# Which car should I buy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 5, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314 "2012-07-05T14:41:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/21 "2012-07-06T02:53:09Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I don’t think that’s true. I’d love to see something to refute my opinion, but the OP seems stuck on a US boat, so don’t knock yourself out. Well, unfortunately I can’t really find a good link that has everything in one nice tidy place, but when you look at the long-term reliability and book values, the trend you see is that Honda and Toyota score slightly better on long-term reliability indexes, but are significantly more expensive used than GM and Ford\*. Just for example, a 2006 V6 Accord with 85k goes for a little over $14k excellent retail KBB, whereas a 2006 Taurus SEL with the same mileage is less than $8k. IIRC, the CR rating for the Accord is “excellent” whereas the Taurus is merely “very good,” which I think if you look at the actual methodology works out to something like less than 10 problems per 100 cars difference. I guess it depends on how much value you place on reliability ratings, but another consideration is that if you’ve got $14k to spend, you could get a much newer and/or lower mileage Ford or GM. Hyundais are also similarly much cheaper used, but only score slightly lower on reliability surveys than the Japanese brands. \*I would like to move the goalposts a little by excluding Chrysler from my definition of “domestic,” since they’re still producing mostly junk. But Ford and GM largely have their act together now, at least in the mid and full-size car segment. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/22 "2012-07-06T03:45:44Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Well, unfortunately I can’t really find a good link that has everything in one nice tidy place, but when you look at the long-term reliability and book values, the trend you see is that Honda and Toyota score slightly better on long-term reliability indexes, but are significantly more expensive used than GM and Ford\*. > > Just for example, a 2006 V6 Accord with 85k goes for a little over $14k excellent retail KBB, whereas a 2006 Taurus SEL with the same mileage is less than $8k. IIRC, the CR rating for the Accord is “excellent” whereas the Taurus is merely “very good,” which I think if you look at the actual methodology works out to something like less than 10 problems per 100 cars difference. > > I guess it depends on how much value you place on reliability ratings, but another consideration is that if you’ve got $14k to spend, you could get a much newer and/or lower mileage Ford or GM. Hyundais are also similarly much cheaper used, but only score slightly lower on reliability surveys than the Japanese brands. > > \*I would like to move the goalposts a little by excluding Chrysler from my definition of “domestic,” since they’re still producing mostly junk. But Ford and GM largely have their act together now, at least in the mid and full-size car segment. While Ford and GM got their acts together(why? did it take so long?), My 2003 CAMry and 2004 Accord will go for 250K, IMHO. Yeah, with repairs. The GM/Fords won’t. They won’t get close. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/23 "2012-07-06T04:34:13Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > While Ford and GM got their acts together(why? did it take so long?), My 2003 CAMry and 2004 Accord will go for 250K, IMHO. Yeah, with repairs. The GM/Fords won’t. They won’t get close. Sure they will. Virtually any vehicle made in the last 25 years could make it to 300k with proper maintenance. I drove an '87 Buick to 250k and an '88 Taurus to 300k and junked both of them with functional drivetrains. By all accounts, the current vehicles coming out of Detroit should be orders of magnitude better than either of those. I don’t doubt that your Accord and Camry are more likely to _actually_ make it that far, but it has more to do with the kinds of people who buy them and their market value. For example, if your '04 Accord’s transmission blows up tomorrow, what would you do? You’d probably replace it because a $3k repair on a $10k car makes sense. But what if you had an '04 Taurus that’s only worth about $4-5k? You’d probably just junk it. Does that mean the Taurus is somehow less reliable? Of course, someone who’s willing to pay twice as much for a reputably more reliable car is also much more likely to actually pay to perform proper maintenance and perform minor repairs with a mind towards keeping a car for the long-term. What really kills most cars these days isn’t the engine wearing out or anything like that-- it’s a slow decline into clunkerdom as the owner gets sick of looking at it and quits performing minor repairs and maintenance. Some cars do deteriorate faster than others, but for the most part how long cars actually last these days has a lot more to do with the owner than the car itself. That’s what killed my Buick and my Taurus-- the Taurus needed a clutch and some exhaust work and the Buick needed a fuel pump and some brake work. Both probably could have gotten back on the road for around $1000, but they were both heinously ugly and were worth virtually nothing so fixing them didn’t make sense. I also currently have an '86 Accord that’s pretty much at the same stage-- it runs like a dream at about 210k, but the body is falling apart and I will probably end up junking it when the clutch goes. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2012, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/24 "2012-07-06T04:40:20Z")
The Crown Vic is as reliable as a crow bar. Ford built those for about a 100 years or so. They have that design down. Crown Vics are so well liked that there are companies that take old police cars at 250K miles and fully rebuild them so that police department can have a brand new Crown Vic instead of going with one of the newer smaller police cars. Trust me parts are not going to be an issue for this car for at least another 10 years. The 500 is a newer design more modern, but does not have the years and years of refinement the Crown Vic has. If you don’t have an issue with the size, go with the Vic. If the Vic is too large go 500. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/25 "2012-07-07T14:11:27Z")
In case anyone’s interested I decided on the Crown Vic. Talked to a salesman at the dealership today and am picking up the car tomorrow. Thanks for the advice everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/26 "2012-07-07T16:28:14Z")
Whooo, congrats! Sounds like a comfy ride 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/27 "2012-07-07T18:31:50Z")
Thanks! I’m excited. I was really heartbroken when my old Crown Vic got totaled. I’ve been car-less ever since and I feel like I’m finally being made whole again. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/28 "2012-07-08T00:08:14Z")
I had voted for the 500 but the Crown Vic is a good choice. Either has the edge over the two others in your query. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/29 "2012-07-08T00:18:17Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > So here they are: > > **2004 Ford Crown Victoria Sport LX** 67,038 miles, $9783 > > **2005 Ford Five Hundred SE** 88,727 miles, $8479 > > **2000 Lincoln LS V8** 103,484 miles, $6972 > > **2003 Ford Taurus SE** 81,064 miles, $6440 I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. And this reminds me of when I met the guy who was actually excited about seeing the new Adam Sandler movie (“That’s My Boy,” I believe). ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/30 "2012-07-08T02:23:58Z")
Thanks for your valuable input. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/31 "2012-07-08T03:34:56Z")
I’m surprised there wasn’t more lobbying for the LS. It seems like those were really well-received back when they came out and I thought they sold relatively well, but I haven’t really heard much or seen many since then. I guess $7k for an American luxury car with 100k on it might be a bit much. Can’t go wrong with a Crown Vic, though, if you don’t mind 25 MPG tops. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2012, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314/32 "2012-07-08T13:36:02Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > I’m surprised there wasn’t more lobbying for the LS. It seems like those were really well-received back when they came out and I thought they sold relatively well, but I haven’t really heard much or seen many since then. I guess $7k for an American luxury car with 100k on it might be a bit much. I looked at a bunch of LS’s and I really liked the car, but all the ones I found were not in very good shape. I’m sure they were really nice cars brand new, but a decade and 100k miles later, impossible to find one in decent condition. > [@](#): > > Can’t go wrong with a Crown Vic, though, if you don’t mind 25 MPG tops. They actually get better mileage than that on the highway. My old one could get me within 50 miles of Atlanta (from DC) on a single tank, which is over 32 mpg. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-car-should-i-buy/627314.md?page=1)