$2500 is the new $500. Simple raising costs and inflation has done that, let alone the Clunker crap...

I was able to snipe a decent deal last fall on a 2001 XJ for my daughter (first car). She really wanted one, but I told her most will be out of price range for sure.
Saw a marketplace post and next morning got it for $2K with 176K miles. Tiny bit of rust and a very tired suspension and interior.
Became a project for her and I. Of course, I got addicted and it became a mini resto project, including new paint (Maaco) and entirely new suspension and cleaned up interior.

I disagree, I think its better now than its ever been. Go search up used cars with a $3000 budget and look what pops up, reliable cars with no rust. 20 years ago you had to spend $5000-$7000 to get that and the car was a tin can.

$500? When could you ever get a good used car for that???? The 60's??

Completely disagree. My son is a senior in HS this year & he has had an excellent choice of daily drivers starting at $2500 and the latest at $5500 & has been buying/selling & upgrading along the way. Plenty of cool stuff out there for a car enthusiast starting out & you don’t have to resort to a 6 cyl Mudstank.

I said beater, not good used car.
But to answer your question it was late 80's early 90's.
My cars in that time frame.
66 coronet 500 2dr was 800 bucks.
71 gto was 500 bucks.
64 dodge 880 custom was 400 bucks.
83 new yorker was 550
67 coronet was 500
87 fury was 800

and sure no doubt a 2000 whatever is more reliable than anything on my list.
I just mean as a kid there were affordable cars I wanted to drive because they looked cool.
vs today what are your choices from 20 years ago that are anything more than a camry look a like?

[quote=grancuda]is insurance not killing you for him driving sports cars or 2drs?

A V8 version of that Firebird, even in scruffy shape, would be 5k + out here easy. I have seen lower mile 80's and 90's IROC and Z-28's up around 15-18.

I don't think they are worth that, and would never pay that for one myself, but that is where asking prices have moved to. They may be dreaming and never sell it?

I said beater, not good used car.
But to answer your question it was late 80's early 90's.
My cars in that time frame.
66 coronet 500 2dr was 800 bucks.
71 gto was 500 bucks.
64 dodge 880 custom was 400 bucks.
83 new yorker was 550
67 coronet was 500
87 fury was 800

and sure no doubt a 2000 whatever is more reliable than anything on my list.
I just mean as a kid there were affordable cars I wanted to drive because they looked cool.
vs today what are your choices from 20 years ago that are anything more than a camry look a like?

Everyone says that but it’s only around $75 a month for full coverage, everyone at my work forces their kids into 4 doors & mini mom suv wagons because of insurance but we haven’t seen any high $ insurance imo.



He gave $5500 & it is a ‘92 Trans Am , true WS6 & L98 car & it’s in great shape, just has some cheesy recovered late 70’s TA seats in it. The ZZ4 heads, edelbrock TPI intake, headers & 3.73 gearset make up for the cheesy seats to him. It’s a great looking car & his buddies at school say he stole it for the money but he spends his spare time ever since he was 15 searching Craigslist & now FB market place. It’s like the Bargain Post days except now you can easily search states away.

I was able to snipe a decent deal last fall on a 2001 XJ for my daughter (first car). She really wanted one, but I told her most will be out of price range for sure.
Saw a marketplace post and next morning got it for $2K with 176K miles. Tiny bit of rust and a very tired suspension and interior.
Became a project for her and I. Of course, I got addicted and it became a mini resto project, including new paint (Maaco) and entirely new suspension and cleaned up interior.

I think there are a lot of useable beaters around, my 20 yo grandson doesn't seem to have any problems find them, but then again, he is not afraid to get his hands dirty working on them.

I think most of the problems with cars for kids these days are the parents. Too many are terrified to consider THEIR teenager in anything with some miles on them, or seeing their precious child driving something with a little body damage. It ruins the family image. Too many kids these days have been brought up with the expectation that they are too good to be seen in anything not perfect, and that mommy and daddy will be sure they get to drive the very best, because after all mommy and daddy will be buying the child anything they want, as long as it meets mommy & daddy's expectations. Mommy and daddy have been living beyond their means for years, and they have taught their children the same values. Gene

Buying used cars is a gamble and at a $3000-$5000 price point an even bigger gamble. Count on every car never having its oil changed in a manner/interval that preserves the engine. In fact plan on it consuming oil. If its a timing belt car it will never have had the timing COMPONENTS replaced even if it has 150k plus miles. Coolant will be the original coolant and we know heater cores and water pump replacement on modernish cars can be 10 hours labor. When my daughters got cars I seeked out financially set elderly people and middle class folks selling their cars. In the ad pics the condition of home and neighborhood- if in the pictures can say alot. With Face Book Market place you can see a pic of the seller. If he is wearing a backwards ballcap with a joint in his mouth flipping the middle finger its wise to pass on his car no matter how nice the car may appear.

