tonce

Then it sat for a few years until GM came calling and now it sits at CAS awaiting restoration for the GM Heritage Collection.

BTW, the car is named in certain "The Infamous 5dr".

SeanKHotay

scirocco16v

salguod

v8corvairpickup

bigballer23

TJE61

Lotucris

$850

Lotucris

The least I paid for a car I actually used as a daily driver was $800 for a 1987 Honda Civic Wagovan.

petersterncan

I'm not going to win at this am I?

amblito

kingfloopy

(The Screaming Blue Messiahs)

- apologies if this has already been discussed.

mr.chophoppers

I am fairly certain that the Sultan of Brunei has had a fair number of cars gifted to him.

Of course, having been given a convertible Ferrari 456 by Pininfarina does beat having your aunt handing you down a yellow Geo Tracker with a ripped top by a country mile or two.

mr.chophoppers

litewerk

escapenguin

I miss that old heap.

escapenguin

suzq044

quayzar

Six2

zbg8000

MadHungarian

GTBruiser

$375 in 2004

it had been hit in the rear and the fenders were pulled back out but the trunk wouldn't latch, i secured it with some barn door hinges and sheetmetal screws best $382.74 i ever spent

lusnia

sketchthedog

MrEvil

$400 for '71 VW Camper in 2006, still my daily driver!

I've spent way more on Vespas.

morrisseyscoot

JoeWoodsprite

clashtastic

$400 for a '72 Dart to replace it when it was stolen

$250 to the towing/impound company to get the original back

$25 for a new ignition switch - everything else still worked

RStarkadder

nosirrahg

83 mustang ragtop- was a collision magnet, every panel was a differnet shade of gray as a result, finally blew a freeze plug in 98 while driving home, cracked both heads, gave it away

72 valiant 4 door. baby blue and primer, cracked the exhaoust manifold, sounded like a tractor, developed some electrical probs and now still sitting at my dad's house in NC

cheap cars
800 for a 91 cavalier this was in 99, got t-boned 3 yrs later and got 2400 from insurance

another freebie- 93 colt which also got tboned again got 2400 from ins
2000- 62 lancer gt I still drve her daily

1000 85 datsun pickup my wife drove for 4 years, blew a headgasket and sold to a friend for 300. he's now driving it

700 91 capri wife drove it for 3 years tranny died last summer

600 62 lancer 170 2 door for parts
and just this year
300 for a 81 280 zx 2+2

JesusHChrysler

2nd Car: 73 Volvo P1800ES: $2500

3rd Car: 92 Wrangler: hand-me-down (loved it)

4th Car: 92 Chevy 1500: $2900 (great truck)

blacksteed1968

z974647

legr8est1234

Amscram

Mr.Fourn

detlef

tdoyle

courtano

sliderule

creigs9

Truck - $400
Sold Cap - $375
Net Cost for the best lil truck I have ever owned - $25!!!!

pjstevens77

*Smashed into a concrete overpass
*Burned
*Shot
*had a crowbar taken to the dashboard to steal the stock AM radio

Started without a key.
No driver's side window.

Sold it using the following ad:
CAMARO FROM HELL. Runs. $500.

Ended up selling it for $550.

Net cost = -$250.

cazart

Thirty-Nine

Gottleib

vwminispeedster is actively searching for a $500 Citroen

I agree, wholeheartedly!

This said, I have to admit, my wife's '02 RX300 was $29K. Purchased used in '04, for cash money, was still a relative steal, and she doesn't get realize it, but I'm not kidding when I say, "that's your last car"...

At the time, due to injury, she needed something higher off the ground than her '95 Intrepid, and I couldn't work on vehicles for a few years..also injury-related...so we went new(er) and cushy.

I'm serious about keeping this Benz for 20 years.... Payments come to $12.50/mo.

I used to be exceptionally good at the sub-$500 car, but I've gotten older, and like comfort.

