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Reliable cars for around 1500-2000 dollars

indygrandprix

indygrandprix

New member
Anyone know of any cars that are decently reliable and can be had for around 2K?

I know for 2k you can't get a perfectly good running, driving and looking car

But besides GP's I can't seem to find any other cars that aren't a crackerbox like a civic and also something that's easy to work on. I went and looked at an 01 Dodge Stratus R/T not a bad looking car IMO but the 3.0 engine just looked so cramped compared to the GP's. And the suspension has way more ball joints than necessary.

So what cars are there besides GP's, Regals, Bonnies, and Montes that are decent. Not looking for anything thats a racekar just a DD.
 


Camry? Buddy had one beat the tar out of it and never had problems as far as I know.

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Accords with the 4 cylinders tend to be easy to work on (somuchroom.engimebayyy) and last forever. Buddies has 220k and he barely does anything to it other than drive.
 
cavaqueers are meh, my mom has one. nothing drivetrain wise but the interior will fall apart, guages crap out all the time too.

My buddies accord is a 2000.
 


My sister has a 98 accord 4cyl with 225k I believe. Has been a damn good car for the 3 years she's had it, no major problems.
 
Not a huge modern Chrysler fan. Seen too many with trans/head gasket issues. Might just be me though. Mazda 323 or 626, Hyundai Accent, Ford Ranger (late 90's early 2000's), Chevy Malibu come to mind.
 
What about a 94 Firebird with an LT1 and 90,000 miles. Has different color body panels and all the paint is sun fadded but its rust free and miles are correct. I've always heard that the LT1 motors are really reliable.
 


Friend of mine has a '96 Camry.

Never seen any major work done. Daily drives it with 175k and still runs just fine.
 
indygrandprix said:
What about a 94 Firebird with an LT1 and 90,000 miles. Has different color body panels and all the paint is sun fadded but its rust free and miles are correct. I've always heard that the LT1 motors are really reliable.
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90K miles isn't bad for that year.The LT1's are a good motor. Common issue is the Optispark. If it goes make sure you replace it with an OEM Delco one and you should be good. They also have a reverse cooling system on them that can be an issue if you don't burp the system correctly, but not a major issue. As long as it's had a good maint. history I'd grab it. They can last well into the 300K range with routine maint. Problem is people like to beat on them and not maintain them. I just sold my 95 Formula T-top with 145K on it for $400 with a blown LT1 (drivers HG). Was my buddies car. Decently fast and decent mileage (for a V8) if driven normally. The LT1's get a bad rap sometimes but taken care of they can last. I'd be more concerned about the multi colored body panels on that one more than the paint quality. Wonder how many times it's been wrecked, and how badly??
 
If you aren't partial to any one brand, you could probably find a Crown Vic, Grand Marquis or Towncar that would serve you well. The Panther platform is known for it's longevity and are reasonably comfortable depending on which one you get. Parts are cheap and often interchange between them, they get ok mileage for a V8 and have loads of trunk space. I'd go for at least a 99+ car if I was looking. When driven normally I get around 390/400 miles per tank on my 03 LX Sport with the 3.27 rear. I drive a lot of hwy and have seen as high as 424/tank.
 
A 4 CYL 5 speed ranger base model, can be had for nothing and cannot, will not die. 18-21 year old me had a part time job at napa, the whole last 9 months working there was trying to kill the napa ranger named "disaster transport" I played bumper cars emptied the oil and diff fluid, jumped tracks with 1000 lbs of batteries in the back hit a fire hydrant just abused the hell out of it. Did not die, with 600k VERY VERY hard miles running 24/7. a friend of mine bought the thing 3 years ago and it has won 2 demo derbys the one it lost it got stuck on the hood of another truck.

That is exactly what I have as a cheap beater, have not put a dime in mine 278k.

I
 


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