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.
I prefer the route of finding an older car with as low mileage as possible and that is pristine.
Also, when looking at older cars on the market, I prefer looking at cars that were ahead of the curve and seem more modern than their age, as well as maufacturers with superior engineering that have high mileage life expectancies.
One way to see for yourself which cars are lasting the longest is to scour the online market. AutoTrader.com and Cars.com. Search for various cars, select "mileage highest to lowest" and see how many of each are over 200K miles and what condition they are in. Take into account how many of the cars at hand were churned out when doing this.
Less than a year ago, I was in your very same position, right down to my budget.
I ended up with a 1998 Mercedes C230 with 74K miles. One owner. Clean Carfax. Was a trade in for a new Mercedes. Bought it from a service advisor at the dealer who snatched it up. This is something else you can do, talk to people at the dealers and have them contact you when a good trade in has come in. Most new-car dealers send older cars to auctions rather than putting them on the lot.
That said, the Mercedes C-class is a very well-built car. The engine is very smooth and refined, particularly for a 4-cylinder. You can get the RPM's up on this car without anybody really taking notice, whereas on many cars it would draw attention. And these cars have very strong transmissions designed to handle the torque of the V12 in cars on the other end of Mercedes' spectrum. The C230 is getting 33 mpg highway, 25 city. And it's also available with a V6, with good but slightly less gas mileage.
That said, you didn't provide any indication of what kind of car you want, but the above was my experience. I think any older car in low mileage and in pristine condition is good and kind of neat to have.
What would you prefer, a car that was older but driven very few miles per year
or a newer model but was driven lots of miles per year?
If it has the new tires, brakes and other basic maintenance due at 30,000 miles done...
and passes the state safety & emissions tests (and your own mechanics review)...
the used whatever with mileage in the 30,000's is the better choice.
The next best choice will be the car in the low 60,000's
(if it also has had the new tires, brakes and other basic maintenance due at 60K)
The price you pay to get this becomes the issue...
because whatever car you buy at whatever price you pay you need a $2000 cash reserve too.
If that means buying a $5000 car instead... you do so.
And in that vein...
expect to have *something* pop up needing up to $500 rather soon.
If it doesn't... then you're golden.
But expect it anyway and be looking for that something when shopping.
All used cars have at least one of these things going on (tires, battery, exhaust, etc)...
it's not a big deal which it is... but again, expect one to be there.
hth
Last edited by MrRational; 10-24-2011 at 07:29 AM..
Aside from all components being in at least acceptable condition (regardless of mileage), the next criteria I'll look for is low gas mileage and low cost of insurance. You might be able to get an older Honda Civic Hybrid around 80,000 miles for that price..
The price you pay to get this becomes the issue...
because whatever car you buy at whatever price you pay you need a $2000 cash reserve too.
If that means buying a $5000 car instead... you do so.
And in that vein...
expect to have *something* pop up needing up to $500 rather soon.
That's absolutely good advice.
I failed to mention above, but I had to have my rear end side seals replaced, which cost about $600 at the Mercedes dealer. It went from being driven a very low number of miles per year to being used everyday.
When buying an older car with low mileage, it's good to assume that something might go wrong, probably as a result of having such low mileage. It seems seals and such need to be primed regularly or they could go brittle and fail.
If one doesn't want to deal with the possibilties of an older or high-mileage car, a new Kia is an option. There might still be some 2011 Kia Fortes out there that can be had for around $10,000. A Kia dealer here in Kansas City advertises guranteed financing as long as you have a job.
Consult the car issue of Consumer Reports for "best used cars" and for checking the repair rates to find one that won't break your bank. It should be available at any public library, some of which will have on-line access to CR.
__________________
- Please follow our TOS.
- Any Questions about City-Data? See the FAQ list.
- Want some detailed instructions on using the site? See The Guide for plain english explanation.
- Realtors are welcome here but do see our Realtor Advice to avoid infractions.
- Thank you and enjoy City-Data.
I would look at an 02-03 Cadillac Deville or Seville in that price range. I would go to a dealer and let him know you are looking for one, I would tell him $5000-6000. I think these are nice cars and I see plenty of them with hardly any miles on them, which is typical of luxury cars. http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/de...&model=Seville
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.
