WTB: Car Under $4000

[nj2Type-S]

hello,

i am looking for a starter car for my wife. below are the parameters of what i am looking for:

1. price under $4000
2. mileage below 180000km
3. year 2001 or newer
4. automatic transmission
5. japanese make
6. no rhd jdm vehicles
7. no accidents

i'd appreciate any suggestions! i've looked at kijiji and canadatrader.com, too.

thanks!

[ExtraSlow]

Well, there are 16 this morning on Kijiji that meet your criteria. So this shouldn't be too hard. Are you looking for a small car to just carry one or two people? Do you have kids, or need to move bulky items? Ho much will you be driving it? There are a lot of factors to take into account.

For me, the most interesting of the bunch on kijiji are:

2003 Sentra, 174k $3700
2001 Altima, 150k $3400
I'd also look at the 2001 Acura EL. High mileage at 238k, but these are great little cars, and with leather, it'll feel pretty luxurious for $3500.

If you can't find what you are looking for, don't be scared to go a couple years older, or a few km's higher. At this price point, most cars will have some defect. The higher mileage or extra couple years often doesn't really impact reliability.
You do want to make sure the car you buy doesn't need anything right away. Buying tires or a windshield can really eat into any savings you thought you had.

[nj2Type-S]

thanks for your input. yeah, i've contacted the OP of the cars that i'm interested in on kijiji and canadatrader.com. i was just seeing if there are people on beyond who have yet to post in these 2 sites.

i've contacted the OP of that EL but sort of worried about the mileage. it seems like sentras are most fitting my requirements. should i bother going to a used car dealership so there's warranty?

like i've mentioned, it's for my wife as a starter car. she'll probably drive it for a year and move on to our RDX when she's comfortable (so i can get a car for myself haha!).

i should also have mentioned that i am only looking for sedans.

[ExtraSlow]

At that price, the amount extra you'll pay at a dealership for the car will negate any possible savings from the crappy warranty. Private sale FTW.

[Weapon_R]

Any of those cars listed above should do her well for a year or two. The civics/ELs of that gen are solid performers and will last a very long time. I'd sooner have the EL than the Sentra, which or altima, which look very dated in those years.

[nj2Type-S]

the ELs aren't up anymore.

i know that the car will not be perfect given my budget. as long as it is mechanically sound and is still safe to drive, i'd consider it.