is there a online store that sells ore or hopper cars in large quantities for less than $5 per car ?if not how could i acquire a large fleet of hoppers for the lowest budget
Did you try http://www.nscalesupply.com/
mots
For your price point, you're going to have to look at places that deal in used equipment. EBay is a good (?) starting point. There is also a Yahoo forum called the N Scale Yard Sale. Some of the other model railroad forums offer "for sale" topics, too.
For hoppers, you will be lucky to find anything for under $5. Trainshows and swap meets will be your best option. Buying through Ebay or other online places will cost you more in shipping that you are willing to pay for the car. A few years back I found a group of old MDC Roundhouse hopper kits at a show and was happy to get them for $7 each. On top of that they needed trucks so the cars ended up working out to about $10 each and I felt that was a deal for cars in road numbers that I didn't have yet.
The Atlas Trainman ore cars can be had around $10 each or less new if you keep an eye out.
Another problem in looking for cars under $5 is that you will most likely be stuck with Rapido couplers.