Whatever happened to getting a good used car...

[Mitchell Andrus]

Whatever happened to getting a good used car for about $600.00?

My son's car died. 2001 Jetta with 134K miles.... bent a rod, engine's toast. Ouch. He was supposed to take this to college from NJ to ND in 2 weeks. I guess it's better now than later.

His budget is tight - about $5,000.00 - this doesn't buy much under 90,000 miles. At least not in NJ.
.

[Nate Carey]

...not in New Hampshire or Florida either!

...$600.00 for a decent used car ended about 1970...

[Matt Meiser]

One think I know you can get for that around here is a Ford Ranger with a 4cyl or 3.0L V-6 both of which will easily go 200K miles if properly cared for. The guy who bought my freezer the other day had 250K on his 4cylinder. The truck was beat to you-know-what from being well used but he said it still ran strong. My parents have a 3.0 and have about 200 on it, though it recently started using oil. I had one with 157 that was still going strong when I traded it in. It hasn't changed much since about 93 so parts are plentiful.

[mike holden]

"Whatever happened to getting a good used car for about $600.00?"

Mitch, its called "inflation" (grinnn!)
Back in my day, long, long ago - a decent car ran about what a senior could make in his/her summer job before going off to college.
So, 5 - 6,000$ seems about right.

If you cost things out by the amount of time needed to work to buy them, there is really very little inflation, actually there is some deflation in some cases.

Mike

[Heather Thompson]

How about just replacing the engine, should be able to come in way under 5000.00 even with the cost of install. I just checked with GEX and they will do a 2 liter that fits 99-04 Jetta cars for 2499.00, my neighbor said he would do it for under a 1000.00. If the car has been cared for that would be the route I would take, I would also do the work myself but I have had oil and grease on my body since I was about six. :D

Heather

[Dave Johnson29]

2001 Jetta with 134K miles.... bent a rod, engine's toast.

First off, tell the son to stop lead footing. It is virtually impossible for a rod to bend and lunch the engine unless macho-mucho-RPM is involved. It is RPMs that kills engines.

OK, off the soap box and I am with Heather, check the local wreckers and you should find a low mileage drop in replacement for around a thousand bucks. Another 500-bucks at the local garage would have the swap done.

[glenn bradley]

A co-worker bought a 1973 Ford F-150 beater for about $1800 awhile back. $5000 will get you a Honda Civic with 150k on it around here.

I have had good luck picking up land-yachts from older folks who have quit driving for a few hundred bucks now and then. The gas is bad but the insurance is super cheap and there are no payments. You know, a 1973 Buick La Saber or something like that(?).

[Paul Ryan]

First off, tell the son to stop lead footing. It is virtually impossible for a rod to bend and lunch the engine unless macho-mucho-RPM is involved. It is RPMs that kills engines.

OK, off the soap box and I am with Heather, check the local wreckers and you should find a low mileage drop in replacement for around a thousand bucks. Another 500-bucks at the local garage would have the swap done.

Sorry to contradict Dave, but there are lots of ways for a rod to bend with out lead footing it provided there are other issues with the motor. And in generally RPM's are good for motors keeps the motor clean, less carbon. A 2001 jetta wouldn't have over REV'd casing engine damage they have a REV limiter. I will get off my soap box now.

You can still find cars for $600 they may need some work though. I buy 2-3 a year off craigslist for under $1000 and sell them for a nice profit. Usually they need head gaskets, tranny, intake gaskets, engine. I bought a 1994 chrysler lebaron 3.0 V6 for $100 back in 2000. I put over 150K on it before I did anything to it other than oil changes, brakes, and tune-up. It was cheap becuase it had a slight dent in the roof near the right rear corner (tree) the passenger mirror was torn off, and the paint was pealing near the dent. In the end the car had 264k when the tranny locked up and I decided it was time for something else. I ended up getting $250 for it from the junk yard. So I drove the car for 6 years and made $150 not to shabby. You have to look around, you arn't going to find a car worth a darn from a any kind of dealer for $600.

