That’s awesome. Do they have a website? I always get a kick out of used car lots specializing on a particular model of car (lots of cost savings and they really get to know them well), and mom-and-pop car rental places that run a fleet of older vehicles. This is like a double whammy!

In the case of the Taurus I’d image…

I know we’re being edging jalops here and all, but a clean (anything) with solid mechanicals, automatic and A/C is basically an automatic $1500-2000 car. A really low mileage well preserved granny-drove-it-to-church domestic sedan here in the midwest is an easy $3k sell during tax season or summer when parents are…

My brother put PA historic plates on his ‘89 MPV, and to a certain degree, it is how it works. (Still has its old NY plate in the pic).  No more inspections, cheap registration every couple of years instead of annual. IIRC there’s a 2500 mile annual limit but that’s just about perfect for the old girl, which is…

I was surprised that wasn’t suggested yet. Damn the MPG requirement, buy the least rusty V8 domestic half-ton you can and enjoy.  Driving a pickup is as crucially American (maybe even more) than driving a V8.

Modern water based car paints are crap, generally speaking.
The switch to low tension oil rings and water-thin synthetics is driving an epidemic of oil burning over the past decade or so, exacerbated by a proliferation of highly pressurized turbocharged engines that raise cylinder pressure as well as cylinder-shutoff…

I think you nailed it, poor-corrosion resistance of 80s Japanese sheetmetal notwithstanding. I have a 1996 4Runner and my wife has a 2012 Camry. The difference in quality is plainly seen anywhere you look. The 4Runner’s interior materials are better, no rattles after 150k miles, the paint has absolutely minimal stone…

“Materials are constantly improving.”

You should compare the paint and amount of rock chips on my wife’s 2012 Camry and on my ‘96 4Runner and get back to me. 

“Stop living in the 90s when all JDM cars were reliable and Camry’s were beige. In the new era, all cars have a lower shelf life and components are designed to last much less in order to cut prices. Most cars are trash after their lease term and disposable, just like cell phones and other modern tech.”

This much I can…

And just like your X3 is a “known” oil burner but yours doesn’t use any, my ES300 with the 1MZ-FE of oil sludge fame was clean as a whistle and didn’t use any noticeable between changes either.

My initial point of contention was with this statement:
“Don’t buy cheap shit or cheap out on maintenance and you can ensure…

Sounds like I hit a nerve. I absolutely agree that the Japanese have been cutting costs like crazy and it’s been showing. Toyota had oil burning issues on 2.4/2.5 NA motors when they switched to 0W-20 and low tension rings, same as Subaru with their FB family, and I think Volvo’s previously rock-solid 3.2L…

Oh believe me if this was a random craigslist car, one look at those headlights and bumpers and I’d be running for the hills. But the fact that it’s literally been my kin wrenching on it for the past 5 years and knows it inside and out is what makes it a viable option in my mind. My “usual” winter beater route is a…

An Acura with Honda’s horrible cylinder cutoff has nothing to do with Lexus, first of all.

I will counter your Lexus anecdote with one of my own: I had a ‘96 ES300 that had timely oil changes with 209k on the clock and it didn’t use any appreciable amount of oil, whether leaks or burning.

“Midwest snow country? check?”

To be fair, the one thing Audis truly excel at is fantastic rust-proofing relative to just about anything else on the market of that era. 

“old Lexus which is rattling itself apart and burning oil.”

I haven’t seen too many of these. What I do see are modern German cars that burn 1qt+ every thousand miles right off the showroom floor. 

I bought a Ranger this spring where the seller was truthful in that he had no idea on A/C other than that it didn’t blow cold. I basically made peace with an old beater truck that wouldn’t have A/C. On a whim, I put a $5 can of R-134a from walmart in and amazingly I got nice icy cold air that lasted the summer until I…

I’m about to cautiously dip my toe into Old German car ownership with an ‘01 A4 Quattro (30 Valve 2.8L V6, Quattro, stick) that I’m buying off my brother’s friend to use as a general commuter/winter beater.

I’d like to think I’ve mitigated risk as much as possible:
1) First and foremost I have my trusty old 4Runner as a…

I think you’re on the money. I retract my earlier NP, I was just pulled in by the siren song of a stick shift biturbo C5 platform beauty.

Best case scenario: it’s a dealership that just doesn’t want to mess with it and wants it out of their hair, hence the easy fixes that have not been fixed.

More likely scenario:…

It’s the rare stick shift that make’s the car in question stand out and be of interest in the first place.

Assuming that price can be realistically negotiated down to $2400-2500, I’m in for a NP.  I’d only buy this assuming I had the time and inclination to wrench on it myself, and a thorough pre-purchase inspection didn’t turn up any red flags.  If I found it sucking up too much time and money, I’d give it a thorough…

I know the old rule is not spending more than 10% of your net worth on a car... but imagine spending even 10% of your net worth on a car?! Seems insane to me.