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Well, my Civic is starten to crap out on me... Things keep breaken and crap and I think it's due time to just get rid of it and find a new car... The dilemna is, I can't pay for Collision insurance cuz it's an extra 5 grand a year for me. So. That means I can't make payments on the car. Unforntunately I'm gonna have to find something in the 2-3 grand price range and scrimp and save like crazy for the next 3-4 months to get enough funds to buy the car cash. Here's where you guys come in...

Any recommendations for cars in the 2-3,000$ price range that are reliable?

a civc? actually it kind of depends on what cars are really abundent in your area. if there are 30,000 sabels in your town you could get one cheap or something like that. do you want any kind of looks out of it or can it be an old lady car or something?

This may sound crazy but look at the dealerships.

With as many trade ins that they have taken in lately there is bound to be something.

Also its best to keep this in mind:

Its better tu buy an older car with low miles than buy a newer car with high mileage.

Many people forget this or say they have to have a 2003 or newer for $3000 and find out that there 2003 car has 190,000 miles on it...

Back in 2002 my ex bought an 89 celebrity for $700. It needed a new heater core. The headliner fell down and the wheel wells were rusted up badly. The motor only had 65,000 on the odometer... Excellent buy...

I'm looken for something that's not a boat.. lol. Friday I have an appointment with my bank to see if I can just get a normal loan so I don't have to deal with the Collision Insurance BS. If I can get a 6 grand loan I'll be set. Btw the cars I was looken at were Neons, Cavaliers, Civics, Corollas, and the sort like that. Seems like I'm looken '93-'96 range.

"Its better tu buy an older car with low miles than buy a newer car with high mileage."

Fully disagree on that one. Mileage isn't the primary contributor to engine wear, cold starts are responsible for around 70% of it. It's one you can't really measure, though. Most cars that hit 300k+ mileage are ones that are driven by commuters, be it for work, college, whatever. Just take a look at how many contractors have trucks with nearly a half million miles on them. I've seen 5.0L motors with over 200k on them and still had the original hash marks on the cylinder walls. The reason was that it was in a commuter truck that saw nothing but interstate.

why not something like a jeep. my family has had great experience with jeeps, they practically last forever

Neons are junk.. i think Honda is crap, but Corollas are nice and Cavaliers are dependable.. plus they dont rattle much(well in my experiences).. me and my girlfriend have been looking to get a Cavalier actually, that or a nice small automatic car, or an extended cab S-10 or some other ex cab truck..

In my opinion cheap+reliable= Honda.
The parts are so easy to come by and I've seen those things rack up 200,000+ miles and still run like a champ.

I'd burn a Honda if someone gave it to me. They are such a pain in the ass to work on and they'll puke out anything that is required to handle torque, ex: CV Axles, transaxles, etc. Parts are more expensive than other cars as well. Toyota parts=rapage too. Cavaliers aren't that great, nor Neons.

If I were going for a compact car, I'd get either a used Focus, a Corolla, Mazda 3. But really, I'd go for a midsize car. Not a lot of real world difference in gas mileage, insurance is cheaper for a midsize car, they aren't a tiny torture chamber. More room for people, audio, whatever you like.

parts for a civic are a dime a dozen. When I was back home I had 2 D15B7 blocks behiend my house that where in good condition and ready for racing. If I needed any part it was only a phone call away. I do agree get a sedan if money is tight, you'll save on insurance.