I bought a 1991 Accord wagon and got a good deal. (I had had a 1982 Prelude and a 1987 Accord, both sticks.) I only wanted the wagon with a 5-speed in Hampshire green. That was one they couldn't move due to it being a stick. I sold it with just over 100,000 miles when I bought a 1998 Odyssey van.




^ My son and his 2006 Acura RSX. He just sold this car with over 140,000 miles on it for $4,500. He was given this car, new, in high school. No problems in 16 years. Just maintenance.




He bought a great looking used Tesla. Google employee to employee transactions, for the selling and buying. He bought the Subaru Ascent a couple (?) years ago.

 

I would have like to get that RSX!

 

It was a bit beat up in the body although the mechanics were fine.

 

I started shopping for my S in 2002 and dealers were still trying to mark them up. I found most of the Honda salespeople I dealt with not helpful to say the least. I actual gave up at one point and then I happened to be in the right place at the right time or maybe it was good karma or divine intervention but I worked out the deal I wanted.

 

One of my grandson, who just turned 16 in Sept., was asking me for advice on used cars. He said he has saved up $1.9k and is looking at cars in the 2.3k to 2.5k range. I had no idea he has saved that much and I was very proud to think he'd want my input. Good kid. Naturally we are talking about cars in the 15-20 year old range with something +/- 200k miles. It would be great if I could find him a one-owner car that was really taken care of; so I'll keep my ears open. I made two strong suggestions. I sent him to TrueDelta a site that has lots of honest useful information. There are over 100,000 members who report quarterly how well their cars are holding up and they list specific issues and expenses that are outside normal maintenance costs. And, secondly I told him to call his mom's auto insurance company for a quote before buying anything.

 

Is he into cars Dave or just looking for basic transportation?

 

Just looking for freedom, just like me at his age.

 

Cars of that age and mileage can be a bit tricky, naturally a Honda Civic or Toyota Carolla would be where I would direct any family member in the same position. I hope $2.5 k buys a lot more in the U.S. than it does here, cars I see for sale in that range here are trouble cars or parts cars. To be very honest I would suggest he increase his budget up to the $4k-$5k mark, he will get cars that require far less work after the purchase.

I was in the habit of buying 20+ year old Hondas over the last couple years as a hobby to keep me busy during Covid lockdowns. I know $2.5k - $4k cars can easily require another $4k-$5k after the purchase just getting them back up to proper shape, and that was just the cost of parts as I did all of my own work. It doesn't happen all at once, it is just incremental as you find more parts that need attention once the car is in your hands. They can kill you slowly over time with each new part needed, and you really need to do the work yourself.

Rust is always an issue for cars of that age, and insuring a 20 year old cars like Honda Civics is a lot more expensive than one may think. They aren't that much cheaper than insuring new cars, as theft rates of older Hondas are really high. Lots of things to consider in that buying decision, good thing he has you to provide good advice. Paying a little bit more up front can save a lot of headaches and money down the road, that would be my advice.

There can be a big difference in cars moving from $2,5k to $4k or $5k, but everyone knows their own situation so it is ultimately up to the buyer to choose what to spend.

 

Neither of his parents have any extra money to help him. His older brother got his other grandpa's car so there was no risk for him. He's going to be on his own but he is resourceful and extremely smart. I'm now at the age where I can't work on cars myself. Its all I can do to keep the old MG going. A few years back my oldest grandson asked me to help him with a Cad CTS he wrecked and various front components like headlights, radiator, etc. needed replaced. It worked out ok but it dragged on too long. I tried to make him do as much as possible for the experience.

 

Necessity is the mother of invention. Dave sometimes a little adversity is a good thing.
It can, although not always, help build a strong work ethic which as Martha Stewart would say "Is a good thing"