My younger sister is currently living in Berkley CA (the real one). She has open job prospects (ie, no permanent plans) this coming spring.
I decided we should plan an adventure, I will fly out and we will drive the pacific coastal highway.
Hertz rents 911's out of SF airport. It would be a $3000 bill (plus gas and mileage) for that trip. I have no financial responsibilities, so I saved up.
Talking to family over Christmas, the question came up, why not get a clunker for 3k, and drive it into the ocean at the end of your trip. I agree mostly, but want to keep the car.
So that is where you guys come in!
I have a $3000 budget, cash in hand. My sisters prospects likely put her in the east coast by summer '15, so that opens options for CA cars which won't pass smog. If anyone is an expert on this, how long can you "temporarily" drive a non-smog in CA if your plans are to register in PA? Or could I register it in PA at the sale if I insure it?
If the car is under budget, the extra cash will go toward little sis' insurance/gas/repair budget. She is not mechanically inclined, nor understanding of mechanical sympathy. Ideally she would have the vehicle for personal transport (commutes to work with public transport) until the spring/summer.
Manual transmission is a must, with few exceptions.
My list of prospective (tainted by rust belt rarity) are:
80's-90's toyota pickups or SUV's. I would even consider a later camry if manual transmission.
Some type of older mercedes, not really picky as long as reliable. Auto okay.
early Lexus ls400. Auto obv okay.
Volvo wagon (I'm not sold, but she thinks they are cool) I said absolutely no auto.
dual fuel natural gas powered anything (per my fathers request)
Anything sporty or cool.
This was my first pick: mazda Lil' sis nixed it as she thinks its too ugly. Normally I wouldn't listen and buy anyways however there is a high probability she could blow it up before I got there in April.
So in summary: I want a sub 3k interesting car from SF to be bough remotely by my sister soon, and to still be alive in April for a road trip. Any ideas on what to look for, or good finds would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, Mike