winter beater
 

so i need some input in a winter beater...I m debating on whether r i should get a winter beater or if i should just drive my civic through the winter...

before anyone says just put some winter on your tires here is a little background ....Me and my wife were looking at a car with more space and a little different from what we had so we started looking at suvs...

Our budget went from 5 all the way down to 3000 ( we dont want to spend more in a car we won use as much ).. I seen older suvs ( 97-99 for that price) some newer ones with crazy mileage (99-00) and some big engines 4 to 5 liters going for that price ( a lot of durangos)... I have also consider hatchbacks for the space but the wife is not too crazy about them..

I know a lot of you guys have winter beaters so what would you guys recommend ... My budget is about 3000 so private sell is a must and this is only going to be driving during the winter and probably store most of the summer

Personally i wouldnt bother with an suv for that low... ur only gonna have a ot of problems with it... go with a 4 door car or hatch... probably ur best bet... You can find quite a bit for 3 gs

i agree with you 100% just try covincig my wife of it... I know suv are nice ad all but they are very expensve to maintain and most mechanics dont even want to bother trying to fix it...

If it was up to me i ll get a nice two door or a hatchback ( diesel golf ) ...

For 3-5k, you wont get much of an SUV. You might get real lucky and find an old CRV or RAV4, but more then likely a Ford Explorer or Chevy Blazer for that price. Both of which would probably cost more to maintain and repair and not worth the trouble.

For your price range, you can easily find a Subaru Impreza AWD. They are great in the snow, the wagon/hatch has tons of room and they will be a million times more reliable then an older Ford or GM truck.
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dont like the impreza too much.. I like the golf better ...
I m even thinking of just throwin snow tires , remove the fornt lip and drive my civic..

I m looking around and cars are dirt cheap now.... I m thinking of just drive my civic through the winter and next year buy something much nicer ( if i can save enough to spare some cash)

thanks

Why not a jeep cherokee? I've seen those for 1500 in my area and they have little problems and just need a little TLC.

I'd agree with you on this. Certain cars just aren't made for winter but a civic with snows is great. Just pick up something nice next summer and keep the civic as your winter car :)

But if you're set on a winter beater how about a 3rd gen camry. Dirt cheap and reliable. The v6 is a bit of a hog though ... made that mistake but still love the car.

Just get a older truck for a winter beater, you can find then cheap now.

You can get another quite decent civic for 3k. Upside is you would know the car since its another civic not something completely random.

down this way you can get ALOT for 3-5,000$ surprisingly... i was looking at a AWD equinox for 4800$...

thanks for all the responses...

finally convince the wife that a hatchback will be more suited for us... Maintanance in a suv is quite expensive ...

So now i m looking at 3 cars

civic sir
ww golf
mazda 3 sport