Good morning! This week, we’ve been working our way up the price range, doubling the price cap each day. The idea was to find out what the cheapest car is that could still be considered a viable daily driver. Personally, I’d trust any of these, pending a close inspection, but as always, my opinion isn’t what counts. We’ll recap the week’s winners at each price range, and you can tell me how low you would go.
Yesterday was a surprise. From the comments, I expected the Toyota Avalon to win. But enough of you liked the looks of the Volvo C70 to give it the win. Several of you brought up the Avalon’s age as a negative, but in my experience it’s upkeep that impacts a car’s longevity more than its age or mileage.
I think I like the Volvo better, too. That Avalon is awfully nice, but I already have a big comfy black sedan. Convertibles have their downsides, but the retractable hardtop solves most of them. I’d prefer that car with a manual transmission, but they’re rare.
You could hop in any new car and expect it to run and drive flawlessly for a good long while. But that means making a big payment every month for years. The alternative is to buy used, for cash, but that means having the cash in the right place at the right time, and dealing with the unknown factors of a used car. Spending more usually means getting a newer and more reliable car. The trick is finding the price point at which you trust the car, but aren’t raiding the savings account too much. But where is that level for you? Let’s look back at our four winners and you can decide.
1998 Chevrolet Lumina – $700
When you scrape the bottom of the barrel, a car’s condition matters a lot more than its appearance. This Chevy Lumina is terrifying to look at, but its seller swears up and down that it runs and drives just fine. General Motors front-wheel-drive cars from the 1990s are reliable, and cheap to keep on the road, but when they get to this age they tend to be bare-minimum transportation. Whatever niceness it might have had was worn off long ago.
If you’re willing to put in a little elbow grease cleaning it up, though, it’s not terrible. And the seller says the air conditioning works, which is a nice little bonus on a car that costs less than a good sofa. But is it just too far gone for you?
2009 Pontiac Vibe – $2,000
If you can swing two grand, you can get this second-generation Pontiac Vibe. It’s a little rough around the edges, and it has nearly 200,000 miles on it, but it’s a good runner. And it’s a Toyota design, so reliability and durability are baked right in.
If you’re looking for a $2,000 car, chances are you’re looking for an only car, so practicality matters. A small wagon like this Vibe is a great choice. It’s economical and reliable, and it can wear a lot of hats. It won’t impress anyone, but it will get you where you need to go and do what you need it to do.
2012 Mazda 5 Sport – $3,999
The price jump from $2,000 to $4,000 is a big ask, especially if you’re paying it in cash, and at first glance, the quality of the vehicle seems only slightly better. But it’s the little things that make the difference. There’s no body damage here, no warning lights on the dash, and significantly fewer miles on the odometer compared to the Pontiac above. Does that mean it will last longer? Not necessarily, but it does mean life with it will be more pleasant.
This is still not a luxury car, but it has everything you need. The biggest issue might be the sound system; I don’t see an aux port anywhere, and Bluetooth hadn’t trickled down this far in 2012. Hope you kept your CDs. Technology in cars should be easy to update; the DIN standard stereo sizes were a good thing, for that very reason. Systems like these that are all integrated into the dash may look cool, but you’re stuck with them.
2012 Volvo C70 T5 – $7,950
At $8,000, the idea of paying cash for a car is even tougher. And if you have to take out a loan for it, you need to be sure it’s worth it, and will at least hold up for the length of the loan. Volvos of this era are not quite as anvil-tough as the old 240s were, but they’re still reliable and well-built cars. This one’s retractable top mechanism adds some unnecessary complexity, but it also gives you the opportunity for some open-air thrills. Is that worth a little extra money?
As nice as it is, though, it’s still a used car with over 100,000 miles on it, and no warranty. And I know that alone makes it unacceptable to a lot of people. If you’re already getting a car loan, it might make more sense to just go with something new, or certified used, that comes with some protection.
