When No One is Buying, the Cars are Cheap!

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2)
04/03/2020 at 21:00 • Filed to: unnecessary car shopping without E90M3, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace

A few of these sellers I actually feel bad for. I imagine some of these people are selling out of necessity, and might be forced to accept much less than they are worth. But on a more cheery note, there are some really good deals out there right now.

Let’s start with something really rare stateside.

This !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! hatchback has a scant 108,000 miles and the seller is asking just $4,500. It has a mislabeled automatic, but that interior seems almost unused. And I like the color. I really don’t know much about these cars though.

Let’s move on to something really cheap. This Audi TT has to be broken, or else it wouldn’t be $2,000. No word from the seller, however.

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But can you get a fully function reliable car for as cheap as $2,000 ? Yes you can!

These poor people have been trying to sell this well maintained high mileage 5 speed Toyota Matrix for quite a while now and the price is down from $5,000. That’s quite a drop. But that interior looks so good still. I would buy this in a heartbeat if I didn’t have much cash to spend.

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But can you go offroad for perhaps a little more? Let’s compare some $5,000 Jeeps, which are not known for being in good condition when really cheap.

The seller of this 1994 loudly proclaims that he is selling. And what he is selling seems to be pretty good. No word on the interior but with all the parts included a 190k mile Jeep is pretty good for that money. No word on the interior.

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This 1988's interior just looks perfect. For only 188k claimed miles, this thing looks great. And those wheels in particular complete the look well, which are claimed to be Mickey Thompsons. I know which one I would take.

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And now for something maybe a little more expensive than expected but so rare that I had to include it. A 2006 Suzuki Aerio SX! It has a mislabeled automatic, but actually looks very good for 121k miles. In case you somehow forgot what these look like, here you go:

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And finally, this functioning 180k mile Saturn Ion Coupe is just $1,750! And it has the 5 speed! I really like these more than is reasonable, but just look at those clamshell half doors!

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So, out of this lot, which would you drive home? Well, they are pretty cheap for the most part so why don’t you treat yourself to two? I think I would take the Matrix for DD duty and the gray ‘88 Jeep with gray paint on Mickey Thompsons for weekends.

DISCUSSION (24)

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/03/2020 at 21:03

I wish I could score a good deal on something fully electric or a plug in hybrid.

dogisbadob > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/03/2020 at 21:12

I like the C230 coupe more than I should

The Aerio SX is cool, but the older ones with the digital dash are cooler :o)

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/03/2020 at 21:12

I’ll take the merc coz supercharged manual RWD

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BaconSandwich is tasty.
04/03/2020 at 21:13

I saw a medium mileage volt a few months ago for only $5,500. I’m still kinda mad my friend didn’t buy it. And it was red too. They are still really cheap around here.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > dogisbadob
04/03/2020 at 21:19

When I was in highschool some one down the road from me had one and I loved it. It was his bad weather car for when he wasn’t driving big GT4 Celica.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
04/03/2020 at 21:19

I think they are cool, but I would never fiend that much on one

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/03/2020 at 21:22

The C-coupe is a great deal. They’re fairly reliable as far as Mercs go; friend of mine has been dailying one for nearly 14 years.

Matrix is well priced. Jeeps are too high, IMO. You can get a TJ for that price.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/03/2020 at 21:47

Not bad. Unfortunately Mrs. BaconSandwich has said whatever I get needs five seats, so that limits it to the second gen Volt or Bolt. Cheapest second gen Volt I've seen has been around $13k. Still a lot of car for the money.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
04/03/2020 at 21:57

Hmm, I have no clue what all goes wrong with them tho so no clue if thats a good price

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BaconSandwich is tasty.
04/03/2020 at 22:08

Yes, very much so. Maybe a little less quirky which I like but great cars

SmugAardvark > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/03/2020 at 22:18

Those C230's always appealed to me visually. But they really are pigs. Did a few laps on a track with one about 15 years ago, and was actually astounded that it had more understeer than nearly anything else I had driven up to that point, including a Cavalier.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
04/03/2020 at 22:26

Auto tho

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
04/03/2020 at 22:27

Yeah but all the cheap TJs available yesterday sold somehow. It wasn't terrible, just not a steal.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/03/2020 at 22:59

oooo i thought it was manual
Im not taking it then

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > SmugAardvark
04/04/2020 at 00:33

i recall those were kind of a dog for how much they were going for. For 6 months I had a manager would shit in most cars, and I thought “well he better have something badass” to be surprised he drove one.

Tristan > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/04/2020 at 01:19

The TT is an Audi... “Broken” is implied.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Tristan
04/04/2020 at 13:31

Which means a junkyard LS swap would be perfect.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
04/05/2020 at 10:07

Even if it were manual price is about double what it should be.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
04/05/2020 at 10:13

No it isn’t and no they’re not. At least not with that engine. The older engine (M111) is much better than this one (M271). This engine is crap. The interiors on these are crap. Getting one of these to last a long time is like winning the lottery, but in a realistic way. By that I mean you buy a bunch of lottery tickets everyday, wasting a ton of money, for years, to get a payout under a million.

Tristan > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
04/05/2020 at 18:54

That would be a massive improvement. Unfortunately, the rest of it will still be an Audi.

Under_Score > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
05/05/2020 at 20:45

I saw that same Aerio (with a World Toyota temporary tag) abandoned on Windy Hill Road today. I’ll yank the proof from my dashcam tomorrow.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Under_Score
05/05/2020 at 21:22

Wait, I saw what may be that same aerio (given their rarity) a few days ago. I swear it was the same one as in the ad. Actually abandoned or just parked?

Under_Score > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
05/05/2020 at 21:58

Abandoned on the road. I’ll need to provide a picture from my dashcam. I also see that Bonneville from Craigslist all the time.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Under_Score
05/05/2020 at 23:10

That would have been one short time before a breakdown.