elude

thanks guys. im looking into a lot more.. keep em' coming if any more ideas..

SgtSaunders

high mileage Toyota p/u (2wd small style) early 90s

check for oil leaks
check for bad leaf springs
its gonna be rusty at this price but hopefully its only superficial box rust

Buckeye3d

Not to derail this thread too much but I'm also looking for a winter beater. My budget is a bit higher...up to $4,000 - $4,500. I think I'd prefer a SUV or maybe a wagon so I could get some use out of it year round (extra space). Any advice on models that are reliable & worth buying?

PoweredByCamry

At that price I would look at:

'89-'91 Civic Si
'88-'91 CRX Si
'92-'93 Civic VX
SE-R
Celica ST or GT
MR2
'90-'93 Accord

But as mentioned I would have another $2k budgeted for maintenance or to buy a nicer, fresher example of the same car. Beyond 10 years most of these cars have had several owners and one of them is bound to be really stupid.

Peter

alexh

Try this one Land Rover.

Needs a bit of work but you would have something a bit unique...

bkw

You may be able to find some deals in your local craigslist.org. I search it every now and then and you can find some good deals here and there if youre quick. I helped my friend get into a 98 VW Golf w/ 45k miles for $3k.

littlerocket777

You live in california, so becareful of smog. Older japanese cars, while reliable, have a hard time passing smog now at test only stations that run the car on the dyno.

Visco

B13 Nissan Sentra SE-R