Do 20 year old cars exist in Massachusetts? I would have thought they rusted away long ago?
Best Used Commuter Car?
- Thread starter AdmiralYoda
- Start date
@SC Maintenance believe it or not they do! Usually the ones still alive are grandma's old Camry that was parked in the garage for all its life. What I wasn't expecting is the price of used cars up here! Not that I've looked too hard but even a 20 year old Camry/Accord that looks decent and has less than 200k miles goes for $5k plus!
My brain still thinks it is 2019 when people practically gave these away.
My brain still thinks it is 2019 when people practically gave these away.
Probably if they were from outside the rust belt and from the south / California etc.
It really depends on whether comfort and size is a priority. For me I would pick a Chevy Volt gen 1, and use mostly electricity but still have a gas engine just in case. If EV is not desirable then a gen 2 Prius would likely be a good choice. A new $5k battery when it is 15-20 years old will still be way cheaper than extra gas vs a Corolla.
I wouldn't want any sub 30mpg V6 or V8 no matter how durable it is, the gas money will be enough to rebuild the engine a couple times in the long run.
Mazda from the head gasket down? (We have a 2012 Mazda 2.0.)
Oh, but that Fusion DCT that cannot be fixed.
If it were me, I'd say OP is on the right path looking for a manual transmission Accord.
Fusion with 2.5 engine
Standard procedure for lithium fires: Let it burn.
That was the Focus with the DCT, classic auto trans on the Fusion which is durable.
These rot in the rockers, every one. Go south maybe?
The 6F35 on the Fusion will often have a bad 2-3 shift... slow to shift, then finally shifts with a jolt. I had a 2013 with 175k miles and it did that. Pretty common on the message boards. I think my in-laws have an Escape with the 6F35 and it does it too, although they haven't noticed.
Probably doesn't matter for a highway cruiser, though. I like the 2013+ (2nd gen) Fusions a lot - smooth ride with a durable and efficient engine.
Fusion hybrid would be a pick EXCEPT the early ones have a high number of transmission bearing failures. And I'm not sure the later ones are fixed.
If you can afford it, you might look at a Camry hybrid. You don't get the biggest benefits of hybrid tech on the highway, but they do save a bit of gas. And IMO highway miles are easy on the hybrid system.
I just picked up an Accord hybrid recently and I think it's a great commuter, but the Toyota hybrid design is probably a little better for highway miles.
I thought about getting a Volt, and I think they are pretty cool cars but the chance of a big repair that can't be easily DIY'ed is just too big.
An alternative idea is a newer Chevrolet Malibu. Since used Toyotas and Hondas are kind of inflated on price. I think the newer Malibus are pretty efficient and there is a hybrid option. No idea on reliability though.
Every one, or just the first gen? I haven't seen many 2013+ with a lot of rust. But definitely a problem spot on the first gen.
2010-2015 Prius (and Prius V) with 1.8L has the highest rate of head gasket failures. 2009+ Corolla, Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, and Scion xD of that era are also known for head gasket failures on same 1.8L, but Prius holds the crown for highest rate of failure still.
The Prius C with the 1.5L is good though. Basically a Yaris hybrid. Econobox, but my friend had one return 77MPG on long trip.
@AdmiralYoda one more note about the Avalon. I had a 2010 Avalon too. It's more powerful, slightly bigger, and gets 31MPG highway. BUT the ride in 2010 is not nearly as smooth as this 2004 Avalon. Plus 2005-2010 Avalon is plagued with cracking/bubbling/peeling dashboard and weak leather on seats. 2011+ are better, and so are 2000-2004.
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How much are you looking to spend?> What is your price range?
Honestly I'm just kicking tires right now wondering if it is even worth it. I was hoping $2k would get a higher mileage 2000's era commuter known for reliability and in decent shape. I think it is going to cost me double that unless I want a beater or a rust bucket.
Just started looking though. The correct answer might just be to keep driving my 21 GMC Canyon and rack up the miles.
A reliable $2000 car is a big ask.
That is what I wanted for my 100 mi daily commute with free charging at work.
Challenge is pricing is closer to $20k+.
I seem to recall that they weren't really too bad, at least when they were a couple years old. Marsh mellow ride, pretty quiet engine, basically CUV seating position, much more headroom than a Corolla or even Camry of that era. I remember test driving all 3 and they basically felt like the same beige thing in 3 different shapes....You might like this Echo
I don't think a Tesla with 300,000 miles would be a good choice - unless it has a newer battery. A Model 3 might make 300,000 miles on the original battery but even if it's still working well there probably isn't too much life left on it and a replacement battery would probably cost more than the car is worth. [Though you could have the battery's capacity tested by Tesla of course.]
It sounds as if a Tesla announces that the battery is done (at about 75%) and that's it. So the idea of driving a Tesla with a battery having (say) 50% of the original charge capacity isn't going to happen. Some EVs (eg early Leafs) will apparently go down to almost no range at all.
I think a Tesla with 100,000 - 150,000 miles could be quite a reasonable used car. I might buy one myself. It sounds as though 200,000 to 250,000 miles on the original battery is quite possible. That would give you a potential 50,000 - 150,000 further miles which is a pretty decent expectation for a used car. Not many Teslas have made it to high miles though so it's not possible to be too definite about how long their batteries last.
If you're buying a ICE for a highway commute I suggest you look for a manual transmission. A MT hardly ever fails and a clutch replacement (which you will probably never need) doesn't cost the earth.
Stay away from Nissans with CVTs. My SIL's CVT failed at low miles and cost big $ to replace. And her SUV had all highway miles. That's not performance.
A Honda 4 cylinder with a manual transmission could be a good choice. My '07 Accord V6 6MT isn't worth much ($2 - 4,000 likely) but those of us who have one are keeping them.
Stay away from Nissans with CVTs. My SIL's CVT failed at low miles and cost big $ to replace. And her SUV had all highway miles. That's not performance.
A Honda 4 cylinder with a manual transmission could be a good choice. My '07 Accord V6 6MT isn't worth much ($2 - 4,000 likely) but those of us who have one are keeping them.
