Okay, you guys are right...

[00Bolt]

well i have decided against getting a mustang,trans am, etc for right now. Im gonna go for the family ride and get some bills paid off and save up some money having a car payment free. and my plan is in 1-2 years getting something really nice again, i woud like to get than new sport trac svt when it comes out if its in the $35k range and not $45k....

but i been looking at smaller suv's... of course with $5-$6k price range, there isnt alot to choose from.

what do you guys think of something like this? its got leather, sunrood, 4x4... i can throw some better looking rims and tire on it and its not a bad beater for me

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4542151047&category=6012


any other ideas on nice ride for me?

[00Bolt]

actually, id rather go with 2001 as they have new body style...

[Sandman]

I drove a '97 Ford Explorer for awhile. I never had any problems with it. However, I wouldn't go with the 4x4 unless you are going to actually use it. It is just more wear and tear and maintenance.

[00Bolt]

this is really only SUV that i like... but id have to finance a little more than half, and im trying to pay cash for a ride, not finance... but i like these... wifes mom had one exactly like this a few years back.. it was nice

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4541772162&category=6442

[WA 2 FST]

That's a joke... an '01 4-Runner for $15k w/ 97k miles? LMAO. The Explorer is a better deal and just as "utilitarian". My dad has a '96 5.0 Explorer with 155k miles on it. Runs perfect.

[LonghornLightning]

My brother will be selling his 4 runner in the next month or so....I believe it's a 96, not sure on the mileage..lemme know if you want more details.

[Sixpipes]

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/8scions.JPG

Firshizzle! I always wanted to say that................. :cool:

[True Blue Aggie]

Firshizzle! I always wanted to say that................. http://www.talonclub.com/forum/images/smilies/cool.gif

Oh no.....We lost the Go Rilla in the racial draft!

[L8 APEX]

Don't be so concerned about a payment vs paying cash for an older car. A payment on a vehicle with a warranty pretty much limits your costs out of pocket. Take for instance Razor's brother who just paid 7K cash for a gen1 Saturday. He didn't even make it home before the tranny blew and it caught fire. How would you like to dump your 6K on a ride and have to buy a 1800 tranny rebuild the next month or week? My old blue truck has been paid off for nearly a decade. I avaraged the maintanance records for the last two years. Doing general repairs with my labor free and parts at cost averaged 210 a month. It would have cost me 5-600 a month averaged if I had to pay to have it done! If you are not your own mechanic and have to pay retail rates for repairs an old "paid for cash car" can cost you 3-600 a month easily. I would just finance a cheaper car with a warranty. The other choice is to buy a car less than 4 years old and under 50K miles. Otherwise the maintanance costs will equal more than a monthly payment in a hurry. Cars aren't free you are either making a payment for the protection of a warranty. Or have that money saved up when you have to drop 2K on a tranny, 4500 on an engine, 400 to fix a power window, 700 bucks for an A/C compressor. You get what you pay for you so to speak... Many folks finance a car because they cannot afford the big surprises that can pop up down the road.

[Mark #2]

Old cars are great once you have replaced everything once and you have a lifetime warrentee on all the parts. I got free in the past year:
Alternator
Starter
Water pump
Next is free brakes:D

[dboat]

Since you are asking for opinions...


Terry is right on.
Exploders are pretty decent, however, the Sport was never popular and its resale value shows. Plus with 2 kids you are going to want 4 doors not 2 doors.
Dont get in a real big hurry either. Wait for the right deal to show up. I did when I was going to buy a 4 door sedan. :ron: Alert.. I looked at a bunch of Volvo S80's and found one that I was ready to buy, but found out it was already sold after the test drive. I ended up buying an Acura TL with nav and never looked back, has been a GREAT car for us.
An off brand or less than popular model can be had cheaper and still does the job that you need it for since its only an interim buy and not a long term vehicle for you.
Go check out the auto auctions and remember the inventory gets updated weekly in Dallas.
Best of luck
Dana

[99WhiteBeast]

Oh no.....We lost the Go Rilla in the racial draft!
:rll:
classic Chappelle-pure genius:d