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)
I entered expecting to vote F150, and left voting for the nicest Cavalier I’ve seen in over a decade.
With the Cav you get RED coil springs. Which are like 50 bucks a pair plus who knows what other goodies are in the boxes? This is probably on its second clutch so depending on when that was installed may be near wearout but that’s only another 160 bucks INCLUDING new hydraulic cylinder!
This was easy…once I saw that ugly Fix Or Repair Daily it was over. That is the worst looking gen and it’s auto. At least the Cavalier is a Chevy and stick! + way lower miles…I’d fix it up a little and it will run forever! (the engine, at least…) This was great as a “true” Shitbox Showdown (They are ALL good though)
The $1000 price point got me scrolling through Craigslist to see if there were any actual roadworthy vehicles available for a grand. Lo and behold, I found a one-owner Mercury Villager (remember those?) with 190k on the clock that looks pretty darn nice in the pictures. It might drive like garbage, but the interior/exterior condition makes me think it’s actually a decent runner. Maybe there is hope.
Living in the PNW has given me a low tolerance for rust, I’ll take the Cavalier and row gears
Realistically you could find a paint matching replacement truck bed for $500-$700 and if you DIY you can end up with a serviceable truck for a couple years, but I think I’d feel more comfortable and capable of tackling the vacuuming & suspension work myself than doing the bed.
Moreover I think the V8 and the higher expense to replace the bed defeats the purpose of a beater because most of the time you’d want something thrifty and the Cavalier already comes with the parts needed while also netting about double the MPGs of the F150.
Yeah I’ll pick the Cavalier and maybe 2 or 3 cans of 2K clearcoat and an assortment of sanding sheets
My reasoning exactly.
I’m moving today, and am preparing my summer house to AirBnB it, so a truck would be incredibly useful now. But not from the next week to the rest of my life.
That Cavalier is the definition of a disposable automobile. Clean it up and drive it around town until something big fails. Just keep your AAA membership paid up.
I don’t trust a truck with that low a price, Cavalier my dear
I wonder if the headline writer read the article. These cars are not less than $1000.
That wasn’t the original headline; I don’t always get my way on them.
If it makes you feel better, you could haggle…
I actually think that F-150 is perfect for a business that promises “WE BUY HOUSES ANY CONDITION.”
Anyway, I’ll take the Cavalier and use it to teach my husband how to drive a stick.
I was given a ’99 F-150 with 200k miles on it a few years ago, with the 5.4. I was impressed by how tough it was, but it was pretty worn out at 200k miles. It can’t have much left to give at 350k miles. Although that interior suggests it was better taken care of than that one I had.
Nonetheless, I have a truck already. I’ll take a manual trans cockroach for $1000, Alex.
Cavalier all the way. Stick and fuggit money
had the Ferd been a 4.6 versus the triton crap, I might have looked at it a second time, but I still think I would likely buy the Cavalier. It seems like a more honest winter beater even without 4wd. And of course I would highly question the Ferds 4wd systems functions.
First off, thanks for humoring me with this week’s theme! I’m actually impressed you found 2 functioning cars for $1000.
I had a 1997 Expedition with the 2-valve 5.4L and other than a vacuum hose blowing on a road trip to New Orleans, it was 100% reliable over 8 years. However, for a truck, I’d spend 5X to get a better example.
That Cavalier looks to be a pretty decent beater and will get better mileage than the 13 mpg I got with the Expedition. Plus, I can try my hand at rattle can clear coat without worry about ruining the existing finish.
I was searching for Gambler 500 options and was pleasantly surprised to find some 500-600 dollar running things. One was a pretty nice Eclipse that had the hood fly up and damage the roof, but otherwise a good runner. Crazy how the winds of change blow.
Cavalier is the easy pick. It will be cheaper to operate and is a vehicle I would actually want to drive as opposed to that gas guzzling pickup truck.
A jellybean Ford vs a Tupperware cavalier. Hmmmm. Big fan of 2v modulars, but I’m going to have to go with Cavalier on this one.
that says triton on the air box
That was the name they gave the 5.4, but this era of truck got a 2V 5.4.
The Ford 5.4L Triton engine was used in Ford vehicles from 1997 to 2010. I think the 3V understanding would certainly cause many unaware and overlook that pre 2004 are just 2V units. These still have the issues with the spark plugs attempting to escape the motor, but at this mileage it likely has been taken care of with helicoils or something. I had an 03 Duratec v6 Escape that blew a plug and i fixed with the engine with a helicoil with the engine and head still in place. I was told it was actually still going and has seen something like 400K miles so far, that has to be some sort of record.
point is sometimes the “known” problems are also not always a problem.
As an owner of two trucks and I like trucks, too much wrong with this one in comparison to the Cavalier. Besides I’ve been watching too many old swashbuckling movies on TCM lately.
Had to vote Cavalier. Don’t necessarily love it but the guy took care of it and did his work. I usually don’t mind a good F150 but that one is near death and the whole ad feels like a scam anyway.
I could use a work truck for weekend chore duty, so I went with the F150.
Sykesville Cavalier. I have a deep loathing for house scammers, and wouldn’t mind a perambulatory visit around the Baltimore/DE/DC area. (Though don’t sellers keep their plates there? How do out-of-staters even buy cars?)
Also, good time to lend your voice and presence to the protests going on, including the guarding of the Treasury.
Out of state buyers bring their own plates, or bring a trailer, or drive home illegally.