissan or Toyota are top of the list for reliable in old cars to me) and run it into the ground. It saves me money upfront, and it avoids a payment. I drive 50 miles round-trip to work each day. As long as the tires are round, and roll when I want them to, looks don't matter to me.

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Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

You have the correct idea. The more you drive a vehicle and the more critical it is (like getting to work), the more new and reliable it should be. The less often you use it, the less reliable it needs to be.

If I understand you right, you only need to haul hay every 3 weeks so don’t need the van often. Keep it around. You can then spend less money on the primary transport vehicle and have the van as a backup.

By the way, as clovis suggested, consider having someone haul you hay. Why not get a year’s worth all at once? Usually a lot cheaper that way, perhaps even enough to compensate for the delivery fee. I paid $20 per ton extra for delivery last year rather than fixing up an old pickup for which I would use it only for hay hauling. So for 3 ton of hay, paid $60 for delivery – a lot cheaper than fixing, maintaining, gassing up a pickup.

I drive a 1985 Honda Accord which has had a rough life – all over the country in military, including 3 years in Fairbanks, Alaska, and had a trailer hitch on it. Except for an alternator, darn thing won’t die on me. Also bought a 1986 Mazda 323 seven years ago for $1000 which 3 teenagers have used as a beginner car (they named it the “Brown Bullet”). Other than some maintenance stuff, only one problem with fuel injectors. I have found that I can get 10 foot lumber or PVC pipe in the Mazda through the trunk with the back seat down. If I’m the only passenger, can get several hundred pounds of feed in it also. How much do you haul?

I study the local used car flyer regularly and I think my next car will be an older Japanese model with lower miles, and with recent maintenance done such as timing belt, clutch, etc, with receipts to prove it. Can get a pretty good one for under a couple thousand. Last year one daughter passed on the Brown Bullet to younger sister and bought a 1993 Mazda 626 for $900 with body flaws. Put a few hundred $ into it and has run like a champ with just over 100,000 miles on it.

So, small economy car for high mile traveling and basic transportation. Old beater for infrequent hauling, or pay to have it hauled. Of course, most people think more about how they look than about transportation.

Another car to consider is a used Saturn.

I knew a gal that owned several 5 speeds, and got over 40 miles a gallon, driven conservatively.

I am not an expert on the Saturn, but they are great cars, and the 5 speeds are really efficient.

Clove