Ok, I commute 45min one way to NCSU every day. I'll be doing this for all of this upcoming semester, and part of the summer then I'm done. Now, I have been doing this in a truck that gets 14mpg, has an $900 set of tires, and a $200 set of brakes every year. Spending $300+ per month on gas is killing me, along with having to replace these stupid tires every damn year.

So, I *thought* about buying a little car to drive back and forth to school. I figure, for $2500 or so I can find a nice used Honda Accord (preference to the Accord, I like em) or something similar. Decent on gas, whatever work and parts it does need has to be cheap etc.

Something like this,

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2144067636.html

Now, I am planning on buying it, driving it until the end of this year sometime, and then selling it again. Obviously since I own a detailing company I can clean it up pretty good, and possibly sell it for *near* what I paid for it end of this year?

Questions are. Is this even a smart move? What sort of maint can I expect to do to a $2500 car? How much is insurance? Is a Honda Accord with 150k-200k miles a good decision?

1/5/2011 9:41:33 AM

I find 90's Hondas to be way overpriced, due to the ricer culture. I would consider a mid-90s Camry. They're bulletproof and still very commonplace. My GF's '94 automatic gets about 35mpg on the highway.

With 200k miles, it would have to drive really nice for it to be worth $2500.

1/5/2011 11:31:11 AM

ricers ruin everything.

1/5/2011 11:49:10 AM

^^I actually threw out the Camry because I simply dont like the way they look. I detail several older ones, and I have just grown to dislike them.

However, you are correct, they are bulletproof.

1/5/2011 11:52:52 AM

I like Accords better than Civics too (I have an Accord), but I would honestly rather have a Civic right now. They get significantly better gas mileage.

1/5/2011 12:12:43 PM

^What would be the #'s for either? I was thinking maybe 25-28 for the Accord, and maybe 30 for the civic?

1/5/2011 12:18:52 PM

The most I've ever milked out of my 2000 accord was 28-29. My gf's 2002 civic gets about 35 regularly.

1/5/2011 12:22:42 PM

Quote :

"I find 90's Hondas to be way overpriced, due to the ricer culture."

I agree on nearly all cases, but if you keep your eyes open a good deal will pop up. One of my housemates bought a well maintained and relatively clean 94ish 5-speed Civic last year with about 150k miles for $1400. It was from an Asian guy whose Craigslist description was terrible and had no pictures. Since it was close by we checked it out. We were fully expecting it to be a ragged out wrecked up p.o.s., but it was actually a good looking car in good shape. Even had an aftermarket CD player.

[Edited on January 5, 2011 at 12:29 PM. Reason : l]

1/5/2011 12:29:38 PM

On the highway when i'm driving responsibly (under 80mph) I regularly get ~29 miles/gal on longer trips. This is in a 2003 Accord 4 cyl. with a roof rack for bikes. I bet I'd get about 31mpg without the rack.

1/5/2011 12:34:41 PM

get an obd1 civic. Easy and cheap to work on.

5spd is a must

1/5/2011 12:42:31 PM

Camrys are a good choice and if you don't like the look of them you *might* like the looks of a solara a little better.

1/5/2011 3:23:06 PM

Camry. Fuck the looks. I mean it's a damn A-to-B transportation beater car. And they do get better mileage than Accords. I can't for the life of me get better than 27 or 28 in my '03 (granted it's a whole different beast than the older ones in your price range).

Camry. Because it's about 2/3 the price when you go to do a timing belt. And about 2/3 the trouble. And if the belt breaks, it doesn't lunch your engine because the valves won't kiss the pistons.

Camry. Because there are so damn many on the road, and you get more for your dolla.

I wish I had bought a fucking Camry. But...I have an Accord that has cost me damn little since I've had it. Granted, it's the newer style with the K24 engine (NO timing belt!), as opposed to the older F22/F23 engines.

1/5/2011 3:37:50 PM

I'm curious what kind of softass tires you've got for your truck to the point that they wear out once a year. Are mudders made of soft stuff like I'd want for the race track? I'm a bit perplexed here.

