A few years back, I bought a 1998 Toyota Corolla from a mechanic for $1800 and drove it for a few years. No major repairs. If you get a used car that cost 3k t

A few years back, I bought a 1998 Toyota Corolla from a mechanic for $1800 and drove it for a few years. No major repairs. If you get a used car that cost 3k to 5k, often they need a lot of tlc So long as you maintain a good used car, the thing most likely to cause a major repair bill is the automatic transmission. Most companies don't do a good job making them, and they'll often incur a big repair cost, eventually. So a good way to save money is to drive manual. Toyota gets their automatic transmissions from Aisen. That's one of the few companies that knows how to make automatics that last.