I've got 12k. What USED car should I get?

In My Humble Opinion
21

Celicas are cool, but they don’t have V6s. Anything Toyota will reliable, providing it’s been taken care of. Don’t be scared of “high miles” either on a Toyota. At 75000 miles, it’s got a couple hundred thousand miles left.

And I would look at the Alero. I’ve always liked those, and $12K will get you a very late model, look for them at rental agencies.

And reliable or not, Toyotas and Hondas can still be bad cars if not properly cared for. My sister in law bought a Celica w/75K miles and it burned oil, like 2 quarts a week. She traded it in. The kesson is get soemone who knows to check it out, possibly a professional not your brother in law Phil who listens to Car Talk.

22

You know, with $12k to spend, you aren’t far off from buying a decent new car, if you wanted. (I know the OP stated “used car” but I see so many people advocating “used Civic” for prices I consider highway robbery… Just offering some perspective.)

My girlfriend replaced that '89 Maxima with a brand new '03 Mazda Protege LX. The car has power windows, locks, CD, ABS, auto tranny, allow wheels. She paid a little under $14k, including delivery, tax and title.

It was amazing. The dealer started negotiating on price at almost $4k under invoice. The end-of-year incentives are really significant these days. Don’t be scared off by the “sticker price” you see on automobile manufacturer websites. On an economy car, it’s nonsense.

So if you’re looking at used economy cars… If you pay $12k for a used '02, in my opinion you’re getting totally ripped off. For $2k more, you could have brand new, thus knowing every last thing that’s ever happened to it. Then, you can make sure you break the car in (as opposed to you have no idea if someone else was playing “boy-racer” in that 1 year old Civic when it had 400 miles on it…).

If you’re looking to spend $12k on something used, buy something like a used Maxima. Or if you don’t need the car to be in the least bit interesting, a used Camry. Either will be bullet proof, get surprisingly good mileage, and much nicer to show off!

If I were buying a used Camry, I echo others’ sentiments that I wouldn’t buy from a dealer. You will pay a big premium for that. Typically, buying from the dealer implies they’ll stand behind the car more than private sale would. But a Camry ought not give you so many problems that you need to pay $3k extra for the assurance…

23

Very true. Toyotas are very well built.

If you’ve already got the 12k, you should really look into a new car. For a another couple grand, you could get a Ford Focus, a Saturn, A Tacoma pick-up (their great!).

But for that you should be able to aquire a late 90’s-early 00’s Toyota. Corollas and Tacomas are great.

24

Normally, I would argue against buying a new car, because the depreciation you pay in the first two years makes it really tough.

However, if you’re financing, the 0% financing deals available right now are worth a lot. We bought a new '03 Ford Escape, and the financing deal saved us over $6,000 in interest over the life of the loan. Plus, the vehicle was sold to us at $4,000 under list, making the overall cost to us LESS than an equivalent 1-2 year old used vehicle at normal financing rates.

If you’re paying cash, though, those deals aren’t available to you. In which case, buying new is a pretty expensive way to go.

Some cars to consider:

Subaru Impreza RS (if you live in a snow state, this should be high on your list - sporty (same car as a WRX, but with a little less horsepower), and all-wheel drive. These are great cars.

Nissan Altima/Maxima: You’d probably have to go back a few years to find one in your price range, but they are very good cars.

Honda Accord: One of the best compact cars around. Highly recommended. They’ve been making everyone’s 10-best cars list for a decade.

Honda Civic: Same quality as an Accord, slightly smaller and less luxurious.

Toyota Camry: Another great vehicle.

Ford Focus: These are very good cars, and 12K would get you an almost-new one. My tastes are towards the SVT version, which is a very good small, inexpensive sports car.

25

Thank you all for your good advice. I test drove some cars this weekend and I really love the Celica. I mean the guys at the dealership were super rude, but I’ll go see if I can find one at another dealership.

I only have 12k because my parents are buying this car for me. They bought one for my brother and it cost 12k so they are not going to spend a penny more on me.

26

tramp,
I own a 93 mx6 and I feel you pain.

Since your still in school why not buy a $6000 camery, accord, maxima and keep the other $6000 as a school emergency fund.
Between thanksgiving and newyears is a great time to car shop. Sales are slower that time of the year, and deals can be found. Watch your local paper, the best deals sell in 1-3 days, while others will sit for weeks or months becuase they are over priced.

A couple of months ago I bought a great $3000 95’ camery. Every thing on the car is perfect, but it has 175000 miles. For someone who doesn’t drive everyday a high milage car might work, but check it closely.

27

I searched AutoTrader for a 1999-2001 Toyota Celica in the Arlington, VA area that cost less than 13K (Remember, the advertised price is always inflated)

I found the following cars:
http://www.autotrader.com/findacar/results.jtmpl?model=CELICA&start_year=1999&end_year=2001&min_price=&max_price=13000&distance=50&advanced=y&advcd_on=n&make=TOYOTA&address=22201&search_type=used&x=54&y=8

labdude’s suggestion of buying a cheaper car and seeing if your parents will give you the cash (FOR SCHOOL and Emergencies, not for a cool sound system) is most assuredly a good one. If they’d agree to it, Think about getting a celica with a few more miles and a few more years on it. Or go with a civic or a corolla. or a mid-late 90’s camry with a V6(if you really want a little horsepower)

I just bought a 1999 Toyota Camry with a V6 and a 5spd Tranny (Which is a RARE combo) and I think it’s a great car. It has been an, umm, eye opening experience trying to re-learn how to drive a stick-shift. I paid 9800 for mine.

I needed a 4 door mid-sized sedan. Since you don’t I’d suggest going with a Solara. They’re fast (if you get the V6) they’re sporty, and they’re basically a Carmy, which is a car with a wonderful reputation.

The Celica is a good sporty car, but it’s a 4 cylinder(makes up for this by being light). The GT-S, though, gets 180horses out of that 4banger, and is a pretty damn quick car esp. with that 6Speed tranny, but I doubt you’re going to get one of those in that price range.

Steve

28

Thanks Big Ole Steve! I think actually I will be getting the car in Florida so maybe the prices will be lower!

29

And if you start thinking new, DO NOT GET A KIA. This is advice from a friend who bought one because it was cheap and it turned out that she got what she paid for.

30

Yeah, I have heard bad things about KIA!

31

I’ll second Sam Stone, since we’re not talking politics :), with a coupla tweaks.

  1. Honda Accords are great cars, and last forever. In your position, if I couldn’t afford to go new (I’ll come back to this), I’d buy the latest-model Accord I could get. (A V6 isn’t really necessary; my car is a 4-cylinder 2000 Accord, and I have no trouble passing on 2-lane roads, much to my wife’s dismay.)

  2. Late-model Accords are not compacts, no matter what Sam says. They’re full-sized sedans. Big, comfy, and powerful. Yeah!

Now, about buying new: if your parents put down a 12K down payment on a new car, could you swing the payments on a balance of 5-8K? That would probably run you between $90 and $150 a month, depending on which end of that scale, and what interest rate. But look into it, really. Because Sam’s right about the deals out there.