To some degree, your choice today isn’t between these cars in particular. They’re representatives of their respective price ranges. Can you trust a car that only cost a grand? Is even $8,000 not enough to buy you peace of mind? Or is your comfort level somewhere in the middle?
Vibe. $2k Toyota in reasonable shape and a useful hatchback? I’m in. I wish it were closer, I’d probably get it for my coworker that’s struggling.
You mention getting a loan for the Volvo at $8k. Is it really even possible to get a loan on a 14 year old used car for only $8k?
Edit: I mean a loan from a reputable bank.
Yeah, I’m talking the clean, turbo charged Volvo. It’s actually a rather nice car.
Look at that spotless pale leather interior, and crystal clear headlights! The car has clearly been treated well, probably garaged and maintained at the dealer.
Sure, Volvos of this era require the proper preventive maintence, but they aren’t time bombs either. I have seen Volvos with the same engine go for 300,000km without major issues. Yes it has a convertible roof, but it’s not a soft top, and as I said, the vehicle has clearly been lightly used. Anyone voting for anything else is crazy.
The Vibe is a shitbox- I don’t care if it’s a Toyota underneath. My parents owned a Matrix for a bit, and it was nothing special, even brand new.
Mazdas of that era rust like crazy. The only reason to buy a Mazda 5 is for the manual.
The Lumina needs a one way trip to the scrap yard.
Vibe is a Toyota, enough said. I’ve shopped used Mazda’s before and any over 150K miles had transmission issues – no thanks.
Surprised to see the Mazda5 winning, though not disappointed. I voted Vibe. The mileage concerns me not. And at that price, it’s close to being a case of “eh screw it, lets throw a turbo on there.” I know kits are out there!
The lumina is the only one I voted for this week, so keeping with that trend.
Voted Vibe. I don’t like the Volvo enough to want to spend $8k on it—if I’m spending out for a toy, it should be a toy I want. But the Vibe is cheap enough to pay in cash, it’ll be reliable & practical enough, and it won’t stick out as a crappy old car.
Having owned 8 or 9 cars that cost the same or less than the Lumina, I suppose that is my answer.
Mazda 5! “Johnny 5 is ALIVE!”
“No disassemble!”
I feel comfortable w/ all of these except that damn Lumina trash which should be lit on fire w/ explosives inside and driven off a cliff (Please disassemble!) For this it was between the Vibe and the 5. I went 5 since I really liked that but didn’t vote for it since I liked the Odyssey even better. I’ll have fun cruising in it and “livin in a van…DOWN BY THE RIVER!”
I went for the not-so-much-anymore-Lumina. The white paint having left the chat is a known issue for literally every white GM of that era. A good cleaning will have that interior up to snuff. Yes, it’s full of Playskool plastic. That also means most of it will probably still work. The 3100 isn’t stressing the 4T65 out at all so it has a lot of life left. Being a W-body means parts support for days. This is a perfect Gambler. Think of all the trash that trunk could haul out of the woods!
The only one of the four I would rule out is the Volvo. It is by far the most interesting car of the four, but it is the worst value in terms of transportation per dollar. You are paying extra for the retractable top and nice condition – I like “nice” and “convertible” but neither are things that help make a vehicle a good transportation value.
I voted for the Mazda. It strikes the best balance between condition and price. The Vibe is a close second, but I find the dirty interior off putting – “cheap” does have to be synonymous with “nasty.” This might be a good deal with a good detail, though.
The Lumina is a flaming dog turd, but it is a $700 flaming dog turd that runs and drives. If you buy this you are getting a $1400 car with -$700 worth of nasty. Cheap cars don’t have to be nasty, but dirt cheap cars probably do. As a car, it is awful. As a transportation appliance, it is a good value.
I’m a cautious gambler. A $700 bet on the bare metal Chevy seems like the lowest risk. It could potentially provide air conditioned transportation for a good while. If not, leave it where it dies and move on. As a side note, $700 is what the dealers around here charge for their “doc fees.” Man, if I could get a job doing title work, I could afford a much better beater.