Kelly

Best deal ever was a free beer party I attended in 1988 paid for by a couple of high school guys I worked with at a grocery store. They purchased a rusted out '74 Super Beetle for $200, spent about $100 on an insurance down payment, another $50 on tag= $350ish plus put some free plywood into the front pans which were gone. They drove it around very lightly as they were waiting for one of their brothers to weld up the badly rusted front suspension. Only on the road for two weeks, when a lady ran a stop sign at low speed, hit the Bug and the front suspension collapsed. Insurance write off for $800 which they used $200 to buy the beer party!!!

Another grocery store guy back in 1987 - college student- bought a '71 Impala 2dr w/ 400ci for $200. Badly rusted etc. He boosts oil, washer fluid, trans fluid, spark plugs, etc from the store and I help him tune up the POS. Driving through a rich part of town a Jag driving lady pulls out of her garage and creases the hugemonously long driver door with her front bumper. He then extorts her rich husband for $100 for a junk yard door which he never purchases...

Same cousins as first story: I junked a Dodge Omni which had a newish pair of tires and a used pair of tires which I had found abandoned in a closed autobody shop. I pulled the wheels and brought to the cousins. They were working on a later model Pinto which they bought for $100. It was a white ex-Ma Bell phone company car of unknown miles. Still had the blue/olive green tape stripes inside the doors. They proceed to re-use the tires, tint the windows, clean it up and sell it to some guy for his teenage daughter. Who then flipped it over in the rain 4 months later.

Worked with a guy who bought $125 Subaru 2dr POS w/ bad 3rd gear. He put gear saver fluid in, uses bungee for assist, and props seat with 2x4. Drives for 8 months and then sold to some Mexican guy for $500.

econobiker

I ended up trading it to a friend for a 93 Escort GT that needed a clutch.

mattEGTx

buttons

But it could easily transport a keg in the trunk and it was utterly indestructible.

BadAxe

1961 Austin Cambridge (first car which I still love, although it isn't on the road) - free.

1978 Honda Civic Wagon - painted GM 'copper-beige' - free family hand me down

Several others, but the best bang-for-buck was my 1975 Toyota 2wd pickup. Painted the trim on a shed for it. Rebuilt the engine, etc - let's say $1000 into it. I drove it for 9 years, and the only repair was a fuel filter. 9 years and $1003 later, sold it for $450.

TheBrewPub

Russter

danio3834

$500 for a 1966 Corvair Monza Convertible (in 1974). Deep Maroon, Black Top, Black Bucket Seats, Powerglide, and it needed a complete tune up. Drove it for a couple of years (and should have kept it) but sold it off for the same $500.

$100 for a 1966 Rambler American 4 Door (in 1976). Light Gray Blue, 199 CI Six, 3 on the tree (Learned how to drive a stick with it). Totaled it running into a early 70's Chrysler New Yorker.

$600 for a 1966 Mercedes Benz 250 S. (1986) Faded Green, ripped interior, lots of rust. This was going to be a quick fixer upper, but the transmission needed repair, and the rear end whined, and the A/C was all disconnected, so I sold it (for $700).

$100 for a 1979 Chevy Monte Carlo (1989). Bought from my Sister, because she did some custom body work (actually tried to jump a light, and got hit in the rear), and the engine was running on 7 Cylinders. I dropped in a low mileage 305, and drove it for a couple of years, until I gave it to my Sister in Law.

UDMan

Of course now with getting the transmission rebuilt, buying the interior parts it was missing, replacing rusted doors, and other stuff, it's cost us like $3,800 total.

T92

Free cars sort of rule.

Paul Y. can't think of a better, shorter handle

Oli4K

The best of the bunch was a 1975 Orange Saab 99 for which I paid $125 and drove for nearly 10 years (including a move to Texas from Ohio). I put about 75K on that car and sold it for $350. Dollar for dollar this was the best car I ever owned.

I also drove an 1970 Audi Super 90 that a friend gave me. That friend, coincidentally, is on the LeMons Cavalier Station Wagon team (and the Cavalier was his personal car).

[jalopnik.com]

There was also a 1973 Opel Manta in this group.

texajeff

First "Car":
1984 Toyota 4x4 pickup LWB $900 in 1996.
Bought it "Not running" drove it home
36 hours later after a "diesel fuel engine clean" and brakes. 45K before sold for $1,000.

xeensd

It's a HELL of a lot less expensive than a new car and new car payments!