[Dan Mages]

I think that one of the major issues in finding a good used car is that cars last longer and people hold on to them longer. My car 8 years old, has 112k miles on it, still gets 24mpg and is in amazing shape. I hope it will last at least 200-250k before biting the dust.

Good luck on the search.

Dan

[Karl Brogger]

I'd just swap in another engine, or pay someone else to do it. Like others have said, it should be back on the road for around $1500.

[Belinda Barfield]

. . . I have had oil and grease on my body since I was about six. :D

Heather

LOL . . . time for a bath Heather? :eek:;)

[Bruce Volden]

OK, were he my son I'd put him on a bus to North Dakota. I'd let him figure out the "lay of the land" for a few weeks until WINTER sets in. Then I'd let him go find something that will start in -30 below weather, and BUY IT!!!

If ND means Notre Dame then its a differnt story.

IIRC this college offered something along the lines of helicopter study?? I don't think they start either!:D:D

Bruce

[Mitchell Andrus]

Back in my day, long, long ago - a decent car ran about what a senior could make in his/her summer job before going off to college.
So, 5 - 6,000$ seems about right.



That's exactly right. My HS car cost one summer's income.
.

[Mitchell Andrus]

How about just replacing the engine, should be able to come in way under 5000.00 even with the cost of install. I just checked with GEX and they will do a 2 liter that fits 99-04 Jetta cars for 2499.00, my neighbor said he would do it for under a 1000.00. If the car has been cared for that would be the route I would take, I would also do the work myself but I have had oil and grease on my body since I was about six. :D

Heather

If I was younger, I'd do it. (My freinds and I replaced many engines in the 70's.... had to. Cars went about 60k miles on an engine change.) My son hasn't the skills, and he's got to get on the road faster that we can get a salvage engine pulled and delivered, let alone installed. I offered the car to the mechanics at the VW dealership. One of them offered $500.00 for it - mostly because of the custom rims.

Getting the car running and shipping it to him later adds $800.00 to the cost, again making it costly.

I've got more money than time and patience.
.

[Mitchell Andrus]

OK, were he my son I'd put him on a bus to North Dakota. I'd let him figure out the "lay of the land" for a few weeks until WINTER sets in. Then I'd let him go find something that will start in -30 below weather, and BUY IT!!!

If ND means Notre Dame then its a differnt story.

IIRC this college offered something along the lines of helicopter study?? I don't think they start either!:D:D

Bruce

Yep, University of North Dakota, Aerospace for Aviation Mgmnt. I've been there and you need a car. Grand Forks. Middle of nowhere. Chopper course is on the list for years 2, 3, 4.
.

[Mitchell Andrus]

First off, tell the son to stop lead footing. It is virtually impossible for a rod to bend and lunch the engine unless macho-mucho-RPM is involved. It is RPMs that kills engines.

OK, off the soap box and I am with Heather, check the local wreckers and you should find a low mileage drop in replacement for around a thousand bucks. Another 500-bucks at the local garage would have the swap done.

The knock hasn't been looked at with eyeballs, just heard so it's either bent and rubbing or the bearing is fried, along with the crank. Either way..... it's a LOUD one.

The trouble wasn't a lead foot. There is a controller in the intake manifold that went bad and caused detonation problems. (we fixed this for almost $500.00 to get it running again and had to re-program the computer to boot) He took his foot off the gas to take an exit ramp and it stayed at 3,500 rpm's til he turned it off and coasted to a stop banging the whole time. It's a rare thing, but it happens just at highway speeds. He got the car about 15K miles ago. No telling who hammered it before him.
.

