Best Used Car

[73ss454]

I read an article the other day about the many problems the new Avalon is having. Many people have gone lemon law with them because Toyota couldn't repair the problems.

[thefed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 73ss454 I read an article the other day about the many problems the new Avalon is having. Many people have gone lemon law with them because Toyota couldn't repair the problems.

right. thats why i reccommend the 96-99's....preferably 98-99 to avoid the 1 in 200 chance of a sludge mobile

[73ss454]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thefed right. thats why i reccommend the 96-99's....preferably 98-99 to avoid the 1 in 200 chance of a sludge mobile

Yeah, the older ones are OK. It's not about sludge in the new ones but electrical gremlins and rattles which Toyota is having trouble addressing.

[thefed]

RE: Mitsubishi Galant

DONT GO THERE. not a good option. i have a relative with a 99 or 2000 and its all problems...low milegae too, maybe 40k? and it SUCKS in the snow...worse than a 99 mustang i had

[Sam]

4th generation Maxima:* 1995 to 1998 (avoid the 1999)

I own 3 of them (family of 4).* Did all the maintenance (practically nothing) myself.* Bought all 3 new.* Current mileages:* 140K, 95 GXE manual;* 107K, 97 SE auto; 170K (as of 12/04, when it was totaled) 95 SE manual.* They are extremely reliable, quite economical (24 to 27mpg); very sporty and fast, especially with the manual transmission.

[thefed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam 4th generation Maxima: 1995 to 1998 (avoid the 1999) I own 3 of them (family of 4). Did all the maintenance (practically nothing) myself. Bought all 3 new. Current mileages: 140K, 95 GXE manual; 107K, 97 SE auto; 170K (as of 12/04, when it was totaled) 95 SE manual. They are extremely reliable, quite economical (24 to 27mpg); very sporty and fast, especially with the manual transmission.

i agree, i have a trouble free 98, but i suggested the avalon due to size...OP mentioned crown vic!

whats wrong with the 99's? other than the coil packs...an easy fix....there's nothing wrong with those cars

[Sam]

Just the coil packs. Yes, it's an easy fix, but expensive.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

The Chevy Prizm is a Corolla under the hood, but sells for a significant discount over a used Corolla. I own two pre-owned ones. Very happy with them for economy and reliability. The newer one has had some electrical problems, but I am still happy with it.

[AltaRed]

Still like other posters' suggestion of a 2-3 yr old Chevy Impala. Well discounted, but has a remarkably good reliability record per JD Power and CR. Meets OP's specs of cheap/safe/reliable.

Would have never said that had I not been renting them from time to time over the last 3 years while travelling.

[MasterBlaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy The Chevy Prizm is a Corolla under the hood, but sells for a significant discount over a used Corolla.* I own two pre-owned ones.* Very happy with them for economy and reliability.* The newer one has had some electrical problems, but I am still happy with it.

Well the Prizm meets the cheap and reliable criteria but fails big time in the safety theme. Also, my personal impression of the Prizm is that it is about the most uncomfortable car that there is. I'd pass on a Prizm.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Which tracks "real-world" losses gives the Prism a "Substantially Worse than Average" rating.

here's a fun chart that shows death rates for various models...

http://www.iihs.org/brochures/ictl/pdf/ictl_0905.pdf

Note that if you drive a Corolla/Prism your chances of being injured are about three times bigger than if you drive a large car.

[brewer12345]

Yup. I pay a lot more attention to what the IIHS has to say than I do to gummint crash tests. They at least have a financial incentive to get it right.

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

MB,

The Prizms are used for getting around our small town. Relatively low-risk...fortunately. Not suitable for doing battle on the road, agreed. The old one is just an umbrella wth wheels.

I found the '98 one more comfortable than many small cars. I rented several when I had a 90 minute commute to check them out. Eventually, it messed up my left knee from hoisting myself out of the car so I gave it to my daughter.

