For our Friday Showdown this week, we’re going slumming. Specifically, we’re going to look at a car from one of those seedy buy-here-pay-here places that only advertises a down payment – and a car from a private seller, for sale for the same amount as that down payment. If you’re in a bind and need wheels, are you better off going cheap, or getting something nicer and making payments? That’s what you’ll have to decide.
Yesterday we went really cheap, looking at two cars that were only $600 each. The overwhelming majority of you picked the Saturn, likely due to the Mazda’s rust issues. That’s fair. That Mazda is really rusty.
But I’m still picking the Mazda, just like nine percent of you did. Why? Because the Saturn isn’t currently registered. If you’re really looking for the cheapest possible wheels you can find, every little thing adds up, and if the Saturn hasn’t been registered since 2024, and wasn’t put on non-op status (which I can virtually guarantee it wasn’t), you’ll have to pay for a whole year of registration when the damn thing was sitting around before you got there, just to put plates on it. And that’s assuming it passes smog. Nope, I’ll take the one that’s ready to go right now, even if I’ll need to shop again in six months or a year.
I actually did buy a dirt-cheap car every few months for about four years, in the mid-1990s. I was making five-fifty a hour doing oil changes and replacing serpentine belts at a garage, I had garbage credit from some stupid mistakes, and I just needed to get around. So every once in a while, I’d drop a few hundred bucks on some clunker, and replace it when something broke that I couldn’t fix. A few times, my boss suggested (after I had called in late because my car wouldn’t start) that I look for something newer that I could make payments on. I eventually did so, and that was a mistake – but that’s a story for another day.
Today, I’m going to put you in a scenario in which you have to give advice. A friend has come to you for help shopping for a car, after their busted old ride finally gave up the ghost. They’ve seen these listings for low down payments and lenders willing to take any credit, and they could swing the payments, but they’re uneasy about taking on debt. You suggest a cheap car for cash instead, but that’s what they did last time, and look where they are now. What’s a cheap-car-needer to do? Let’s look at a couple of possibilities.
2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible – $1,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Torrance, CA
Odometer reading: 129,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
If you go looking for cheap used cars, you’re going to find a lot of PT Cruisers. Chrysler sold literally a million of these things in the US, and they’ve held up surprisingly well, so there are still a lot of them around. But since they’re basically economy cars, and Chrysler products, the resale value is squat, which leads to a good supply of cheap, decent-running, used PT Cruisers in the online classifieds. You don’t see too many convertibles, though.
This PT Cruiser has the most common, and least interesting, drivetrain combination available: a non-turbocharged 2.4 liter four and an Ultradrive automatic. It’s not exciting, but it has proven to be pretty durable; I have friends with PT Cruisers well over 200,000 miles and counting. This one runs and drives just fine, the seller says, and it just aced a smog test, which is a good sign.
This is a later facelifted Cruiser, with the new interior, which in my opinion looks too much like a Dodge Caliber for comfort. I like the earlier version better. This one is in good shape, though, especially for a car this cheap. The seller says everything works perfectly, including the air conditioning and the power top.
It is a little scruffy outside; the front bumper cover is crooked, and the seller says some of the plastic clips are broken. There are enough PT Cruisers in junkyards that you should be able to find a new bumper cover for it. Probably even a silver one.
2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL – $1,500 down, $7,998 total
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter DOHC inline 4, CVT automatic, FWD
Location: Concord, CA
Odometer reading: 133,000 miles
Operational status: We’ll presume it runs and drives well
You’ve got to hand it to the Nissan Altima. Yeah, its pratically a cliché at this point: the beat-up Altima from the buy-here-pay-here lot, swerving in and out of traffic at thirty over the speed limit, usually on a donut spare. And just like all clichés, it starts with a grain of truth: a lot of Altimas do end up on buy-here-pay-here lots, and they do tend to get abused. But they seem to withstand that abuse well. What that tells me is that if you buy a used Altima and take care of it, and don’t drive it like a maniac, it should be a very reliable car.
This Altima has the basic 2.5 liter four, coupled to a CVT. I know everybody is supposed to hate this gearbox with no gears, but honestly, they’re not bad to drive. And after my colleagues’ recent hijinks with the taxi and the Murano CrossCabriolet, I have newfound respect for their toughness, too. I’d rather have a manual, of course, but this generation of Altima wasn’t available with one. The seller is too busy talking about the financing deal to proffer any useful information about the car itself, but I think it’s safe to assume it runs and drives fine. These places don’t have time to deal with bad-running cars; they just dump them for cheap.
