hi all. Ok here's the deal. My mother has offered to spend $3000 on a car for me (i dont have the cash myself). We are going to be moving to samford on the 7th of april which, for the people who dont know, is a fair way out from my school etc. The thing is, she has made one constriction on the deal... that i MUST buy it from a car dealership.

What i'm looking for is nothing fast, simply something that will get me from point A to point B. I'm looking for a car that is cheap, and won't break down.

Considering the fact that i don't know much about cars i was wondering if anyone would be able to let me know their suggestions about any cars that match the description above. Also, if anyone has previously bought cars from a Dealership and found them to be reliable, please let me know about that too.

Bearing in mind that i have $3000 to spend, what do you think would be my best bet??

please only post replies that are on-topic (no V8 supercars please)

thankyou in advance for your help.

get a mini, the most fun you can have in a car for $3000.

If you can get to Kedron.... Chermside way. Have a look there, along Gympie road, theres a fair few dealerships with cheap cars $1500 + Worth a look. ooher

if your living at samford you need a pickup truck or a
or a 4x4 to be the complete gaming redneck :D

See if you can pick up a late-80's, efi Pulsar. My sister had one and it was still going strong with around 200,000k's on the clock. It used to get thrashed, too - most gear changes going close to redline, etc.

Steer clear of Hyundai's and Mitsubishi's (although I had an 85 Mitsubishi Cordia as my first car that did me very well, but the sigmas/magnas with the 2.6l Astron engine apparently are where mechanics make all their money)

Best advice - get a mechanic you trust to check the car out, as well as the RACQ inspection. RACQ go "it's got a broken indicator and a scratch in the left passenger door", etc, etc. My mechanic looked at the Cordia and went "well, the number 2 cylinder has a lazy valve that comes good once it warms up a little, so it won't cause you a problem for a long time yet, other than that it's in perfect condition - I'd even buy it myself if I was looking for a car". That's great peace of mind. :)

oh i forgot one thing... it MUST be an auto... i'm just going for an auto license purely because i need it in a HURRY

pffft. sif auto.

yeah, sif

why on earth would you want to do something as mind-bendingly boring as change gears when a machine could do it for you

I agree with cerb, about the pulsars, i used to have an 86ET and the only prob i had was with the turbo(twice), my mate also has a 90 Gl pulsar, he paid about 4000 and it hasnt missed a beat since.

The only trouble i think you will have is getting an auto that is reliable for that price, theres a fair chance that the transmission in a $3000 automatic will be, um......rather worn and once that happens, thenm your in for some $$$to get it fixed.

You won't get a decent injected/turbo Pulsar for three grand - not a chance. Get a Volvo - for the money they are the best built car by light years. The autos in them are good to. I know you won't buy one but that is what I'd recommend.

Anarot, ive never been in a Volvo in my life and i dont know anyone thats got one, ummm i want to ask a few questions.

Can you pull a skid in them ? what engine, what L are they wahts the standart KW, and s***. Just i dont know about s*** on Volvos, and it seems you are the BOMB with them :)

yh gte a car ,mak sur u get achep one totho coxz thn hoplfuly it brakdown n thn u stuk in thd midle of nowere n mayb judst mabye a crzy ceral mudrder prson comalong n fok u up n hamr u n stuf eithr tht or a durnkn blok ina scemitralar wil run ov n driv ovr u n teh pice o shi car u bort n ppl wil rembr u as th fokn coksokn autro drivn pusy poo smeln tossa tht got hamrd n no t a fokn homo s***kikn fgagweed nomal persn wanbe tht evryon curneltly knosw u as

Well if basically what u want is some heap on wheels.. u could get ANYTHING...

I reccomend an older model corolla, or pulsar for sure.
but dont be a fool and buy from dealerships... you will be paying 1k+ than it would be say on the trading post.. which is where I reccomend you go... type your cash limit in and search away..

when was the last time u seen RUNNING car that MOVES in a dealership for $2999?

