Hi,

I don't know a whole lot about cars, so what i'm expecting, or wanting, may not make sense, or may sound stupid, bare with me.

Basically, what I want is a car that looks good ( to me) and that will run good, and won't break down any time soon, and a car that can possibly take me far lengths)

e.g. being able to drive 10 hours somewhere, then 10 back. Something like that, ya know?

so i live in canada, and i've seen some really good cars, that go for $5000-6000

Cars like 1995 intrepid's, z34 luminas, z24 cavaliers.

So I figure, a good looking car that runs good will PROBABLY go for $5000-6000 canadian. So that's what i'm looking to spend.

www.xe.com/ucc -- for those who are curious what it would be in american currency.

Lately i've been thinking about police auctions. I've heard you can get cheap cars there. I've never been to one, but I've been thinking about going to one.

The thing is, I'm thinkin to myself, if i go there, and say i find a car that looks real good, and is only. say $2000 -- how do i know if its a good car? how do i know if that car will be able to take me places and not break down, etc, ya know?

So what should i do guys? Anyone have any advice? Anyone ever been to a police car auction? If so, post what it was like, did you buy anything? What were the cars like? Are they actually good condition cars, how did you know they were good? etc

Just help a confused guy out ;/

Anyone is welcome to reply. Just no negativity :)

Of course, we all know an officer of the law would never abuse his car, and, like the little old lady, only drives it back and forth to the store and never over 25 mph.

Not too bad if it is local police although those get lots of stop and go traffic (unless small town). But, police, in general, like to drive fast, and get into chases and other things. So, unless you are mechanically inclined, be careful. At least get it checked by a good mechanic.

well wait

Aren't police car auctions where they auction off stolen cars, or cars that have no ownership, things lik ethat?

Maybe i'm thinking about something else.

Don't go there. One there is no real way to check them out first, two most of the cars are junk left by people that never took care of them and had them impounded. I suggest you look in the paper and find a nice car an individual is selling. Take it to a mechanic and have it checked before buying. You can get some good deals that way. Oh and stay away from Cavaliers.

my 02 cents.

I would suggest getting the CARFAX (www.carfax.com) on a car before you buy it. It costs like $20 for an unlimited amount of lookups. Almost ALL work done to a car has to be reported on this web site. Heck, my own carfax has everything Ive ever done to the car that was more than an oil change. Just a suggestion. And good luck.

Got Nissan Silvia's over there? That'd make a nice first car, though I don't know if they're in Canada. They sell for about 6-8.. (s13 model)

Don't buy anything American (unless it's pre-1970-ish) or you'll regret it. Otherwise get something like a Honda Accord (not the hatch back horroric thing), a Toyota Camry, a good Nissan, Acura, etc. My opinion is biased based on owning a ton of cars and working in an autobody shop for a few years as well. You don't want to find out the hard way about how different the quality is.

A dependable/reliable car that doesn't have a big history of problems with the design is what you want. Then look at the previous owner, the records, the car history, etc. Then look at what one looks the nicest to you. Check out Consumer Reports and see their ratings, that's always helpful, along with a Kelly Blue Book.

No matter what it's always a risk and every car model has some problem, but some have a lot of significant problems and you really need to be realistic and aware -- otherwise you might get yourself into a bind or start learning how to work on cars by force. Don't just look for a good price and a nice looking car, be careful and educate yourself or you'll risk blowing money on something like a Fiat. (ha ha).

Buy it off someone private, not a garage - u get ripped off big time!!! I have made that mistake. Try and get lots of ppl to come with u and give their opinion. I check on autotrader.co.uk as they let you know what to look out for.

If you want something reliable I wud definently go for a Jap car.... they are the best!!! Toyota, Nissan or Honda :D:D:D:D

If I could get insured I would get an MR2 or Celica. I love 'em...

I remember when I was in the states and my cousin was going to get a Celica as her first car... U'd have to be well rich to do that ova here.

Good Luck !!

Originally posted by clocker1996
Hi,

I don't know a whole lot about cars, so what i'm expecting, or wanting, may not make sense, or may sound stupid, bare with me.

