Used Car Recommendations?

[Anonymous]

DH and I are expecting a child shortly. We recently bought a home and are not willing to finance a car on top of our mortgage. We have ample savings for my maternity leave and for any emergencies (job loss, etc) but just don't want to take on more debt. We've been limping along with one older car for the past 3 years and with a baby on the way and my husband using the car to travel, we are moving from "want a new car" territory to "need a new car." (We don't live near a metro).

I've managed to save cash for the express purpose of buying a car and have about 16K set aside for this. We were planning to buy a Prius, using the money I'd get from my annual bonus to make up the difference. Unfortunately, my company just announced today that our bonuses (that I expected to receive tomorrow) is not coming. I am not worried about job security, so no advice needed on saving my money for that -- we do have emergency savings. However, I am upset that buying a car is no longer within site. We really need one -- I just feel completely trapped with only one vehicle; we both work and when one of us has the car, the other is very stuck. So it looks like I won't be buying a Prius, but we do have about 15-16K we can spend (we would be willing to pay a bit more for the right car, but no more than 18. We are also not willing to finance, so please, no advice that we should just finance the rest.

I have always had volkswagens and saabs in the past, but consumer reports has called recent models among the worst cars to buy used. So I'm feeling at a loss. Can anyone with some automotive know-how suggest good late model cars that are available for less than 18K? I'm looking for safety and crash test ratings, reliability, gas mileage, and "niceness," in that order.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Anonymous]

I've been obsessively analyzing this myself and have the same budget range you do. Consumer reports highly recommends both the 2004 Acura TL and the 2005 Subaru Impreza in terms of serice, reliability etc. We're in the process of looking at those and seeing if they fit our needs. Let me know if you find good options!

[Anonymous]

A variety of Toyota and Honda models should be available at that price. Including the Civic Hybrid if you're looking at used.

[Anonymous]

The Honda Civic has been my favorite reliable used car since forever. I am currently driving a '97 with over 141K miles on it, and it is still behaving beautifully. It is very easy to find parts for, and many people know how to work on this model. My dingy little Civic gets 35 miles to the gallon on average. She is so practical! ...and at this point completely anthropomorphized.

[jsteele]

In your price range, you can get a new Hyundai, which would include a 10 year warranty. Soon, 2010 models will be coming out and dealers will want to move 09s. If you plan to pay cash, you can probably negotiate a pretty decent discount.

If you check http://www.fitzmall.com for their new Hyundai inventory, they have several Sonatas and Elantras in your price range. I think the Elantra Touring (station wagon) would be a particularly good choice for a small family.

[Anonymous]

Get a used Volvo! They run forever, look good, and you can get them at a great price.

[Anonymous]

OP here -- I am actually looking at Volvos, as both Edmunds and Consumer reports put them on the top used cars to buy in my price range. To the other poster doing a similar analysis, the BMW 3 series gets similarly high ratings, but I've had a hard time finding them in the 16-18K price range with a mileage I'm comfortable with.

We all have our prejudices, for some reason I can't wrap my heart around a Honda or a Hyundai, but they were options I did force myself to consider (particularly the Hyundai which is very highly rated in terms of reliability).

Like the safety ratings of a German car or Toyota over the H models, though.

[Anonymous]

FYI volvos are SO EXPENSIVE to repair. like 1.5k+ a year for my older model. I really should just get a new(used) Civic but I like the prestige of having a "nicer" crappy old car. Sometimes I think I am a bad person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FYI volvos are SO EXPENSIVE to repair. like 1.5k+ a year for my older model. I really should just get a new(used) Civic but I like the prestige of having a "nicer" crappy old car. Sometimes I think I am a bad person.

LOL... Well, I'm the OP also thinking about volvos... I hear you, but I honestly like the engineering of those cars better. I drove a Jetta for years and while it was expensive to repair, I didn't find that it was that bad. It was also such a safe, good car and I loved driving it. So for me it's not really a prestige issue, but I did admit that I can't get my heart around a Honda. There is something to be said for really enjoying one's car and having some brand loyalty. It's no more wrong than feeling great in a nicer outfit, unless you're seriously losing your perspective and buying a really crappy car solely for the label, and then it's not necessarily being bad, but just being dumb. (talking about myself, not you!)

