Pointers for quickly finding/buying a car?

I'm waiting to hear back from the body shop with an estimate for the repair costs on the 2001 Saturn SL2, and if it ends up totalled out, going to need to get another car fast. My wife and I have been sharing my Mazda 6 over the last few days, but since she goes to school and works almost full time, and I work full time, it'll require quite a bit of coordination to keep this up. No public transportation near us really sucks right now. FYI - no one injured in the accident, thankfully, just a damaged car.

Anyway, I foresee three possibilities:

1. The mechanical/structural damage to the car is within our cost threshhold, and we have the shop do that work, and I'll do the bodywork when it warms up. The car'll be ugly, but serviceable.

2. The mechanical damage to the car is too expensive, but its all stuff I can do. In that case, I'll have the car towed to my driveway, and fix it when the weather is warmer.

3. The car is damaged beyond economical repair.

In scenarios 2 and 3, we're gonna need a new vehicle, and going to need it fast. Wife and I have already agreed whatever replaces the car needs to be more practical or more fun (or both), so no sedans smaller than full-size. I'm thinking Crown Vic, mid-size or small SUV, pickup(preferably compact), or some sort of hatchback. Price range is anywhere from 2K-12K, on the lower end if I end up fixing the saturn myself, higher end if we decide to finance something newer, middle-lower if we want to pay cash. Whatever we get, I need it to be in good enough shape that I'm not taking a serious risk of having to fix it during the winter. The more we spend, the longer it had better last. My garage is full of projects right now, so I'd have to work on it in the cold on a slanted driveway.

Okay, the big thing is, I don't want to get screwed over, so I'd love to hear some advice from anyone who's been in this situation or who does a lot of buying and selling. I already know not to let sellers know we need a car NOW!, and I'm trying to cast a wide net; craigslist, autotrader, all the local dealer sites, a few local auto enthusiast forums, etc.

So any ideas? More places to look? What kinds of cars are slow sellers right now? Negotiation tactics? Thanks in advance.

Craigslist. Don't limit yourself to a few cars. Look in the price range you can pay cash for, and get the nicest car that will lose you the least amount of money if you decide to sell it later. Don't worry about getting something you love at the moment. It probably won't happen if you need it yesterday.

P71s
Camrys (only because of practical and it's pretty obvious straight away if it's going to be worth the money or not.)
EG Civic hatchbacks (if it's stock, and not making weird motor noises, it's probably fine)
As for SUVs? Cherokees and Pathfinders maybe.

These are just some quick examples. In your price range, there's probably going to be damn near anything you could ever want.

What would be your quick cash budget?

For a very quick cash buy, it'd probably be 3-4K at the most.

Given a few extra days, I could probably scrounge up an extra 2K, but really don't want to.

Camcords are probably out of the picture, they just don't offer anything more than the 6 does (unless a wagon comes up for sale). I figure if I'm being forced into this situation, I'll make the best of it.

I've got a line on a 2001 P71 w/175K miles. The guy wants 2200 firm on it, have no idea if thats a "normal" price or not.

Also, a local dealer has a 99 CRV with 135K miles with an asking price of 6450. Edit: Looks like Edmunds says its dealer TMV is about $5700.

Oh yeah, this isn't a total requirement, but its a want. Whatever I get should not be too low. We regularly drive down a very torn up driveway, with brush on either side. I'd rather not subject my 6 to that, so Miatas are probably out, unless I get one with a skidplate

One thing I've always noticed is that when I was in a hurry to buy a car for whatever reason, the chances of ending up with a pile of E36 M3 were much bigger than when I gave myself some more time. That's how I picked up two troublesome cars earlier this year...

Even though you are in a hurry, take your time. I know this doesn't make much sense but don't rush into buying something - worst case, buy something really cheap and use it as wheels while searching for the right car to come along.

You could get a VERY nice Civic Hatchback for that price, a nice Integra, nice 94-99 Celica, etc...

I think either P71 or some sort of Hatchback is probably going to be your best bet. At least in my opinion.

Thanks everyone for ideas so far, keep 'em coming. I should probably explain the practicality part. We've already got the 6 sedan, and there's only the two of us in our household, so for trips, or people hauling, and for one commuter vehicle, we covered. What we could use, is more cargo hauling (or just a bigger opening and better organization of space, the 6's trunk has a lot of capacity, its just not easy to put stuff like transmissions or wheels into it), or we could use something small, light and fun to drive. Oh yeah, probably gonna have to be an automatic, teaching someone to drive stick better in the winter is not my idea of fun.

Civic or Integra hatch would be high on my list. Assuming they appear to be well maintained, how many miles would you consider to be a safe upper limit if I was going to be spending 4K?

Also, I've noticed, by their prices, everyone sure is proud of their pickup trucks, even the 2WD ones. Would've thought I could snag a deal on one in the Ohio winter.

Depending on who is nearby, you might talk with a local GRM'er about using a car short term. Doing so would mean you could avoid rushing into an expensive decision. Most of us have more than 1 car laying around.