[Paul Ryan]

Mitchel,

Are you sure it needs a motor? You say it just happens at highway speeds right? First of all 3500 RPM when you take your foot off the gas, that is a lot of RPMS unless you are accelerating. But is it the RPM staying high that only happens at highway speeds or is it the knock. If it is a knock that sounds kind of strange. 1st of all a bent rod 99 out of 100 times wont cause a knock. If you have a knock it could be in the lower end (rod bearing or main bearing) or in the upper end lash adjuster, piston slap, exhaust leak, or other issues. There is an easy way to determine if it is in the lower end. Start the car let it idle and flick the throttle with your foot. If it starts to rattle or knock right when the RPM's start comming down from their highest point then you have a connecting rod knock. If it knocks all of the time while running but does not get erratic when on the gas meaning it is a consistant knock knock knock knock only getting faster with engine speed and sounds kind of hollow then it is a main. Either of those problems are fatal. If it only does it when the rpms are above 3500 you could have other issues, still possible bearings but more unlikely. If you haven't had someone look at it I would go that route 1st. If you have any they told you, "you have a bent rod" take it some where else they are pulling your "middle leg." It just sounds fishy to me if it only happens above 3500 rpm's.

[dennis thompson]

Mitchell
If you decide to buy a used car try Autotrader.com. I just got my daughter a 2001 Ford Taurus with 43,000 miles on it ,in very nice shape, for $4500.( I'm in Morris county, NJ ,it was from a private owner)
Dennis

[Mitchell Andrus]

The 'above 3,500 rpm' problem has been fixed. A controller broke and the computer was sent into never-land for a while. They've both been addressed so we could give a proper listen, and now the engine 'should' run normally but for the mechanical breakage.

For all I know, the piston is at the top of the chamber and the rod is in 2 pieces. Saw this in HS auto shop... the car was running for 2 weeks (poorly) and our jaws hit the floor when we saw the mess inside the pan once we got it up on the lift. Proof that Toyota builds tough lil engines. Also, see the photo below. Engines will run with a rod broken in two.

It knocks or "bang, bang, bang, bang, bangs" when you start it up, at idle and up to about 1,500 rpm. It won't go better than about 1,500 rpm. It shakes pretty badly too. The noise is from down low, around the crankcase. Rod's shot, best bet is the crank is too as well as the rod that share's the journal if they're hitting.

It's too cooked and at 150,000 miles too old to bother fixing, unless you are a mechanic, don't charge yourself $110.00/hr. and can get a used engine on the cheap. My best quote so far is $2,800.00 assuming all of the hoses and connections are OK and an engine can be found, and it isn't also toast. VW parts.... $$$$. Timeline... a month or 2. Heck, it took 2 weeks and $450.00 parts and labor just to get to get it running again.

Complicating things here..... my wife is going with him to get the dorm set up (there's a Target in town), attend parent's orientations, etc. She's had a one-way ticket home for 7 weeks.

If they don't go by car, they will have to buy last-minute, one-way tickets costing $1,500.00 or more. I'd rather put that towards a lower mileage car that doesn't need an engine.

Here's an interesting picture from the FAA: It's a connecting rod poking through the cowling of a Cessna. The plane flew at low power to the nearest airport for an otherwise uneventful landing - at night.
.

[Paul Ryan]

Makes more sense to me now. Sounds like it needs a motor. Regardless with such short notice you are screwed I guess. With last minutes tickets being so expensive I guess you will have to bite the bullet. Another option might be to loan him your car until you can trade at some point. But that is a long long long way to drive to exchange cars. Good luck.

[Dave Johnson29]

I know this is out of the price range but maybe something like this...

http://www.edmunds.com/hyundai/accent/2009/index.html

OK, so it does not have all the bells and whistles but solid reliable and low cost to buy and run all for under 10-grand.

[Jeff Monson]

Yep, University of North Dakota, Aerospace for Aviation Mgmnt. I've been there and you need a car. Grand Forks. Middle of nowhere. Chopper course is on the list for years 2, 3, 4.
.