It’s the fancy SL model, so it has a bunch of power options and what look like leather seats. It’s in good shape, and has been freshly detailed; these places want cars looking their best, so they clean them up nicely. You’d be wise, though, to try out all the power stuff before signing anything, because I doubt anyone at the dealership has done so.
One advantage this has over a cheaper, older car is that it doesn’t look like a cheap old car. If image matters to you, that can be an important consideration. Condition-wise, it’s fine, with just a little blemish on the rear bumper. Personally, I’d rather have something besides plain white, but a lot of people seem to like plain white.
So your homework assignment for this weekend is this: Which is a better way to spend that $1,500? Do you buy a cheap, beat-up but good-running car outright? Or do you put it down on something newer and nicer? Which one will be a better deal in the long run? Discuss, debate, and vote, and I’ll see you back here on Monday.
I’ll take the Altima, because A) it’s just down the road from me, and B) it’ll give me a hall pass to drive like a total dummy.
PT Cruiser vs Altima? I choose death.
I am surprised with the results so far. I have rented a PT Cruiser. And not the convertible one. And I have rented an Altima. The Altima is an essentially competent generic Japanese sedan. But I just looked back and realized the financial formula, which makes things more difficult.
I guess, if things were not going to get a lot better soon, financially, I would go with the PT.
I hate PT Cruisers, but I hate car payments too. Between these two there’s no real choice, once you see the prices. The PT Cruiser would probably be an amusing “bridge” car, and after you replace it with something good, you’d probably be left with a few fun stories about the the leaky roof or whatever.
Is this even a competition?
The PT Cruiser may be a beater but it would at least be fun for tooling around the lake in the summer time when the Boxster is waiting for parts. I rented one (not a convertible) many years ago for a 1,400 mile road trip when for some reason I didn’t want to take the regular car, and it was decent if uninspired. Grossly overpriced Altima from a BHPH lot? Just no.
That Altima is nowhere near five times as much car. If they were the same price I’d be on the fence.
First I wouldn’t buy shit from a BHPH lot. They do that because they can’t get a bank to screw people over as bad as they are. You probably end up paying almost new car prices at the end. Plus I like the PT Cruiser and convertibles. As for not exciting to drive put all season tires on it in the winter, excited enough. And had a neighbor with a CVT went out 101 miles past warranty they not only refused to do anything but refused to even work on it.
I’m a little worried that the PT is more than just “scruffy”. Take a look at the trailing edge of the passenger-side front fender / leading edge of the door. It’s more than just a misaligned fascia – I suspect it took a rather substantial whack and was hastily slapped back together. I’d want to take a closer look and maybe have a mechanic go over it.
But, when you get right down to it, that $1,500 buys you the whole car. If you’re going to drive a shitbox, it’s easier to walk away when it breaks if you’re not saddled with payments.
PT shuts up and takes my imaginary money today.
I have had accidents like that, chained the bumper to a tree and put it in gear and bent it back til it was good enough. It’s $1500 and it looks good enough
As a former Altima driver, I don’t. That pile of turds broke down early and often.
The previous owner probably didn’t, especially if you’re picking up an hooptie version that’s already made it to a BHPH lot.
That cursed 2.5L is the main reason why I hate Altimas. Mine ate head gaskets like candy. It was a screaming turd that ran okay at the Nissan dealer, and then promptly failed after we got it.
Speaking from bad experience here: I absolutely would not.
My week was ruined by the news that the Altima will remain in production. For a brief second, I thought something good might happen. I was going to outlive my eternal nemesis, the Nissan Altima. The curse would be broken. I could even pee on its grave.
But no! This is 2025, and I should know better than to get my hopes up about anything. Hope is dead, and Nissan killed it.
Get the PT Cruiser.
You should write a column I agree 100%
Rage, rage against the dying of the crapcan.
This is easily the most lopsided matchup ever.
Pay money to owe more money and get stuck with an Altima?
Yeah I care about my image enough to prefer the truck ‘vert,
Takes me back to a comment on yesterday’s column where a member raised money on a fund me raised $3,000 to buy a $1,500 Maxx and give the poor woman $1,500. I’d do that deal for the Maxx but not this Altima. And still have payments. Every red flag in the book.