Kelly

79TA

My worst cars have been a $1750 '80 Ford F-100 pickup, no radio, no bumper, no nothing. Bought it, stupidly, from my father, who needed the cash for his new ride, an '84 LeSabre...this is '87. The Ford POS was the Rambler's replacement. Not a move up in quality...

Bad car #2. '99 Suzuki Grand Vitara, bought new, most expensive mistake I've ever made. Soured me on new cars, too. Lost 75% of it's value in five years. Brilliant!

The best cars I've onwed are sub-$3K 'beaters'. My current one is a n '89 420 SEL. Nice, solid, and likley only middle-aged.

Kelly

i eventually gave it back to the guy i bought it from and he found it a good home. IMHO it was never about the money but the fun i had along the way.

if i had to measure things in monetary value i would say the Valiants were more fun and relatively more profitable.

i have owned two chargers and two valiants (among many other cars). when i passed on ownership of the chargers i either broke even or lost money. for the valiants i owned i bought them cheap, had a blast building and driving them, and either doubled or tripled my totaled cash outlays.

i'd give the money back and then some to have either Valiant back now...

the Chargers - not so much these day... except maybe the first one that was slant six powered.

Ben Simons

Sold it for $1,000 in 2000 to a friend of a friend. Few years ago I heard it was still going strong at 220,000 miles. And they made their money back. Seems they kept getting hit and taking the insurance checks. One big crash was with a New Beetle. Driver tried to make a left from the center lane and smashed the hell out of the plastic fender, had to be towed away. The 626 pretty much just picked up some new paint and moved on.

sparksinner

Next cheapest was an '85 Omni for $150, drove it six months before the headgasket blew. Paid $175 for my '78 Volvo 244 DL, but that was a stillborn project that never left the yard.

I guess compared to some of you guys, all my cars would qualify- the most I ever paid was $750 for an '89 LeSabre.

Slantsick- on layaway at SPATULA CITY

'69 Ford Falcon with a 289 & Disc Brakes - $300.00
'68 Barracuda - $300.00
'63 Volvo 122 - (given to me by the guy I sold the Barracuda to if I'd knock $50.00 off the price)
'76 Mercury Capri - $450
Two '79 Honda Accords - one $300, one $400 (I think. Not terribly memorable cars)

Also had a '69 Dodge Charger that I bought for $1900.00 and sold for the same price about 2 years later. Had a hard time selling it because there were some rust holes in the trunk.

Paid $500 for the Falcon in my avatar as a non-runner, although I've put a bit more than that into it since then.

For my current daily driver I splurged and spent over a grand on a salvage-title Subaru Legacy with 200k miles.

ChasG

My dad has bought tons(30 or more) of Volvo Amazons though, mostly for $300 or so. The current one he has he bought for $350, and it's always run perfectly for the 26 years we've owned it.

AustinMiniMan

workingonyourinvoice

$3000 for the '86 Pontiac 6000-STE in 99

$3500 for the 1995 Explorer from my Brother in Law in '01. Still have it, so far it's been the best damn car I've owned has 230k on the clock.

$250 for a 2000 Ford Contour that needed a good scrubbing, tires, and a timing belt. So far I'm at a net-investment (not counting taxes/title and normal wear items like tires) of $32 for a new wiper switch and blower switch.

texan01

He replaced it with a Sentra with no 3rd gear which he got for $1 when his pal was moving and did not want to pay for the move.

mzs

TheTooth

'85 Tempo - $1, plus hauling all the trash from my grandma's house to the dump with my truck. She had amassed twenty years of home canning. It took seven trips to get everything. Only 36,000 miles. Terrible gas mileage. Drove the car a couple years until I got tired of having all the vinyl plastic parts cracking from age and falling off.

'90 Mazda 626 - $3000. Came very close to buying a Contour because the dealer had them marked down to $10k new. Happened to stop at a Subaru dealership, and found this car. Put 120,000 miles on it with only a couple nickle-and-dime fixes. Turned it into an art car. Sold it for $300 to a guy who was going to run it in LeMons or a similar race.

