Used car recommendations

Hi - I usually come to this group in search of repair advice and you guys have always been very helpful. Since many of you deal with auto repair as a profession, I thought this would be the best place to ask for used car advice. Basically I want to get rid of my 1998 Chevy Prizm LSI and get something a little newer with fewer miles on it (my car has 135k). I want the car to be small and fuel efficient and would prefer 2000 or newer with less than 100k miles. I'd be willing to spend up to $5,000. Most importantly, I want the car to be reliable.

Are there any specific models to look for or any I should stay away from? I subscribe to Consumer Reports and they have their recommendations, which I guess is a good place to start. A local seller is selling a 2001 Chev Prizm with 50k for $4500 and that looks tempting. I'm a little weary of buying another Prizm though because mine hasn't been a good car. I bought it used for $6000 three years ago and have put $3000 worth of repairs into since then. The Prizm seems to get good ratings as a reliable used car so perhaps mine was a fluke?

Reply to
ijosef
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Basically, it is a crap soot no matter what you buy, new or used. It all depends on your luck. Sure, certain models have some known issues, but CR will tell you about those. Other than that, my advice would be to look for a good value and try to get as close to what you want as you can, while being carful to have any used vehicle checked out by a good mechanic before you buy it. In my experience there are two types of car owners. Those that take real good care of their car and those that totaly neglect it. It is pretty easy to tell which type owned a car when you examine it closely.

Reply to
Kevin

My opinion is that you are paying too much for your cars and not being selective enough. It is a crap shoot, but you need to have someone inspect these cars if you are not in a position to do so in order to have the best chance.

Reply to
Al Bundy

"Kevin" wrote in news:7EG6g.66690$gE.12589@dukeread06:

When we replaced my wife's '86 Toyota MR2, I checked out at least a couple of dozen used cars before settling on a particular '99 Tercel. The reason I bought this one was because it was the only one out of all of them that actually showed signs of regular servicing.

My mechanic says 90% of people never check their oil, much less do anything else. Usually they wait until something breaks, then wonder why there's so much else wrong when they take it in to get fixed.

Used cars *are* a crap shoot. And most of them will be crap, period. My personal feeling is that most car problems are caused by neglect and inept servicing, not bad design.

Reply to
TeGGeR®

Any used car is luck of the draw. The biggest problem with a lower end car like a Prizm is that these cars tend to attract a buyer that can't afford anything better. Nothing wrong with that, but that buyer who can barely afford the car payments isn't likely to have followed the routine maintenance schedule or kept up with needed repairs. Many times they are selling the car because, even though the odometer doesn't show it, the poor thing is just falling apart.

Look for something that you can buy from the original owner and size them up first. If they have 10 kids and used appliances on the porch this probably isn't the car for you. Look for a car with maintenance receipts.

Personally I buy "Grampa's Cadillac" or "Grannys Buick". These cars tend to be low mileage and have had all their service done at the dealer with the receipts to show for it. Resale value on these cars is lower as well. I thought about a Honda for about a week but all I could find in my price range were ragged out early 90's versions with at least 150k. The "tm" cars can be had in a newer version with 1/4 the miles for the same money. They may not get the gas mileage of a Prizm but 3k in repair money buys me a lot of gas.

Steve B.

Reply to
Steve B.

Considering that a Prizm is a Toyota Corolla, I'd say it has been a fluke. 135K isn't much mileage for a car now, especially a Toyota, and if you spend $5,000 refurbishing your existing car you'll end up with a much nicer one than if you buy a used car for $5,000, especially since the 2000 Prizm is the same design as the 1998. Toyota didn't redesign the Corolla again until 2003.

If you want better mileage, look at the Toyota Echo. This model has never sold well in the U.S. (has been replaced by the Yaris) so may be cheap on the used market. It's smaller than a Corolla but rides well and is surprisingly roomy inside. The only drawback to me is the small opening for the trunk. The Scion Xa and Xb are based on the same chassis but ride worse, and the Xb's highway mileage is worse because of the large and boxy body.

Reply to
do_not_spam_me

I bought a used truck that was a repo, and it was in great shape and all the receipts from the dealer (bought new there) showed that the owner took good care of it. The broker who sold it to me dealt mostly in repos, and his other vehicles seemed better than most used ones of the same vintages.

One problem around here is that grandpas and grandmas are sometimes nothing but fronts for used car dealers who sell their vehicles through individuals. There used to be a person down the street who sold about a car a month from his house this way.

I thought about a Honda for about a week but all I

Reply to
larry moe 'n curly

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