Voted for the Vibe, because it’s the cheapest I would actually consider, if I was in a pinch. In reality Volvo all day long.
The Mazda is the meatiest part of the curve: expensive enough to still be in decent shape, cheap enough to not be concerned it’s not perfect, practical, fun (in it’s own way), and somewhat unique.
The Mazda is the most sensible choice today, but I really wanted something more fun to drive on weekends and the C70 ticks almost all the boxes for me (except no manual).
“The biggest issue might be the sound system; I don’t see an aux port anywhere, and Bluetooth hadn’t trickled down this far in 2012.”
This car comes with both. If I’m not mistaken the aux port is on the glovebox or the center console. And it can stream BT audio, too! This made my choice so much easier.
If I’m that tight for transportation, I need reliability and minimal repairs, so the Toyotiac is the pick today.
I’d be willing to throw the dice on the Lumina. I want to know the mileage and make sure that brown roof isn’t a rusty sieve but if it rides good on the test drive I will be that cheap
I think the Mazda is the sweet spot today. Good value for money. I do like the Volvo, I voted for it yesterday, but those wheels stick in my craw. And we all know how painful that can be.
Hmm, how cheap can I go. Or will I go? Today it’s going to be the Mazda. It’s in good shape and will go for a number of years provided that there’s no rust. I just can’t with that Lumina. It’s mostly gone and I don’t want to start looking again for another car in a year and it looks like garbage. I have to have a little pride.
The Vibe would be under consideration but that CEL could be minor or not and there goes your savings over the Mazda if it’s not. Plus the seller seems like he is probably a little shady.
The Volvo is nice and would be fun to have for a while but it’s definitely not a beater and if the game is to choose the cheapest one we’d be comfortable rolling , then it’s the Mazda.
Mazda’s winning by vote count, but I’m with everyone here in the comments vibing with the Vibe.
This is a tough one.
The Lumina is the perfect beater – a functional driving car that can be registered tomorrow with no repairs for the price of a single car payment on a new car.
The Mazda 6 is a great value at $4,000. The only downside is the rust belt origin. It should still go a few years before the gremlins get too bad.
The Volvo is a mechanically clean and rust free car for $8,000. Still in the range of easy cash purchase. The brand and convertible format is a downside but there are lots of other cars in this condition / price range.
Between the Lumina and Mazda I’d take the Mazda just because I’m past the point of super cheap beaters that might only last a few months to a year before something expensive breaks and I’ve not spending time wrenching on that much of a wreck.
At $700 buy another car if something expensive breaks. At $700 another beater is cheaper than any car repairs on any of these other cars.
I used to do that but as I mentioned above – I’m past that point in life.
The Mazda narrowly edges out the Vibe for me, mostly because of condition and the fact that the Mazda blends the difference between my love of hatchbacks and my wife’s love of minivan sliding-door convenience.
When I was young, I used to buy less popular versions of cars priced around $3-5k. Below that price and the ratio of garbage:acceptable transportation increased exponentially.
Sure, maybe the air conditioning didn’t work, or you had to change your own gears, but the major drivetrain bits worked and they weren’t terminally rusted. They tended to last a few years then wash, rinse, repeat.
Then you get some money in your life and spend a little extra cash. And dang, doesn’t that extra cash get you a much better machine. Instead of extracting the last few years until a terminal failure condemns it to the scrapyard, you get a machine that can last a much longer time with less suffering.
In this particular matchup? The rust-free Volvo will likely get the most years/miles per dollar spent. Out of all the cars presented? The Avalon would be my bet.
The choices at $1k, $2k, and $4k options are iffy enough salt-belt cars that I’d avoid them at this juncture in my life.
For $8k cash on my own terms? Heck, even if that price included one-way airfare to a rust-free place, I could find something pretty decent.