How to choose an affordable adventure vehicle for under 10k, being a student.

At least once in your life you imagined how you would head to the nearest dealership and get a brand sparkling all new jeep or old-school Willy’s and then drive your new baby along the streets of your city. The only thing that stopped you from buying it was the high cost of the vehicles today which can seriously impact the state of your pocket.

Luckily, in the US we have lots of used cars waiting to be taken back to the road, so you can easily purchase a worthy off-roader even if you run out of money. It seems impossible but it can take you just $10K to start your adventure – if you know where to look.

Used doesn’t mean bad

First of all, you need to remember that your vehicle will not be brand new: it is pretty difficult to find a good motorcycle for 10K, but hardly the vehicle. However, buying used one does not actually mean that it will be too bad. Just remember that:

• your car will be at least five years old;
• your car has been driven a lot (although you can get the car with mileage under 100K but less possible);
• you will see many sub-$10,000 rides with rust on them (try to avoid it).

Do not ever buy structurally damaged car at all costs. You might be sure that you have found something special but it is very likely that the low price means that the car has been in an accident before and you put your life at risk: the car is not worth it!

Best vehicles to choose

If you have difficulties choosing between the car models, we have prepared for you top vehicles in the US which you can buy for the price under 10K:

1. Chevrolet Blazer – now renamed to Chevy Tahoe, was especially popular in the 90s. Today it evolved into such models as S10, K5 and TrailBlazer and you can expect to get the vehicle for low price in 1998-2005 year range. All the models have great performance, so if you pick one of them, it would be a great choice;
2. Dodge Durango – when it comes to SUVs, Durango can be called a dark horse. The car is perfect to use off-road and if you can find the model built after 2011, it means that it was built on the same platform as Jeep Grand Cherokee (anything between 1998-2012 is also good);
3. Ford Bronco – this one is pretty difficult to find, but if you can, this can be your best shot. The early models are especially popular which is the main reason why it is pretty hard to find them on sale today. You have probably heard about upcoming 2020 Ford model release that may free some older ones up, so if you consider to buy it, do not wait too long;
4. Jeep Cherokee – this is not well-respected Wrangler but the jeep is still good when it comes to everyday usage and adventure trips. If you decide to upgrade it, then Cherokee would surprise you with off-roader capability. Compared to Wrangler, this one is much easier to find so do not take it off your list as it could be a nice option;
5. Honda Pilot – this model is pretty new compared to other vehicles on this list and is also pretty big: so if space matters for you, Pilot will be perfect for this role as eight seats can manage the whole squad. The vehicle has independent suspension and has the same platform as Accord (sedan), Acura MDX and Odyssey;
6. Dodge RAM 1500 – this pickup truck still looks solid today. Due to its popularity you would need to do more research to find your ideal off-road vehicle for adventure trips, but do not forget that this model can have both two and four wheel drive (better choose the last one).
7. Nissan Xterra – among other SUVs this one is considered as pretty ugly but if you can close your eyes on how it looks, you would get a powerful off-roader for the price of similar vehicles. Nissans can be proud of their reliability and standard rack, perfect for hauling. However, if you prefer pickups to SUVs, you can always choose the Frontier and its truck bed.

We hope you could make your choice based on these brief descriptions and your new baby would arrive soon to your house.

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