OK, now the cars. There will be lots of opinions out there. Here are some of mine.
General Guidelines
* Manual tranny will last longer and be cheaper to fix than an automatic.
* Front wheel drive will break sooner than rear wheel drive, cost more to fix, and be more difficult to fix.
* Deisels will get 30% better milage and last 300% longer than the equivalent gasoline engine.
* Domestics are cheaper to fix than imports.
* American cars withstand poor maintenence over time better than foreign cars. (1)
* One reason the Japanese autos last so long is that their owners are the 1st (Honda) and 2nd (Toyota) most likely to perform proper maintenence on their vehicles.
* The newer the auto, the less difference there is in build quality between Japanese & domestic autos.
* Present condition and a hard record of proper maintenence are the most important criteria when evealuating a used car. Make/model reputation is much less important.
* Of the American makes, Chrysler has the poorest longevity.
* In your price range, avoid Korean makes like the plague.
(1) What does this imply? A high milage rice burner without all maintenence receipts showing proper maintenence is a riskier proposition than a similar domestic auto. A rice burner with all maint records showing good maint is a better bet than an American auto with the same maint records.
Given the above, there are a few vehicles that make good basic transport for few $$$.
Older American Full Sized Pickup
Generally speaking, the older it is, the easier it is to work on. For instance, my buddy just sold his 1976 Chevy 1/2 ton (350/3sp auto) for $1000. He bought it 5 years earlier...for $1000. He just kept it maintained and fixed things as they broke, as one should. The paint was shot by the time he bought it and it had power steering & brakes. No PW, PDL, A/C or anything fancy. The points in favor of an old pickup are ease of maint/repair, cost of maint/repair, large size in a collision, hold their value as a basic work truck, and usually are (as mentioned above) overbuilt for day to day driving. Oh, and a guy/gal can drive one and still be kinda cool, depsite its condition or current styling, as it is purposeful and serious, the way a pipsqueak rice burner is not. The major downside is fuel economy, though a 1/2 ton with a small V8, V6, or I6 will do alright. The big gasoline V8s will own your wallet to keep its tank filled. A deisel will likely be out of your price range, as they maintian a lot of their value, but they get really good milage (mid-1980s Chevy 3/4 ton HD deisel could get 24MPG highway) Last, you'll never need to rent a U-Haul truck to move from apartment to apartment.
Older Compact Pickup
Similar to the full size, but smaller, better fuel economy, and more manufacturers to choose from. Good value-leaders are Ford Ranger, Mazda, and Nissan with I4 engines. Foreign models not as cheap, parts-wise as the domestics. A basic Ford Ranger with no power equipment, manual tranny, and I4 engine will likely be the cheapest option.
Rice Burner Econobox
A good basic transport option, but it must have been maintained & serviced well, as they don't stand up to abuse as well as American autos. Given proper servicng (which they require more of than their American counterparts), they'll last a good, long while.
American Vanilla Sedan
Think the boringest rental fleet car and you'll get the idea: Ford Taurus, Buick Regal, Chevy Lumina, Pontiac Grand Prix, etc. Avoid the aforementioned autos with I4 engines. Thie V6 engines are pretty darned well-built and last a long while, especially the GM 3800 3.8 V6.
Good luck finding your auto. Don't worry that you can't afford the coolest, newest car on the block. At least you'll have transport.
garretwc:
What year Torino? My gramps owned a 71 with a 351 Cleveland V8 and a 73 with a 302 V8. He loved that 71.
