You have $7k to drop into a family hauler that gets good mileage and has low operating cost. What do you buy?

[BRealistic]

Can't believe a CR-V hasn't been offered up. It's a family hauler that gets good mileage and has low operating cost. AWD is a plus in the snow.

May not be super exciting, but it excels at your criteria. Take good care of it and you'd likely get a good portion of your $$ back when you sell it, too.

This is a good suggestion.
The old boxy CRVs with the 5 speed manual seem to hold up well with high miles.


And.. hmm. This might be worth checking out due to the low price..

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/2995221583.html

2001 Mazda tribute, Great deal - $3000



The 2.0 5 speed Escape/Tribute are slow, but get great fuel economy.
And the base DX Tribute came quite well equipped.

[302W]

I do like the 00-03 Maxima here. Pretty reliable, comfortable and roomy, reasonably entertaining to drive, and good looking. Camry or Accord if you're willing to trade fun for dead nuts reliability.

Mileage sucks, not reliable and really uncomfortable.

Chris

All true (and very unsafe to boot). A complete POS of a vehicle and yet totally lovable for some reason. I was comfortable behind the wheel but no where else. Not recommended though.

[BRealistic]

Hmmm....

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/2996587554.html

That looks really nice.

Chris

The later 3.8 V6 models are better (power versus seconomy), but yeah- that does seem like a very good value for a modern safe car.

[two.twoliter]

The later 3.8 V6 models are better (power versus seconomy), but yeah- that does seem like a very good value for a modern safe car.

Think of it as Kia's version of a 1995 Buick Park Avenue, with faux Mercedes styling...

[adrew]

Hmmm....

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/2996587554.html

That looks really nice.

Chris

Look for a 2007+ one of those. The 2006 and earlier ones have the ancient, 3.5-liter Mitsubishi-derived V6 that has a PITA timing belt. They are only rated 15/23 MPG. The 2007+ have the modern Hyundai Lambda 3.8-liter V6 (timing chain) that has about 70 more horsepower and is rated 17/24.

[DustinM]

I'll stick to the best accord/camry 4 banger you can get. They're popular for these exact reasons.

[BRealistic]

How do you feel about a salvage title?

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/2970447222.html
(even tho I don't believe it was just the front bumper)

The 1st gen xB is a great car if you don't care about speed/power.

This one seems good (for the price).

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/2982130148.html

And I am not freaked out by high mileage on a car not very old... that just means lots of highway miles and very frequent use- which is fine as long as the car is properly maintained.

The 1st gen xB seems to have quite a few fans, which bodes well for resale value when you are done with it.

[BRealistic]

I'll stick to the best accord/camry 4 banger you can get. They're popular for these exact reasons.

Here is the problem I have with those (and Camries, Corollas, Civics):
They attract people looking for a car that doesn't need repairs... but many of these same people don't realize the reason their previous car from other brands became unreliable is because they did not do ANY maintenance other than oil/filter changes once a year.
So NEVER buy a used car based on model/brand image.
Always buy based on the actual example's condition (and history).

-Also, the used market buyers now are even more sensitive to cars that are economical and have a great reliability image. So that makes even questionable condition/history Accords/Civics/Corollas/Camries high priced.

A one owner well maintained Dodge Stratus (V6) might be a better buy than a no known history older 150k mile Accord for a similar price... (imo)


Anyway, a Mazda5 in this price range? It is a good mini-mini-van.

[adrew]

How's your credit? Why not just get a new Corolla/Focus/etc. and use the $7k as a down payment?

Toyota is doing 0.9% on Corollas, so if you put the $7k down and financed it for 5 years, the payment would be about $170/mo. with taxes/interest/everything. Surely you have been spending more than that each month with the repairs on your recent projects.

Just looking at the Corolla you would get five years of warranty, two years of free maintenance and 10+ years of free time on the weekends where you wouldn't spend all your time sourcing parts, replacing alternators or fixing head gaskets.