My 'sweet spot' was the late '80's early '90's. I was able to pick up cars all the time for less than $200 and a lot were free. Now, granted, I'm talking about basic family cars, not muscle cars, but still. Most would be considered beaters, but a few were really nice.

At the time I lived in the tri-state area of NY, CT, MA. MA had strict laws about NO frame rust on cars, CT was the same way but with the added burden of having to pass emissions too. NY just expected the car to move and stop under its own power. Back then, people usually had to pay to have their car hauled to the junkyard. Yards paying you for your junker weren't around. People would have a running car that they couldn't register anymore because it wouldn't pass inspection and they couldn't easily sell it, so they'd end up kinda stuck with it. Then a lot of times, they'd get fined for having an abandoned car.

People just wanted their headache gone, and were usually more than happy to unload it on me. My only stipulation was that it had to run (I didn't have a way to tow a car). I would take it back to my little shop I was renting in CT, and evaluate the car's condition. Too far gone, it got parted. Minor repairs, I'd register it in NY and sell it. Being that I usually just dealt with Mopars, parts would often come from other cars I parted.
Then, as now, a neighbor ended the fun. Had a visit from the cops one day. I kept the outside yard clear. If I had to park something outside, it was on inflated tires and not jackstands, no parts strewn about. Gave me the riot act of how I was running an illegal shop, didn't have proper licenses and permits.

I never pursued it further after that. I kept what I wanted, got rid of the rest and less than a year later moved away. Ironically(?) the same town that I was in that was so against 'old cars' ,now hosts an annual car show/cruise in.

I'm pretty sure it's all by design. Gotta tread lightly since this isn't the right forum but it almost does seem like there is some clandestine plan to limit our ability to travel.

They're threatening the banning of gasoline vehicles. How many vehicles is that going to render useless and/our valueless?

Is there a fully-electric car out there that has even half the range of a gasoline vehicle?

Short-charge times are still minimum 4 hours and they claim that "damages" the batteries.

Insurance for young people is insane.

Some parts are already not available for Older-than 2000 model vehicles. There's already stuff for my 2004 Tiburon that I literally cannot get anymore. It's junkyard part, or go without.

Cars are designed to fail. When they fail, now there's no parts to repair. We spend a fortune to buy these things only to watch them become useless hunks of nothing.

I almost wonder if it's going to get to the point where people will take a 2019 vehicle, and swap in an old 350 with points and a carb because there were no more parts to keep the 2019-vintage stuff working!

Some parts are already not available for Older-than 2000 model vehicles. There's already stuff for my 2004 Tiburon that I literally cannot get anymore. It's junkyard part, or go without.

This is true for virtually every pre-2000 vehicle, and some that are newer than that. 10 years ago, it was true for every 1990 vehicle, etc. That's how it has worked forever.

Is there a fully-electric car out there that has even half the range of a gasoline vehicle?

I dunno man. In the early 2000's, I had NO problems finding parts for my 70's and 60's cars I was rolling back then. The local parts place even used to have those parts IN STOCK.

I gotta agree with That AMC Guy.

Early 2000's I had no problems finding parts for my '71 and '73 locally. They were almost 30 yrs old at the time.

Now, same age, but current time, I'm having more and more difficulty finding parts for my '93. The difficulty actually started about 4 yrs ago. It was as if once it hit the 25 yr mark, everything disappeared. If it wasn't for places like rockauto, I'd be screwed.

I know they can't keep parts around forever, but still. Cars actually last longer now, but what's the point if parts can't be had?

I should've been more clear. I was referring to body parts, trim parts, interior parts, etc. Those get discontinued and when they are gone, they are gone. I didn't realize the problem was becoming so common with wear/replacement mechanical parts, too.

I don't know. My oldest paid 6k for an 07 Corolla S with manual trans and 125k. It was a trade in at a dealership and in great shape. Seeing it will go at least 300k or more, he will have years to drive it and it looked like new. Yep, we had to go through a lot of trash to find it but they are out there..

A big part of the problem with parts availability is the massive variety of parts needed for today's vehicles. The manufacturers don't make stuff the same for years and years like they used to. Now many things are changed every model year. Or even more often. Plus, there are many more manufacturers than there used to be. I don't know how they could possibly keep it all.