1/5/2011 3:52:57 PM

Accord sounds good to me, just be patient for a good one. I feel the same way as you about the Camry--yes, as good or better reliability and a touch better mileage, but they're just so damn boring. An Accord isn't a ball of fun or anything but you just can't get more vanilla than a Camry (or a Corolla). Accord is better-looking too.

1/5/2011 4:38:47 PM

^^Coopr LTZ, Pirelli ATR, Toyo A/T, Hankook Ventus. 275/55/20. The only set I have gotten more than 20-30k out of is the Pirelli, and these only have 32K. I drive around 18-20K a year.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ctd/2144727777.html

I would be assuming 300k+ would be a big alarm?

I found a couple Accords for under $2500. One on CL right now only has 119K (2 door, auto) and is $2400.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2145314085.html

Also a civic for $2200

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2144075250.html

[Edited on January 5, 2011 at 5:07 PM. Reason : .]

1/5/2011 5:04:43 PM

the 96 Civic has an engine swap. it could easily be a hack job.

I like Accord you found though.

1/5/2011 6:10:59 PM

We're talking about $2500 vehicles here. Accord or Camry, he'll be driving a beat-up POS that gets no cool points.

1/5/2011 6:11:06 PM

Pop the hood and look at the civic. Very easy cars to work on. I sold one for 1500 a year ago .

1/5/2011 7:43:00 PM

That Accord sounds really good, get in touch with them I'd say. 119K is just getting broken in.

Though it's an automatic--boo. Still, with that low mileage, if everything works and you can work them down some on the price, might still be worth it.

1/6/2011 1:36:56 PM

119k on a Honda ain't nothing. I bought my Integra 11 years ago with 135k on the ticker. 150k miles later she still doesn't burn a drop of oil.

1/6/2011 2:16:22 PM

http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102208&highlight=accord

1/6/2011 4:06:25 PM

Quote :

"I'm curious what kind of softass tires you've got for your truck to the point that they wear out once a year. Are mudders made of soft stuff like I'd want for the race track? I'm a bit perplexed here."

yeah, most of the dedicated off road tires these days are a fairly soft compound for better traction and flexibility. there's even a handful of manufacturers making tires strictly for competition use that are even softer, just like there are for cars. this is a relatively new concept for off road tires, though (due to the sharp increase in the popularity of recreational and professional rock crawling over the past ~10 years). for something used exclusively in mud compound isn't really a big deal, but for a vehicle that sees a variety of terrain or only rocks it can be a big factor in performance.

1/6/2011 7:01:40 PM

good year MTR RRRRR FOR ARRR compound

1/6/2011 7:26:12 PM

^^Hell, none of my tires *are* dedicated off road types, they are A/T's and road tires. Still not lasting long

1/6/2011 9:23:48 PM

I do think that Honda's reputation for reliability is well deserved, especially for the mid 1990s cars. When I get a call from somebody about one that died or won't start, I always say check the distributor first. It seems like that's one of the only things that fails on them. Granted if you let a timing belt/water pump go too long, it's going to cause a lot of work (interference engine ), which brings me to your other non-snooze mobile option, enter the Subaru Impreza/Outback/Forester, etc.. Dead reliable, and super easy to work on. Good times. Not the greatest fuel economy, though much more character, and more fun to drive.

1/6/2011 10:01:17 PM

the subaru 2.5L engine and head gasket problems are very common.

1/6/2011 10:10:39 PM

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2145299257.html

1/7/2011 9:53:20 AM

Finding allot of 1993-1994's with under 250K for under $1300, seems like my best option. They have as many miles as some of the mid 90's accords/civics, and are half the price.

How much does tax/title and insurance run on a car like this?

1/11/2011 9:35:07 PM

92 civic , no collision, 40$ a monthish

taxs are 35$ maybe?

