10 BEST CARS YOU CAN BUY UNDER $3K (in 2024!)

BROOOOO, they ain’t lying for that E36, found one for 2500, 318i with 240k miles!!!! WOW just broken in…….🙄

None of these will really ever go for 3k add 5-9k on these and it will be more realistic

I heard the Celica and the C4 corvette came with some oil pump issues

And there goes the CRV bro taxes

These videos are such jokes

Dude there’s like at least 30grand into all these cars you’re showing, where are you finding these for 3 grand nevermind 10 grand lol

DO NOT get the fit!!! Instead… rsx/ep3/fg2/fa5… same price if not cheaper 😂

I had a 05 Impreza 2.5RS with the 5 speed manual I wracked it sadly totaled it 😢

this is why i watch ideal media

What about Toyota celica vii if I get one for little under 4,5k.

I love how many times a year they rehash this same video with the same 50 cars, and I watch it every time. Great videos guys

Why I can’t seems to find any of these for 3K and if there are any in my area (Chicago) there automatic with 250k miles 😢 I just keep disagreeing in disbelief as the video continued 😂😢

pretty much all of these cars will either be rusted, beat up, high mileage and abused for 3k and under. Nothing is cheap now. 5-8k is the new "cheap"

hay can you possibly put the gen3 Mitsubishi eclipse on one of these videos my dad owns one and i think its a good car because me and my dad have had it for a while now and not to many problems have popped up dont have to ofc but i would like to see it happen (btw they are cheap)

Where is the vw golf R 😢

mannnnn tell me where ur finding a 2.5 rs that isnt beat to hell and running for under 3k... naaaa man... yea mayb ul find one for under 3k, but that things gunna need hella work.

i feel blessed to have an FA5 Civic Si as my first car, learned stick with it and it recently crossed 203K miles

needs a bit of work, but for only $4K, i can't really complain TOO much

5k or under sounds more realistic.

95-04 v6 mustang the 3.8 is reliable and paired with the manual it’s fun

Love the content but where I live all of these cars are 25k plus

Great Video Brad! Hope you are well!

Find a B5 or B6 Audi A4. Factory turbo charged 4 cylinder and usually AWD.

you cant find a 2 door 2.5 rs for 3k not unless it is crumbling

There are no 2g lasers...only 1g for plymouth. Talons and Eclipses for 2nd gen only.

I swear car owner just holding there 2k car just for a video like this to jack up there shitbox -.-

Scion tc manual

I've had 3 EG civics and 1 EF.
Awesome first cars. You can drive em like you stole em all day. "Red line every time" was my motto and I really stuck to it. The last one I had I sold for $600 @270k mi. The rear end really needs better grip over stock, which should include some buff sway bars to keep that rear trailing during tight turns. Not to mention needing some good coilovers. There's a ton of aftermarket support for these cars and a lot of the engine bay can be swapped between the EG and the EK generations, such as engine mounts, transmissions, engines, ECUs, etc. What's more, doing a B18 swap on one of these is pretty easy. Around a decade ago when I worked on these the most, you could pickup a used D15 engine for $500. A new imported JDM engine would run around $4k. I was swapping starters and alternators for $80 per. Parts were cheap and plentiful.
Water pumps and timing belts were 2hr jobs. I did a trans swap with my brother, which included the clutch, in 4hrs flat.
Most of the gaskets are formed, meaning the RTV guesswork isn't needed. Maintenance is also super easy. The intake, the exhaust, the fuel injectors, even the fuel filter are all really easy to get to. It might take 30min to replace a starter. It's right on top of the transmission, you don't even need to jack up the car. Not to mention the entire oil pan can be pulled just by removing the downpipe.
For a fledgeling auto enthusiast, there is no better platform for getting your hands dirty and maintaining a vehicle that's very forgiving of loads of abuse. I'm personally a fan of the SOHC D16Z6 found in the EX and Si models. It's not a powerhouse out of the gate, but these can be boosted for under $3k (T3 turbo kit plus PnP ECU). The engine will take around 10psi without modding any of the internals.
There are some drawbacks though. The block is aluminum, open deck, and sleved. Meaning, to get serious power out of these engines, serious money needs to be spent.

If you're looking for over 200hp from an NA 2.0 engine, look no further than a JDM spec K20A, found in the 01-06 Civic and Integra Type Rs.

If I didn't love RWD so much, I'd still be driving Civics. Honda knows what's up when it comes to maintenance-driven engineering.

Great video, a lot of good cars on this list. Not so sure about the Celica. The older ones I can get behind, but I've never liked the one featured here. I get Echo vibes from that car. The Celica Scotty has/had is about the newest I'll go with that model. Like the Tiburon, that car has always just looked ugly to me. The older Celicas were win.

Until next time,
Cheers.

I have had 7 e36s and don't regret not one lol

I have had 7 e36s and don't regret not one lol

Living in Italy 1 maybe 2 cars in this list are cheap, the celica and maybe the crv. Can't find a c4 under 15-20k nor any scion or a good engine eg

Let us start a race!

My ass bro 3K for the most clapped out cars the only possible way you getting these for 3K is with 150 thousand plus and with loadsssss of problems

2.5rs no contest

2.5 rs for less than 3k is pretty much bs. I guess if you buy one with no motor and lots of rust. Most of these will have rust. Plus, the cost of Subaru parts is a lot for so little gain. Mitsubishi interior is super cheap and doesn't hold up.

I’m taking the Eg. It only came with the single cam engines in America but they’re indestructible. They handle great, they get good gas mileage even with mods, they look great, and your parents won’t yell at you for wanting an Audi.

thanks for this video im still to young to buy a car well drive one at least but im still looking for a nice ride for when i get my license and these are cars i like a lot

The E36 is not reliable, but it's the most fun 👌

I dig the new logo

Nice Honda fit pun Brad 🎉

i would by the civic..

The eg fs

half of these are more than 3k, the other half are too popular to be on marketplace for longer than a day

🤣 this line up is from need for speed underground 2 upon the start of the game when I was in high school 🤣. I don’t think any of these cars are 3 k today in an kind of decent condition to call it reliable let alone ready to modify via long miles needing a rebuild of motor trans and suspension. Many of those cars were already dogged out by you guessed it teenagers from my gen that grew up aka your parents 🤣. What I did is go buy a 3rd gen camaro with a small block Chevy and built that on the cheap sounded good and was light then sold it for more than I spent and bought a new edge mustang at the time to make way more power on the cheap with a nicer interior. Wasn’t a fan of going the rice route like 90% of people then raced them and beat them every-time. Although the ford focus st and neon srt4 were pretty quick for the time.

I'd get the Fit.

Bro i want an eg so bad

BRO AN EG FOR 3k???? 😂😂😂😂

If you find a 92-96 C4 for 3 grand or under its going to be a huge project car!!! You ain't buying a say a 94 corvette that runs and drives for 3 Gs!! If you find one that cheap it's going to need to be towed home!!! The low blue book on my 92 is $7,200 with needs TLC! Tender loving care!!!

I WOULD GO FOR THE ACURA TL PERSONALLY.



HEY, UH, BRAD....

MAY I BORROW $3K FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME? LOL

these r fire

Would like to see cobalt ss on the list but its just out of budget range i guess