cars for kids
 

There was another thread somewhere, but I can't find it now about first cars for kids.

Slightly different take on what I remember from that discussion, but...

Does anyone on the board and not too far from the DC area have a car that's not in terrible shape that they'd want to sell for under $4k? Or know of one?

Life has switched gears enough in recent days such that quickly adding such a vehicle to the family fleet would be immensely helpful, with "quickly" being an important word.

It's tough to get out to see any cars in daylight during the week, recent weekends have shit the bed, and this Saturday is looking snowy.

here's the thread but yeah different discussion here, looks like

http://forums.carmudgeons.com/showthread.php?t=151594

Have you considered an inexpensive lease, there are new cars out there for under $200 a month.

Those cheap lease deals aren't nearly that cheap. None of them are $0 down. Most of the sub $250/mo deals need $2000-$4000 down. Then pay another $500-$900 acquisition fee on top. In Maryland, we also have to pay sales tax on the full cap cost at 6% up front adding another $900-$1500.

At a minimum, I'm out of pocket the same $4k before I start cutting the monthly lease checks...and paying it again (or more) for insurance.

And these are teens. i have no illusions about the likely future of the vehicle. Even if it doesn't get wrecked, I'd probably be looking at $1k or more in charges at lease end for excess wear, dings, scratches, etc.

Jersey shore too far away? Someone I went to school with has been trying to sell his daughter's Maxda 3 for a while. It is not beat up, nor does it look like it came out of the showroom, but high mileage. Black/black 5 or 6 speed (manual not a problem for your daughter right?) around 165K miles (new clutch about 10K miles ago)

last post I saw for it he was asking 2500

Thanks, but, yeah, NJ is way too far for a cheap, old, high mileage car that's not known to me being sold by someone I also don't know.

I hear you, it isn't that old, just high mileage. His daughter drove it many many times back and forth to Michigan State where she was going to school. Few times to Florida too, car has seen some spring breaks!

173k 2004 Toyota Corolla $3700 listing
212k 2012 Honda Accord LX $3290 listing

A friend works for this dealership group and thinks either would be a good bet for the class I'm looking in. Both have damage listed in Carfax, but nothing that sounds major.

+$799 doc fee because Virginia and they can. Not sure if and flexibility in pricing to offset.

Anyone have thoughts?

Ugh, I mean as between those two I guess I'd go for the Accord, since it's a LOT newer, even though it's higher mileage.

wow that doc fee is insane esp on a 4k used car. I guess you can just account for it w/ whatever offer you make.

I don't know whether 4K is a hard limit and I don't know what kind of negotiation you could do, but this would be a decent choice:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...4847/overview/

Or, hey, a ZHP:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...2876/overview/


But this Scion might be a really good catch--it's a stick!

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...8497/overview/

Or this Scion coupe, if you want an auto:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...4127/overview/

Or #vanlife

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...9768/overview/

Actually that Eurovan is pretty fucking dope.

I like the idea is the Scion coupe even with auto.

Actually that ZHP seems like a screaming deal at $4500. The listing is well presented and it reads like a lot of preemptive maintenance was performed. Plus you could teach her to Auto-X. Our 325xit just keeps trucking a long.

Yeah, you're not wrong about that. Would be a bold play but might be better overall than some random shitbox from a buy-here/pay-here lot.

Maybe it's time for John to give up his Mazda3...

The only issue with the ZHP is it is a bmw and they can be expensive to repair unless Clyde is able to do the work himself.

My friend has an E92 and has had quite a bit of problems with the car, meanwhile physically it is absolutely beautiful both inside and out ... you would think it is a perfect car.

I assumed that was the purpose for the thread being started....

What engine.... Let me guess n54?

E46s aren't bad to maintain, but the trick seems to be finding the right one to start with and I don't have the time or energy for it.

A friend and I are also kinda sorta looking for a well maintained and stock stick ZHP. A classing change for last year makes it worth giving a shot and if it doesn't work, it's a high quality, low cost daily driver that should work for a long time.

But, for my kids, the $4k limit is pretty much a hard cap (more accurately, $4.5k all in with inspection, repairs, tags, fees, etc). Also, four doors is nearly a 100% requirement.

Appreciate all the thoughts and links. Keep 'em coming!

I've looked at this ad more than once in the past couple days. I mean...

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/...046321785.html

I think those Scion xDs might really be the sweet spot. They’ve got Toyota mechanicals without the badge, so the resale values seem more reasonable, and that four door wagony bodystyle is incredibly versatile.

What does a used Honda Fit go for?

Does the cooler in picture 14 come with it?


