used vehicle for daughter

E

earthbound

Joined
Feb 14, 2017
Messages
589
Location
iowa
criteria....reliable, safe, good mpg..in that order.... 8k-10k range

so my thoughts are the usual if going the cuv route...looking at crv, rav 4, forester line-up
car (sedan) corolla,camry,accord,civic offerings

i'm not opposed to buying the domestics if something worth it....are the escapes any good?? I know the fusion with the 2.5l I heard is good.... scared to go gm and no way Chrysler...remember these vehicles will be at least 6+ yrs old...
 
Awhile back I found a 1 owner 2013 Civic LX locally for my grand niece, who is in the Marine Corps.
2013 is the last year of the traditional transmission, if that is important to you.
I paid $9K and $600 more to repair and paint a large dent rear driver's side.
Beyond that I serviced the fluids, filters and spark plugs.
It runs up and down Silicon Valley to Camp Pendleton like nothing.

Buy the best car you can; you will be bucks ahead.
Good luck.
 
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The Ford 2.5L is a great engine, and available in both the Fusion and Escape. My wife's Escape is the V6 variant, she has owned it since new (at 155k now if I recall correctly) and we have had to do no work to it outside of maintenance items. The pre-2013 Escapes are prone to rust spots at the 10 o'clock position on the rear wheel wells.
 
I strongly recommend you consider a Buick! Find an old Regal or Century with the 3800 big V6. I bought one a little over a year ago for 1000.00 and sold it 3 months later for triple that. We have run them to ridiculous high mileage. Great for a younger driver and safe, too.
 
Lot's of choices out there but I would just recommend checking out the IIHS website for the safety results before making a decision... https://www.iihs.org/ratings

The Ford Fusion from 2013 and up gets an Acceptable rating on the small overlap test which is pretty common for that age of vehicle. The Ford Escape from that era has poor rating on the same test.
 
All of those are good especially for a starter. The Escapes are excellent in my opinion I own one mine is a 2008 with the 3.0 V6 has been a great engine it was my aunts car before the only major thing we have had to do is brake calipers and hoses. They are also good in crashes I have a friend who rolled one came out unharmed. The Toyota are also excellent and Honda too. I don’t have personal ownership experience with the Forester but as long as it’s an older one it should be good.
 
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For the Forester, stick to 2011 and up, if you can, because that's when the Forester got the new engine, the FB. The FB has a timing chain and doesn't have the head gasket problems of the EJ. The Impreza and Legacy/Outback got the FB some time later.

The 2013+ Accord is a great car if you can find one in your budget. 2013 got indirect TPMS (no need to buy expensive sensors every time you replace the tires), and the CVT is no problem at all, and gets very good mpg for a big car. Of course, a manual is available, too. It is also smaller than the 08-12 Accord, which uses direct TPMS and a regular automatic, but if you can find a 13 or newer in budget, that would be preferred.

Honda also has the Fit and Insight, also good cars. Civics probably have a higher resale value and higher prices, but are also good cars.

The Suzuki Kizashi and SX4 are worth considering. They are quality Japanese cars.

You might be able to find a good Buick Verano in your budget.

You could also get an almost new Mirage. A newer car will have more safety features.

Don't forget the Kia Soul and Toyota Matrix, which are also worth considering.

Manual transmission versions of the Fiesta and Focus are perfectly good cars, if she doesn't need an automatic.
 
Crown Vic
crown vic.jpg
 
I am pro Honda and only owned 4. 1 crx si 1 crx hf years ago . The 08 civic ex I owned never had problems in my ownership. The 12 civic si had a slide pin on the rear brake lacking grease from the factory and a bad mic for the hands free.

In any honda I have maintained for anyone I’ve only used honda branded power steering fluid, coolant, transmission fluid. I know everyone has there own opinion on that but that is my personal preference.

The only thing I know to look out for is :
Honda Civic 06-09 cracked block recall
honda accord 08-12 piston ring recall
Toyota had ring problems in that era as well.
 
Hard to argue with Acord/Civic/Camry for day to day ease of ownership. Subaru is a good choice. If you can tolerate something a bit more niche, there is Volvo.

We are looking at a Wrangler for our offspring. The vast majority of its use will be local, they are safe enough, she likes them and they are fun... Also, their design is forgiving for new drivers; blow molded bumper corners, plastic fender flares and easily replaceable mirrors :D
 
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'18 - '19 Hyundai Accent sedan / Rio ( sedan / hatch ) . All did very well in crash tests at IIHS ( Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ) . Suggest using synthetic 5w-30 . Great gas mileage . 2018 Accent has 39.1 mp.g. calculated since new in October of '18 . The DISPLAY for Average gas mileage is off up to 4 m.p.g. from calculated . More money in the pocket . Low loan , insurance and less fills of gas . Prices for fuel will likely rise . Keep us informed on decision and happy hunting !
 
she's 19 and off to college and her current vehicle is the Pontiac vibe/matrix (my 2006) and while bulletproof I can't imagine it being safe at all with no abs or side curtain airbags...just get a newer version of that you say?? she would like to change the flavor up a bit if you know what I'm saying..
 
wings&wheels said:
Hard to argue with Acord/Civic/Camry for day to day ease of ownership. Subaru is a good choice. If you can tolerate something a bit more niche, there is Volvo.

We are looking at a Wrangler for our offspring. The vast majority of its use will be local, they are safe enough, she likes them and they are fun... Also, their design is forgiving for new drivers; blow molded bumper corners, plastic fender flares and easily replaceable mirrors :D
Click to expand...
she'd love one of those...but reliable???? they ask a premium for them as well right??
 
Nissan Versa sedan up to 2017 can be had with the old school 4spd AT if you want to avoid the CVT.

I bought a 2015 for my kids to use 1.5yrs ago. It's been perfect. Insurance rates are reasonable on them too.

Problem today is, used car values are way up. You don't get a lot for your dollar.
 
Camry or Fusion. They should have the side curtain airbags in the years you'll be looking at.

What does "she" want? Is parking tight at school?
 
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