$2000 for reliable car.

My parents, who live in Pa, have had 3 Tauruses. The last 2 needed transmissions "before" what would be considered as a "normal" lifetime. Yes, they are quite reliable, engine-wise, but unless you want to drive a car with a transmission that MIGHT go before that 2 or 3 years is up....look at a GM first. That said, keep in mind that GM engines have "issues" with intake manifold gaskets leaking.

I'm prejudiced, so I would recommend a Honda, but a better bargain might be a Nissan....either Maxima or Sentra.

As others have said, it can pay to look at overall condition rather than look for a specific model.

fwd subaru?

Another vote for Camry/Corolla/Prism. We bought a $200 Corolla for the '08 BABE rally. A friend needed a car for work prior to the BABE rally so we gave it to him and found another BABE car. Our friend is still driving the Corolla. Great reliability. Boneyard parts easy/cheap to find. Relatively easy to work on when needed.

Will a family of 4 fit in a prism/rolla?

FlightService wrote: Will a family of 4 fit in a prism/rolla?

Its a bit of a squeeze, but its doable, as long as you aren't loading it down with the kitchen sink. My parents got by with an 81 Corolla Liftback, with two kids in Jr High at the time. It wasn't comfortable, but it worked.

FlightService wrote: Will a family of 4 fit in a prism/rolla?

It's designed to seat four, so yes.

carzan wrote: It's designed to seat four, so yes.

So is a 911, wouldn't want to do it.

Thanks everyone for their opinion.

I've been checking craigslist and found plenty of your recommendations.

Just saw a '99 SAAB 9-5 for $2,200 with 177K miles, leather everything, power eveything, sunroof, very very pretty.

Should I not consider the SAABs for now?

Conventional wisdom says RUN AWAY from the V6 SAABs, though I have never owned one.

skip the saab. Factor in your repair budget. The more expensive a car was from the factory, it's more likely the parts to fix it are just as pricey.

TRoglodyte wrote: 1963 ford falcon 4 door.

Don't say that. My old boss just found a nice 60 comet four door and I am trying to convince myself it would be a bad DD.

Lots of good suggestions here.

In addition to the ones already listed (with Taurus or Geo Prism high on the list), I'd suggest a 1994-1999 Jetta or Golf.

As with any car this age, buy one that has been well maintained vs. one that hasn't, even if it is a few hundred dollars more and isn't as pretty. You'll thank yourself later when you're driving it instead of working on it.

In reply to Brett_Murphy:

How about 94-99 VW TDI's?

I'm not all that familiar with the TDIs, but the same rule applies: make sure there are good maintenance records.

I'll let the TDI crowd chime in, I don't want to spread any bad information.

Just found a '97 Jetta, the guys says the engine blows a lot of smoke, but still runs, he wants $650 for it.

Even swapping the engine, it will be far less than $2000, what else should I check for.

Thanks

Wally wrote:

TRoglodyte wrote: 1963 ford falcon 4 door.

Don't say that. My old boss just found a nice 60 comet four door and I am trying to convince myself it would be a bad DD.

Can't be worse than a Cavalier, can it?

MeinNJ wrote: Just found a '97 Jetta, the guys says the engine blows a lot of smoke, but still runs, he wants $650 for it. Even swapping the engine, it will be far less than $2000, what else should I check for. Thanks

Electrical. A jetta that old is BOUND to have some bad wiring somewhere.

Also woot post 2000!

Holy cow, RUN away from the VW. Or anything else European. They might be fun but the reliability sux. Take my word for it: stay Japanese. I will eleventy fourth the Prizm/Corolla (they are like vampires, they just don't die) and throw in Civics/Accords. You can usually find manual tranny models of any of these dirt cheap because no one want s to row their own any more.