Any car experts? Got $4k

[chubbs]

Jeep Cherokee xj 4.0 aw4 auto. Stopped making them in 2001 though.

 

[AllenM]

Well this seems appropriate

Ford Unveils New Car For Cash-Strapped Buyers: The 1993 Taurus - YouTube

 

[ghuns]

I would look at a 2000-2005 Buick Park Ave. I have a 2004 and love it. Tons of room, comfortable ride, and the GM 3.8L engine will run forever. Seriously, 250-300k miles is not uncommon for these engines. Plus about 26-30 mpg on the highway. You can find them for under 4k all day long.

Anything with the GM 3.8L engine. They can be found in:

We used to have a family fleet of Bonnevilles. Big car, plenty of get up and go, 25MPG driving around town. I sold my 1992 SSE with almost 300K on it. In the 7 years I owned it. I replace the fuel pump, and probably a half dozen alternators.

every single GM V6 will need the intake gasket replaced. if the PO let it go too long, say hello to a ticking time-bomb.

I have never had a 3.8 intake gasket fail. I HAVE had 3.8 plastic upper intakes fail. NEVER replace with one from a GM dealer. Buy one made by Dorman, it will go forever.

The 3.4L prior to 2004 had intake gaskets that were prone to failure. After 04 seem to be less problematic. I had a 98 Olds minivan that suffered engine failure due to a bad intake gasket and a wife who ignored a wildly fluctuating temperature gauge. I bought a 2003 motor with 10K miles and swapped out for the new style intake gasket before putting it in the van. Ran 100K with it, till the head gasket failed.

 

[Baditude]

Bought my daughter a 98 Accord loaded has everything but heated seats and mirrors and my wife 2000 lexus with hail damage with everything for under 4K. Just get it checked out by CarX before you buy, both have been good vehicles so far.

 

[1775usmarine]

If you do go for an impala, monte carlo, or any other GM based car with the 3.1 or 3.4 v6 engine, make sure it has had the intake manifold gasket repaired. This gasket fails on every one of those engines and its a pain to replace, costly if you have a shop do it. Just food for thought.

Got an 05 Impala with the 3.4l 178k miles and still going. No issues with the lower intake yet knock on wood. Though the speedo went out a common problem you see the ads in the back of indiana auto rv.

 

[Frosty]

Mazda 6. I've got an 04 with 170,000 miles, it's been flawless! I highly recommend them, if I was looking to buy a new car itwould definitely be another 6!

 

[Caleb]

1998 and 1999 jeep cherokees are nice! older then what you specified, but it can get you just about anywhere

 

[ThisIsMyBOOMStick]

I see a lot of people are recommending Honda's but those hold their value pretty well. You'll probably pay more than 4k unless you go for one that's more than 10 years old. For something newer and dependable under 4k, I'd recommend a Saturn. They're pretty dependable, easy on gas, and I've seen them go well over 200k miles.

Good luck though, remember to have a mechanic you trust give it a thorough inspection before buying it. It's always worth the cost of the inspection. Trust a guy who's learned this the hard way.

 

[Caleb]

Best honda imho are the 1990-1993 5 speed accords...the honda the most fun to drive, easy to drive, good on gas, pretty roomy, and the sunroof is just right so opening it up as well as your windows is awesome on a nice day. 94-97 accords sucks, honda took the fun out of the accords with that model.

 

[PurdueBoilermaker]

Honda Civic if you can find one in good condition for $4k