Howdy,
I am in need of a new car and I will most likely be going used. I know Honda and Toyota are usually good used car buys just because they last so long. I’ll most likely be staying away from American cars, but what about Mitsubishi, Nissan, Hyundai, Suzuki…any input would be great. Thanks!
I just bought a 2001 Hyundai Elantra with 72K miles, out the door for about $6K. I will be driving it 100 miles per day for my new job starting next week. I’ll let you know how it works out.
This is by no means a GQ thread.
That said:
Don’t be so quick to discount “American” cars these days. It’s actually pretty hard to tell what’s American and what’s not. For instance, many Ford models are based of Mazda cars, and vice-versa. Some Suzuki* and Toyota models share platforms with GM cars. Jaguar is part of Ford (so, for instance, the Jaguar X-Type is basically a four wheel drive Taurus) as is Volvo. Saab is a division of GM, yet has a model that’s little more than a re-badged Suburu.
Buying a used car requires keeping in mind the flip-side of the residual value issue: buying a used Toyota or Honda is going to cost you a lot more than a comparable car from another manufacturer. Hyundais used to have notoriously low quality, so how old a car you’re looking at might make a difference as to whether you consider them (and that probably goes double for their Kia division, too).
- Actually, I can’t remember if any of the GM/Suzuki joing projects are still being made.
I have had good experience with Mazdas. A late-model 626 should be a good value.
A Cerowyn said, if you go with any Korean car, make it a fairly new one. Hyundai and Kia have a done a lot in recent years to improve themselves.
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Yep. IMHO material.
I’ll drive it over there for you.
Oops, look, I left a puddle in GQ…
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I highly recommend the Chevy Cavalier. They run well and are the cheapest cars to repair when they do break(an important factor when buying used).
I have two used ones and they have run perfectly.
:knock on wood:
Thank for the tips everyone. I’ll be going out to look around this weekend. Maybe I wont discount American cars…my last car was a chevy Tracker and I got 155K out of it, so it wasnt so bad. I just am a little nervous since the person before could have abused the engine. We’ll see what happens
You can get a warranty on a used vehicle, and I highly suggest you do. I get them on every used vehicle we own, and it saves you the heartbreak of Used Car Suckosity.
I love the Cavalier. Also, we absolutely adore the Ford Ranger. Our current one is a '94 with 140K miles on it, and she’s still going strong.
horhay_achoa, the Chevy Tracker isn’t really an American car. It’s a rebadged Suzuki Sidekick/Vitara. Of course, calling GM/Ford/Chrysler “American” is a little wonky these days, cause they’re often assembled in Mexico or Canada, and lots of Toyotas and Hondas etc are assembled in the USA with parts made in the USA. But that’s another thread or 50 right there.
And Klhoun, I never buy extra warranties. I’ve never been burned not having one, but they are awfully expensive on used cars. I’d be careful.
Our whole car payment on the Ranger was $150/mo, including the extended warranty. I’d never leave the lot without one!
Make sure to take it to a trusted mechanic for a pre-purchase inspection to make sure it’s in good shape, and look for someone who has maintenance receipts.
It seems like Saturns don’t hold their re-sale value very well but they’re as good as most other cars. So you might get a little more for your money with one.
horhay, I don’t know your location but if you’re in the US check to see if there’s a CarMax nearby. They tend to charge over bluebook but they know what they’re doing and they have absolutely no lemons.
I bought a used car in April. I wanted an Echo, but they wanted 85 to 90 % of list for a 4 year old car. I ended up with a Dodge Neon and really like it. It was cheap and gets great gas mileage. And it’s fun to drive. My roommate bought a used Honda civic at the same time, and I hate that car. It’s transmission is whiny and has annoying shift points (it’s been in for service and that’s apparently how it’s supposed to be). I payed 7800 for a 2003 with 16000 miles on it. She paid 6700 for a 1999 with 40000+. I think I got the better deal.
Both my husband’s and my used cars were purchased from Hertz Car Sales. They were in great shape, and each was around 1 yr old and had less than 30,000 miles on it because Hertz updates its fleet every year and gets rid of the 1-year-old cars. They are really well maintained, come with all the maintenance records, are super-clean, and a good warranty is available. They have a “no-haggle” policy, which I really appreciate. My car is a '97 Toyota Camry, bought in December of 97, and it’s still going strong - no problems other than routine maintenance issues. My husband’s is a 2001 Mazda Protege, which is also running fine, and has had no problems at all. I’d recommend both models, and I’d highly recommend Hertz Car Sales (and no, I have no affiliation with them other than as a 2-time customer!)
The Toyota Matrix (which has a twin in the Pontiac Vibe) until recently was UNdepreciating. If I assumed that a Toyota was good for 300K miles, then the used Matrices were less per remaining mile according to Kelly Blue Book than the new ones. This seems to have changed a bit, but that tells you something about the low cost and perceived long life of the car.
Darn it. I mean that the used cars were MORE per remaining mile, which is backward of what you would expect.
I went out and looked. I found a 2001 Camry with 58K. They are asking 11,455.
They also have a 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer with 30K. They are asking 11,898.
I hear mitsubishis arent good for re-sale value. That doesnt matter too much to me because I will be driving it until it doesnt move anymore. As long as it runs well…
Anyone ever have a Lancer?
Mitsu and Isuzu are the two Japanese companies that have a reputation for the same kind of solid reliability that GM had back in the late 1970’s.
Personally, I advocate considering used domestics, just because the silly things depreciate so quick that a 3-yr-old domestic is a MUCH lower fraction of its old value than let’s say… a 3-yr-old Toyota. Moreso than the reliability gap justifies, IMHO.