I don't know. My oldest paid 6k for an 07 Corolla S with manual trans and 125k. It was a trade in at a dealership and in great shape. Seeing it will go at least 300k or more, he will have years to drive it and it looked like new. Yep, we had to go through a lot of trash to find it but they are out there..

I don't know. My oldest paid 6k for an 07 Corolla S with manual trans and 125k. It was a trade in at a dealership and in great shape. Seeing it will go at least 300k or more, he will have years to drive it and it looked like new. Yep, we had to go through a lot of trash to find it but they are out there..

YES

from linked article
1. 2021 Tesla Model S Performance all-wheel drive with 19-inch wheels: 387 miles

2. 2021 Tesla Model X Long Range Plus RWD: 371 miles

3. 2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD: 353 miles

4. 2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD: 326 miles

5. 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E RWD California Route 1: 305 miles

there are several still in testing stages that are supposed to get 400+.
the VW ID.4 just completed the Norra 1000 off road challenge on the first try. only 63 of 89 gas powered cars completed it.

https://www.cars.com/articles/electric-vehicles-with-the-longest-range-422227/

keep a open mind regarding EV cars. as technology advances they will get better, the more cars on the road = more charging stations so long range won't be as important. the critics conveniently forget gas powered cars were total junk in the early years .it took a while before they really started to be something.
there are several places where EV cars are easily economically viable now like large cities or delivery cars with set routes.

i have no plans on buying or driving one in my future plans. i have no problem with their development.

I admit I'm one of those parents that doesn't want his kids driving a 25 year old POS. My strategy for my kids has worked well 3 times. Two years before they turn 16, I buy a new car and drive it myself. They learn to drive in that car and then when they get their license I give them a car that has only 30K on it and has all the latest safety equipment. Oldest son got a Honda Civic, second one Toyota Corolla, third one Ford Focus. When they finish school and get a job I sign the car over and make them get their own insurance.

YES

from linked article
1. 2021 Tesla Model S Performance all-wheel drive with 19-inch wheels: 387 miles

2. 2021 Tesla Model X Long Range Plus RWD: 371 miles

3. 2021 Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD: 353 miles

4. 2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD: 326 miles

5. 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E RWD California Route 1: 305 miles

there are several still in testing stages that are supposed to get 400+.
the VW ID.4 just completed the Norra 1000 off road challenge on the first try. only 63 of 89 gas powered cars completed it.

https://www.cars.com/articles/electric-vehicles-with-the-longest-range-422227/

keep a open mind regarding EV cars. as technology advances they will get better, the more cars on the road = more charging stations so long range won't be as important. the critics conveniently forget gas powered cars were total junk in the early years .it took a while before they really started to be something.
there are several places where EV cars are easily economically viable now like large cities or delivery cars with set routes.

i have no plans on buying or driving one in my future plans. i have no problem with their development.

And what's the average cost of any of those?

they really aren't that much more than compatible level gas cars.

according to car and driver EV cars are cheaper to own also. before someone jumps all over me, this includes depreciation costs also.

https://www.caranddriver.com/shopping-advice/a32494027/ev-vs-gas-cheaper-to-own/

copy pasted from linked article.

Mini: $0.0853 per mile/ $3,839

Mini Electric: $0.066 per mile/ $2,970

Hyundai Kona: $0.0909 per mile /$4,091

Hyundai Kona Electric: $0.066 per mile / $2,970


i would assume the big part of the difference is it isn't long term, 10+ years, ownership so all of the electronics in EV cars isn't considered much.
with that said gas cars have a lot of electronics in them also. i recently repaired a 2021 VW tiguan. i drove the car in the spray booth without a bumper ,headlights, hood and door. i triggered 45 trouble codes

the EV cars are cheaper probably because they don't need oil changes and things like that. from what i have read a lot of EV cars used for delivery purposes can easily drive 300,000 mile without any major problems other than brakes and tires.

You can't fault a safety conscious parent.

True. But what did the third kid do to end up stuck in a Fuckus?

Moving back to topic, what cars are even interesting to own over the last 3 decades? Nissan Skyline? Sure, if you can find one, good luck registering it. Supra? Always been in high demand and pricey. Eclipse? Good luck finding on that isn't a turd. If you do, plan on spending big bucks.

It's not just the lack of 60s vintage vehicles that keeps kids out of the hobby. Heck, even nice mid 70s Cutlasses are huge money. Priced out a decent mid 80s Buick? How about a GN?

Really, the only V8 rwd vehicles around on a budget are Crown Vics. And those aren't sexy.