Top 10 Best Cars under 5k

In this day and age, if you are a first time driver, 5k is about all you have to spend on a car, and this car needs to last you though high school, and hopeful onto collage. And it seems like it�s an easy job to do, with great local sites like Craigslist, and eBay, you can find your fist car right in your back yard. But there are lemons out there, and some cars might seem, a little too good to be true, so most likely they probably are, so you need to know what cars are out there that will last you another 50k miles, without the car needing any major expensive repairs. (Note: all of these cars are the 1990's models, excluding the Jetta which is the 04)

Nissan 240sx Hatchback

First of all this is a Nissan, and from personal experience, Nissan's will go forever, the engines are the best in the market, and the parts are extremely inexpensive. From a high school perspective, this is not a bad car, and the looks won�t be shattering any mirrors any time soon. Also, the Nissan 240 has a array of modifications� to add to it, some strange but helpful items include, a large cold air intake, this adds about 10-15hp but it also improves your cars MPG by four to five miles to the gallon! Over a years� time that intake will save you $4,380 on your gas! So it is important for you to find out what cars will allow for you to upgrade simple engine components. So the Nissan 240sx is an inexpensive car to buy, not to mention a fun car to drive, so when you consider your first car, the Nissan 240sx is a great car.

Crown Vic Police Interceptor

You may be wondering why a Police car, that has probably pulled you over before would be a great first car. Well for a start, all police cars are upgraded from the counterparts, to begin with the Police package adds a larger radiator, and so if you have to drive under harsh conditions, your cars cooling system will just fine. They also added a buffed up suspension for tight turns, and sharp handling, this means that on the road in an emergency, you can turn sharply to avoid the accident, and if you need to stop on a dime, this car as upgraded brakes to. The list goes on, and on, so in a long story short, any police car would make a great choice in anytime of your life.

Audi A4

The Audi A4 has always been a great car for fist time driver, easy to drive, good on gas, and decent looks attracted car buyers from all ages, so it�s not going to be a hard task to find one. Audi's have always been reliable, so when you buy this car you know that it�s going to last you quite a bit of miles, and if you find a low mileage, and well taken care of, it might last you long after you left high school. With sharp handling, good looks, easy to maintain, and room to take all your friends out, it a great option.

Saab 900

As it may be hard to believe, but this car was sold as a compact luxury car, and it shows, leather is available on most models, and there a good looking bunch of cars. The interior is designed around the cockpit style, so all of the buttons are very easy to reach, and the gauges have an awesome looking green grow to them. Though this is not a bad car, Turbo models have lots of problems, so try and stay with the base 900 models for extra reliability. Another thing to look out for is very high millage models; try to stay within the 100,000 mile range for a car that won�t need an excessive amount of repairs.

Volkswagen Jetta GLS

This may be one of the best cars on the list, they are super reliable cars, and they are super inexpensive cars to buy, some 2004 models sell for right at 5k, so it�s a fitting car in this article, and if you dish out an extra thousand dollars, you can get a low millage, and well taken care of car that will last you years to come. Jetta are good looking cars to, and just like the 200sx, there are a large amounts of modifications, that you can add to this car, some cool aftermarket parts car make this relatively boring car into a car that looks like it belongs on the cover of �Super Street".

BMW 3-Series 328si

Yep, what once was a $40,000 luxury car, is now a car that you can find at under 5k, and the higher the base price the car once was, the better off the car is going to be now, and the car hasn�t aged to badly, it still looks like a no-nonsense BMW, and the golden leather interior still looks as good as it did 15 years ago. but the best thing about buying a BMW is knowing that this car was designed for an upper-class person, so the engine needs to be the best of the best, the suspension must be comfortable to ride at long periods of time, the nose at highway speeds must be quite, and most important, it needs to look like a professional business car, and it is.

Jaguar XJS

Thought you were surprised about the 3-Series being on the list, well this V12 Monster made it to, but before you start judging the British reliability, you can find models of the XJS that have been kept in good condition, with low miles are not bad cars. If you car a car nut, and you only have five grand to spend on a car, this might be the best choice for you. With aggressive styling, and a mean sounding V12 piping out of the rear, it�s the fastest, and best looking car hear. Maintenance it a big thing when you buy this car, look for wheel kept models, so when you check out a car, look at the paint, and under the wheel wells to check for rust, the less rust, the better kept the car was. All in all, if you can find a well preserved model of a XJS, there�s no better car.

Mercedes Benz S-Class

The top of the S-Class found its way into the Best Cars Under 5k list, and for a good reason to, back in the 90's, this was the car to have if you where a successful business man, but now, its available to the guy that flips patties at Burger King, with the price floating around 5k right now, it�s the perfect car for the average teenager, who doesn�t want to flip patties. all models come in leather, and a leather wrapped steering wheel, power seats, and all of the finer things that made a car in the 90's, a car that you couldn�t afford.

Ford F-150

No surprises here, the F-150 has always been a favorite to the younger crowd, tons of space to put your things, and they are built like a brick. Some models have over 300,000 miles, and they go for another 100,000 miles, that�s how tough these cars are. If you tend to fix your own car, this is defiantly a car for you, the F-150 engine is easy to get to, and all parts are designed to easily be replaced if one were to break. While this car does not have the leather seats of the S-Class, and the V12 speed on the XJS, it has unmatched reliability, and if you need to tow something from time to time, look no further that the F-150

Camaro Z28

For the kid that has to have the classic muscle car, look for the Z28's, they are great cars to own and drive, with lots of power, and looks that come straight from the 70's, the Camaro is the one and only (Mustangs in the area are around the same price, I�m just not a fan of the 4th generation Mustang) although when you buy this car you might have to do some work on it, it�s well worth it, and parts for this car are dirt cheap, if you gotta have speed, and classic looks, the Camaro is for you.