Let your better half drive the Corolla, then just keep something fun-ish/project-y on hand for you to drive so you don't get bored, or buy and sell things periodically, whatever. Then get something fun for you in five years while she drives the Corolla or equivalent for the next 10+ years.

Example:
http://carmax.com/enus/view-car/defa...f-2537e14412d2

[BRealistic]

^

BASE Versa sedan.

The new base 2012 Versa sedan has air conditioning, a huge interior, a stereo, modern safety, a long warranty, and is $11.4k per Edmunds.
Heck- a manual base Versa probably has similar acceleration/handling performance to the 1st gen Kia Amanti.



Put 5k down, and even if they have bad credit they can finance this new car for a reasonable monthly payment on say 36 or 48 months and build up a good credit rating.
There is something very refreshing about an under warranty car that you can just drive across country... and the Versa sedan in base form is a smoking deal imo. It is only when you load it up that it seem silly for the price.

[Lifelong Obsession]

I can definitely see the appeal of the new subcompact/compact option.

[200HP4dr]

^

BASE Versa sedan.

The new base 2012 Versa sedan has air conditioning, a huge interior, a stereo, modern safety, a long warranty, and is $11.4k per Edmunds.
Heck- a manual base Versa probably has similar acceleration/handling performance to the 1st gen Kia Amanti.



Put 5k down, and even if they have bad credit they can finance this new car for a reasonable monthly payment on say 36 or 48 months and build up a good credit rating.
There is something very refreshing about an under warranty car that you can just drive across country... and the Versa sedan in base form is a smoking deal imo. It is only when you load it up that it seem silly for the price.

Another interesting box that needs to be checked is that it "fits" in the neighborhood. I don't know that a brand new car would. Obviously a new subcompact doesn't scream money, but we did move deep into the hood and are trying to live like the locals so to speak. I figured that would justify me buying a Caprice wagon on bags, but the wife disagreed. This criteria also ruled out the nice 99 BMW 740 with full service history and 110k miles on it for $4500.

That being said, our credit sucks and we don't want a payment. We just paid off over $23k in credit card debt just this month and can't bring ourselves to add a car payment. We worked too hard for this.

So, I'm going to risk buying a used car with over 100k miles on it and either do all of the service to bring it up to date and still stay within our budget, or spend a little more for something with less miles, but either way, we're not spending more than $7-$7.5k.

Thanks for the input guys.

Chris

[BRealistic]

Needs to be a hood ride? Hmm...

The Amanti fits that bill.

Also......Diamante!.
No.... Seriously.

[gti5dr06]

Here is the problem I have with those (and Camries, Corollas, Civics):
They attract people looking for a car that doesn't need repairs... but many of these same people don't realize the reason their previous car from other brands became unreliable is because they did not do ANY maintenance other than oil/filter changes once a year.
So NEVER buy a used car based on model/brand image.
Always buy based on the actual example's condition (and history).

-Also, the used market buyers now are even more sensitive to cars that are economical and have a great reliability image. So that makes even questionable condition/history Accords/Civics/Corollas/Camries high priced.

A one owner well maintained Dodge Stratus (V6) might be a better buy than a no known history older 150k mile Accord for a similar price... (imo)


Anyway, a Mazda5 in this price range? It is a good mini-mini-van.

I don't really buy that at all. The fact that they're popular just means there are even more to choose from. As long as you check the actual car itself and find the records/receipts acceptable, there's no reason to believe that just because a car is reliable, then no maintenance has ever been performed.

It's about as silly as believing every e36 M3 was maintained like a princess, when in reality tons are abused and put away wet. To me the biggest giveaway is the non stock pieces all over the place, like the one with the different colored trunk lid/rims, etc.

[audiphile]

I just did this. Exactly the requirements of your thread title, took me FOREVER to decide on a vehicle an dthe winner was....

