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Old 05-23-2021, 12:08 AM
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Default WTB Decent old car for a kid

Spreading the word for a friend, anyone have or know of a decent ~4-6k Honda or Toyota for a kid? Not expecting much but a known quantity is much prefered over Craigslist roulette.


Thanks
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Old 05-23-2021, 11:29 AM
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I've had this discussion with other parents - don't try to save money at the expense of safety. Much better to replace a car than a kid. This was more of an issue in the past when the older cars didn't have antilock brakes and maybe airbags, but any safety features should be considered important when one's child is behind the wheel. That doesn't mean you can't get a $4-6K car, but safety features should be considered.
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Old 05-23-2021, 12:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cmartin View Post
Spreading the word for a friend, anyone have or know of a decent ~4-6k Honda or Toyota for a kid? Not expecting much but a known quantity is much prefered over Craigslist roulette.


Thanks
Very slim pickings in that price range, post COVID. We had no problem finding a Volvo and an old beat up Cheby in that price range pre-COVID. Today you may need to double your budget.

We found the Volvo from an 86 year old lady when her kids made her stop droving. No such luck for kid number three. Ended up with a 20 year old 5 speed Mustang, yes Doc. it has safety
The Mustang was about $11k.
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Last edited by Patrick3000; 05-24-2021 at 07:03 PM.
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Old 05-24-2021, 10:01 AM
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Similar boat here trying to replace my kids Audi. Most $4-6K Honda/Toyota Civic/camry/Accord/Corrolla well, it will have 200,000 miles (which may be ok, but its certainly maybe not idea). Heck the $8,000 Lexus iI bought 2 years ago, originally for my kid till I pressed it into my own use, are now on the the market with asking prices 1-3k more than I paid. And that's 2008 model with 120k miles! used car prices are bad.. and new car dealers are pressed for some inventory and using lesser supplies of new to jack up used car pricing.

Sorry I don't know of any of what you are looking for, in part because I've been looking for the same for the past 1-2 months.
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Old 05-24-2021, 11:33 AM
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Going to stay tight for a while while the new and used markets adjust. MMR is up over 20% since Jan. That is nuts! The rental car market will have some to dump when the fleet market recovers.
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Old 05-24-2021, 12:16 PM
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I was an advocate of Ford Focus for a long time. Gen 1 and Gen 2 cars were decent, but getting harder to find. STAY AWAY FROM THE GEN 3 VERSION. My son was in a 2013 Focus, and that car was a money pit; too many new gizmos were added and most were fails. Can't vouch for the Gen 4's. If you can find a nice Gen 1 or Gen 2, they can be decent value buys.
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Old 05-24-2021, 12:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HoodPin View Post
I was an advocate of Ford Focus for a long time. Gen 1 and Gen 2 cars were decent, but getting harder to find. STAY AWAY FROM THE GEN 3 VERSION. My son was in a 2013 Focus, and that car was a money pit; too many new gizmos were added and most were fails. Can't vouch for the Gen 4's. If you can find a nice Gen 1 or Gen 2, they can be decent value buys.
I got a Focus as a rental car once. I hated it. I was going to call you and complain.
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Old 05-24-2021, 01:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VaSteve View Post
I got a Focus as a rental car once. I hated it. I was going to call you and complain.
I had a gen 1 for a while (01-06), and did a couple of trackdays early in my career in a Focus with a bunch of suspension work. Robust little cars that drive well. Gen2 (08-11) are just facelifted gen1 cars for the most part, mechanically very similar.

I too had a 3rd gen Focus as a rental...early and horrifically bad DCTs made them undrivable. Never tried a manual of that generation.
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Old 05-24-2021, 03:47 PM
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My son has a 240K mile 2008 Accord. I think his mother paid $5K for it. Car runs fine. No repairs other than a half shaft snapped one day. corrosion on the inside that apparently was a problem on those, but other than that it has been fine.
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Old 05-25-2021, 09:15 AM
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Back in 2016 I was hoping to spend about $5K on a vehicle for my son, who graduated from high school that year. I was not impressed with what I could find in that price range, and I ended up spending something like $12K on a 2008 Tacoma. Five years later, I don't really regret it, as I have had to do nothing to the truck except regular maintenance, and I haven't had any problems with it.

I did spend a few hundred dollars on a Kenwood head unit with Apple Car Play. I noticed my son had a habit of putting directions into his phone for navigation, and looking at the phone placed on his lap. For some reason he did not like using a Garmin. With Car Play, he can get his navigation on a screen that I think is better than him trying to look at his phone.

Anyway, not saying you need to spend $12K. However, investing a few more dollars now might be worth it.
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