For a while now I have been thinking about what I am going to do when I get back.  How I am going to get back and forth from work, without me having a car basically.

Before I left we got my wife a car, so she could get Logan around easily and not have to worry about not having a car with air conditioning, things like that.  I thought that when it got near the end of deployment, we would have money saved up and I would be able to get a bike, which I've wanted for years, but it seems that won't be possible unless I can find one very inexpensive.

My wife continually says that we will have to share a car, but I think that will be too hard on us.  Me with getting up at different times and getting off of work at different times.  Her going back and forth to the babysitter's and school, I think that it would be possible of course, just hard.  She would prefer I just give up on trying to find a very inexpensive vehicle, but I think that I just won't get one for a few years if we don't do it now, though I am aware of the money situation.

I thought I would oice my concern to you all to check and see if you knew anybody selling a car or motorcycle (sport, preferrably) for a few hundred dollars.  I am aware that it is a longshot, but I am also not easily swayed by what other people say and what I know is possible...

So do any of you lovely AS junkies and others know anybody selling a vehicle or bike for inexpensive, or where I could find one??

SPC Young, what region of the country will you be in?  It would be cost-prohibitive with gas costing so much to have to drive a car across country.  If you can narrow down where you will be upon your redeployment, we might be able to help you better.  I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and work for a big company so if you are going to be anywhere near the Dallas area - like within a state or 2 of Texas! - I can send out a message and ask my co-workers if anyone has a reliable used vehicle for sale.

Best regards,

Lilly

Okay, Ft Bliss is in El Paso TX and Tulsa OK is about 3 hours north of Dallas.  So this will work!  At some point from El Paso  to Tulsa, you have to come close to Dallas.

I will send an e-mail out today to my workplace asking if anyone knows of a used car in good condition for sale.  I will look for the most gas efficient car possible.  I see tons of trucks and SUVs for sale these days from people who can't afford the gas. I know you are a young man and would probably like something sporty but I suggest practicality over style.  Ultimately, it is up to you.  I'll let you know what I find out.

Best regards,

Lilly 

Okay, SPC Young, here's an update...

I sent an e-mail out to my workplace - there is a lady whose son just enlisted in the Air Force and he wants to sell his gold colored Mitsubishi Gallant.  She is going to find out what year it is and what the mileage is.  She says it is in excellent mechanical shape.  The son smokes so the car smells like cigarette smoke but that's nothing a bottle of Febreeze and a good airing out won't cure.

Another option is a man a co-worker told me about who buys used cars, repairs them, then sells them.  His inventory is always different.  So I will have to check with him and see what he has around the time you are redeploying.  The co-worker said she got a great deal from him buying a used car for her teenage daughter.

Feel free to send me a PM or e-mail if you want to take this discussion off the Forums.

The make or model makes no difference to me. Just something that would only be a few hundred dollars and that is reliable. I could even live without air conditioning, just a vehicle that will get me from point a to point b without any problems. 

 I appreciate any and all help I can get.  This was really the only place I felt I could turn to and hope to find something as the searching I've been doing on my own hasn't come up with much.

SPC Young, can you stretch to $500?

I am working with a man who gets cars and fixes them up and sells them.  This is sort of a hobby for him.  They are mechanically reliable, may not be the prettiest cars in the world but they will get you ro work and back.

If you can PM or e-mail me and let me know when you will be back, then I will have a better idea for you because this gentleman's inventory changes all the time.  If I find a good one for you, he will hold it a month.

Thanks!

SPC Young,

If all else fails, you should try go on craigslist.com and check your state, then auto's and you will be suprised what you can find. This is one of the easiest ways to search. It has pic's, info, and location, along with contacts and is updated everyday.  I always find what I need on craigslist !  Best of luck!

-Holly

OIFVet08 Hello!

I may be able to help you if I know how far the both of you will need to drive.

Tulsa occasionally has low priced vehicles that don't get very good gas mileage but if you only drive a few miles a week one may work for you.

In the past I have found early 1990's Toyotas and Prisms in the $800 range but they are gone the first day.

I checked Craigs List for Tulsa and found a few vehicles in the $500 range. They were not easy on fuel. The other problem with any vehicle is it can break down and in that price range the age of the vehicle will be high and it most likely will happen in the near future. Extra costs will be that you have to buy insurance and registration.

There are many good people here that will try and help you but If you don't find what you need let me know by PM and I will see what I can do to help you. I can do some foot work by phone and email. Maybe between all of us something will work out.

Blessings, door

I apologize, but it seems I have wasted some of your precious time. In my fight to find a vehicle, I have also been fighting with my wife and while I believe it is good to look for a vehicle and you have all helped me with the information I need to find a vehicle, she feels that we won't be able to afford insurance and the such and that we also need to get used to life, me back and whatnot, with the new job I will be working and see what happens.

As I said, you have all helped and given me the information I desired so in the future I will be able to look for one on my own and even then if I have no luck I will be able to contact any of you and ask for your help as well. There is no way I can ever repay the debt of helping your fellow man, but maybe my sincere "Thank You" can help with that.

SPC Young,

Helping our fellow man incurs no debt and is what we were all put on Earth to do - although apparently a lot of people on the planet didn't get that message!  Anyway, no problem, if anything ever changes and you need us again, you know where to find us!

Take care and best wishes for your return to civilian life.