How to Find the Right Car for the Best Price

When I was younger and inexperienced, I always had a hard time finding a good car for myself with a budget of about $1,500. That, my dear readers, is no longer a problem so I want to share a series of tips with you so you can find a car you actually want and not get ripped off or end up buying a lemon.

I'm going to use the above figure of 1.5k for my examples.

The first thing you have to do is ask yourself some questions and think about the answer if you have to. First of all, are you looking for one specific car? Because I would encourage you to look into similar vehicles if you can't find the model you want. It's best if you give yourself some things you want in a car so that you have a wider variety and are not limited.

Are you looking for a sports car or an economy car? Do you want a V8 or do you not care as long as it satisfies your needs, whether that's economy, power, or a mix of both. Are you going to daily drive it or is it a project car?

So let's say I want a rear wheel drive sports car. I would like something with a V8 but I'm open to other considerations. I just want a 'quick' car, not anything with the most power possible although that would work if I could find the right car.

You would first want to make a list - in your head, even - of cars that potentially fit that category of needs. You need a sporty rear wheel drive car for $1500 running. The reason I say that is because you can buy a car that needs a new radiator for $600 and install a new radiator yourself for $1-200 leaving you with a running car for $800 which is the route I would take.

In my head I'm starting my search with older Mustangs, Miatas, 240s, Camaros, and maybe some Pontiacs or whatever else may come to mind.

I do some searching on Craigslist  and contact a few people. So let's assume I find a guy with a Miata for 1.7k. I've looked at a couple other cars but they had qualities I didn't like such as a sluggish-feeling engine or a completely torn interior (it's fine if the seats are torn - seat covers are cheap and can help you change the look of your interior).

This is the time you have to perform if you want to get that car for 1.5k or less. It's very helpful if you know how to work on cars or bring a friend that does. Also, bring CASH. People see cash and they will take $200 less than they planned in their head.

You want to do a quick check of the interior which you can do while test driving it down the block. I would be wary if the person was to object to a test drive. Make sure the headlights and everything work. Anything that doesn't will take money off the final sale price. When you drive the car, you need to listen to the engine and make sure it runs smooth and has a steady idle after it warms up.

If the car is extremely modified, that's a red flag if it wasn't done correctly. See if the car needs an alignment by letting the wheel go for a few seconds while going in a straight line. Check engine light?

You should then do a visual inspection of the engine, brakes, suspension, and anything you can see.

Just assuming this Miata (not the one in the picture - trust me) had a bad temperature gauge, needed an alignment, and new tires, you can easily haggle the person down $200. Have a price in mind and if the person doesn't come to agree, just walk away. There's other cars.

And if you are a mechanic then you are in a huge position to get a great deal. For example, I bought a Honda Accord that had a bad radiator and was overheating for dirt cheap because of it and made some money flipping it. Also, it is NOT a bad idea to invest in something that has potential, like my current car. I bought it after it was crashed in the front. It was at a slow speed but the hood, radiator support, AC condenser, and radiator all needed to be replaced. The PS pump was going bad too. I bought that '95 Lexus LS400 for $300. Here it is now waiting to get a hood hinge and radiator support replaced (I have them both and everything else is finished).

Sometimes you also have to have some patience. It's not a good idea to buy a car you're not sure of just because you can't find anything (yet). Luck also helps. I was able to pick up an E30 for $500 (running) because the owner was moving and I told him if he can't sell it by the time he has to move, I can give him $500 for the car and he ended up calling a week later.

Lastly, do some research on the car to find out when (and if) it needs a timing belt change and to see if there is something catastrophic that the engine is known for, such as the Northstar 32v engine in older Cadillacs frequently blowing head gaskets. Good luck with your search and don't be shy showing me what you got by sending me an email to norgin@gmail.com.

Sucks Being Broke: First gen Toyota Aristo

I love my LS400 and I've already denied a really good offer for it (considering I still haven't had the chance to fix the hood!) but if a man with a Lexus Aristo asked me to trade, I think I would go get my title.

I just came home. I was inspired to write this because on the drive home I realized I was behind a Lexus Aristo. Now, the Toyota Aristo is the Lexus GS300 here in the US. The first gen is the one I'm talking about. I like the second gen as well but it doesn't look as mean.

Me being me and never hesitating to distract drivers with cool cars, I honked and flashed my lights until this guy stopped next to me at a light to talk. (I wasn't actually distracting him - don't get your pantaloons in a bunch [we can't lose another old Lexus!]).

This car had a Lexus badge and said Aristo on the back. I don't know if it was re-badged but if so, this body style should have been a Lexus. How mean does it look?

Those two lights on the GS version don't look nearly as good!

The very nice Japanese man - seeming very pleased that somebody noticed - told me he imported it from Japan. Afterwards he floored it and took off. I love that 1uz sound. The 2uz might be better and I may never know.

As far as I can tell, this car is not under $3,000 and I don't know if it will hit that low although it should. It actually costs more than the equivalent Lexus GS300 (correct me if I'm wrong please). Probably because it looks so much better!

This is something I will definitely consider picking up when the prices hit a low. I shouldn't just tell everybody but hey - I only have five readers! The first and second gen (1990 to 2000) LS400 is going to be a classic car. It was literally the first true Lexus and inspired the Lexus badge. The car was codenamed F-1 when Toyota started working on it in 1980 (ten years before it came out!) and when they decided to call it the LS400, the code became an 'L' inside of a circle when it was discussed on paper and that inspired the Lexus logo.

That's the type of stuff classic cars are made of. The first Ford F150... The first Mustang... The first this or that. And this car has flavor. I heard some actor in some movie say "Muscle always beats import." My question was: what about import muscle? And don't scold me for watching Fast and the Furious #14 or whatever - it was the only thing on! I swear.

