I have been on the fence all weekend. Based on the cars in my budget I am considering waiting a few more weeks until I have at least 5k to spend. My apartment is located at the metro station and surrounded by stores, so a car really is not an emergency for me. I've just always had a car, so not having a car feels odd.

In any event, I am considering a Mazda CX7 and the Mazda 6 and 3 now.

Hopefully you can find either a Honda or a Toyota w/preferably less than 100,xxx miles for that price.

Sure these two vehicle brands are the most reliable overall in the market, however I wouldn’t want ANY used vehicle over 100,xxx miles no matter what the brand.

Stay away from Nissan and Ford.

Domestic brands are just money pits to me.

My 2004 Toyota with 84K miles was around $5K. Now, it has about 110K on it and I would probably sell it for around 3.5K if I were to sell. Toyota last forever. Love em.

I have helped several people buy used cars through our church group. We usually go through a reliable vendor like CarMax or a dealership. We always get the car checked out buy a reliable mechanic. And we check out BlueBook values for comps.

All that said, I have read several reports recently that make the checking out process even more important because of all the recent hurricanes and flooding in Texas and Florida, etc. The reports I've read said that we will soon be receiving a lot of cars in this area that have been subjected to flooding. Therefore, it is even more important than ever to get your purchase checked out and to buy from a reputable place. I don't say this to scare you but to make sure that you make an informed purchase.

I agree that Honda and Toyota and Volvo all have very good reps for longevity and solidly-built cars. They are the brands we look for first when our church group is helping someone buy a new-to-them car. If your ex will be along with you that is helpful.

Good luck!

Look for Honda or Toyota over Nissan. My uncle was a Chevy service manager for 30 years, went to Nissan for 6 months, and has been at Honda for 6 years. The Nissan's were crap and the unhappy people were enough to make him move on. He loves being with Honda because they have solid vehicles, happy owners, and are proactive with any recalls (instead of waiting until the government mandates they acknowledge a problem).

Anonymous wrote:OP here, I am looking at a 2006 Maxima w/122k miles on it. Does this price sound about right? For what it's worth I know nothing about cars and I am going at this purchase alone...

Plug in make, model, mileage and condition into kbb.com

In terms of reliability, you'll get the most for your money with Honda, Toyota, or mazda. I think the Altima is nissan's "nicer" model, which means you're buying the "fancier" car from the less reliable maker. With the corrolla, civic, or mazda3, you're getting the lower end car from the more reliable maker.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, I am looking at a 2006 Maxima w/122k miles on it. Does this price sound about right? For what it's worth I know nothing about cars and I am going at this purchase alone...

Nissans don’t have the same reputation for reliability that Honda and Toyota do.

You’re going to want to take the car to a mechanic before you purchase it, or better yet, have the seller meet you at the mechanic. Can you post your location and maybe we can recommend good mechanic shops?

thanks. Silver Spring. I am newly divorced and tempted to call my ex-husband for help...

Anonymous wrote:OP here, I am looking at a 2006 Maxima w/122k miles on it. Does this price sound about right? For what it's worth I know nothing about cars and I am going at this purchase alone...

Nissans don’t have the same reputation for reliability that Honda and Toyota do.

You’re going to want to take the car to a mechanic before you purchase it, or better yet, have the seller meet you at the mechanic. Can you post your location and maybe we can recommend good mechanic shops?

vehicle cost 3600

OP here, I am looking at a 2006 Maxima w/122k miles on it. Does this price sound about right? For what it's worth I know nothing about cars and I am going at this purchase alone...

Mazda3. I think my car is worth about $3000k. Same here, 2007 car, no bells and whistles, but drives like a champ. It will go another 10 years.

I just sold my 2005 Toyota Corrolla with 110K miles on it for $3K. If I didn't have a third kid on the way and a grumbly husband, I would have driven that car for another 10 years. It had no bells and whistles but it was showing absolutely no signs of malfunctioning. So, if you just want reliability, I would go with a civic or corrolla.

What is a solid car that I can get for this amount?