00:00 - Show Open - Buy It Like They Stole

Our 1996 Honda Civic was stolen over Labor Day, but we were able to replace it within a week with a 1992 Honda Accord for the low, low price of $1650 (not including tax, title, etc.). It was dirt cheap, but still in really decent condition for its age and price.

01:25 - What Car Was Stolen

We got our 1996 Honda Civic DX free from my wife's co-worker. It was a hand-me-down car that was sort of ugly. However, after some TLC, I got it into good working order mechanically... but it was still ugly. Sadly, that didn't stop the thieves. So what do you do when your cheap car gets stolen and you are on an extreme budget? You buy another cheap car!

3:05 - My Son Describes The Surreal Feeling Of Getting His Car Stolen

My son, Kenji, parked the Civic near a friend's house in a residential area at 1 am and it was gone by the next morning. It was the first time he had ever parked in that neighborhood overnight. He said it was surreal to realize the car was gone because he didn't think anyone would want to steal it. It was locked, but the thieves managed to steal it anyway. Kenji filed a police report, but basically there is little chance that it will turn up. We also double checked at the local department of motor vehicles to confirm the title was indeed marked as "stolen" (it was). It is a good idea to do that in case someone tries to re-title the car at some point in the future. Because the car wasn't worth much, we had it insured for liability only, so it was a total loss. Being on a tight budget, my son wanted to replace the Civic for as little money as possible.

09:00 - Quick Review of My 5 Essential Rules To Find A Cool Used Car

• Know Your Budget
• Know What You Want
• Be Realistic About Your Search
• Be Patient During Your Search
• Be Ready To Buy When You Find The Right Car, Truck or SUV

12:00 - Bonus Tips

• Limit Your Search Parameters when using Craigslist or other used car search apps
• Contact the seller immediately when you see a vehicle you like to be first in line to buy it

13:30 - How We Got A Great Deal On a Used Honda Accord

Being well versed in the art and science of the used car hunt, I set out to find something inexpensive to replace the stolen Honda Civic. The fact that my son had a budget limit of $3000 was problem number one. Problem number two was that I didn't have a lot of time to invest in the search. To that end, I told him I didn't want to drive a long way to check out cars that were for sale. That can be a real time killer. So, I did what I always do in these situations. I went straight to my local Craigslist, clicked on "owner" and started scrolling down.

Within 10-minutes I found three potential cars.

The first was a 2002 Honda Civic for $3,250 that had a lot of miles (275,000). On the plus side, it was straight and appeared to be in good condition, plus it had just had major maintenance, including a timing belt and water pump. The second car was a Toyota Corolla that was within the price range, but it wasn't perfect and the third car was a 1992 Honda Accord with 200,000 miles (certainly a lot of miles, but the overall condition of the car was more like a car with less than 100K miles) This last one definitely had been well cared for.

The photos and copy in the ad revealed it was straight, had a really nice interior, plus it had the same owner for the last 20-years. And the price was cheap at $1650. Considering my son's budget and the Accord's apparent good condition, it seemed like the best and most interesting option, assuming it checked out upon inspection.

Now I wasn't the first to contact the seller, but I was the first person who (according to the seller) seemed "normal". Apparently several of the people who responded to his ad seemed overly aggressive. Unlike the other potential buyers, I was completely open and honest in my email reply, saying I was a cash buyer looking to replace my son's stolen car. My son needed wheels to get to work, the Accord looked like a good option and we were willing to meet whenever it was convenient for the seller. I then left my name and number. 10-minutes later he called and said he had someone coming the next morning at 9am to look at it.

Rather than say, "okay" or "that's too bad", I simply asked if we could come look at the car earlier at 8:30am and he said "yes". It pays to ask if you can move to the front of the line, so be honest, have cash in hand and sometimes you can move to the front of the line if you simply ask.

15:30 - Your Basic Nice Honda Accord From The 90s.

After a test drive and inspection we bought the Accord, and it turned out to be in really nice condition for the year and miles, but it is not perfect. That said, we went over the car's features and the minor problem areas.

20:25 - I Don't Name My Cars, But I Did Give This One a Nickname

I told my son I am going to call this car Queenie. He thought I did that in honor of Queen Elizabeth, who had recently passed away. I said, no, but you're close. I want you to treat it as it it was Queen Elizabeth before she passed away... basically a stately old woman in her 90s who is somewhat frail, but still capable. I told him to brake gently, accelerate easy and corner slower than normal to make sure Queenie stays in good working condition.

21:10 - What Makes This Used Honda Accord Great?

Kenji prefers the Accord for it's greater interior space, but he doesn't feel that it handles as well as his former Honda Civic. However, he Civic was a bit spartan in terms of features and it was not that attractive outside, so the Accord wins on looks both inside and out, plus features. The big bonus is that all four electric windows work on the Accord (the Civic had only one window that rolled down) and the AC works, where the Civic's did not. That is a huge bonus on a hot day.

24:15 - Wrap Up

Kenji is using the Accord to commute to work, so I will follow up in a few months to see if if this super cheap 1992 Honda Accord is actually a reliable vehicle for the money spent, or if he should have spent more money to get a newer used car. Time will tell.

I will let you know if "Queenie" lives up to her name, or if she turns out to be a Royal pain in the a-- in a future episode.