1/12/2011 11:40:39 AM

You really should look at a 1998-2000 Corolla (newer would be too expensive). My 1999 with 191k miles has had nothing major go wrong with it except for an oil leak. The A/C works, it gets mid 30s mpg on road trips, and it has noticeably better low end torque than a Civic due to higher displacement. It also has a timing chain that has zero problems. It uses coilpacks and has no distributor. It's more boring to drive than a Civic but for a straight up shitbox it's great. Anything older than 1998 would have the older engine which has a timing belt.

also anything before 1994-1995 will probably have the old R12 A/C which adds more hassle

[Edited on January 12, 2011 at 11:54 AM. Reason : .]

1/12/2011 11:53:21 AM

^insurance on my '92 Integra is about $28/month

1/12/2011 11:54:46 AM

So lets say $30 a month on insurance, and $150 a month on gas, so $180. Times 5 months is $760. Lets just say $900 including any oil changes and random other stuff.

My truck currently is $0 a month on insurance (on my dads company plan), and $330 a month on gas, so say $1700 for 5 months. I save $800 not including the price of the car.

I figure if I buy a car for between $1500-$2000 (or so), that if I drive it 10,000 miles and after I have detailed it up and praying that nothing has gone wrong, I should be able to sell it for the same or just a little less when I get done with it?

Hmm, maybe allot of risk just to save $800? Now, I only plan on driving it for 5 months, but may keep it longer in which case it would save even more money.

[Edited on January 12, 2011 at 12:17 PM. Reason : .]

1/12/2011 12:16:27 PM

But that's 800 over 5 months not counting the wear that you don't put on the tires and brakes of the truck right? Or have you already factored that in?

1/12/2011 1:25:19 PM

^I thought about it. Right now my truck needs a set of $920 tires and an O2 sensor if I drive it every day. If I didnt drive it every day, it wouldnt need the tires (or the o2 sensor until inspection) for maybe another 6 months or so. I would have to buy them sometime this year anyway I guess. Also, my truck also has 140k on it now, driving another 5 months would put it for sure over 150k.

I guess the big reason I cant decide is the "what if something fucks up" possibility. I know with these price range cars its likely, and if something big happens I sort of loose my advantage of driving the car (cept for not putting wear on my truck).

1/12/2011 1:46:36 PM

I bought a civic for 2000$ to save money not driving an s2000 (22ishmpg, + tires(huge cost) ). I had an excel sheet and I successfully did save more than the cost of the car. Logged every fillup. 56mpg peak if your curious. I will admit this was conveniently during a time period of outrageous gas prices and a semi frequent drive to Charlotte. It certainly is possible. I've done it myself at the very least.

1/12/2011 2:21:17 PM

What kind of tires are you buying that cost $920? You can get decent tires for way, way less. If you're not that picky, you can probably get 2 whole sets for that much. O2 sensor is usually no biggie either, like $30-40.

1/12/2011 3:40:20 PM

Quote :

"So lets say $30 a month on insurance, and $150 a month on gas, so $180."

How did you figure $150 for gas?

1/12/2011 4:10:52 PM

Quote :

"How did you figure $150 for gas? "

welcome to driving >18,000 miles per year....no?

1/12/2011 4:26:43 PM

$150 a month averaged out seems optimistic. Let's say you get 30mpg combined, averaged out (and it may not even be that good if you get something like an Accord).

19,000 miles a year
30mpg
~633 gallons. multiply by $3.25 a gallon (it will probably hit that soon, and it could go higher easily) and you get $2058 per year in gas. Divide by 12 and it's more like $170 a month.

It could easily be more than that if you do more city driving than you expected (lower mpg), do more overall mileage, or if gas prices go crazy and hit $3.75 - $4.00 . Your truck would have a correspondingly higher fuel cost as well.

1/12/2011 4:33:56 PM

The tires are 275/55/20 Cooper LTZ. I can find cheaper, however they wouldnt be something I would want on the truck.

As far as the gas, I am not sure how I got $150, even doing it over again now I cant get $150, so I must have been on crack.

1/12/2011 5:16:23 PM

You are doing it wrong! Time to stop thinking like a white man and start thinking like a man... of ethnicity...



[Edited on January 13, 2011 at 6:44 AM. Reason : yeahhhhh nigga!]

1/13/2011 6:43:30 AM

1/13/2011 6:46:35 AM