Used vehicle suggestion for co-worker?

[cadfaeltex]

Originally Posted By: rjacket
Ask GM if you can take a Volt off their hands for $5k.


And have them throw in a fire extinguisher. I would think that at that price point the biggest thing to look at is a well maintained example of all mentioned so far. Any of them at that price point will have enough miles for neglect to start showing it's head in the mechanicals (maybe why it's for sale). Look for the common faults in the model you're looking at.

 

[OVERKILL]

A Focus IMHO is a good suggestion.

 

[Spazdog]

$5000?

He can possibly find a clean Kia Spectra. Same engine and platform as the Elantra.

Or a fairly low mileage Daewoo-zuki Forenza. It has a Holden built D-TEC 2.0L. Fuel economy is not very good in spite of it being similar to the 1.8 in the Cruze LS, and the gauges and center stack remind me of the instruments on one of those cheap Chinese scooters but they do seem to hold together fairly well.

Then there's the Neon. Have the seller knock off a few hundred bucks for a timing belt. The Neon is actually not that unpleasant to drive once you get past the huge amounts of polypropylene in the interior. It's got a little more horsepower than the Civic and Corolla and more importantly, lots more torque. It has a history of success in racing.

If he can get a mechanic's review and/or the service history on a Saturn S-series, I would go with that.

 

[Jarlaxle]

For an hour commute, he will want something comfortable; it's tough for me to NOT mention a Crown Victoria, Town Car, or Grand Martuis. Cheap, anvil-reliable, reasonable mileage, and will run 400,000+ miles with even minimal upkeep.

 

[jigen]

Well right now he has a 6cyl Ranger (2wd) so he wants something significantly better than that in the mpg department. So far I found some really good looking late cavilers and cobalts (04-07) that could be nice potential buys.

Civics and corollas are good buys for sure but they carry too high a premium IMO. A 99 civic with 150k miles goes for the same asking price as a well maintained cobalt with less than 60k on it. I didn't look for any nissans though. I will check them out.

 

[hattaresguy]

Buy a Buick, they run forever and get good mileage. Plus you can buy a better example with $5k than you can with a Civic, since your not paying for the "Honda" mark up on the used market.

Sentra's are also good deals.

I find at least around here used Honda's are the worst deals. Everyone with 150k-200k on them wants 5k.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Buy a Buick, they run forever and get good mileage. Plus you can buy a better example with $5k than you can with a Civic, since your not paying for the "Honda" mark up on the used market.

Sentra's are also good deals.

I find at least around here used Honda's are the worst deals. Everyone with 150k-200k on them wants 5k.


I was about to suggest a Pontiac Bonneville or Buick LeSabre. Anything with a 3800 V6 that isn't a 97-03 Grand Prix/Impala will run for ages with minimal upkeep.

 

[yonyon]

In your area do they use a lot of road salt? If they do, take a good look for any corrosion problems before buying a used Nissan. Nothing rusts like a Nissan.
...except an Infiniti.

 

[jigen]

Well this winter was nonexistent but yes, we hear we re gonna get some flurries and they cover the roads.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: sciphi

I was about to suggest a Pontiac Bonneville or Buick LeSabre. Anything with a 3800 V6 that isn't a 97-03 Grand Prix/Impala will run for ages with minimal upkeep.


or w-body siblings olds intrigue/ buick regal. They drive nice but they RUST!!!

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: MarkM66
Originally Posted By: rjundi
For $5k can you actually get a decent Corolla or Civic as suggested?


They'll have 150k+ miles on them. In my area at least.


You have to be patient and look every day on CL, AutoTrader, etc... to find a quality Civic and have CA$H on hand when looking to buy.

 

[tgferg67]

Originally Posted By: eljefino


You'd get a much newer lower mileage american car than civic or corolla for the same money, which will easily much more than overcome any slight initial reliablity advantage of the Japanese name.


There is an exception to this rule.
The Pontiac Vibe -Japanese powertrain/chassis with the American car price.

 

[Fleetmon]

I agree with the others that a larger auto will make his commute much more tolerable. Spending two hours a day in traffic in an economy car (Escort, Cavalier, Civic) is a sure way to begin hating your commute.

We drive 142 miles round trip per day and for our commute, selected a '99 BMW 528i.....$3k with 116k miles. We average 28 MPG (premium fuel) and ride in relative comfort. Of course, a car like this requires mechanical abilities otherwise it could get very expensive very quickly.

Until we found the BMW, we were looking at a Buick for commuting. Good luck on your search for your co-worker and take a minute and look at the "forgotten" used car market....mid-size to large cars....their MPG's might surprise you.

 

[meep]

if it's gonna be small, might as well be fun!!

5 spd miata. bulletproof and fun. maybe not great mpg as a civic but loads more style. gen 1 or 2. they easily roll well past 200k.

if you can find one that hasn't been bought by a Fast & Furious fanboy, a crx si or hf both have neat attributes.

5spd accord, late 80s, early 90's.

subaru svx

gen 1 subaru forester 2.2L

96+ subaru legacy 5spd

 

[meep]

OOOO or bmw e36, if he's not picky about electronics. a 318 5spd would be a GREAT little scoot!

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Originally Posted By: MarkM66
Originally Posted By: rjundi
For $5k can you actually get a decent Corolla or Civic as suggested?


They'll have 150k+ miles on them. In my area at least.


You have to be patient and look every day on CL, AutoTrader, etc... to find a quality Civic and have CA$H on hand when looking to buy.



X2. If he is picky at all about what he is buying, he needs to be diligent about checking on CL and AutoTrader, and jump on the good ones right away! You don't have a couple days to think about a vehicle in an ad unless it is overpriced or has a problem. Good cars get snatched up fast. You need to have payment ready too. Most sellers will not patiently wait for you to come up with the money.

When I got my first Ranger, it was a wild goose chase to find one with a manual transmission that wasn't already sold. I ended up getting a truck that was such a fresh trade the dealer had not even cleaned it up yet. It was still in the back lot. This was in 2004 before gas prices went crazy, so full size trucks were still all the rage.

When I bought my Explorer in 2008, I caught it literally within a few minutes of it being posted on CL. I was the first caller and had cash in hand, so I got it. For $950 for a running, driving, inspected 4X4 he would have sold it that day to someone else if I didn't get on it right away.

You don't have time to think about good cars, and you need to actively search or someone else will buy it.

 

[bigdawg74]

Originally Posted By: jigen
A 99 civic with 150k miles goes for the same asking price as a well maintained cobalt with less than 60k on it.


A 99 Honda (Civic or Accord) w/150k is just getting broken in. A Cobalt w/ such low mileage?

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: bigdawg74
Originally Posted By: jigen
A 99 civic with 150k miles goes for the same asking price as a well maintained cobalt with less than 60k on it.


A 99 Honda (Civic or Accord) w/150k is just getting broken in. A Cobalt w/ such low mileage?


We'll have to disagree on that one. The Cobalt has one solid, simple powertrain. No timing belt expense to deal with, and a proven 4 speed auto.