Hey guys,

So lately I've been discussing my options for a temporary car back home in CA. I'm only home a few times a year for a total of maybe 2 months. The only options I've come up with are to

a) Rent a car (pricey)
b) Buy a cheap car (<$4000)
- I've been looking into a Mazda Miata, BMW 3 Series, or Jeep Wrangler YJ

I've been leaning towards option B and fortunately my insurance company (USAA) will cover the temporary insurance since my duration at home is so short. In a couple of years, I plan on reselling the car as I will have no use for it.

What do you all suggest? It's hard finding good reliable cars under 4k and the ones I've been able to find are pre-2000 and have >100k miles. Do you know of any other reasonable options?

 

Do you have Zip Car by your area?

 

If you are looking for a beater that will not cost you a great deal of money, go to the lists of "top resale value" cars and look toward the bottom. Once these cars hit the eight or ten year mark, they can be driven for a couple of years without losing any real resale value. You have to make your decision at this point on the individual car, because a manufacturer's reputation is only good for a few years. Even the worst possible cars are filtered by time and those that have made the ten year mark without serious difficulty are probably pretty reliable.

Mileage is a consideration, but don't be too concerned with the exterior. Of course you want it to be watertight and rust free, but a few light dents and scratches will kill the resale price, but not affect the quality of the vehicle beneath. They can help make an otherwise nice car affordable. If you are really concerned with cosmetics and just can't stand all the key marks and parking lot dents, take it to a detailer or even a cheap paint shop to get a few layers of paint gunned on to cover the damage for a couple hundred bucks. It's not great, but it will last a few years - until you are ready to sell.

 

Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Civic, Corolla, you can't go wrong with these and 4000 can get you a decent one to drive. If you sell it after 6 month or a year, you might end up sell it for the same price. So free car to drive!

 

Well the whole basis behind me buying a car is to get something fun and practice driving stick, hence the YJ or the Miata.

 

Under $4000, shouldnt be hard to find a manual Civic in decent shape.

 

If you can locate a nice first gen Miata (up to '98), that should be a good solution. You may find a better, summer-only, low miles car in Colorado. You could then take it to LA and sell it there for a profit. Many of the Miatas in SoCal will have been used as daily drivers, not garaged, and in much worse shape.

 

I did manage to find a '95 Miata 133k miles and the owner wanted about 3.9k. Looked up the KBB price and it was at least a grand below that so hopefully I'll be able to make a deal for around 3k.

 

See, I had a Toyota Avalon for 8 months as a beater, just sold it today for a little more than what I pay for. Well, if I count the insurance and registeration, then it's a wash! Hey, free car to drive for 8 months.

 

x2. You will likely sell it for the same amount you paid for it a year down the road.