Cars for $1,000, carsforagrand.com

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- One company says it's possible to have a safe, reliable car that won't cost you an arm and a leg.

The young entrepreneurs behind carsforagrand.com drove a clunker into Jacksonville for a little show-and-tell.

The "show" isn't much to look at: a white, beat up, 1974 Pontiac LeMans.

But the businessmen say the car "tells" a good story.

"We were two weeks removed from a $19 billion bailout of GM and here we bought a General Motors car 35 years old for $900 that's made it 3300 miles and feels honestly like it can make it another 3300 no problem," said Chris Hedgecock.

The two men bought the car off the web site, pumped in about $200 worth of maintenance before driving the car from California to Jacksonville to prove their point.

Despite losing a window frame in Texas, and sitting through shaky air conditioning, the guys say the car held up during the adventure.

The men say the web site matches people with cheap rides in their area. All you do is enter your zip code and the web site comes up with a list of budget-mobiles in your area.

NEW ORLEANS -- A man driving across the country to prove that cheap, used cars are reliable made a stop in New Orleans to share his message.
Chris Hedgecock stopped for a break on a long road trip in his 1974 Pontiac LeMans. He bought the car for just under $900 through a Web site he created two years ago, CarsForAGrand.com.
"It just grew in popularity and we were really impressed with the response we got," Hedgecock said.
He said the Web site generates about five sales a day nationwide -- all of used cars under $1,000.
"We don't make any guarantees," he said. "We're basically a tool for people to find other people who are selling cars."
The used cars don't come without challenges.
"When we got it, the battery was bad," Hedgecock said about the car he bought. "We went ahead and got a new battery from Wal-Mart. We did a little homemade ducting work on the air intake. We replaced all the fluids, replaced the belts."
But he said after $200 in repairs, the car was ready to hit the road from San Diego to Miami. He said it hasn't had any problems along the way.
Hedgecock said when he gets home, he won't have to make car payments.
"You might have to learn how to fix a car yourself, but at the end you're going to have a car and no debt," he said.
The Better Business Bureau said anyone looking for a used car should make sure the make, model, options and warranty are clearly defined, and be sure to read and understand the terms of the contract before signing.