'90 Subaru Legacy - $650. A friend of a friend had held onto it because having it on his insurance was cheaper than without because of the multi-car discount. Sat for two years. Replaced a CV axle and wheel bearing, and I'm still driving it.

kingedwin

My first car was a 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint hardtop. Paid $575 in 1981, about 2 weeks after my 16th birthday. Our family hauled that car from So Cal to Canada and back, shipping fees paid by my dad's employer. We pulled the 260 V8 + 2 speed Fordomatic and dropped in a 289/C4. I had the car repainted in the original goldish beige color. I drove it daily to school and work, terrorizing countless drivers on the 405 Fwy with the open exhaust and 4 wheel drum brakes that worked when they felt like it. My roommate-to-be killed it when he drove a rental UHaul van into the side of it. My brother sold it to a Falcon restorer who wanted it for all the trim and interior pieces.

Since the Falcon Incident I've owned nothing but new cars except for the used Infiniti Q45 I paid out the wazoo for a couple years ago.

Uncle Bo, averting foreclosure

theeastbaykid

sierran

NovaloadMissesPolar

superbmtsub

Later bought a 1952 Chevrolet panel truck for $35 - it was listed for $50 in the ad, but the guy took pity on me, knowing what terrible condition the truck was in. Drove it 3,500 miles, sold it for $100 a year later.

Was then given a 1963 Rambler 770 4 door - sweet car - drove it for years, sold it for $350. Oh yeah, it was easy to make money back in the day. And gasoline cost 35 cents per gallon, too.

We can discuss hourly wages in another story...

way2bee

Bee1

After doing nothing to it beyond putting on new rotors and pads (cheapies, less than $100 total), we drove it 9,000 miles, having fun the whole time. [except the freak almost-tornado in Nebraska] By the time the trip was over, it was leaking every single fluid. We had backed over a railroad tie at the grand canyon, causing it to leak gas. A couple front seals on the engine started leaking a little oil. The axle seals were worn, leaking transmission fluid. It started dripping coolant and overheating. The heat was stuck permanently on. The left front wheel bearing was making noise. But it was still fun to drive!! And it made the final marathon run from New Mexico to Ohio in one shot without serious complaint.

Upon our return, I listed it on eBay as-is. A local guy checked it out and ended up winning the bid. Final sale price? $450.

$50 for 9,000 miles has got to be among the best mile-per-dollar ratios out there.

dculberson

Bad Juju

artgarciasc

started a new job, coworker on maybe my 2nd or 3rd day finds out i'm into cars, and goes "damn! my sister had an old convertible in the hamptons that she wanted to give away for free to anyone, cuz it stopped running. just wouldnt start one day." she gave it to some guy a friend of a friend of hers knew or something. anyway, i find out, it was a 69 camaro vert. jesus. coworker swore that car woulda been mine if he knew i liked old cars.

ohms

Matt Hardigree

I did, and found about $15.00 in change.

I've been given three or four cars for nothing tho, and most recently a car hauler flatbed trailer, just for getting it off someone's property.

Smitty

mikedrawcar

mikedrawcar

The Quantum was brown with a tan & brown interior. "Overly brown", my friends called it.

It spewed out so much smoke when sitting overnight (stuck ring) that it would obscure the sun until it dissipated.

Shook like a milkshake machine at speeds over 40 MPH.

To put down the passenger's side window, all you needed to do was reach over and push it down with your hand.

Traded it to a friend a year later for a beat up leather motorcycle jacket with a ripped out lining. It sat in his parent's driveway for long time until they finally had it towed away.

JohnnyWagon

Started an obsession.

Three years later, my sole vehicle is an
'89 Festiva.

FestivaDriver

Paul Y. can't think of a better, shorter handle

Roadkilled75

EJohnson

I took it home and turned the fuel filter around so the spring wasn't holding the closed end against the inlet. All of a sudden it idles at 7000 rpm... The dummies just cranked up the idle to make up for the backward fuel filter.

I'm still using it as a field truck in northern Michigan.

mytdawg

spaceoden

Followed that up by paying 800 for a 1983 GTI with 224K on the clock. Sold it for the same price a year later to a guy i loaned it to when he completely beat the living crap out of the car.

