Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Overall, I think those are some of the safest bets. Of course, someone is going to come in and say they have a friend of a 3rd cousin who had one of the cars above and it was a lemon, etc... But overall, for the entire production line, I think it's hard to beat the track record of those vehicles above.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbrasfieldj
Any lower mileage older Buick LeSabre with the 3800 six, or an older Town Car/CrownVic/Marquis with the 4.6L
I'm a fan of the 3800 six as well the Buicks that have them. Thought about getting one myself. Why? Because Buicks are generally marketed towards the older driver so they're comfortable and reliable. Plus they share most GM parts besides the cosmetic stuff so parts and labor for repairs/maintenance shouldn't be outside of what a typical GM would cost other than the Corvette/Caddy names.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrendanSWM
You may as well look for a new vehicle. One or two year old vehicles are no longer a bargain. The used vehicle market is high and has been for a considerable time. Many vehicles that do not sell as well as anticipated end up with incentives (discounts when new). If you buy near the end of a model year, you can obtain further savings, although sometimes the savings are eliminated by having no choice but heavily optioned vehicles.
That's some solid advice there, too. The used car market took a huge hit when the cash for clunkers thing went down a few years ago, took a lot of affordable used cars off the market and it's been a ripple effect since then, IMO.
However, I think going 4-5 years old is still a good bargain. The big depreciation hits have already been taken and they're probably looking at a vehicle in the 50k mile range, which for a modern day car isn't much even for something barely maintained.
I dont care for the brand or how it looks. I think a used one that is a few years old will be more affordable.
Basically i dont care for the brand or how it looks
More about reliabilit, affordabilit, money saving, and not complex when changing basic stuff
Car and driver years ago got every characteristic a young driver was looking for in a used car and put them together to find a car for them.
They wanted low cost, low miles, fit all their friends in and junk, have low insurance, good milage and high safety ratings and be very reliable, easy to fix and cheap to maintain.
Car and Driver came back with a 5-10 year old Ford Taurus Station Wagon which could be had for like 3-5K and plenty of low milage ones in great shape on market.
After giving those same desires in a car the young folk said they wanted a Mustang, Camaro, Corvette whcih pretty much does not fit a single thing they need but it is what they want.
My first car was a blurple (thats right..a combo of blue and purple) Dodge Neon. As a 16 year old guy trying to act cool, I hated it. Now as a 25 year old, I can totally see how great of a choice it was for my dad. It was good on gas, not too powerful, and generally reliable. Best of all, it was cheap (which was good because I totalled it 6 months later).
Generally, if you buy a cheap car, and throw in a nice stereo, they will be somewhat satisfied. And if they are not, suggest they pay for their own vehicle
To the OP - Before you make your final decision, narrow it down to a few then call your insurance agent for rates.
I asked my ins agent to get me quotes on a vehicle in my name with my teen driver licensed and on the policy. Rates vary significantly based on the mfgr/model/year.
My neighbor has a chevy that he says is in reality a differently badged Corolla, all I know is that it has 281K miles on it and has needed little repair. Supposedly, since it is officially a chevy, it costs less to buy.
Yes, that would be the Prizm sold under the Chevrolet nameplate up until the early 2000s, previously under the Geo brand tag.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
