Question of the Day: What is the cheapest car you’ve ever bought?

In 1974 I bought a 1956 Chevy 210 2 dr hard top for 300 dollars. It was my first car. And then in 1980 I bought a 1973 Gran Torino Wagon that I was told had a dead cylinder for 250 dollars. It turned out to be a bad plug wire. What a great cat!! Had it for years!

In Kettering, Ohio during high school years…………1963 Hillman Super Minx station wagon in 1969. It was dull oxidized red. It was so underpowered it could barely get out of its own way. A friend had it…threw a transmission in it and I drove it for two years until the rear engine seal let loose on a trip one day from Kettering to Columbus to see friends at Ohio State….smoke so thick as the oil contacted the hot exhaust pipe. British and European Imports of Fairborn, Ohio wanted it for “parts” , so they allowed me the use of their new Lotus Europa for a long weekend (Thurs. thru Tues.)………and it was an outstanding “weekend” driving that car. I never abused he “loaner” Europa……I just learned how to really drive a car that would “handle” twists and turns and ups and downs and occasional long stretches of the country roads of southern Ohio. Fond memories.

I bought a ‘68 Olds Delta 88 in 1976 for $500. It was my first car (not a hand-me-down). It got me through 3 years of college before I moved up to a ‘77 Ford F-150 for $2700.

64 Chevrolet Biscayne 2sp powerglide 283 2bbl $375 bought it from my sister in 1971 after she had it shipped home from Turkey were she had been stationed. Saved me a bunch of miles on my 67 C2 roadster 427/390.

I had Lada 1985. Not very good car.

A 1959 Rambler wagon for $25 in Terre Haute, Indiana. This was in 1975. It was a 6 cylinder with 3 on the tree and overdrive. It drove very well with no mechanical failures.

Around 1971, about the time I graduated from high school, I bought a 1961 Corvair Lakewood wagon from a lady at the store I worked at. She said she was ready to drive it off a cliff. I drive it for a year or two until the carburetors went out on a trip in southern Ohio, and I parked in a friends dad’s barn. When he sold the barn five years later, a friend of his offered me $75, and I took it.

Lancia Zagato. Actually I bought two of them. The second was after the first caught on fire…

First car, a 1966 Mustang hardtop, 6 cyl, 3 spd, a/c for $1,100 (1971).

$35 for my 1st car, a ’53 Chevy Bel air 4 door. Drove it my last year of high school in 1967.

In 1978 I bought a 1968 Buick LeSabre for $500. Drove it for 5 trouble free years and sold it for $500.

that 1964 1/2 rusting was $150 but it looked good, from the the sidewalk

paid $50 for a 1948 Chevy Fleetline, in 1975 while a teen. Got it running, put seat covers on it, then sold it a couple years later for $800 and thought I’d made a killing. Don’t remind me what that car would go for now, if I’d held onto it..

in 1956 i bought a 28 model A for $20 in running condition only had to replace the battery

1958 VW! $300 from my brother! Black ran great for two years and sold it for $500 to a Neighbtor. It was Black.

1950 Plymouth Concord (that terrible green color, fastback, rare) in 1963. What a great fun car, $100. Sold it for $50. BTW big back seat.

Oh man, this was meant for me. 1992 chevy blazer that I daily drove for a good 4 years, $700 in 2004. Next up was the $1200 altima I bought in 2010 and daily drove for 11 years. A little more was a mint 1991 camaro I bought in 2007 for $1500 that I drove on occasion until the 700R4 went out around 2013.

But the least I paid for any vehicle was in 2015, a $350 bowrider boat with a 4.3 inboard/outboard that lasted me 4 summers and I sold in perfect running condition for $500.

(Last post replied to a comment for whatever reason, I hate this phone)

I bought a 1972 Cougar XR7 for $300 in 1986, which was a daily driver until I restored and sold it to a friend, but the cheapest price I paid was $50 for a 1982 Escort that a coworker begged me to buy (hence the price). I just fixed what was wrong with it and sold it because I would not drive that car.

In 1974 I bought a 1953 Chevy Sedan for $100.00. I drove that car for 3 1/2 years. Parallel parking was a workout!

Free. In 1991 I answered a intra-company ad for a 1981 Aries station wagon, 6 cyl, stick shift, sitting in the company parking lot with a broken front spring. Take it away for free. I did. Drive it one mile to Midas who put in a spring for $99. wedged some metal into the clutch master cylinder to give me a little more clutch action and drove it for the next 2 years.

My first daily driver in 1987 was a $500 Dodge Aspen four-door with the Slant Six Leaning Tower of Power. It had 197,000 miles on it and I put another 5,00 on it delivering pizza in the summer during my college years. Sold it to a buddy for $750 a few years later.

I bought the first year Honda civic/ Hatchback & paid around $ 1800.
It was A very good & trouble free with air & automatic & really great gas mileage.

$100.00 ’29 Model A pickup. I had to park it on a hill to get it started. I sold it (for another $100 bucks) because I was using it for a go to work ride. I needed to get to work more than I needed a project ‘A’.

In 1958 I bought a 1941 Dodge for $50.

In 1965 I purchased my first car, which ran, a 1965 Chevy for an outrageous $35.00!

1953 DeSoto in 1961 $25 plus $10 used battery, free used tires, and found NJ license plates. I was 15 and had an Ohio motorbike (14 year old) license, no insurance. Drove until was 16 and got a 1957 Ford Skyliner retractable hardtop convertible with a 1963 352 ci with tri-power – $500

1966 Pontiac LeMans. Paid $375. It ran a year and half and died at 175,000 miles

My first vehicle, a 1955 Ford F-100 pickup, was free, but I never could get it to run. I sold it for $35, and with other money I’d saved, I bought a 1959 Ford Galaxie Fairlane 500, in the Fall of 1974. I sold it a year later to a needy neighbor family for $100 and bought a 1967 Pontiac GTO, in the Fall of 1975, for $545. I owned it for 20 years and kick myself every day for selling it.

Bought a 1963 VW bettle for $300.00 in 1970. It had been previously used as a drug store delivery vehicle and all the advertising on both sides had been painted over but the word, “ Smile” left on them. Got a lot of smiles.

Plymouth Valiant V-100 1964 – Ooh what a wreck.

1960 olds 1 dollar

I bought a 1950 Ford, black with a flathead 8 for $50 in 1969.

1980 Bought a 73 Pontiac Catalina for $85.00 drove it 3 years. Was a hell of a nice ride too. You could comfortably seat 6 teens and 2 coolers full of beer and camping gear in the trunk. Still think about that car.

In 1958 I bought a 1951 Dodge Meadowbrook 4-door for $75 and added seat covers and a decent paint job plus a tune up all for about $100 then drove that car for 3 years without any issues. Sold it for $300.

When I was in College in 1965 preparing to be a pastor and poorer than a church mouse I bought a 1956 VW bug for $35.00. I drove it for about a year and a half right thru two Ontario winters with no heater to speak of and a very poor defroster. One winter day the engine seized so I sold parts and reaped a whopping $85.00 in cash.