2006 Ford Escape 5-speed. Paid 7k taxes in, averaging 27mpg. Parts are cheap, and it's a very simple vehicle. comparing it to your other choices it may be a bit too spartan though. The manual ones were always (to my knowledge) base models... mine doesn't even have cruise control. I also had the added requirement of hauling lumber now and again, and the opening hatch window was a big bonus there, and you can actually fit a 4x8 sheet or two diagonally in the rear opening believe it or not. I wasn't sure how I would like living with it every day but it's by no means a penalty box. I have a feeling with decent tires it'd actually be borderline entertaining... after all it has IRS and weighs the same as our GTI.

I don't think of it as an "SUV" as much as a tall focus wagon.

EDIT: Missed Breal's suggestion up top, sounds like I was on the right track. I will throw out there that the 2005+ got a pretty major update including but not limited to interior and drivetrain. The anemic 2.0l was replaced with the Mazda sourced 2.3l which brought it from dog slow to livewithable. The bump in power in the base engine allowed them to offer the 4cyl with an auto for the first time, so with the stick it's not bad at all.

[That1njguy]

The escape isn't a bad suggestion. I just test drove one w/the v6 (240hp) is pretty peppy and the one I drove is pretty solid w/no rattles. I'll admit its a little spartan, but if you're looking away from sedans may be an option. The v6's are supposed to keep mid 20's on the mpg.

[jesiman]

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...20939448&Log=0

Side note on the Amanti, I rented one. Worst. Car. Ever....Build quality.

[200HP4dr]

I found the car that fits the bill. I wanted to avoid a payment, but around here, everything that I was looking at, up to and around the $7k price was just crap. The 5 speed Maxima SE had some pretty serious hidden rust, the Malibu Maxx was nasty inside (and I know for a fact that those cars don't clean up well), the passat 5 speed had no records (and a nevarlose) the Legacy wagon was rusty and the Galant showed signs of deferred maintenance.

I was beginning to become discouraged. In fact, I was planning on going to the auction tomorrow as they had a couple of repo'd Impalas with around 120k miles on them that was going to bid on. But, I found an 05 Nissan Sentra 1.8S. It has cruise, air, auto , CD player with aux in and a spotless interior and exterior. Oh, and did I mention it had 49k miles?

I bought it from a guy who buys salvage title cars and fixes them, and this one was a super light hit. I have all the pics from when he bought it, and the panel fit and paint are nice enough that you can't tell it was hit if you don't get under the hood. THere is evidence of the repair under the hood, but I'm okay with that for the price paid. Retail blue book is $10.5 and private party is $8500 for this were it not a salvage. Bags weren't blown and the fender, fender liner, headlight and bumper were replaced from the accident. Even the hood is original.

Anyways, no one ever posts a resolution to these threads, so here it is. I bought a Sentra.

Thanks for all of the assistance,
Chris

[bificus99]

Pix or ?

[200HP4dr]

I drove it and inspected it in the daylight. After the paperwork, it got dark so I didn't get any pics.

Its a white sentra with hubcaps, so it looks just like this.



I'll be picking it up on Monday, so I'll post with pics. Or maybe not. Easily the most boring car I've ever purchased, save for my '00 Camry. Makes my 90 Buick Lesabre look like a work of art.

Chris

[BRealistic]

I bought a Sentra.

But in all seriousness... they can be had stupid cheap now, and seem to hold up ok with high miles.
And used parts are easily found.

I hope it serves you well (and you got it cheap).

[david3bg]

Side note on the Amanti, I rented one. Worst. Car. Ever....Build quality.

x2: I had the "pleasure" to drive my boss's Kia Opirus (name in Europe): Worst car I've ever driven: turning radius of a freaking cruise ship, steering feel inexistent, horrible fake wood, catastrophic AT, reversing is a huge PITA since you can only imagine where the back bumper is located...

I hate that car with a passion

What makes it even worse: there's another guy at my work with the exact same POS

[wrigh003]

OP- thanks for closing the loop. You're right, nobody ever does that.