Funny post Mitchell, for me anyways, I live in Grand Forks, I own an import shop (work on a ton of vw's) and I also sell used cars. IMO the car isnt worth fixing, why stick 2500 into a car that isnt worth that much? You are right though, it is very hard to find a decent car nowdays, in our area dealers are short on cars making it very hard for us (used car dealers) to find inventory, as a result it has driven the price up to the point where its hard to make any money.

Anyways, if your son is up here for school and needs help make sure he drops me a line, I'd take good care of him.

www.goldenruleautosales.com (http://www.goldenruleautosales.com)
www.gatewayautotech.com (http://www.gatewayautotech.com)

[Scott T Smith]

My neighbor just bought one of the small Chevy (suzuki) cars for around 13K new.

If you take your son's 5K, and add the 3,500 "cash for clunkers" rebate to it, you now have 8,500 to play with. If he can come up with another 5 K or so, he can have a new car that should be good for 130K miles with proper maintenance.

Just something to think about.

Another thing to think about is figuring out what kind of car that you'd like to purchase that may not be a "hot" reseller. Check on Kelly Blue Book and NADA for the "trade-in" value, and approach some local dealers with an offer to purchase a trade in for a few hundred bucks more than they paid for it. If they want to generate some quick cash, they may bite.

A technician that works for my wife's veterinary practice recently bought a "newer" car from Car Max. They only gave her 1000 for her old car (even though they were reselling locally for 2,500 - 3,500). Lots of folks trade in vehicles at a low price to dealers because they either don't want to fool with selling it outright, or need the trade in value towards the new car. If you can find someone shopping for a new car, see if you can buy their old one for just a little more than they'd get in trade in.

[Matt Meiser]

and add the 3,500 "cash for clunkers" rebate to it, you now have 8,500 to play with.

You can't trade in a non-running car. And a small car like a Jetta probably wouldn't qualify as a trade even running.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Thanks. You never know who you're gonna need to call on when you're in a tough spot.
.

[Mitchell Andrus]

You can't trade in a non-running car. And a small car like a Jetta probably wouldn't qualify as a trade even running.

The clunker has to get <18 mpg. His gets more.
The new car (if financed) will need collision insurance. For an 18 yo male with a permanent address in NJ, add $1,000.00/yr, maybe more.
.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,

The new car (if financed) will need collision insurance. For an 18 yo male with a permanent address in NJ, add $1,000.00/yr, maybe more.


Well, here you go!
Have him buy a house in ND and scarf down that $8k first time buyer's credit :D.

LOL!
That's how you go from a $600.00 used car to >$200,000.00 in a flash! ;)
Think of the money saved on insurance though. :D

[Mitchell Andrus]

Very funny. At that rate, in 200 years the insurance thing is a wash.

[Dave Lehnert]

First off, tell the son to stop lead footing. It is virtually impossible for a rod to bend and lunch the engine unless macho-mucho-RPM is involved. It is RPMs that kills engines.

OK, off the soap box and I am with Heather, check the local wreckers and you should find a low mileage drop in replacement for around a thousand bucks. Another 500-bucks at the local garage would have the swap done.


I had to replace my engine in an F150 lasts winter. The truck sat for a week, coolant filled the number one chamber, got in to start and BANG! bent rod I think the shop said happed.

Anyway......Hope one can get a engine swapped out for what has been quoted here. It cost me $3,800.($4,000 after fluids and tax etc...) That was for a rebuilt Jasper. A used engine was a few hundred cheaper but not no warranty etc..
I called a few shops and got the exact same quote to have the work done.

[Frank Kobilsek]

What happen to good used cars at $600 ... Cash for Clunkers! I think a significant un-intended consequence of the Cash for Clunkers program is that the inventory of good used cars is being destroyed. This will create hardship for the segment of the economy that need those cars for basic transport for several years to come.

Sad that we are using our limited resources to destroy perfectly usefull captial assets. That is economic voodoo I just can't understand.

Frank