Used Car Purchase

[ferco]

I'm in the market for a used car that will last @ least 10 years. I have 9-11 K and want to pay cash. I'll also be trading in my '97 Park Ave. We've looked at Toyota's, Honda's and Acura's. Any ideas or suggestions on particular models and your experiences and how to get the most for the money?

Can't go wrong with a Honda Accord or Toyota camary.

The Honda's seem a little nicer for the price. Both reliable though. A Honda Accord EX is loaded and has lots of nice options.

[Hyperborea]

I'm doing some looking at the car market lately too - I'm thinking about buying a second car (we currently have one car that's getting older between my wife and myself). *Anyways, for many of the Japanese brands that you mention (Toyota, Honda, Acura) there is not a very large drop in price until the car is quite a bit older (they hold their value well). *For the money you mention ($9-11K) you'll probably be looking at a 4 to 6 year old Civic or Corolla. *The price differential between the various trim lines (DX, LX, EX, etc) shrinks as the car gets older but then you've got more accessories that need to be repaired.

You might want to consider the non-"premiere" Japanese brands such as Mazda and Nissan. *They don't have the same "cachet" as a Honda or a Toyota and don't hold their value as well but they are still very reliable.

If you're going to buy used you'll want to get a car with all the maintenance records and have it checked out completely by a qualified mechanic for that brand ($100 to $150).

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Dont forget to check out the car based small SUV's, like the Rav4 and CRV. You get a lot more room and utility, still get the good reliability, and dont pay much extra if you stay away from the 4wd and unnecessary options.

[kayelem]

Have a 97 Camry in great shape...I told my coworker it was a 97 and he didn't believe it...thought it was a much newer model. *It has been very reliable and I still feel like it is a classy car. We splurged on leather interior, moon roof, etc. But I will keep it another 5 years easy

Also own a new CRV. Perfect combination of cars for us, I recommend either. .

[Spanky]

I have a 02 Chev Prizm (Toyota Corolla with Chevy skin). It has very reliable and gas efficient. I paid only $5000 for it.