Andy Ball wrote to All:

 AB> Hello!

 AB>     I have to find a "very affordable" used car for a family
 AB> member (somewhere between US$ 1,000 and 2,500?)  Ideally an old
 AB> hatchback or perhaps a subcompact sedan.  At this price point I
 AB> realise that whatever he buys should be considered a temporary
 AB> vehicle but if it lasts him a year or two, that would really help him
 AB> out of a difficult spot.

My advice would be to go to a supermarket or a dedicated book store and
find a copy of an automotive consumer's report. Also find a copy of "Blue
Book" automotive values. Some cars are created equal and others are bad
news. You'll get the idea once you read blue book values.

Then there are such places as Craigslist.com, where people advertise cars
all the time. Some good, some bad and the old cliche' of 'Buyer Beware'
applies. Others like "AutoTrader" publish a weekly magazine where you can
look at pictures and read what the owner has to say about it, how much
they want for it, etc.. Their magazine is usually published for a certain
market, like; Chicago, Rockford, Los Angelos, San Francisco, Dallas and a
slew of smaller cities...you can find these on display stands at
restaurants, drug stores, etc...

Personally, I wouldn't consider anything that isn't made by Chevrolet, or
any of the other GM divisions. One caveat with GM products is to steer
away from (no pun) front wheel drive vehicles if you can. (I no longer own
any of those because they're harder to work on) Another option that
youngsters like to have today is a pickup truck. They're a dime a dozen
and you can find one almost anywhere. In fact, I have 5, rear wheel drive
Chevy vehicles and my daily driver (also my favorite) is a pickup.

 AB>     Sadly I know very little about things with engines.  I
 AB> can't even get my 2-stroke strimmer to start. :-| That said, he's
 AB> more mechanically-minded than I am and I know he'd be able to patch
 AB> up rusty bodywork and fix brakes, suspension and things.

Your trimmer's 2-stroke carburator is probably gummed up from sitting over
the winter months. You can find 2-stroke carburator cleaner at Home Depot
and/or Lowes. When winter comes again, drain the tank and let the trimmer
run until it runs out of fuel. Put some gasoline stabalizer in it and in
the spring, drain it all again and fill with 2-stroke gas. It'll start
next year.

 AB>     Which manufacturers or models should we be looking at?
 AB> Do some have more simple engines than others?  Affordable spares
 AB> would be a plus.  Any constructive suggestions or advice would be
 AB> most welcome.

Find a few potential cars that your family member (grandson?) would like
and come back for advice on those...


         R\%/itt


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