need helping buying the right car

originally posted by: and14263
Buy German or Japanese. Not these new Japanese things with French engines though.

$10 an hour probably ain't gonna get German. Just saying...

Full disclosure: I am a GM fan personally but in my profession, I get to see how basically all cars are built these days, and they're all crap. Some are crappier than others, some models should be avoided altogether from any make.

In the end, find what you like. You can listen to suggestions but don't disregard any particular brand or country just because others are adamant about their personal choices. Once you find some you like, do research online. There's forums out there for every car. Find out the common problems. Most cars out there today will last a long time if properly driven and maintained, but they'll always have problems, and it's different for every car. Remember that a lot of things are designed to break and need replacing. It's called planned obsolescence, and it sucks. It's why all cars are crap. Then, decide which of the cars you like will be the lowest maintenence, and cost over the long run.

3rd generation Toyota 4runner, 96 thru 2001 are gems that go and go with minimum maintenance. I've had two and the first I got 360,000 miles with only replacing radiator. Granted I am one that religiously takes care of the rig with fluid changes and such, but for SUV durability and affordability ya can't beat em!


ETA: Just realized you weren't looking for SUV, Doh, my bad. Then yea Honda/Acura or Toyota/Lexus car for reliability. availability and affordability

Things to look for when used car shopping:
1) fluid spot under car where it is parked indicates leak of some sort
2) check under oil cap for gray or white paste, this indicates head gasket issue
3) drive on a safe street or mall parking lot and at 30 mph apply breaks and let go of wheel as vehicle stops to see if it pulls one way or another. This will let ya know if there are front end issues, bearings, drums or rotors. Listen for grinding sounds too.
4)check radiator fluid for heavy oil or rust
5) go to service station and get compression check. They charge 5 to 10 dollars but it will let ya know condition of piston and rings.

Good luck

When I research a car, I start by determining what I can afford in terms of monthly car payment. Understand that you will almost certainly have to do a three year term if the car is more than a few years old. Once you have figured out what your car payment term is, then you think about what you want in terms of mileage, etc., from the car. At that point, start looking around at what is available in your area at the intersection of those things - price, mileage, and what you think you need.

See what candidates you have and do some research. You want to investigate reliability ratings and similar from places like Consumer Reports and similar. Make sure you get yearly reports as many make/models fluctuate in quality from year to year. What you are trying to do is hedge your bets so that when you commit, you have the best chance of picking something that will be reasonably reliable for what you are buying assuming you keep up your end of the deal with maintenance.

That will hopefully help you weed out a few of your possibilities.

Then you want to investigate the actual histories of the cars themselves. If something looks too good to be true, it usually is.

Generally, these things have helped me to get us some very sturdy cars over the years. We just had to put our 14-year-old, 350,000 mile plus beater out to pasture with a leaky head gasket yesterday. We had owned it for 13 years. Bought it as a program car.

a reply to: saiyankev

You want a car?

Why ever in the world wouldn't you get a truck? A Toyota Tacoma?
www.youtube.com...

I wish. Beyond my means but MOPAR RULES.

originally posted by: intrepid

I wish. Beyond my means but MOPAR RULES.

Those look so nice. Too bad they're FIATs now.

I own a 2012 Mazda 3 for my runner. Bought it new, 117,000 miles on it now, and I drive it like I stole it.

I can get 44 mpg on the highway, at 80mph, and 31 mpg pulling a 1500 lb trailer. I have driven across the country in it about 10 times.

It is the perfect car for down here in Florida. It is slightly skinnier than a full sized sedan and cuts through traffic like a motorcycle.

At 155hp, the power on the low end is on the low side, but it's fast like a turbo six cylinder, or V8 at highway speeds. It is a six speed auto, with manual option, it doesn't like to shift into 6th until about 80 mph, so it is geared very high, and passes very well.

The slightly skinnier car is also great for parking, because it doesn't get door dings as easy, but the length is more like a sedan, so it is more stable than a compact at speed, and everyone drives 80-90 on the highways here, so I don't recommend any compacts for stability reasons.

It has never been in the shop, and the front brake pads lasted 112k miles.

a reply to: saiyankev

I know you said not a van or a SUV, but I have a Honda Element which gets 24mpg, has more than enough room in it for almost anything you could consider cargo, and low maintenance (it's a Honda, afterall.) Mine is AWD so the MPG isn't as good as a 2WD version. But the Element is one heckuva vehicle for all situations due to it's short wheel base. The bad side of it is that the E does resemble a toaster on wheels.

Call the highway patrol up and see what they're selling, usually runs a lot cheaper than msrp, but the parts are special orders. I got a 2012 dodge charger with 54k miles on it for $14500, still has the interceptor chip in it.

They have impalas too, but that's for Missouri so I don't know about Florida.

originally posted by: GodEmperor
Call the highway patrol up and see what they're selling, usually runs a lot cheaper than msrp, but the parts are special orders. I got a 2012 dodge charger with 54k miles on it for $14500, still has the interceptor chip in it.

They have impalas too, but that's for Missouri so I don't know about Florida.

For that matter, Govdeals.

www.govdeals.com...

I think a Volvo S70 or V70 wagon is one of the best vehicles to own in the lowest of price range. Sure there are economy cars that work fine for everyday driving, but two reasons for a more robust car is the safety factor plus the comfort factor is a big deal.

Your personal driving cycle is important to consider. If you have a 5mi commute on easy roads to go to work, and dont' take road trips, a Civic might be fine. For me, an older guy of 190lbs who drives a minimum of an hour to go to town or my rental property, or I drive 2hr highway to Philly and back the same day...an easy 6hr in the car, or I road trip 1000 miles to Florida. For that I need a car that doesn't leave me tired and beat from the drive.

With this in mind, the Volvo is comfortable, safe and has a relatively simple design. There are other mid-sized choices....I would drive an older Taurus. Also the Panther chassis "cop car" Crown Vic can go forever with decent mpg. In small cars, I believe the older Focus is the king of durable small cars. I like them in a hatchback....find a clean one of those and you won't want another car for a long time.

a reply to: Aldakoopa

In UK you can get VW Golf or Polo for next to nothing. Maybe you don't have those in your country as they are small.