Im paying 3-4k for my sprinter @ the end of the year..but then again im getting an sr20det in it, respray,lowering,16"s,exhaust... basically all the goodies I want =)


here is a pic of what my ride is gonna look like... um sept with a better engine =D and wheels.

http://cp.qgl.org/SprinteR.jpg

also some more pics @
http://cp.qgl.org/SprinteR-2 and SprinteR-3.jpg

nah I'd still get a manul liecense(me CANT f***ING SPELL!)

anyway that way you can look at any car, and the one you like, might even be an manual. and you have till the 7th, its the 27th. theirs 1 weekend in the middle, so you have 12 days to get a liecense. thats 12 times, unless your like my bro, which took 13 times and he read the book 4 times....

btw he is one of those book worms and gets vha's in maths C, maths B, english, chem, phyics, and sa in graphics.

i think hes dumb really.

it takes 3-4 weeks after the date you book it to actually take the test... i'm booked in for the 18th ffs, that was the earliest i could get... i'm gonna be calling the transport department often to see if they have made any cancellations tho... f***ing gay if u ask me.

Sprinters are s***, my nextdoor neightbour has one :) Nice drifts thouhg i must admit

hahaha well they aint that bad, better then a Voltswagon

auto or manual isnt going to matter, only hard thing learning in a manual is taking off. autos are boring :|

buy it private

Buy me a MINI VAN :P
preferably purple/black combo

err..no.. sprinters arent s***..

maybe err.. ur s*** =D

I dont think the original drift king, most popular modded car in japan is s***.. they look DOPE when done up, and ill have the power to back it up.. and it will be light..

compare it to a volswagon u fool.

Mate I'm not totally sure of power outputs - its hard to find s*** like that out about older cars. Trust me it can pull a skid though. Its got a 2.3 litre injected (they've been injected since the seventies) four banger but its a damn strong SOHC one. In auto it won't burnout from standing start, but neither will anything that is auto for this money. They are the best for circle work though - trust me!!!

Also if you crash it (which is highly likely for a starting driver in the city) you are a million times more likely to survive than in anyting else for money and a volvo will also sustain a lot less damage. I know a guy who hit a tree head on at 80km/h in one and drive it home :)

Im assuming your talking about the sprinter?

Hmm..power.. yes the stock 4AC engine sucks man... but then there is the 4a-ge... hmmm... or the 4a-gze..hmmmm

BUT.. im getting a SR20DET *holy grail music* 147kw stock, east to get over 200kw with the right mods..


So the power output will be good man =)

mm...

Well I know ya ll bag out Hyundai Excels and so ya should...the newer ones anyways.

I got a 94 Excel (was my parents car and they gave it to me when the bought their commodore) which was second hand. It has done from Townsville to Adelaide and back and a lot more and is still going very strong.

Got over 200K on the clock and still runs really nice. I wouldnt touch any Excel past that but the older ones can really pull the kms....Ive flogged hell out of this car so Im surprised its still going!!

HAHAHahhaha excel f*****@!

You got it Zoix.... Excel = homosexual to the absolute max - any of them.

cerb, i have a mistubishi scorpion, and the 2.6 engine has had no problems so far, and its still going strong. the only rpoblem is that its not fuel injected, so i am spending a lot fo money on fuel :(

Tung

Umm.... fuel injection does not make the car that much more efficient.... it would still be s*** even with injection mate... :)

someone find me a car

i have 100 dorrah but hoping for another 50 bucks next week

so i have 150 dorrah

Get a Datto mate, and run it on pure metho.

Pull the exhuast off and buzz your lips into it and you'll have a Dattorido :)

hehe just thinking about this thread.... the wheels on my 200SX will be worth about as much as Pharcyde's whole car.

sorry but I just had to say it :P.

go looking in the motor section of saturdays paper

there are so many awesome cars for like 300 bucks :)

datto 200b's and the like

but for like 1k u can get and old celica and they still look really cool

PLUS they are rear wheel drive

haha sorry rubbs... not all of our fathers can own a computer business like yours :D

get a job yas bum and save even more money and get a better car than a datto

:D

i agree with klindred pulsars rock and they look good when done up a little or alot