Boys, save your money. And get something cheap and nice. Eventually you can then buy an Aristo. Oh the beauty!

Personal Note: I am still struggling trying to find a place to live. I'm staying in a hotel so all my money gets spent and I've been extremely busy starting a couple different businesses. I am still looking for another writer but I should be posting articles more frequently after the holidays. And I'm going to buy myself some damn VIP curtains! Yeah, the struggle is real. They're only $25. Happy holidays everybody and thank you for being a reader. My goal is always to deliver the best content I can and you will never see more ads or anything like that. This was a personal goal of mine for a long time. Feel free to post constructive criticism.

Cheap Speed: Volvo 740 Turbo

I still have a special place in my heart's garage for Volvos. So unassuming... so safe... so cheap. And this one is FAST with a little bit of work. Meet the Volvo 740 Turbo that came with the legendary B230 motor. It's legendary not only because it was quite fast for the time but because it's a tough block that you can pull 300hp out of on stock internals. Yes, you read that correctly. As long as your car has the 13mm rods (some came with 9mm but if I'm not mistaken, 1990+ cars all had 13mm in the US).

If you don't know, you can look at the rods by taking off the oil pan or taking off the fuel pump block plate and looking at the top of rod #1 in the latter case. While these will handle 300whp, the car needs to be tuned correctly. Something like too little fuel and you will start melting things. If you're worried or want more power (let me know if you did it for less than $4k! I will be posting a short article calling my readers to submit their budget build [the car's focus doesn't have to be speed]) there's another advantage to this car.

You blow the engine? Get a powertrain for $250 from the junkyard and put it in yourself over the weekend. I really believe that this Volvo along with some others like the 240 and 760 is the cheapest car for speed. There's other cars that come close but I would like to hear of a better way to get such good power for 3-4k or less. Remember though, the car is pretty light because it didn't require all the crazy things cars need to have these days and also I'm biased.

Shout out to www.turbobricks.com! I was a lurker when I owned my '97 850 and '01 S40 (nice looking, kinda quick car but quality was horrible because they had just been purchased by GM and trying to switch how they produce cars).

The 740 has a solid read axle like Mustangs do and yes, it is rear-wheel-drive. There's an inspirational video somewhere on YouTube if you search for '740 turbo - guy is drifting and later hauling a** down the street shooting fire out of the exhaust. It's a black car and it drag races another car in the beginning of the video. The reason I mention this is because that video made me want a 740.

Apparently you can use a Saab boost controller not only to control the boost but cut the boost if it senses knock. That's the danger at 300whp and above. The top safe amount of boost is 22-24 PSI. This is agreed on by most 740 enthusiasts but it doesn't mean every engine will. It definitely will, however, as long as it's tuned right. You also have to consider the old solid rear axle.

I will get one of these one day. I love my Lexus LS400 right now and always will but when I'm ready for a project car, I'll be getting a turbobrick myself. It was a toss-up between that and an SC300 or SC400 and while I would prefer the latter if I didn't have a Lexus already or simply wanted the best (in my opinion) deal, I've always wanted a turbo Volvo. I passed up '97 Volvo 850 turbo (T5?) wagon and I should've got it when I bought my Saab (Volvo people just X-ed out).

For some anecdotal information, there is a guy saying he has no problems at 27-30 PSI running methanol. At the same time, there's a group out there who have a 600hp 740 on stock internals but remember, the tune has to be dead-on. Not to mention these people are outliers. It's still pretty amazing.

To end, I just want to say that the car makes a great daily driver even after you modify it. It's pretty well known these cars can easily hit 400k on the odometer so it's no surprise there are people out there running 20+ boost with 300k miles on their car. Reliability is extremely important to me and it should be to you aswell. You don't want to have to keep fixing it every six months because it's old. And that's what you would be doing if you started with the wrong car.

Review: '91 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX

The very first fast car I drove and also the first car I totalled. Thankfully, it wasn't mine but my father's (that's a little joke - it wasn't funny at the time). He had taken me to a rally and asked if I wanted to do a lap. Ofcourse I did. There was only one problem.

I had never driven manual before except for a few minutes, stalling it over and over again before giving up in frustration. I reminded him of this so his reply was a 5-minute practice on a grassy field by the track. Let's do this.

First of all, I was pretty overwhelmed so I wasn't even following the track correctly. Where I DID go, I actually did okay until I came to a long sweeping corner. Remember, this happened on a rally course so I'm driving on dirt. What happened was that I went too far to the side and hit gravel. The car started sliding and we end up in a wall. The man still holds a grudge about it even though the car cost him $500. That's what I call a budget car! This particular one came with an upgraded transmission which he sold to get his money back.

It was the Eagle Talon version of the GSX which is exactly the same except for the badge. It is AWD and makes quite enough horsepower especially if you put the boost up to 16 psi. The car was gutted for weight reduction and was a rocket being so light with around 250hp (this is just a guess).

Did I mention it cost $500? These cars can be found extremely cheap. We went to look at another one afterwards that was ALSO $500 but he didn't want it because there was some sort of problem when that particular car would hit redline. I forget exactly what.

I was no mechanic at the time but my pops did mention that it was sometimes hard to get running right but when it did, it ran great. That's probably just him though.

If you want a cheap, fast car, this should probably be on your list. It also fits different needs. It can be a great rally car or a great asphalt car. The AWD system delivers power to the wheels very well. The car also gets good mileage if you care about that...

The only problem I have with it is the stupid automatic seatbelts from the early 90's that slide over you when you sit down and close the door. Minor annoyance really. The interior is pretty spartan but, again, this is a sports car. A really good one at that. I prefer it to both the second and third generation Eclipses.