Two Cars That Cost Less Than $1000: 2001 Chevy Cavalier vs 2001 Ford F-150

Good morning! This week, we’re playing with a new formula, inspired by a comment on Friday by longtime reader MaximillianMeen. We’re starting out with a $1,000 price cap, and every day it will double, so that by Friday our price range will be all the way up to $16,000. I don’t know if I’ll do this all the time, because frankly it’s getting hard to find cars under a grand (or even two), but I love it as a “sometimes idea.” Like cookies. Or so I’m told.

Friday’s choices were a couple of cars I know my dad would have loved, in honor of his birthday, and it sounds like it was a tough call for a lot of you. Both cars inspired plenty of great stories and gained lots of fans, but in the end the Packard took home the win. I think it was the novelty of it; MGAs are still not terribly hard to find, but a ’49 Packard, in that condition, for that price, is a rarity.

It’s a tough call for me as well, but I think, considering I already have an MG that I love, I’d take the Packard. I don’t know where the hell I’d park it; I’m sure it has a bigger footprint than my Chrysler, so it wouldn’t fit in my garage, but I’d figure something out.

When Jason, David, and I first brainstormed this idea, we decided on a price cap of $2,500. That seemed like a good amount to spend on a really cheap car, and there were plenty of interesting choices around in that range at the time. The trouble is, that was almost three years ago now, and the intervening three years have seen some changes in the used-car market, to say the least. Five thousand is the new twenty-five hundred, and even then it can be hard to find something I haven’t just written about. Winter is especially challenging, because all the cool cheap cars go into hibernation except in warm places, leaving me with a sea of Honda CRVs and Chevy Impalas to choose from.

That’s why I’m excited to try this idea. I had the challenge of finding two $1,000 cars for today, but by Friday, I’ll be able to play in a budget that allows for some really fun choices. We’ll see how it goes, and if you like it, we’ll do it more often. Here’s our first matchup for the week.

2001 Chevrolet Cavalier – $1,000

Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter overhead valve inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD

Location: Sykesville, MD

Odometer reading: 230,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

I’m not surprised I found this car while looking in this price range. General Motors’s J platform has, for decades now, been a dirt-cheap way to get around. It’s not fancy, it’s not cool, but it is reliable, and parts are available everywhere. Later GM compacts, like the Cobalt and the Cruze, were nicer, but they didn’t have the dogged never-give-up durability that made the J-car famous. This final-generation Chevy Cavalier has covered 230,000 miles, and it looks like hell, but hop in, turn the key, and you’re on your way.

It’s powered by the good old “122” pushrod four-cylinder and a five-speed manual. It’s probably the most durable and reliable J-car drivetrain combination, and you can fix it with a hammer and duct tape if you need to. I even had one that I drove 100 miles with a rod knock, and it still didn’t die. This one runs fine, the seller writes in their listing, and it has brand-new brakes all the way around. The seller also purchased new suspension and front-end components but hasn’t installed them – they’re in boxes in the trunk. One long weekend and you could have it riding and handling like new.

You’ll want to spend some time cleaning up the interior. It’s in acceptable condition, it looks like, but it’s a mess. I’ll never understand why sellers don’t spend half an hour with a shop vac before taking pictures. They probably could have asked $500 more for it by putting in just a little more effort. Do it yourself and save, I guess.

This looks like it was kind of a fancy Cavalier, once upon a time, with its alloy wheels and rear spoiler. Of course, when a car gets to be this age, trim packages don’t mean a whole lot, unless it’s something really special – and no Cavalier was ever that special. The paint is toast and the rockers are rusty, but it seems to be holding together well enough. It’ll probably keep chugging along for another few years.

2001 Ford F-150 XLT – $1,000

Engine/drivetrain: 5.4-liter overhead cam V8, four-speed automatic, 4WD

Location: Linden, NJ

Odometer reading: 350,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

You have to expect, when you’re looking for cheap cars, that the best-selling vehicle in the country is going to turn up a lot. And indeed, there are a lot of cheap F-150s floating around, but they usually aren’t this cheap. I think the combination of an absolute shit-ton of miles, big gaping rust holes, and a rather infamous engine have conspired to keep the price low. Still, the seller says it runs well enough.

The engine in question is Ford’s 5.4 liter “Triton” V8, which in later years had some serious issues. This is the earlier 2-valve-per-cylinder version, which doesn’t have nearly the problems, but you know how reputations work. People hear “5.4” and shy away. This truck has 350,000 miles on it, but it runs and drives great, and it also has new tires and brakes, per the seller. It has been used for a business, it looks like, which means someone depended on it and had to take care of it. The check-engine light is on, but it’s clearly nothing that affects drivability.

The interior is surprisingly nice, especially for the mileage. It has clearly been used, but again, taken care of. It’s an XLT, so it’s a little fancier than your average work truck, which usually means it gets messed up faster, but this one is nice and clean. There’s no indication of how much of the power stuff still works, of course.

It’s on the outside where this truck shows its age. There are rust holes all along the bottom on both sides, the right-rear corner of the bed is messed up and the right taillight is broken. Plus the seller says the tailgate won’t open – probably as a result of the damage. It’s typical work-truck stuff, but I can see why they don’t want to use it for business anymore.

I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised to find two good-running cars for a grand each in this day and age. I mean, yeah, they’re horrible, but they run and drive, and someone has clearly paid some attention to both of them. So which one do you think seems like a better way to spend $1,000?

(Image credits: sellers)