All kidding aside, it appears to be in good shape. If it stays that way, I wonder what it would bring on BAT down the road

It is the 328 model.

Weird. I had no issues with my 2012 E91--also a 328. But I only had it for five years. Perhaps that was the sweet spot?

I came to terms with a guy today on a 181k mile 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6. Original owner. The seller exudes a trustworthy vibe. Some subsequent Googling led to info that strengthens that impression.

It sounds like the car was used by his wife for a daily 65 mile RT commute until two months ago when the wife got a new car. It sounds and appears to have been well maintained. He did not have all service records together, but was pretty sure he could get them from the indy shop that's done all the work on the car since new (other than Honda recalls done at dealer) before we close the sale tomorrow. He volunteered that the car was in two minor fender benders (that don't show on Carfax) and I couldn't really see the repair work without it being pointed out. Even then, meh.

The one slight concern is that there's a bit of oil film on the pan and the front of the engine. Looks like it may be coming out somewhere near the top. Looks like a couple common-ish things it could be that are all pretty cheap and easy to take care of. Could be worse, or multiple leaks, though. But it's also a cheap 181k mile car, so... <shrug> OTOH, there were no oil stains in the driveway or on the street in front of the house. The garage had enough stuff that looked undisturbed that my guess is they haven't parked a car in there in many years.

The interior is about as spotless looking at 10 year old Honda leather car look. After seeing lots of pics of high mileage Accords with leather, I don't think it's a bold statement to say Honda uses some really crummy leather that does not hold up to use and doe not age particularly well. The leather on the driver seat has some noticeable cracking, but no gaping holes like almost all the others I've seen. The passenger seat is in better shape, but doesn't look great. The back seats, which he said have almost never been used, look fine. Otherwise, "clean" is the only word that comes to mind. Even the rubberized soft touch plastic stuff looked and felt like it was in good shape.

A big plus is that the car has a current MD Used Car Inspection. Maryland requires a used car to pass a pretty thorough safety inspection before they'll tag it. It's not a PPI, and the tech doing the inspection has a lot of latitude on most items, but A) it's not a joke like some states' "safety inspections" and B) since it's done, I don't have to do it and won't be on the hook for any repairs before it can be tagged. The one thing the seller had to do was replace one of the foglight assemblies since the alignment mechanism was busted.

I guess we'll see what happens, but with a little luck, we'll have the car here and tagged by Wednesday evening.

FWIW, forgot to mention...I found the car on Facebook Marketplace

Congrats. Guess you only need it to last a couple years and another ~20k miles, right?

That's the goal.

Any link to the ad ? Honda’s are great and very reliable so overall I think it is a great choice plus that 6 cylinder is a great engine.

Have the airbag recalls been done? That would be my only concern. It seems the few fatalities from Takata airbags have been in Hondas. BTW, I had a V6 Honda Accord coupe. Probably a 2005 or so, though. It had a lot of squeaks and rattles, and yes, really crummy leather. But, I’m sure those cars were otherwise bulletproof, because I still seem them on the road.

He marked the listing as "sold" about the time I got home and it looks like it's fully down, now. Pics from the listing are attached. The text of the listing (people aren't very descriptive when listing stuff on FB):

"Seller's Description

2008 Honda Accord EXL. Timing belt replaced, new radiator, all maintenance done locally @ Auto Tech in Bowie. Very good condition, normal wear, passed Maryland State Inspection 11/13/2019. Blue Book is $4,280-$5,731, asking price $4,370.00"

Airbag recalls are done. A mechanic friend at a shop that works on almost everything (from shitbox million year old Tercels to nearly brand new exotics) says they get about as many V6s as 4 cylinders from these generations of engines, which suggests the V6s aren't quite as bulletproof as the 4 bangers. But like ZBB pointed out, the car only has to last so long to be a successful purchase.

Wooo ... I like that car a lot ... I am a big fan of the Honda Accord and love that color combo ... that is really exciting ... you’ve got to feel good ... you’ve got one lucky kid !!

Thanks, Alan! Complete 180 from this point 24 hours ago when I was stressing that I wasn't going to find anything I was comfortable with to having a deal in place that I'm highly confident in.

And it's two lucky kids! ;) The older one will be the primary driver of it until late summer/early fall when she leaves for school...and then the younger one a few weeks later when she gets her license.

When they're both in town after that...it's up to them to fight it out. Curious how that will go.

Sweet! looks sharp!

Congrats. Looks like a good score. Fwiw, we had an 08 mdx and the leather was really bad too.

Nice purchase!

Excellent find, Clyde! 👍🏻

Title and keys (and a bunch of service records) in hand. Tags and a drive home tomorrow!