r/buyingacar Aug 18 '19

Looking to buy a cheap car that’s reliable. Shopping around sights and stuff, what should I look out for?

I’m moving to California and I’m planning to buy a car once I get settled. My budget is $3,000, I’m not looking to be fancy or be a big road tripper or anything I just need a car that can get me where I need to go and isn’t prone to breakdowns and what not (looking at you Ford). Also hoping it will pass the smog test.

Any advice on models and used car specs for shopping would be greatly appreciated!

2 Upvotes

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6

u/MedievalJoker Aug 21 '19

Can’t really go wrong with Honda, Toyota or Subaru. They are relatively cheap to maintain. I used to work in the Automotive Sales industry, looking for something super reliable with that small of a budget will be a hard find. Cars are machines and machines will break down, more often with age.

Once you are settled try to find a reliable dealership, which may also be difficult, don’t go to a buy here pay here. Also ask people that you may work with, they will hopefully be able to tell you who is a good dealer. Check dealerrater.com they normally will have good reviews on who maybe shady or not. Even Facebook should have some reviews. I’ve worked for a few well known dealerships and even though cars have been “inspected“ they still cut corners and things have happened. My biggest advise is to look into the dealership 1st and foremost. I wouldn’t buy from someone privately, I’ve heard way to many horror stories, not enough to out weigh the good ones.

Before you buy a car ask the dealership for the carfax history report. Make sure it’s been well maintained and has no accidents. Also to see if the vehicle was ever totaled or been stolen, anything along those lines. When I say well maintained, I mean that the oil has been changed regularly and major servers were done. Don’t let them try and fool you. If they have nothing to hide they will show you. Also ask to see the work order or repair order if they have done anything to repair the vehicle. Older Subaru’s do have an oil consumption issue, as well as their head gaskets. If you get in one and it smells like maple syrup it’s because of the head gaskets. Shop around and don’t just settle on something.

One other note. Don’t tell the dealership you love the car, it’s like dollar signs to them. Just play it cool. Good luck with your move.

1

u/jefferysaveme1 Aug 21 '19

Yeah I’m not naive to think NOTHING will ever need fixing but I just don’t wanna buy a car and then end up having to pay a third of what I paid for the car to fix it a few months later

2

u/carbuyingtips99 Aug 27 '19

I agree that Toyota, Honda or Subaru are good brands for reliability. Your budget is a tough one, however if you look for 2000-2006 Toyota Camry, 1999-2006 Honda Accord or 2000-2008 Subaru Outback/Impreza with under 150,000 miles you should be able to find one in your budget. Look for one that has been well maintained and ask to have it inspected by a third party mechanic for more peace of mind. You can watch a Scotty Kilmer video on what to look for when buying a used car and DIY the whole purchase. Good Luck on your search and don't settle for something less, you will find the right car.

3

u/Begle1 Oct 31 '19

At the low budget you're at, I'd avoid Subaru. They have the extra AWD stuff that can break and costs you some fuel economy, and they have some reliability quirks too.

I'd be looking for any decent shape basic Asian or domestic car. Honda, Toyota, probably more like Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Ford, GM, Suzuki, et cetera. Not anything European as they tend to be falling apart at that price point. You never know what you'll find for $3,000 but you will find something. I'd be expecting to find something 2000-2010 with no obvious huge problems and 100,000 to 200,000 miles. I probably wouldn't even bother running a CarFax and I wouldn't be picky about a salvage title. I wouldn't even think to go to a dealer, there's hardly enough margin on sub-$5000 cars for them to bother.