Search Autotrader, and the like, based on your budget only, and you'll see cars that never would have occurred to you.

We were car shopping for my son recently, and focused on one, or two different cars. Since we weren't having any luck, I searched all cars, up to his budget. We found a real nice 98 Tercel for $1300. It never would have occurred to me to even look at Tercels.

In reply to zomby woof:

Wow, just did a $1-$4000 search w/in 25 miles. 653 cars. Time to do some looking.

I should have the estimate by Monday afternoon, so I'll have a better idea what to do then. If the saturn gets fixed at the body shop, we'll just rent a car. If I end up fixing it later, I'll have a lot of flexibility on what to buy, just a lower price range, and need it to survive a year or so without major breakdowns. If the saturn's a goner, gonna try to get something with halfway decent mileage, and a chance of several years of reliable service.

How important is gas mileage? A beater truck with a topper sounds like it would serve you well. A longbed Ranger with the 2.3 liter 4 cylinder will be pretty reliable, cheap, and easily serviceable. Fun and fast, no.

In reply to MitchellC:

If I replace the saturn completely, gas mileage is somewhat important, would like to average over 20 in mixed driving. If its only to replace the saturn until i can fix it, mileage mostly goes out the window. Keeping an eye out for rangers, my parents had two 96 Rangers with the 3.0 V6. They seemed pretty reliable, if a little slow. Is 2001 when they switch from the ford 2.3 to the mazda 2.3? I assume either of those would still be a good engine, if a little down on power?

If you are thinking of financing visit a bank (or better yet a credit union) now. Tell them that you are shopping and want to know how much you are approved for. This is important because you do not want to finance with a used car lot if you do not have too. Shopping independent vehicles will also require this visit to the bank/credit union.
Getting pre-approved will change you from being a looker to being ready to buy.

After that, I like www.craiglook.com. Play with it and figure out some of it's search capabilities.
I also use the advance search functions of www.autotrader.com

Consult www.fueleconomy.gov to compare expected mpg.

I see east side and in your profile is Ohio. Are you then in Metro Cleveland? If yes and you need someone to lay some eyes on something at the extreme west end of the Metro area, let me know.

eastsidemav is in Cincy.

My girlfriend may soon find herself looking for a new car in a hurry too.

I tell myself that avoiding this scenario is a good reason to never stop looking

If you find something in the Dayton area, I could do a preliminary check for you Tim.

As a previous poster "wrote", when you buy anything in a hurry, it's always costs you. The 2 worst cars (used) that I ever bought were bought when I need a car in a hurry.

Also, for some reason, automotive karma (carma?) whenever, I NEED a car, I can never find what I want or it's priced too high, but as soon as I sign on the dotted line.....presto, cars that I would have loved to own, come out of the woodwork. DON'T hurry, and tell as many car-friendly folks as you know, what you are looking for. Someone you know may already know about a sweet car that you would love to own.

http://www.emergencyremarketing.com/

P71 source I heard about on this forum and was considering,also within your expected price range top to bottom.

Take your time on CL and always make a lower offer when you find stuff wrong with the car. I say this because it sounds like your a good mechanic. Even basic maintenance stuff can run $100 (fluids, filters, etc.).

Watch and listen to how the seller reacts when you ask about maintenance history, major repairs and current trouble with the car. Find out why they're really trying to off-load it and use it as a reason to make the offer lower. Then be willing to walk away.

I see 20-30 cars a day on CL so even if you have to rent something small for a week it may be worth it to find a good deal on a decent used car.

Don't forget - no receipts (to me) means the repair may not have been done. Seriously, who doesn't save a receipt from a $500-$700 timing belt and water pump replacement?

I'll sell you my Celica for $4k.

MitchellC wrote: How important is gas mileage? A beater truck with a topper sounds like it would serve you well. A longbed Ranger with the 2.3 liter 4 cylinder will be pretty reliable, cheap, and easily serviceable. Fun and fast, no.

And one of those, unfortunately less topper, lives at my house...

mel_horn wrote:

MitchellC wrote: How important is gas mileage? A beater truck with a topper sounds like it would serve you well. A longbed Ranger with the 2.3 liter 4 cylinder will be pretty reliable, cheap, and easily serviceable. Fun and fast, no.

And one of those, unfortunately less topper, lives at my house...

A friend of mine just sold a 2.3l, 5spd, long bed Ranger with a topper two weeks ago.

Well, the verdict is in. about $2600, and there is unibody damage. The shop its at won't do just the structural fixes, and I understand, they do have a reputation to uphold. I don't feel like having it towed elsewhere for that to be done, and then blowing god only knows howm much time fixing the rest in the spring. Someone's going to look at it in a few days, and if they won't pay what I want for it, I'll have it towed to my house, and post it here for a Challenge and Lemons friendly price, as its probably in good enough shape for a Lemons rat, with a bit of work.