Thanks for the link to the HLDI. Useful. Wish I had seen it earlier. I should pay more attention to safety when buying a vehicle.

This thread has some very useful information.

[MasterBlaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterBlaster - late models (say 2002 on) Ford Taurus have reasonable reliability, 5-star crash test scores and can be had for close to nothin'. This car is somewhat legendary for cheap miles.

I just saw yet another reason to buy a Taurus. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute (An insurance think tank) the Taurus is the least probable car to be stolen out of all of the cars and trucks that they track.

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=2891

[laurence]

Even thieves have some self respect!

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterBlaster I just saw yet another reason to buy a Taurus. According to the Highway Loss Data Institute (An insurance think tank) the Taurus is the least probable car to be stolen out of all of the cars and trucks that they track.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurence Even thieves have some self respect!*

Who knew... when we bought our '94 Taurus wagon it was just the right car at the right price. Not too many cars can haul a 4'x8' sheet of drywall and turn in 21 mpg.

We just went over 100K miles so the engine will last forever, but the interior is made of the usual Ford crap and looks as crappy as can be expected. We've already replaced the A/C evaporator core and now we're starting in on the weird electrical problems. Nothing crippling so far but I'm pretty sure that the parking lights aren't supposed to come on when you press the brake pedal...

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laurence Even thieves have some self respect!*

20 years ago, my brother solemnly prayed daily for someone to steal his then 2 years old Escort.* No such luck.* He ended up selling the "thing" for around $1,000.* *I had some serious trouble with a Mustang back then, and an Econoline just a few years ago.* No more FORD for me.* Don't know if it's still used today, but FORD stood for "Fixed Or Repaired Daily".

[MasterBlaster]

Well Sam...

How many times have I heard that. Domestics vehicles are a piece of S*** (POS for short). You are in good company with your opinion.

Some people believe however that the domestics are much much better than they were and are great values bought as late model lightly used vehicles.

I own an 03' Mercury Sable which is the twin of the Taurus bought used in 04'. I've put over 50k miles on it and have had no problems with the car - none zippo. In fact I'd say that it's been one of the best cars I've ever had. The car still looks brand new.

I paid $10k for it in 04' and the car guides tell me that it's still worth $6.5-7k sold as a private party vehicle. That works out to less than 6 cents per mile driven. I'll sell the car next year and buy another late model domestic car. Rinse and repeat. The goal is to have a reliable newer car at a very reasonable cost.

The reason my costs are so low is because people (like you) fail to see the value and utility in late model second tier used cars. I no longer have anything to prove to anyone so driving a second tier (low status) car is just fine with me.*

Now tell us about whatever car you drive and I'll bet your cost per mile is at least triple my cost.

[Sam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterBlaster Well Sam... I own an 03' Mercury Sable which is the twin of the Taurus bought used in 04'. I've put over 50k miles on it and have had no problems with the car - none zippo. In fact I'd say that it's been one of the best cars I've ever had. I paid $10k for it in 04' and the car guides tell me that it's still worth $6.5-7k sold as a private party vehicle. That works out to less than 6 cents per mile driven. Now tell me about whatever car you drive and I'll bet your cost per mile is at least triple my cost.

I'm afraid you pick the wrong guy* .* But I'll let you decide that for yourself.

95 Maxima SE, bought new in May 1994, paid cash $20,500.

Car totaled in Dec 2004.* 172,000 miles.* Conservative estimated value before accident:* $3,000.

Repair in 10 years of ownership:
1 starter, $140
1 knock sensor, $45
2 CV shafts, $250
2 Front struts, $300

Maintenance items not included.

[MasterBlaster]

Yeah but you drive a 95 car and your cost per mile is over 10 cents. And that does even adjust for the higher cost of money in 95.

Sorry Sam - you lose

[Sam]

OK, you won.* But I thought the bet was that my cost is at least 3 times more than yours.

Regardless, just update me on your cost per mile when you sell your car next year.