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:We all have our prejudices, for some reason I can't wrap my heart around a Honda or a Hyundai, but they were options I did force myself to consider (particularly the Hyundai which is very highly rated in terms of reliability).

I can certainly understand that. My own prejudices are very much like your own (I've owned a SAAB and now own a BMW). Any used European car is going to be expensive to maintain. It's just the nature of the beast. If you can budget for that, there are some good choices.

I don't really see much difference between Toyotas and Hondas so I guess I'm confused why you would like one but not the other. But, I'd advise that you avoid used Camrys due to sludge problems. If your "H" dislike doesn't extend to Acura, I'd second that suggestion from above.

[Anonymous]

Do NOT get a used BMW. We bought our 2004 5 series BMW used about three years ago and we have had to spend significant $$$$ each year on various maintenance issues. For example, this year alone we just spent 4,000 getting various things fixed. We need to spend an additional 2,000 to fix an air bag issue. That is 6,000 in ONE YEAR for a car with 74,000 miles on it. Completely rediculous. I had a Nissan for ten years that required nothing more than oil changes and battery changes. My husband and I have decided that we will never buy a luxury car again - unless we are earning so much money that 6K is pocket change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do NOT get a used BMW. We bought our 2004 5 series BMW used about three years ago and we have had to spend significant $$$$ each year on various maintenance issues. For example, this year alone we just spent 4,000 getting various things fixed. We need to spend an additional 2,000 to fix an air bag issue. That is 6,000 in ONE YEAR for a car with 74,000 miles on it. Completely rediculous. I had a Nissan for ten years that required nothing more than oil changes and battery changes. My husband and I have decided that we will never buy a luxury car again - unless we are earning so much money that 6K is pocket change.

OP here -- in case this helps anyone else. Interestingly, the 5 series BMW is scoffed by consumer reports as a used car, but the 3 series is one of their "best bets" in terms of reliability. Intersting that they entry level care scores so much higher than the 5 series. PP is probably not alone in your maintenance issues on that make and model, though I think it's probably not fair to assume that level of repair cost and frequency of repair would extend to all makes and models of luxury cars.

Jeff, you're right of course: European cars are almost always more expensive to maintain. To address your other point, Hondas and Toyotas are very similar but I would not just buy any Toyota. We were interested in the Prius and not the Civic hybrid based on aesthetics and mileage (Prius head and shoulders above Civic on these) plus safety ratings (fairly similar but I think Toyota edged out the Honda). If we can't get a hybrid (and we probably wouldn't find a good used deal since used Prius we've seen tend to either have unacceptably high mileage or are still priced out of reach), I'm leaning European over Japanese altogether.

I'm not as worried about maintenance costs as much as I am worried about frequency of maintenance and overall longevity. This is part of the tradeoff I see in buying a used car. I can get more "car" for my money (better engineering, better look) without having to take on an onerous monthly car payment. The tradeoff for that is that I know I'll have to budget for repairs. With my Jetta (I realize that is not a luxury car and it will be different from a BMW or Volvo), maintenance was expensive but the overall engineering was so solid that I made up for it by not having to have many repairs made. I also just felt really safe in that car, and the NHSTA ratings backed up that perception.

You've all made such helpful comments and I appreciate all of them. Thank you very much! I'm test driving a handful of precertified cars tomorrow. Please wish me luck!

[Anonymous]

Good luck!
(the Honda Civic-loving poster here, who in no way shape or form takes it personally).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good luck!
(the Honda Civic-loving poster here, who in no way shape or form takes it personally).

Another Honda Civic lover here. Especially the new body style.

[Anonymous]

Volvo all the way, the best car on the road, safe, reliable and the myth of being expensive to repair is not true, all cars are expensive to repair, you need to find an honest mechanic, AFTER the warranty is up..