I don’t want to spend more than $10K on a new used car, although we could probably inch a thou or two above that. Ivylad is comfortable maxing out at $15K.
I don’t care what kind of car it is. My requirements are:
Excellent gas mileage
A/C
Radio
Would be nice but not necessary are:
Automatic transmission (I can drive a stick, but it’s been a while, but it won’t be a deal breaker if it’s manual)
CD player
Power windows and locks
Couldn’t care less about:
Rear spoilers
Sun or moon roof
Ivylad has crossed the Ford Focus and Escort off my list. I’m leaning toward either a Dodge Neon or a Hyundai Elantra. I saw a Chevy Aveo last night that looked just too darn cute for words, so that may also be on my short list.
We’ve been doing research online, and I plan to test drive the Neon, Elantra, and Aveo this weekend. They all get good gas mileage, although the Neon is leading the pack in that arena. Any other suggestions? Warnings? Has anyone had any experience with carsdirect.com or carmax.com?
(P.S., Ivylad is in a very good mood now that Ohio State has whupped up on Michigan. He wanted me to include that in this post. )
Take a look at the Toyota Matrix. I’ve been looking for new cars recently myself and the Matrix was definately on my short list. It’s very cute – similar to the Aveo but even cuter, IMO. It wouldn’t work for me – one of my requirements was that I be able to fit my daughter’s wheelchair in the back without putting down the seat backs and the Matrix just didn’t have a tall enough back cargo area to allow the push handles to clear – so I ended up choosing the PT Cruiser (which has a very tall cargo area). But I really liked the Matrix a LOT. It comes in a very pretty light blue and a gorgeous bright red and we could have got the one we looked at (a pretty basic automatic model) for around $13,000, I think. I’m not sure about the gas mileage, although it’s a small car, so I can’t imagine it’d be bad. The Scion Xa is rather similar to the Matrix and Aveo in body style, but smaller – it may get better gas mileage, too.
The Matrix looks too much like a station wagon for my taste. We have a minivan for running to the grocery store and such, so we don’t need another long car, if you know what I mean.
the focus is an utter piece of dren, glad to see you crossed it off the list, good choice
I drive an '02 Neon, i have over 60,000 original miles on it and it runs just as good as the day it rolled off the factory floor, it’s never given me one picosecond of trouble
the reputation the Neon has as an unreliable piece of crap is mostly based on the early '95 to '97 first-gen models, lots of paint and electrical problems, blows head gaskets, etc…
the Neon was redesigned in 2000, a major reworking of the platform, and it got far more reliable and polished, the interior fit and finish (always a weak point in first-gens) is almost up there with Toyota, if you closed your eyes and sat in a 2nd-gen Neon (2000+), you’d never know it’s a Neon
as an added bonus, they’re a lot of fun to drive, and not just the high-performance SRT-4 model (225HP 2.4 I-4 Turbo/intercooled, 0-60 in 5.9 seconds), even the base model (mine) is loads of fun, decent acceleration on the base model, and incredibly good handling
fuel mileage ranges from 30-40 MPG depending on how you drive it…
one last thing, if you’re looking at a Neon, please, for the love of Og, get it with a MANUAL tranny, the sludgebox leeches off so much power it isn’t funny, a manual Neon can typically do the 1/4 mile in 15 seconds, the sludgebox is an 18 second or more car, the sludgebox is a real slug…
and check out Neons.org for a great grassroots Neon fan club…
Basic, reliable, comfortable transportation? There should be only two names on your shopping list: Honda and Toyota. Depending on the amount of space you need, a Civic, Corolla, Accord or Camry will fit the bill. These cars should be far more reliable than a Dodge, Chevy or Hyundai.
In your price range, you should be able to pick from late 90’s 5 series. Go drive one, you’ll see what I mean. Don’t listen to all the shit about “they are too expensive to maintain”. They are designed so well, even “regular folk” can keep them running. And run they do, far superior to damn near anything else.
A 2000 Honda Civic with 23,000 miles on it. Power steering, after factory AM/FM stereo with MP3 player (a Jensen, which Ivylad is most impressed with) and cruise control.
It has power windows and locks. I’ve never had a car with power windows and locks before!
It’s a deep purple color. [Austin Powers]And I shall call it…Sugar Plum[/Austin Powers]
If you ever get a chance, shop at a CarMax. They were great. No hopping around from dealer to dealer…they have all kinds of cars.
Thanks to everyone for your advice. I am so pleased!
Interesting. Next month, when I move to Dallas, I will have to buy a car for the first time in 5 years. My boyfriend there knows someone who works at a Carmax there. So, I’m also looking for a car hopefully somewhere under 10K. If you don’t mind me asking, how much did you end up paying? I’m glad to see Carmax was good for you, I’ve looked at their website and I’ll probably use them. I hate car buying.
dale, I’d be happy to discuss the particulars. My e-mail addy is in my profile.
You can search carmax.com and find anything you’re looking for. If the car has flood or frame damage they won’t sell it. You can return it in five days for any reason, and bring it back within 30 days to fix any problems. There was no haggling…the price was the price.
You won’t be disappointed with the Civic - I had a 98 Civic EX coupe (Milano Red) - best damn car I ever had. Still kicking myself in the head for ever getting rid of it. :smack:
You can beat the crud out of those poor little things & still get away with only investing in gas, tires, and oil. I put ~92000 miles on that little bugger in less than 5 years, and never had a problem with it. Got T-boned by some dumb broad after I’d only had it a year; had it fixed by the original dealer, and it still ran great.
dalej42, I’ll echo gatopescado (somehow it worries me that I can spell that without looking). I’ve been driving BMWs for the last 17 years and have found them to be great cars. Upkeep is not a big deal.
And, heh, you’ll be in Dallas, second only to West Houston as BMW Country.
While they’re pricey new, the facts of the matter are that they’ll run practically forever with fluids maintenance. I’ve tended to buy 3-4 year olds. After the first two years of relatively steep depreciation, they seem to to keep their value. My current ride is a '99 whose warranty expires in 2006 - then I’ll be shopping the 2003-2004 models.
Hondas and Toyotas are cars with a well deserved reputation, but you can also get a whole bunch of comfortable, performing car in a $10,000 Beemer. One thing I learned many years ago when looking at them was that they are either run to ground very quickly (Dad buys progeny one) or are very well maintained.
Congratulations. With regular maintenance, you might well make it to ten times the number of miles it has on it now. I’m still driving my 1995 Honda Civic. It’s only got about 91K miles on it, and I’ve only had to make one unscheduled repair, for a total of about $800, in the 9 years I’ve owned it. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s less than $7.50/month in car repair expenses. If I think about how much money I haven’t spent in gasoline (car gets 35+/MPG), insurance on a newer/nicer car, and car payments (had I traded it in after a few years as most people do), and repairs, I figure the car has saved me probably $10K in the last 9 years over what I’d have spent with a typical 20 MPG, mediocre quality American vehicle (nearly $5K just in gas). I just remind myself of that every time I start jonesing for something newer/nicer/bigger. I’ll get a new vehicle eventually, but I’ll probably hang onto the Civic until my son’s ready to leave for college (he’s seven now). I fully expect it’ll still be running great by then.
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