PT, for the money and the bonus of being a convertible.
Who is paying $8k for a 13 year old Altima??? insane. I guess that explains some Altima behavior. Pt is a relatively terrible car but it’s a car it will get you from point a to point b in the height of the already mostly dead greatest gen and boomer fashion. Convertible for style points. It’s the modern k car basically a lebaron convertible. The Altima is going to be a bigger headache in everyway. For it not to be as much of headache it needs to be an 06 or older. I know there is a Altima cult based on the wrong coast who say things like that a good year of altima that really isn’t. It’s probably the only car in the US in 40 years that will rot out in 5 years.
I think these BHPH lots get their inventory from a police auction. However an article on buying a vehicle from a government auction would be a great idea. I suggest Mercedes and let her rip and see if she buys a car, boat, airplane, locomotive, semi, RV, Rolling Meth lad, city bus, taxi cab. The anticipation is half the fun.
The “hypothetical friend” premise makes this difficult. The friend can swing the payments, so it’s not like the Altima will break their bank account. OTOH, the PT Cruiser is in good shape and will likely be pretty reliable for some time to come. Financially, there’s no contest between taking on payments vs. avoiding them. Then there’s also the sketchy nature of the seller of the Altima. Ultimately, it comes down to how much the friend likes the Altima vs. how much they like the Cruiser. If they’re ok with the Cruiser, then it’s clearly the better way to go. But if they don’t like it and/or really love the Altima, then it’s probably worth it for them to take a risk and go with it. I’m voting Cruiser, but with so many caveats….
I see your logic but said friend has apparently already made a lot of mistakes picking vehicles based on liking them. I would advise not allowing their feelings to become involved. Unless you don’t want them as a friend or they write for the Autopian
Assuming the hypothetical friend has a mechanic they trust, probably would go with the PT Cruiser, or whichever has been more regularly serviced. I chose PT Cruiser for my friend in grad school, as everything looks to be in decent shape, and the 2.4 from what I know is pretty cheap to maintain.
Before Big Altima Energy entered the public consciousness, I think the PT Cruiser was the least cool vehicle you could buy in the 2010s. Has the Altima replaced it?
So uncool that Altima drivers don’t know.
A PT convertible has crossed over to the simultaneously hideously uncool and cool., the Schroeder‘s cat of cars.
It might be the coolest of all cats, or you know, just a dead cat – it depends entirely on the observer.
Sort of a cross between what would The Dude drive, and what would Colombo drive.
If only we had a recent primer to remind us of the virtues of these PT Cruisers! (ha)
I’d personally do the Nissan, as I don’t like the convertible aspect of the PT. That 2.5 liter is not half bad at all.
What do you have against a convertible? Does it blow your bow tie askew? Convertible is Cool you don’t like convertible you aren’t cool. IMHO.
hahaha. it could be my age, but I am not sure. there’s definitively “I can’t make it work” aspect, due to the posse – daddy isn’t at the point where he can have his own ride (so coupes are out too – dog won’t fit and I don’t like the idea of a carseat with no door to reach it).
But that’s not just it. I can’t think of a convertible that I have ever desired. And I don’t know why that is! I am willing to admit I am not cool though.
I’ve had for a long time the harebrained idea of putting a roof on a PT Cruiser convertible and making a PT Coupe.
Or just buy a PT CRUISER coupe?
They never made a PT Cruiser Coupe. Only the convertible had 2 doors.
I’d like to subscribe to your newsletter.
No brainer. That’s a nice PT and a screaming deal. While the convertible is my least favorite PT style, it does at least add an element of fun to a penalty box car. Keep the car in decent shape, and the buyer is likely to sell it for roughly the same bucks – meaning this is transportation for the price of operating costs.
BHPH lots can and do take in cars that run badly, because a lot of people don’t know better. They buy units wholesale–often traded-in detritus from mainline dealers–and then put few to no reconditioning efforts into them before shucking them off to unsuspecting customers. I’ve seen them put all sorts of crap on their front lot, including cars with:
Broken or disconnected control armsSlipping transmissionsNon-existent brakesObvious fuel and vacuum leaksActive misfiresHowling wheel bearingsThe entire dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree (and we’re talking Toyotas and Mazdas, not Audis and BMWs)
This is why during a test drive a stop at a parts store to do a scan is a must. No worries about burned out bulbs for problem no worries about reset and anything that shows up, get a print out, is a great argument for a discount.