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I'm pretty fond of the Honda Fit, in manual. My girlfriend is averaging 42-48mpg with no special driving, just a little conservative with the throttle pedal. It's at 220k miles and has never had any maintenance other than belts, oil, tires, and a battery. My brother is 6'2" and says he's comfortable in it, but would probably get some seat rail spacers to move the driver seat back an inch. The cargo area is ridiculous for the car's footprint, and icing on the cake is that it's actually kinda fun to drive.
My understanding is that although the automatic looks better on the EPA cycle, real world the manual gets much better economy and will go more miles without maintenance.
But I agree, buy the owner. One owner car, older female, dealership maintenance records would probably be an ideal case.
I never considered the Fit, but I'll look out for those. And it's also amazing considering the mileage, that there hasn't been any major work needing to be done. Thanks.
Your looking for the best maintained, best condition, fewest owners, lowest mileage vehicle, in your price range. You can have some loose preferences, but you can't be looking for a specific brand/model. High depreciation is a good thing.
When you find a vehicle of interest, do some online research for specific problems for that model. You have to use some rational judgement about what problems are severe enough to avoid the vehicle.
Wow, really, thanks. I didn't know that, but that is quite a bargain. And there are some Buicks that have more modern styling I recall.
They have that old person stigma but are generally nice looking cars IMO. If you can find one with the 3800 which they stopped using about 10 years ago it's generally consider really solid engine. 200HP and you get about 29MPG on the highway.... There is couple of limited models with a little extra added juice.
This is supercharged Regal, note the shift out of second at 95 MPH. Grandpa is flying low.
Your looking for the best maintained, best condition, fewest owners, lowest mileage vehicle, in your price range. You can have some loose preferences, but you can't be looking for a specific brand/model. High depreciation is a good thing.
When you find a vehicle of interest, do some online research for specific problems for that model. You have to use some rational judgement about what problems are severe enough to avoid the vehicle.
Excellent advice. I've seen several parents in particular go this route when they're ready to buy a car for their college age kid.
Don't forget to look at IIHS for safety scores and check insurance rates before committing to a car, since the small subcompact that gets 5 more mpg than the 4-door sedan may have higher losses sustained and higher insurance as a result.
I would also look for a vehicle like a Kia Soul or Scion Xb, which had decent safety scores, economy, and good utility. The Buick 3800 is a good engine, as is the Honda 2.4 4-cylinder engine that is used in different Honda/Acura products. I might also look for a mid-size Lexus ES or an Avalon, since both tend to be purchased by older buyers, same as Buick buyers, who are more apt to maintain the vehicles.
A Prius is a pretty durable vehicle, and the batteries tend to last for a while, as they are used for taxi services in many locales. I would look for the newest example with lower mileage or new batteries installed. You'd be looking at somewhere between an '05-'08, depending upon mileage and hybrid battery situation.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
This is as good a thread as any to ask this question, and is definitely related to the OP's query: What in the heck happened to the private party marketplace in used automobiles? When I was growing up (70's - 80's), newspapers had a SECTION devoted to private party car sales, literally hundreds of ads. I both bought and sold cars from newspaper ads numerous times. In addition, you had ads on supermarket bulletin boards, and entire, small newspapers dedicated to private party selling of all kinds of items (I'm thinking of the old "Autotrader" and "Tradin' Times" publications, I bought and sold multiple motorcycles using Tradin' Times.
Now? I guess there is Craigslist, but there have been so many scams reported from there, it is very off-putting to me. Is EBAY a viable place to buy and sell cars these days? And why did the private marketplace go away? Put a gun to my head and I'd say it's because no one has cash today, that most everyone has to finance used cars, and that's how dealers have gobbled up most of the market. But is that correct?
OP, you're looking to find someone who would normally purchase new, maintains their vehicle, and trades again every five-to-seven years (like me, I have a 2013 Dodge Caravan with 65,000 miles, plan to keep it another year or two and then trade for something new, I would think it would be worth maybe five grand by then). Many of my miles are short-trip suburban miles, although I do have a lot of 300 mile trips on it - bottom line, the advice of "buy the owner" is good providing the owner's driving has a reasonable mix of highway driving, I would be afraid of something that is never driven for more than two miles per trip unless the oil is changed every three thousand miles. Corollas and Civics have good reputations for reliability, but they are expensive to begin with because of it.
OP doesn't state whether is needed a coupe, sedan, hatchback etc. size of family or will it be used for solo transport. If work related will equipment be hauled to and from the office or job site.
As for the OP's initial question, look for a fsbo that has been meticulously maintained. Have him show you the maintenance record. Interview the owner. Decide it he is genuine or if he is a scam.
I maintain my own cars, use premium materials, and I do the work myself to make sure it is done perfectly. You would want to buy from somebody like me.
As for where to find the cars, it seems facebook marketplace has supplanted craigslist. Look there.
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