Basically, what I want is a car that looks good ( to me) and that will run good, and won't break down any time soon, and a car that can possibly take me far lengths)

e.g. being able to drive 10 hours somewhere, then 10 back. Something like that, ya know?

so i live in canada, and i've seen some really good cars, that go for $5000-6000

Cars like 1995 intrepid's, z34 luminas, z24 cavaliers.

So I figure, a good looking car that runs good will PROBABLY go for $5000-6000 canadian. So that's what i'm looking to spend.

www.xe.com/ucc -- for those who are curious what it would be in american currency.

Lately i've been thinking about police auctions. I've heard you can get cheap cars there. I've never been to one, but I've been thinking about going to one.

The thing is, I'm thinkin to myself, if i go there, and say i find a car that looks real good, and is only. say $2000 -- how do i know if its a good car? how do i know if that car will be able to take me places and not break down, etc, ya know?

So what should i do guys? Anyone have any advice? Anyone ever been to a police car auction? If so, post what it was like, did you buy anything? What were the cars like? Are they actually good condition cars, how did you know they were good? etc

Just help a confused guy out ;/


Anyone is welcome to reply. Just no negativity :)




Yep i would suspect the cars they are selling are clamped cars that no ones wanted anymore..
Nissan cherry burnetts are good..

Originally posted by ned patter





Yep i would suspect the cars they are selling are clamped cars that no ones wanted anymore..
Nissan cherry burnetts are good..


Hey Ned, I saw you talking about these cars in another post.. I own a Maxima and I have owned a pathfinder and a sentra but I have no clue WTF a Cherry Burnett is..

BTW: Nissans and Honda's rock, Forgein cars are more reliable but I have always found that the American cars are more comfortable and I like the interiors better. Until my Maxima I always felt this way but for a first car you want something dependible.. My Sentra I paid 300 dollars for with 187k on it and ran it till like in the 230k's with not one thing needed EVER.. My pathfinder I got with 80k drove till 150 with only needing a radiator and my max only has about 18k so hopefully it will last me a long time.. Hondas are the same way.. Toyotas are also good but I never really liked them for some odd reason


I also thought I would add this.. Bought a 89 Mustang GT with 64k on it.. All kinds of stuff was messed up with the engine by 90k

Had a 91 Thunderbird SC same deal here.. oil leaks and other types of engine malfunctions

Had a 94 GEO TRACKER(Please dont laugh) bought that brand new by 50k it felt like it had 150k on it in addition to the fact or worrying about tipping over everytime I turned and scred for my life that a squirrel would some day run out in the road and kill us both and total my "coke can on wheels" as I liked to call it..

94-95 Subaru Imprezza, I bought a 1995 Imprezza back in 1998, IT was my second car, and Its still my second car :), The car now has 130K on it, running like a champ, not to mention its also VERY reliable in rain/snow (4WD). I would recommend anyone to get a subaru, really nice cars, and reliable.

vigor im havin a hard time finding a pic for that year

can you post any urls?

I had some problems finding pictures of it as well. The only decent picture I could dig up was on TraderOnline.com. This is a 1995 LX (4wd) Model. I attached it below. When I was shopping for a more reliable car (my first car was an 80s buick), I was looking at hondas, Until I realized everyone had a honda. So I wanted to be a bit more unique so I went with the Subaru, and never regreted the decision once.

www.trader.ca

Lots of nice Acura Integers and some Toyota Celicas in that price range. We were looking for a car for that much but decided on a new HOnda Civic instead (lol but true) :D

Get a bicycle, much cheaper, and much more economical.;)

got one already
tired of it

92-96 Camrys. These are the best cars you can own. Preferably you want to search for a car with less than two owners. Model LE or better and V6 and better. I have a LE '92 that had one owner and at 100,000 in 2000. Just this years she has went over the 120,000 mark and has been 1230mi in one day (yes 20 hours on the road non stop, story is too long to elaborate on).

As long as the car has had less than 2 owners, maintainence should not require more than scheduled oil changes, tire rotations, new rotors and/or shocks (depending the condition) and she can still ball when she needs too (nailed two tickets already).