AutoMechanic
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Those are excellent. For 11,500 is ok but you could get it for less I would think.
used vehicle for daughter
- Thread starter earthbound
- Start date
I keep buying used sedans from people that eventually give up and dump for $500. Because In my area almost everybody is driving a crossover, SUV or pickup truck. Nobody wants a car around here. I do feel small. My bumper is not aligning with most other bumpers. So if it were me protecting my child I would not get a sedan.
While that is a good point, it’s not the only factor in vehicle safety. There are many crumple zones in cars that aren’t affected by bumper height.
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I get the same thing out here in. Vehicles are lasting longer but it seems like anything older than 10 years you start running into rust problems. Breaking out the welder or the J-B Weld LOL. Next vehicle I plan to import from the south somehow
I’m surprised I’m not hearing any recommendations from the domestic manufacturers. The Ford Fusion would make a great first car. So would the Chevy Malibu. The 04-08 was a pretty solid car. The new body 08-12 was pretty good overall.
Regardless of manufacturer, any 6+ year old car in the $8-$10k range is going to have little issues or soon to have little issues. Lots of options in the age and price bracket.
Regardless of manufacturer, any 6+ year old car in the $8-$10k range is going to have little issues or soon to have little issues. Lots of options in the age and price bracket.
I'm so far happy with my own Ford Fusion I got recently. 2007 for $900. Check engine was on, replaced the variable intake solenoids for $30 and loosening 4 screws and vacuum hoses, then cleaned my throttle body and MAF, and put in a new air filter. CEL is off and my mpg is up. Only major mechanical thing wrong is the ebrake cable broke, and it's a manual, so that's a little precarious sometimes, will fix that when it's warmer. I was pretty happy to get a manual again that also has modern car amenities like airbags and crash safety.
I feel Ford's a bit underrated in that you could essentially buy 3 Fusions like mine on the used market for the price of one of the same generation Camry or Accord in about the same shape. I used to be one of the people that thought Japanese only, but after the mid 2000s most American cars moved to global platforms anyway and aren't the Buick-esque pushrod motor powered cars of old with tons of body roll and way too soft suspensions, and are much more comparable to Japanese cars now.
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Be sure to take a look at IIHS recommendations for teenage drivers.
www.iihs.org
Safe vehicles for teens
Looking for a safe vehicle for your teenage driver? Consult our list of recommended used and new vehicles for teens.
www.iihs.org
nothing wrong with a Rav4
How involved is the daughter in all of this? This is a good opportunity for her to learn.
Insurance might be cheaper with the RAV4 versus a Civic for example.
There are a lot of options for your price range. Get your daughter involved, see what she wants (mid-size car, full size car, CUV, etc) and go from there. Remember, too, size matters. A bigger vehicle with modern safety features will do better in a crash than a small vehicle with modern safety features.
^^^yep more and more I think about it...thinking along the lines of a mid-size car..have my eye on a Avalon...
Get her a Scion. It's a Toyota underneath and they don't have the resale value anymore.
