Quote:
Originally Posted by xxForgedxx
You're not gonna get a mid 90's Camry for under $2,000 that doesn't need more money put into it.
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Every car in that category will need money put into it to be perfect or even nice. The idea at that price range is to leave things non-perfect if they are not completely mission critical. And in this price range, how a car was driven/maintained will have more effect than what brand it is. I've had dirt cheap Hondas and Toyotas that were constantly stranding me, and dirt cheap domestics that didn't. And vice versa.
A couple examples, I had a $700 '83 Jetta that went 250k miles (had 180k on it when I got it) with nothing more than oil changes and brake pads. And a sub $500 '81 Chevy Citation that went from 200k miles to 323k miles. Not everything worked on either car, but the engines did, and neither left me stranded anywhere or failed to start and drive. Neither were very pretty, but that's what a cheap beater is all about.
Can you do repairs on your own or do you have to take a car to the shop for repair?
There are a lot of cars on cragslist in your area, or at least relatively close to it. So in your case, the best cheap beater will be whatever runs best in your price range.
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1059359862.html
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ctd/1059338965.html
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1045910771.html
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/1059783043.html
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/1059114779.html
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/1059041659.html
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/1057880803.html
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/1057363865.html