Trip

Cheap Car/SUV for short trips - what is a good mileage to start with?

I want a $2k or less car or suv for in town driving - SUV is preferred as I want to be able to occasionally carry big loads; I want at least 2-3 years of use out of it, no more than 10-20 miles on weekdays, and almost nothing on weekends... this is a "second vehicle" so it would be pretty low impact... but I really can't afford much more than 2k, so I'm assuming I'll have to take one with a lot of miles... thoughts on cars that tend to last? What's my best bet with a brand that needs no major work before 130k-150k? I know previous owner maintenance and other vehicle history makes a difference, but is foreign better or american; car vs. SUV (as far as which would outlast)... really i'm just looking for a cheap car that I can run into the ground without sinking my wallet in with it for the few years I have it.

Public Comments

1. you might want to search the classifieds in the local news papers or local "free" car for sale papers that are at every restaurant or convienence store everywhere.
2. There is no question here.
   
   
   
   Buy a ford explorer. They run well and last well over 200k miles. You should be able to find one for the price you are looking at. They are tough easy and cheap to fix and pretty darn reliable. They were the most popular suv for like 10 years and that means there are millions out there for sale and this drives down the price (too much supply means lower price).
   
   
   
   They have excellent crash safety as well.