..and by "sold" i mean "Forced to buy".

MLaverty

turbofreak

Bad Juju

al_beaton

Caffiend

sgreimer

hairykrishna

[www.brandonvalentine.com]

The preview showed the image in my post, but it didn't make it apparently. Maybe the photo of my LUV will show up this time.

brandonvalentine

Idiot_King

I once horse traded a tiny window unit air conditioner left by the previous tenants of the centrally cooled house I'd just moved into for a white 1972 Chevy LUV with what hot rodders call a nice "patina". I rewired the "bad" alternator in the dude's front lawn (it wasn't bad at all, just wasn't wired correctly), jumped it, and drove it home. Had it for 2 years as a parts getter for my daily driver Datsun 720. Anytime the Datsun was in need of repair I'd fire up the LUV and off to the parts store I'd go. Loved that truck. It had 4 on the floor and a scrappy little Izusu 4-banger with a manual choke on the carb. I'm sorry I finally got rid of it, but the high price of scrap steel was too tempting one month when I needed to pay a bill.

[www.brandonvalentine.com]

brandonvalentine

The least I've ever paid for a running, driving car was $250 for our LeMons Volvo 122. Though i did pay $200 for a BMW 2002 in college, that only required being put back together to run. And I did, and it did, until in a moment of youthful enthusiasm I rear-ended a Caprice full of old people.

The first vehicle I ever bought, a 1977 GMC Sububan, was positively extravagant by comparison, at $550.

mechimike

But that got stolen last weekend. If anyone sees a blue 1988 4x4 Toyota with a black hood and stickers around the Bay Area, let me know. Seriously.

Naters4

TurboMini

FuzzyPlushroom

$1

Boxer4

Joetimek

Not a SW, it was a convertible. Black on black with a white top. I would have had to sell it anyway to pay the income taxes on the win, but a lady in an Econoline made sure that I didn't keep it long. (the insurance check and the $4500 I got for the remains, paid my expenses for my first 2 years of college) I still miss that car.

smalleyxb122

Matt Hardigree

pic - [flickr.com]

Dave7

Neener

My brother got a deal with a gorgeous $1000 '84 Vanagon. Steal of the century.

Our friend, though, got an 81 Starlet for mowing some guys lawn 3 times (it was supposed to be 4). If we could find those old videotapes, Hoon of the Day would surely be ours. That thing was great.

Naters4

$225 for my first car, a 63 Chevy II Nova, straight 6/PowerGlide.

Man, I wish I had that Nova back...

Zarba

Ω ß®ªғғ

Lobo1625

Ω ß®ªғғ

OrangeBoss9

$900 for a 1990 Mazda B2200 with 126k on the clock. Up to 196k now and asside from a few hail dents looks and runs great. (still passes emissions too)

Lobo1625

Heck, even $300 can net you something decent if you look hard enough.

danio3834

I got a free '89 323 w/automatic that needed a tranny, so I bought a $400 5-speed car and swapped it over.

Too many $200 RX-7's have come into my posession to be disassembled and sold. Though they all live on in some way in my "real" rx-7.

That's my cheapest so far, my truck was $1200, my cherokee was $500.

I did pay $300 for a VW dune buggy, but that is not on the road yet, so I can't offer a final tally.

Feds

700, 1984 Ford EXP, MD State Inspection - drove for a year until the timing chain went.

400 - 1983 Chrysler Lebaron - Gave it to the Salvation Army Running, with a/c, and rich Corinthian Leather, nobody would buy it off of me

600 - 1986 - 65000 miles on it in 2006, a/c worked still and original R-12 charge. Drove it to my wedding. Traded it in last November when the head gasket went.

700 - 1983 Ford Thunderbird - Bought it with a horribly blown transmission that miraculously fixed itself. Drove it for 18 months until the engine jumped timing in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

300 - 1984 Ford Tempo - First car, my stepfather bought 3 for 300 bucks and since I got my license first I got to the two door. I beat the crap out of this thing, put it in a small lake while, ahem, driving with a young lady. Another lady threw up on me while driving (thank god for 24 hour car washes). It was totaled twice in the school parking lot, the last time got me 1000. I still miss listening to Bob Marley on my Kraco stereo.

