New Used Car

[Structo]

Anybody bought a nice used car recently?

I have to buy another car for reliable transportation.

We are still driving my 1994 Honda Accord LX that I bought from
my mother when she stopped driving.
21 years old and things are starting to fail.

So I do like Honda's but't it's not to say the new ones are as good and reliable.

I am going to consider a Accord, Toyota Camry and possibly a Hyundai.
I don't really care for the Nissan models.

For domestic cars, maybe a Ford Fusion or Chevy Impala.

This car will have to last a long time.

So I am considering 2012 to 2014 possibly 2015 if they drop prices.

I think I want to limit the price to $18K or under depending on how much
I can sell my 1995 Chevy Z71 Silverado pickup for.


Oh yeah, anybody have any experience with the newer CVT transmissions?
Constant Velocity Transmission.
Sort of like we had on our go karts back in the day.
So far I haven't found any redeeming things about them.
I think I want a 5 or 6 speed auto.

I like a sporty look with some pep to it but I want to stay with the inline 4 cylinder engines.
They get a lot of horsepower out of them nowadays.
Also I believe most of the engines now have timing chains verses a belt.
Always the weak point of small engines.

[gui_tarzan]

Get a 2000-2005 LeSabre, Bonneville with the 3800 II engine and low miles. My first 2000 LeSabre had 181k on it before the motor let go (my fault, I believe), my current 2000 LeSabre has 215k and is still running strong and a third 2000 LeSabre I have that I bought after someone hit a deer has around 215k on it and runs great. These cars are hard to kill unless you try to tow something really heavy like I did with my first one.

Oh, now I see you want a four-banger. Pft...

[brentm]

What kind of driving do you do?

Are you more of a base model person or do you like things fully equipped?

A friend at work got a Hyundai Elantra - right in your price range. And it's nicely equipped I thought...

Tesla is coming out with a Model III which is supposed to be more affordable (but over 18k).

[Ron Worley]

Both the Accord and the Camry will just about run as long as you want, given normal maintenance. Had both, never had a problem. My Mother's Camry wagon is over 20 years old with 200K+ miles and runs like a top. Not sure that the Hyundai has quite caught up on the uber reliability of Honda and Toyota.

[brewdude]

I've been real happy with my used 2001 Subaru Forester. 173k miles when I bought it in ~2008 for $8000. Roughly 220k miles now.

[David Root]

In January 2013 I bought a lightly used (5,500 miles) 2012 Subaru Forester, saved almost $4,000 vs a new 2013. I put gas in one end & oil in the other, no operational problems at all.

My sister has been driving Subarus more than 20 years. Sez you have to put new timing chain on them ~120,000 miles or so, otherwise, nada.

[eniam rognab]

subaru legacy here, love it

paid 17,000 couple months ago for a '13 with 20k. six speed stick, i get over 30 mpg city

supah, dupah cah

[galtjunk]

I just bought a new 2014 Hyundai Elantra GT for my wife. She loves it.
17k loaded out the door.
I own a trouble free Santa Fe since it was new in 2004.
You might look at the Veloster if you want a sporty little 4 banger.

Chevy offered a 2 liter, 290 horse, turbocharged, Ecotec 4 banger in their Cobalt and HHR SS models. It was also used in the Pontiac and Saturn 2 seaters.
28 mpg if you can keep it under 100 mph.

I don't know if they still offer that engine.

[Reeltarded]

The Toyos are still hammers as far as moving parts and breakability.

I saw a 78/9 Celica the other day... sort of freaked me out a little. I think you could shoot the block and drive one coast to coast on 5 tanks of gas.

[johnnyreece]

I got a great deal (just under $10,000) on a 2010 Saturn Vue with 34,000-ish miles recently. It's got a 4-cylinder. We're averaging somewhere around 24 MPG. Bigger than a compact SUV, but not as big as a Trailblazer. Not sure if you're into the SUV market, but thought I'd throw that one out there!

On a similar note, the Malibu is a pretty decent little car with a 4-banger. My buddy got one, and it's pretty peppy. Almost 200HP out of 2.5L. The interior is pretty nice, too. Anyhow, good luck! I love car shopping.

[Phil_S]

It's clear the car companies woke up about 25 years ago and started using the technology of the day to build reliable and efficient vehicles. Gone are the days of trading in a 3 year old car (a common practice in the '60's). When I was a kid, it was unheard of to keep a car 10 years. Now we see them going twice that. So it's hard to go wrong. Not all cars are equal but that's a matter of gradation.

For no cost at all, you can probably go to the public library to review Consumer Reports' auto buying guide. If you aren't familiar, CR does its research by surveying its subscribers, and it doesn't accept advertising of any kind. There, I believe, you will find the unbiased truth about cars and that book should have a short list of the best of breed for the type of vehicle you are looking to buy. Make the trip to the library. Little to lose, much to gain!

Here's one more thought. We've been driving Hondas for the past few decades. The main reason is we've got a dealer with an honest repair shop that regularly provides discount coupons for service. The cost of maintenance at the dealer is reasonably competitive with independent shops on many routine things. Think about where you'll be getting your new car serviced even though you'll only bring it in about once a year.

[Reeltarded]

ditto on the service department being a big number in your math

[sliberty]

I've been buying Hyundais ever since I had a really bad 2002 Camry. Several major problems (thankfully during warrantee period) left a bad taste in my mouth. I like the security of the 50000/100000 mile warrantee that Hyundai offers, and they are good cars. My first one had no issues that weren't caused by the accidents I had with it (oops, my bad, not the car's).

[Allynmey]

My 1995 Jaguar just got totaled this week. The car was purchased with 50,000 in mint condition. Always ran great and had 157,000 on it when it got hit. Some chickie was taking selfies and barreled into my car stopped with traffic on the highway. I'm looking at a new (used) one in Addison, IL. Does anyone here live near there and be willing to take a look for me at one I found to replace it?

[drew]

Sorry to hear that, Allyn.

Before you buy another one, you might want to read Doug DeMuro's articles on the Jalopnik website regarding buying a used Range Rover at a Carmax store, with an extended warranty. I think this is the latest one. Definitely something to consider, if you're looking at a used luxury/exotic/high performance car.