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So we went car shopping the last 3 days looking to replace our saab story of a car and just looking for reliability and decent to good gas mileage. The saab blew through 3K in repairs in my 3 years of owning it only when it was 3 years old and now it needs another 4K to get it running again which we are not doing so it's on to a reliable car. So I have done a ton of research and have settled on 08/09 malibu, 08/09/10 ford fusion, camry 07+ and a honda accord 06+.
Ford Fusion is cheap to buy and by all the hours of research I have found out it receives a 5 out of 5 in reliability along with the Accord. The Malibu 08/09 is a for the most part very reliable and now the 2007 Camry V6. It appears the 07 camry has slide dramatically in reliability anyone know why? Transmission problems along with excessive use of oil seems to be the big complaints and basically people have been telling me to stay away from any V6 Camry however even with this most ratings companies such as JD Power still give it a 4 out of 5 or in some case it's still in the top 5 of most reliable cars at number 4 so how bad can it be? The Malibu seems cheaply made and I worry about squeaks in the plastic interior but what car doesn't right? The Malibu I drove handled and drove very well and left me impressed by the handling and power of the 4 cyl. The camry seemed of a too big of a car for their 4cyl that's why I prefer the V6 and the V6 rode a lot smoother along with the SLE model. Accord boring and drives nice but I didn't do anything for me at all not that the Camry is some kind of stunner but it is very roomy inside which I like.
The Ford fusion, my wife told the sales guy that "this is a kinda car I would buy if I were in high school and 16 yrs old". That pissed him off, the rest of the test drive went down hill from there. I really liked the fusion, smaller but it fits me really well being a shorter guy and I liked it a lot and from what everyone has told me and the reviews I have read it very reliable and maintenance cost are cheap as well.
I am leaning toward the Camry but the 2007 model year seems to be riddled with problems and I read a lot of negative reviews on the malibu but it performed really well on the test drive.
I know there are some good car guys in this thread so I thought I would throw it out there since I know nothing about the 4 brands and models.
What are the most reliable cars in the 2007-2009 years? also with low maintenance costs?
Anyone want to buy a 2005 Saab 9-5 Aero 164,000mi that needs a new cylinder head? timing belt slipped and damaged the pistons and valves.
BTW my 1990 Buick Lesabre with the 3.8 6 cylinder never had any problems paid $2,500 and I bought it with 180,000 miles on it and got another 100K out of it.
On the cheaper side might throw the G6 in the mix. I bought mine new in 2007 and its been good to me, currenlty has 72k but then again, any car should have that.
I really liked the ford Fusion of that year, was the other car I was looking at when I got my G6. I was also looking at Mazda 6, but the Fusion is actually like a Mazda 6 version 1.5. Slightly redone. The malibu is also the same platform as the G6. Either way the main reason I went away from the Fusion is I am 6'5" and the G6 it me much better, the Fusion was horrible for me once I sat in one.
Do you have the pricing of these vehicles? That also plays a factor as well.
On the cheaper side might throw the G6 in the mix. I bought mine new in 2007 and its been good to me, currenlty has 72k but then again, any car should have that.
I really liked the ford Fusion of that year, was the other car I was looking at when I got my G6. I was also looking at Mazda 6, but the Fusion is actually like a Mazda 6 version 1.5. Slightly redone. The malibu is also the same platform as the G6. Either way the main reason I went away from the Fusion is I am 6'5" and the G6 it me much better, the Fusion was horrible for me once I sat in one.
Do you have the pricing of these vehicles? That also plays a factor as well.
I would like millage between 40-60K but I am flexible for the right car and under 15,000K which brings up a tons of cars. One thing I did notice was the first 3 "certified" used cars had a noticeable problem such as a fusion that made a weird vibrating sound when deacclerating or accelerating in lower gears and in turn when I asked what the heck was that the sales woman said "honey that's the engine your hearing" yeah okay that's for that. She was obviously trying to sell around that. I am wondering if this whole new "certified used car" thing is a ploy to be able to sell a car that they would otherwise have a hard time selling by just throwing a one year 12,000 mile warranty or a 6 month warranty as I call it. If you read the details of what goes into a "certified used car" it doesn't seem worth the extra 2K on average they charge. "a rigorous 899 point inspection and a one year 12,000 mile warranty" please don't **** on my back and tell me it's raining.
Ide go with the fusion, but only if its the sport model. Has the nice looking rims, the color matched leather interior, and its the best looking car of the group.
I am surprised you said the Fusion was smaller. I think it is very roomy inside. We own a 2008 SEL 4 cylinder. Of the three I would choose the Fusion. It is reliable, roomy, and well equipped. If it were my car instead of my son's - I would choose the V6.
Malibu certainly is a decent car as is the Camry. But I think the Fusion is simply a bit better in almost every way.
I think you are looking into the certified used thing too much. Certified used usually means it comes with some sort of manufacturer warranty(not a crappy aftermarket one)
Remember Car dealers, barely touch used cars. People think they go through a car thoroughly and make sure they are great, its basically they take the car and based on a quick checklist, year, and mileage it qualifies.
At best they thoroughly detail it.
I might very likely have bought a Fusion, I fit in it just fine, it is just that when I had my seat adjusted the B-pillar was right in my view when I pulled up to intersections. As said I haven't researched it since years ago but its a decent car.
My g6 seems like the whole b-pillar is further back.
When buying a used car, the best one is the one that was maintained properly.
The V6 Camry of that era had issues with oil leak from a tube, I think that was a recall. Then, they had the runaway ones.
Having said that, if you want to play it safe, buy a Camry or an Accord.
No as far as CPO, if they are a certain age and bellow a certain mileage, then they qualify as a CPO. The dealer pays for the warranty and adds it to the price. Now, that car might be more than a lemon than any other car. I have seen CPO cars where during a test drive the front end was about to fall off. I mentioned it to the salesperson-his response; Okay will fix that, now do you want to buy it. I said no, he was shocked. I told him the car was obviously abused, being driven around like that by someone that didn't care. Probably was waiting for the lease to end and move on. Plenty of examples like this.
One Camry, that I actually bought. Had corrosion on the battery, speaker covers were broken, hubcap missing and air filter housing missing screws. I had them fix those and got a $3K discount on it. Have it for 5 years now without any issues.
With a $15K budget, you might want to look into a new car. Much easier to negotiate over the phone. You might be able to get a base model Corolla. The Corolla of today, is probably bigger than the older Camry's. In the same size, look at Civic, Focus etc.
2010/2011 was redesigned from a 2007 era Fusion, not sure if its the same transmission. May have absolutly nothing in common.
Also I would be leary at paying a premium for those year toyotas/hondas.
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