1000 - 1988 Ford Escort Station Wagon - Drove this one over 100000 miles on top of the 98000 it had when I got it. I drove it everywhere, I worked for the Navy and the minimum for my trips was 60-70 miles round trip a day on travel. It had been to Camp David, the White House and other fun sites. I still regret selling it to this day. Even if I never could get the windshield to stop leaking.

There's more, but I have to go back to work now.

funkjunky

Wow, I'm moving up in the world!
But I still don't think ANYBODY should pay more than $1000 for a car.

STORC

Then one day a gentleman showed up at my door and said "you want to sell that Dodge?". We kicked the tires a bit, and I sold it to him for $800.

TurboBrick

Elhigh

CEman

SkyKing

It died six months later when it's transmission totally went, and to be honet it was kind of a crap car really. It was grey, rusty, the tires were completely bald and it got worse fuel economy then my beloved (but now unfortunately dead) 94 Nissan Pathfinder. But it was mine, and I loved it.

Writing this has made me really miss that car for the first time in a long time.

Evil-Jeremy

danio3834

SkyKing

The catch? I had to get the car (an '86 Saab 9000) from downtown Los Angeles back to Iowa, so if you're taking into account a plane ticket, a couple hotel nights along the way and gas for the 1700-mile trip, that cuts into the freeness. It was a good adventure with no major issues, and good time made on the trip; no speeding tickets! I still have the car.

PaulE

diskreet

Dr.Danger, I run the Death Star

P161911

63 Thunderbid (Inheritence)
84 F-350 CC Dually (Hand me down, Cost me $3200 in two years to keep it on the road. I still have a scar on my knuckle that contains axle oil from that dammed Dana 60.)
88 Cougar XR-7 (Great car, another Hand me down, 235,000 miles when I traded her in for the Bronco.)
89 RX-7 (Aunt wanted the car to be saved, 2 motors 1 year and $3500 later I sold it off for $600)

Cheapest car I bought, 69 Lincoln Continental 2-door. Got it running, but then couldn't figure out what to do with it. Ended up selling it for $20 bucks.

Froggmann

Rollo Tony

FThorn

iamhoff

Thats about the best deal I've ever gotten. a rusty but very scrappable '85 Fox LTD was one. A great running '92 Cutlass was another.

Another good deal was when my brother crashed his Grand Marquis into a house. We made a deal that if I paid the impound fee, I'd keep it and everything in it.

Once the hood was peeled off, rad support cut out, used rad and fan installed, it ran great again. That car is now my Mad Max recreationist car/Dune Buggy...good deal.

danio3834

Bad Juju

$400 1988 Suzuki Forsa turbo - A complete car that became a donor for an engine swap in the 1976 Mini.

$100 1987 Toyota 2wd truck. Excellent reliable daily driver.

TurboMini

[bp2.blogger.com]

68NIOU1

$75 = 1964 Plymouth Valiant - 170 /6 push button auto - spun rod bearing and hole in block (long story). it used 9" drums for brake - yikes!

$500 = 1965 Plymouth Barracuda - 273 V8 automatic. at least it had 10" drums.

two days after buying the Barracuda i was t-boned by a stop light running mullet-ed 1979 camaro driver.

later on i received the insurance value for the barracuda and was also allowed to keep the car.

to get the $75 Valiant running i took the complete running gear from Barracuda and bolted it into the Valiant. i had to do some minor work on the V8 transmission to get it to work with the pushbuttons. once that was figured out the little 2 door sedan was a fun machine.

net results when factoring in the insurance = i was in the green about $100 until i had to buy four new 13" tires.

i later traded two 12 packs of Busch Beer, a pair of power brake boosters for a motor home (another long story), and some sweat equity to get paint and body work done on the Valiant.

i sold the Valiant for $2000 back in 1989 to buy a 1968 Charger R/T - hind sight being 20/20 i should have kept the Valiant. it was a sweet little car with loads of character and plenty of go.

Ben Simons

readplays