Sounds like you'll be happ... ...well, um, satisfied? with the Sentra. In all seriousness, though, looks like you made a solid choice. Easy on gas, cheap to maintain, won't get you carjacked for looking like you have stacks of hundreds in your pockets.

Bravo.

[200HP4dr]

I figured it wasn't too bad, because if I want to drive something fun, I'll just hop in the triumph.

[DustinM]

I hope you like the toaster!

I had an '05 Spec V, not terrible, but far from great. The base model would have pushed it into the terrible region for me.

[BRealistic]

I figured it wasn't too bad, because if I want to drive something fun, I'll just hop in the triumph.

I guess I just assumed you were looking for something larger than a 5th gen Sentra.
But in retrospect- how big does a family sedan have to be? (Shrug)

[adrew]

But in retrospect- how big does a family sedan have to be? (Shrug)

We (two adults and a teenager) just went camping for three days in the Yaris.

We brought three sleeping bags, three roll-up REI sleeping pads (amazingly good), three pillows, a tent, a crate of food, a big rolling cooler, two camp chairs, some duffel bags of clothes and other miscellaneous stuff. We folded down the "60" part of the 60/40 rear seat and had just enough room for everything/body. Got 40 MPG on the trip, too.

[BRealistic]

^

So you answered my rhetorical question without actually answering it?
Does that make it a rhetorical answer?

[kingrukus]

I just bought a one-owner 2001 Maxima SE (leather, BOSE and Auto A/C) and only 69k miles for $6,300.

Dealer serviced since day 1... garaged.

And here I was thinking that all '01 SE's were anniversary editions. Nice pickup. I am selling my '01 Anniversary 5-speed with 108k miles. Excellent car, still drives like new, engine and trans are amongst the smoothest that I have ever driven.

[200HP4dr]

I guess I just assumed you were looking for something larger than a 5th gen Sentra.
But in retrospect- how big does a family sedan have to be? (Shrug)

My girls are short, and I don't plan on having another any time soon, so the size issue isn't too big of a deal. I imagine it will feel tight if I'm driving any distance with a large coat on though.

I figured this would last a long time with a minimal amount of maintenance required, and with the 1.8 and boring appearance, I won't be tempted to mod it. That being said, this engine is chain driven right? I'm not certain what the maintenance schedule is on it, but based on the clapped out examples running around here, I guess it shouldn't be too tough.

Chris

[BRealistic]

My girls are short, and I don't plan on having another any time soon, so the size issue isn't too big of a deal. I imagine it will feel tight if I'm driving any distance with a large coat on though.

I figured this would last a long time with a minimal amount of maintenance required, and with the 1.8 and boring appearance, I won't be tempted to mod it. That being said, this engine is chain driven right? I'm not certain what the maintenance schedule is on it, but based on the clapped out examples running around here, I guess it shouldn't be too tough.

Chris

Note the Sinatra lost its chorus with Consumer Reports in the 2000s.
So while I am sure it is a good car, don't assume it is as durable as the older Sentras.
I would check to make sure all maintenance is up to date.

[adrew]

My girls are short, and I don't plan on having another any time soon, so the size issue isn't too big of a deal. I imagine it will feel tight if I'm driving any distance with a large coat on though.

I figured this would last a long time with a minimal amount of maintenance required, and with the 1.8 and boring appearance, I won't be tempted to mod it. That being said, this engine is chain driven right? I'm not certain what the maintenance schedule is on it, but based on the clapped out examples running around here, I guess it shouldn't be too tough.

Chris

Yeah, it is chain driven.

[c0mmon]

The best Honda Accord $7k can buy.

this is a vw forum and we all agree,

i personally have a 96 ex 5 speed with 210k i cannot kill drive real hard and just calculated i average 30mpg. Never wanted a honda my friend talked me into it, now i'm saying get one