The $5,000 car serves as many different purposes as there are drivers looking for inexpensive wheels to get them on the road.
For most, it represents the ideal price for obtaining a reliable commuter vehicle which has dropped in retail value but remains a faithful source of transportation. Others view it as the perfect price for a fun second car that only has to be reliable enough for a Sunday cruise. For some, it is the product of summers and nights of sweat and elbow grease landing them in their first car.
Whatever the reason, $5,000 represents an exciting place in the car market and we have gathered five examples below.
2002 Mazda Protege LX - $4,995
This car falls firmly in the solid commuter option for $5,000. What you get here is a low mileage example of the Mazda Protege — Mazda's direct competitor to the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. While it competed with those cars on mileage, Mazda has always done a good job at baking in a fun quality of driving into the equation.
For $4,995 you get a fun commuter car with 90,523 miles from The Garage, according to Cars.com.
1996 Toyota Camry LE - $4,495
Dear parents of a high school or college student, let me introduce you to your child's first car. Built by Toyota — purveyors of reliability and economy in automobiles — this Camry Wagon represents the reasonable choice in your child's first mode of four wheeled transportation. In addition to the usual Toyota points of reliability and economy, the wagon provides additional versatility and is staid enough to eliminate any thoughts of a stoplight drag race even from the most overzealous teenage boy.
For $4,495 you get reliable and smart transportation with 131,968 miles from JC Auto Sales, according to Cars.com.
2003 Ford Mustang GT Deluxe - $4,995
Dear high school or college students who want something fast and don't care what your parents say or paying massive insurance premiums, this is the car for you. What we have here is pure American muscle car. This isn't just a muscle car, this is the muscle car — a Ford Mustang. This one comes in a nice bright red for impressing friends and drawing the attention of your local law enforcement officers. Joking aside, when it comes to cars like this here is the secret: buy one if you really want one because you will likely grow out of it or not be in a position to buy a snorting, burbley V8 beast in the future.
For $4,995 you get instant bad boy (or girl) status with 173,538 miles from Continental Auto Sales, Inc., according to Cars.com.
2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R - $4,895
Looking for a fun, reasonably fast car that is going to have decent reliability and not instantly give you boy racer status? The answer is the Nissan Sentra SE-R. This vehicle adheres to the old muscle car scheme of giving you a big engine in a small car and letting you use it at your discretion. With a large four cylinder engine, a six speed manual and solid handling this car will certainly entertain when you want it to but in its silver paint will not draw undue attention.
For $4,895 you get a fast and competent commuter with 142,253 miles from JC Auto Sales, according to Cars.com.
1977 Porsche 924 - $3,995
Lets be realistic. You aren't going to get a pristine 911 Porsche owned by Steve McQueen and driven in countless movies. For $5,000 you probably aren't even going to get a pristine engine from a 911 of any era. However, you can get an entry level Porsche with an engine in the front driving the rear wheels. It is not going to be the fastest, the best handling, or even the best looking car on the road. But, it will still be your Porsche.
For $3,995 you get to check off owning a Porsche from your automotive bucket list through a vehicle with 113,595 miles from Milford Auto Mall, according to Cars.com.