OT buying first car

Read all the car ng's for a month or two. Asian cars are fairly reliable but parts are expensive. Newer US 4 cyl cars are ok. Stay away from Euro cars. You are right to buy something cheap. Most new drivers total their first car within one year.

mike, first off, before you narrow the suggestions / search down, you should possibly state; how much you want to spend, how the car will be used, and if you have access to a large market area.

In the meantime you might check the internet for starters, go to the search feature and type in the name, model number of the car - you'd like to have.

there is such service available to list the available cars / price in your area, when zip code is provided. dealers will bid for your business.

the 3000 bucks should be a sufficient down payment if other criterion is met. you might seek financing of your own doing before contracting to buy, it is at times - cheaper that way, credit union, your bank, etc...

some new / less hep buyers like the web purchasing arrangement.

buying a program car can be less money, can be bought right by an experienced buyer, and are serviceable.

again, state your wants using the search method, and let the sellers come to you, get help if needed from an experienced person.

mho v=83e

You should be able to get a decent first car for under $2k if you shop carefully and bide your time waiting for a good one. I've bought some like that -- as it happens, all were cars known to me and bought from private individuals.

The thirty-forty bucks it takes to have a car checked out by a mechanic with no connection to either side of the deal is money well spent. You're paying for objectivity as well as expertise -- by the time you get that far, plainly you want the vehicle. If the resulting decision is "go," the report will also give you something of a roadmap to the maintenance that is in your future.

Meanwhile, check out the book described on

Best of luck,

--Joe