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Where are you, what do you want to use the car for, how long will you keep it?
Offhand I think Consumer's Reports would bear me out in thinking the Galant is the more reliable car, with somewhat better resale value.
In some jobs there are political points to be scored by driving a car that's thought of as "domestic" ie branded by one of the erstwhile "Big 3". Never mind these people are preferring a Canadian or Mexican-assembled GM to a South Carolina assembled BMW.
Where are you, what do you want to use the car for, how long will you keep it?
Offhand I think Consumer's Reports would bear me out in thinking the Galant is the more reliable car, with somewhat better resale value.
In some jobs there are political points to be scored by driving a car that's thought of as "domestic" ie branded by one of the erstwhile "Big 3". Never mind these people are preferring a Canadian or Mexican-assembled GM to a South Carolina assembled BMW.
im in florida and will probably keep the car for 4-6 years. i will use it for everything, theres no public transportation here.
They are pretty similar cars. If you have not already, take a test drive in each. Maybe one just fits you better than the other.
When you say you will use it for everything, OK, what does everything consist of? Commuting to work? How far? Will you generally drive alone, with SO, do you have kids you will be hauling?
If you are looking at 2 specific vehicles, which one is in better shape?
Which seller is most willing to deal? Probably you can beat the price down on the Pontiac more, but that's not a given.
In Florida, the one thing GM tends to do right, A/C, would be important to me.
If you do big mileage, I would think the Galant would have somewhat better MPG.
Not being that much into late models, I have to ask - probably the Galant has the one engine and transmission they all came with. What engine and trans is in the Pontiac?
Take a look in Consumer Reports, look at estimated reliability on both.
There is one Mitsubishi engine that's notorious for building up sludge. Does this Galant have it? If so, is there any evidence it's had the right oil and changed often enough to dodge that bullet?
I have owned a '00 Galant and a '99 Grand Prix GT, I liked the Grand Prix better. The 2.4 engine in the Galant is rough and noisy, compared to the smoothness of the 3.8 V6 in the Grand Prix. From what I remember the Galant got pretty bad gas mileage for a 4 cylinder, it seemed like the gearing was too low. The Grand Prix has a bigger engine, but it runs at a low rpm on the highway which allows it to get about 30mpg.
Is it a 4 or V6 Galant? Is the GP supercharged?
The V6 Galant and the supercharged GP are flyers, and probably more likely to have been abused, though not necessarily.
I'd have to drive them. IIRC the Galant has a bit more space, the GP is rather cramped for such a big car.
As sonarrat pointed out, a Fusion and a number of other cars can be had for $12,000--probably an Elantra or Spectra, Mitsu Lancer, leftover 2008 Suzuki SX4--that IMHO are better ideas than any used car.
In fact, you can probably also get a two-year-old Impala for 12 grand.
Look further, I think you can buy new for near this price.
i'm torn between these two cars for my next purchase, they both are under 12000 and have decent mpg.
which should i choose?
Neither, IMHO.
The GM 3.8 is an excellent motor that gives pretty good mileage and performance. But, based on my experience with Pontiac, i'd pass. That's not a knock on GM. I've had great experiences with Chevy, but not Pontiac.
As far as the Galant, i don't know about your area, but in my area, most of them are sold to people who normally wouldn't qualify for financing on a new car. I know of 2 Mitsu dealerships in the state that went out of business because they were caught misrepresenting buyer credentials to lenders. Suffice it to say, many of the used ones that i see here are thrashed because they were sold to people who had no business owning a new car.
How about an Altima?
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