Sorry. Didn’t mean to bother you. 
Sorry, Libertarian, didn’t mean to neglect you. I’ll also be keeping an eye out for Saturns, but I’ll have to try it out to see. I’ve got a friend who has an older one (not an Ion) and I’m not to impressed with it. I don’t quite feel comfortable sitting in it.
I also owe an apology to Lilith Fair, because I have no interest in a Mini Cooper. Way too small and, in my opinion, less car for the money.
I’m leaning towards the larger side. In fact, someone mentioned to me that there are used Ford LTD Crown Victorias and Chevrolet Impalas that can be got for reasonable prices. He also said that recent model years of these cars are pretty sturdy and reliable. Any views on this?
I agree about the older Saturns. They were fairly uncomfortable and had poor suspension. But the Ion is quite different. It can’t hurt to do a 24-hour test drive. And it is within your budget.
I bought a 2003 GMC Sonoma, and got a 4000 rebate (good on all Sonomas) plus a 750 rebate for being in the military.
Total sale price was 12300. You could likely get it for less than that if you purchased a regular cab (I’m 6’1 and like to be able to stretch my legs, which are most of my height). It’s got a 2.2L 4 cylinder, and gets good gas mileage, plus you’d get the more rigid, durable chassis of a truck, along with the utility of the bed.
GMC’s ranking in the JD Powers Vehicle Dependability Survey was almost exactly equal that of Nissan, so no ignorant “American Junk” statements please.
We also have a 2003 Echo, which is a very nice, if somewhat spartan, economical car. It gets somewhere around an average 40 MPG, (we get around 34 city, 43 hwy). The ride is decent, it’s got lots of space for its size, and it has that famed Toyota reliability. Weak points are questionable (but improved) styling, road noise, light weight (it gets rocked by wind gusts) and lack of Cruise control.
Just to comfort your troubled mind, Freiheit, I’m under 40 and it doesn’t matter to me what other people think. Mmmkay?
Just to comfort your troubled mind, Freiheit, I’m under 40 and it doesn’t matter to me what other people think. Mmmkay?
Go with a Focus. I’m on my second now, a 2002 wagon, and its been the most trouble free car I’ve ever owned. My '00 sedan did require half a dozen trips to the dealer for recall repairs, but it never actually gave me problems.
I ran into this same problem when I started thinking about replacing my 1998 Contour. I love my Contour. It is extremely reliable, has a big engine, lots of pep, and it’s paid for.
But it also has 100,000 miles on it and will be needing new brakes, new tires, and all that jazz soon.
I haven’t found a car yet that I would trade my Contour for. So I’m reading this thread with great interest!
Julie
I am so pleased you did this acsenray I have just moved to the states from overseas and I am car shopping as well.
With having no knowledge of US car makes (GMC, Buick, Oldsmobile etc) I am struggling. My principle concern is insurance costs - as never having a US driving licence is making cost very very high!
I love love love my '01 Civic and would heartily recommend it to anyone who will listen until they ask me to go away.
My advice (not widely popular, mind you) is to scrounge up as much as you can find and get the best BMW available for that amount. I think they are simply the best vehicles made, period. Go drive one and spend a little time in, around and under one. I think you may agree. You should be able to find many 3 series to pick from and even some 5 series for around $10k. That 1999 floor might be a problem however.
Second choice would be Nissan. I’m partial to the Maximas, but they have a bunch of nice models. Quality is very high from what I’ve seen.
You can get an ION for under $10,000? That’s pretty amazing.
I have a 2000 Saturn SL2 that has been pretty good, but is far from roomy and comfortable (I’m pretty tall). No maintenance problems through 40,000 miles thus far.
Following up on what gatopescado said (and I 'd recommend a BMW, too; above I just looked into what you were already thinking about), Trader Online (link above) found 7 pages of BMWs in your area.
Just skimming the first page I note nothing as young as 1999. But some 1997 318s and 328s did show up (my first BMW was a 320i that I bought with 70K miles and drove for 11 years - great little car).
And there are several mid '90s 740s.
Just to update –
I have driven a 2001 Toyota Camry, a 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse, a 2001 Mazda 626, and a 2000 Mazda Protege.
I am now leaning toward the Protege … although next door at the Chevrolet dealership there are nice, big Impalas going for less than $10,000. It’s hard to pass up a deal like that.
Acsenray,
I highly recommend this site for your research.
You can get some very valuable vehicle defect, repair and service bulletin information on cars you are looking to purchase.
www.CARFAX.com is another valuable resource for used car purchasers…you will need the vin from each car to perform a lookup.
www.edmunds.com is another good one for used car buying tips and vehicle reviews.
My personal opinion…I highly recommend that you at least check out what you can afford in terms of Honda Civics.
You can get a 2001 Civic for $10K…or a 2001 for around $9K.
I would bet a large sum of money that if you perform proper vehicle maintenance on all the cars that you mentioned above…the Camry and the Civic will outlast the Eclipse, the 626 and the Protege…
BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD…DO NOT BUY AN Impala…if you get 75,000 miles on Impala without having major engine repairs over $1K…consider yourself a winner of the automotive lottery.
Although this thread is dated now, I’ll chime in:
Regarding the Ford Crown Vic / Mercury Grand Marquis of recent years, I had a '92 (same basic design as today, minus an '01 or so suspension redesign) and it rode VERY nicely.
I must also point out that a late '90s CV or GM can be found for a FRACTION of the original price. The market for new ones is decent, but the market for used ones REALLY IS a buyer’s market. I’m not certain, but I think that the Crown Vic may have one of the steepest depreciation curves around.
The reliability on the CV/GM appears to be rated decently well. Remember it’s basically an 11-year-old design nowadays, and Ford has gotten it down pretty good. The design gets good reviews from Consumer Reports last time I checked.
I heartily endorse it. For low-dollar comfort and crash safety you CANNOT BEAT that design.
Thanks for the further comments. Mr. Obvious, I’m coming to the conclusion that the Toyotas and Hondas are too rich for my blood. The Protege has excellent ratings across the board and I know about six people who have them (umm … make that five). Are the Camrys and Civics really worth the premium price? My 1987 Corolla lasted for a long time and it’s looking to me like the 2000 Protege is a good replacement.
Are American makes still really, truly, honestly that much farther behind the Japanese in terms of quality and long-term reliability? Really?
Jonathan, tell me about the long-term maintenance and repair costs of the Crown Victoria. It’s true, I’ve noticed that you can get some real bargains on GMs and Fords. After 30 years of competing with Toyota and Honda, they still aren’t in the same league?
I bought a Suzuki Aerio. Lots of interior space, fast, goofy-looking. Liked it so well, we bought another for Mrs. R.
The problem with US cars is that in the late Seventies and Eighties they were absolute crap. People who bought one swore never to get taken again, and the US makes just dropped off people’s lists. I, for one, never even considered a US make, and I’m not alone.
The US automakers may very well have caught up with the Japanese makes on quality, but so what? Why should I take a chance with my hard-earned money? They blew their credibility long ago. I don’t plan to even consider buying a Chevy until they’ve got a rep like Toyota and Honda: Twenty years of people saying, “That Chev was the best damn car I’ve ever owned. Drove it 200,000 miles and never gave me a lick of trouble.”
To me the so what is that I could get more car for a lot less money. So long as I get a car that I can count on, that’s what I want. I would rather not pay for reputation if it’s just reputation and not really reflective of the relative quality of the cars.
That being said, yesterday I looked at a couple of Camrys and I liked them.