I know what you mean about timing. In the last six months, I've had the following deals offered: $1600 mid-ninetys Camry, $600 Jeep Cherokee, $1000 Toyota Previa, and a $250 1994 Ford Probe in good running condition. Of course, they are all gone now...

Anyhoo, we're looking into renting a car for the week. I'm off work at 4, so I've got two good hours after work to troll the lots before it gets too dark. If nothing is suitable by the weekend, I can burn both days looking. My wife doesn't like how intense my car searches are, so the plan is for me to do a lot of early recon, and maybe some test drives, then bring her back for the final say. With any luck, we'll find multiple good candidates, so we won't be pressed into buying something we don't we're iffy on. She's going to try to come up with a list of attributes she wants, and we'll try to prioritize classes of cars, and specific cars in those classes. Being near Cincinnati, there are thousands of used cars out there, gotta be at least a few hundred that we'd accept.

Chris, thanks, I'll let you know if I see anything in Dayton that looks interesting.

I had my wife prioritize vehicles by class, since its likely it'll become her daily driver (unless I snag that pretty RSX I saw at the Honda dealer):

1. Small Hatch (Civic, Integra, Celica, 3, etc)
2. Midsize Hatch/Wagon (Mazda 6 Hatchback, Older Camcord wagon, etc)
3. Compact Pickup (Ranger, Frontier, Colorado, etc)
4. Minivan (Villager, Sienna, etc)
5. Tiny Hatch (yaris, Fit, older civic)
6. Jeep Wrangler (yeah, it deserves its own class)
7. Small SUV/Cute-ute (CRV, RAV4, Escape, etc)
8. Full Size pickup (F150, Silverado, etc)
9. Full Size sedan (Crown Vic, Roadmonster)
10. Mid Size SUV (Trailblazer, Cherokee, etc)

So, unless our Mazda6 becomes her daily driver, its doubtful P71 is the answer this time around I'll try to focus my search on the top half of her priority list, but I may see if I can get her to drive a CRV or Escape. She hated minivans, too, until I bought a 95 Villager. So, now its off to look for hatches, Rangers, and Frontiers with auto transmissions...

Well, we had a talk tonight, and now it looks like she'll be taking the 6, which will still be our trip car, and I get to buy darn near anything in the budget, as long as its an automatic. And the max budget went up a smidge. So P71 might be the answer again :)

Went and looked at an 04 GTO, an 05 RX8, 03 Celica GT, an 04 Mercury Marauder, and a brand new Smart ForTwo tonight. Will do some more scouting, both online and in person, then this weekend some test driving, and hopefully buy this weekend or early next week. The plan is to find several cars I'd be willing to buy, so if one has an issue that crops up, or I can't get the right deal, I can move on down the list.

Oh yeah, theres only one auto Impreza wagon on Autotrader within 50 miles of me. I see tons of them on the road. I guess everybody wants to keep them.

What about a Focus Zx3/Zx5? You definitely should be able to find one in your price range and you probably could get a better deal than what you would pay for a Civic or Integra hatch..

I wouldn't bother with the 7th gen Celica GT. They're amusing, handle pretty well, get good gas mileage, but the GTS loses none of that, and adds more in all the right places, for not a whole lot more money.

If you're looking at 04 GTOs, you can afford a 2000-2005 GT-S, and they're one of the more entertaining FWD cars ever made.

I think the first category is going to have the most gold in your price range, and be the most fun to drive without hurting the wallet on gas mileage.

What about a Saab? A 4-door late 90s early 2000s 9-3 Hatch turbo is a BLAST, and you can fit a ton of crap in one. And they're way cheap for what you get.

Well, after a Saturday full of test drives with my wife, I went out and bought the first car I took on a drive on Sunday. Had to go back and pick up my wife so both cars could come home.

A little bit of an oddity, considering all else I'd driven, but a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis GS. Its pretty much stripped, but still has more than enough goodies. And that massive trunk will do well for parts hauling. I figure I have the Firebird challenge car for my "spirited" driving, it'll be nice to have a barge to cruise in, too.

Test dove:

2003 Celica GT - Very nice handling, came in second behind the Grand Marquis/Crown Vic choice.

2003 Mazda Protege5 - handled almost as well as the Celica, but the seats didn't hold you in as well.

2001 Mustang GT - loud, ill handling, horrid brakes, and not as powerful as I thought it should be. Still liked it a lot

2003 S-10 Standard cab Xtreme - Good handling for a truck, and an awesome turning radius. The 4.3 definitely had sufficient power.

2004 Grand Marquis - Loved it. I had an 84 Crown Vic years ago, and this was an excellent evolution of the car. However, it and the S-10 were at a dealer I would like to avoid for the rest of my life after the jacked up price and high pressure tactics they tried to pull on me.

Went out Sunday planning on driving several panther platform cars. However, the first was quite acceptable, and after some hemming and hawing for about 20 minutes, they accepted my opening offer.

I will say to anyone else looking at CVs or GMs, check out the 2003-up models. I will say there was a noticeable improvement in power, handling, and ride in the newer one I drove. I just wasn't willing to pay the higher price.