With the current economic conditions, its not surprising that not everybody can afford a newer car. Fortunately there are a wide variety lower priced older cars that will last an extremely long time with proper care and maintenance. Here is a list of 10 that I like and recommend. If reliability and economy are more important to you than shininess and status, maybe one of these is the car for you.

• Volvo 240 1974-1993

These cars are excellent, they are built like tanks. You can find very nice examples for less that $3000 relatively easily. They will easily make it well above 200,000 miles with proper maintenance. Parts are very reasonalby priced and widely available in most Pick-a-Part type junkyards. Rear wheel drive is a plus to me. Despite rumors to the contrary these cars are actually pretty easy to work on. Coupe, Sedan, and Station Wagons are available.

• Mercedes Benz 300D/CD/TD 1977-1985

These cars are also very well built, and still surprisingly common in many areas. They represent considerable interior comfort for the price. Parts are cheaper than you might expect. They are almost as common in the junkyards as the Volvo 240. The diesel motor would be the way to go in my opinion but the gas motors are also great. Coupe, Sedan, and Station Wagon Models are available.

• BMW 3 Series E21 and E30 1977-1991

These cars are really common in a lot of areas, although many of the early ones in particular are in pretty sorry condition. Make sure you get one that has been maintained, bringing one back from the dead is pretty un-economical. Rust can be a big problem on these.
Parts are reasonable, junkyard availability is decent. Available in 2 door, 4 door, and 2 door convertable.

• Toyota Pickup and 4Runner 1984-1989

While all Toyota trucks are known for their durability, this body style is my personal favorite. While many of these will be in less than good condition, they are relatively easy to get back on the road. Parts are cheap and plentiful. Taller people should look for an extended cab. 2wd and 4wd available. Electronic Fuel Injection available from 1985 on. Solid front axles until 1985 on 4wd models. The 4 cylinder 22R engine is known throughout the world for its reliability and longetivity. I personally have owned a few of these trucks with more than 275,000 miles on the original engines. V6 is good as well but not as good as the 22R in my opinion. Rust on the bed is a major issue in most parts of the country.

• Honda Accord 1982-1989

Honda is a manufacturer that is also renowned for its build quality and reliability. The Accord was the top of the line offering for the U.S. market and tend to be in better shape than the Civics in my experience. High Milage is common on these, but not really a worry. Parts are cheap. There are many good independant shops around that specialize in Hondas if you are not up to maintaining it yourself.

• Volkswagen Jetta / Golf 1985-1991

This platform was extremely popular and extremely robust. You can find these for as little as $500 in running condition with extremely high miles. Many of these poor cars have been driven into the ground or modified beyond usefulness by the boy racer crowd. Parts are cheap and common. There is a large variety of aftermarket tuning parts available for these cars.

• Jeep Cherokee 1984-2001

These are very good trucks in my opinion. The early models were plagued with troublesome engines and transmissions so I would avoid any model that does not have the Inline 6 Cylinder engine. 2 and 4 door models were available. The straight six engines are capable of extremely high milage. Solid axles and coil springs are standard on 4 wheel drive models. A sad number of these have been very highly modified for offroad use which leaves them almost unusable for street driving, I would avoid these. Parts are cheap.

• Subaru 1980-1989

I have seen these cars driving around with milages that are beyond belief. They are getting a little harder to find these days but are still around. Rust was a bad problem with these things, so make sure you buy one that isn't about to break in half. Available in coupe, sedan, wagons, pickup, and hatchback models. Turbos available on some pickup and and wagon models. 4 wheel drive or all wheel drive standard depending on year.

• Isuzu Trooper 1981-1990

These are some very tough vehicle and a very good value. While they are underpowered by most standards they make up for it in durablility. Both long and short wheelbase models were available. Parts are cheap although they are not as common as they used to be. Luckily the offroader don't seem to be hacking these up at the same rate as the Toyotas and Jeeps. The popularity of these vehicles seems to vary from region to region.

• Toyota Van 1984-1989

I really like these vans. Many of them have been severly abused as work vans, but nice examples are still around. I find at least a couple of them in almost every junkyard I go to. Available with 4 wheel drive which was pretty rare for the time they were made. Unfortunately they used a different engine than the pickups, but it is still good for the long hauld. Panel Van and Window Van versions are available.

There are many vehicles that could have been put on this list, these are just the ones I like the best. There is no reason to go get a new car with a high payment when you can spend a couple of thousand dollars for a car that will last you many years.