Used car

[jr231]

So my girlfriend got her van totaled. Long story short.  We have about 4500 dollar budget. I have a dependable car . Thats almost paid off. But we need a car that is a 4 door, front wheel drive. And preferably a 4cylinder. 

Any suggestions on cars that are easy (er) maintenance and fairly dependable ? Her last vehicle was a 05 Kia Sedona and everything on it was a ***** to change. The brakes , even the oil . The whole under carriage had a stupid cross bar set up that would make everything almost impossible to get to! The starter went out and was almost impossible to change I had to have another set of hands. 

I'm looking to avoid that type of constant headache and nightmare. I know my budget isn't much.. I'm just looking for some suggestions (from experience) 

[Raider Nation Fisher]

Drop the doors requirement, and cut the cylinder requirement out. Then buy a Harley. Better gas mileage and much more fun to drive. Plus they are 20million times easier to work on. 

[jr231]

I have a daughter bud. We need a 4 door car. Easier for the car seat than my mustang. Thanks though 

@Raider Nation Fisher

[slonezp]

17 minutes ago, Yeajray231 said:

I have a daughter bud. We need a 4 door car. Easier for the car seat than my mustang. Thanks though 

@Raider Nation Fisher

Raider has 17 kids that he knows of. He daisy chains these kid carriers behind his Harley. What a site to see when he takes the whole gang to Dairy Queen

[slonezp]

I don't believe any cars are easy to work on anymore. With that budget, I'd look for an older Honda or Toyota that has been taken care of

[Josh Smith]

2000ish Blazer. Pretty bulletproof.

Josh

[new2BC4bass]

You are going to need an older vehicle to meet that price.  Look for a Corolla with low miles.  Not sure which years, but I was told there was a period of several years when Toyotas were being made here in the USA that they weren't very reliable.  My '88 Camry had 325k on it when I junked it.  My '94 Sentra had 294k when I totaled it.  I did nothing to the Sentra but change oil, tires, brakes and rotors.  Same for the Camry except it didn't have a stainless steel exhaust system so it required new muffler and exhaust a couple times over its life.  The automatic transmission in the Camry was starting to slip when cold.  I never touched the transmission fluid.  Sentra 5-speed never needed work.

As luck would have it, I just helped my daughter get a vehicle.  What she wound up with was a 2003 Forester with just over 136,000 miles.  Total with everything came to your budget.  Rebuilt title, but we got lucky and happened upon a small, local dealer that specializes in Subarus.  Doesn't advertise.  Strictly word of mouth from happy buyers.  Three generations of families buy from him.  Apparently Subarus need the timing belt changed at around 170k miles, but otherwise are very reliable.  Daughter got to drive it in rain the first day she had it and loves how well it handles wet roads.  She also has a 3 year old so safety is paramount.

It pains me to say this because I work in manufacturing and take extreme pride in doing a great job, but I would hesitate suggesting any American made vehicle.  My '04 LaSabre was the nicest car (and most expensive new) I've every owned.  However, the $179k miles (when I had to get rid of the LaSabre) on the more expensive American made car cost me more than the total monetary output of the 614k combined miles on the 2 previously mentioned foreign made cars.  A sad reality that depresses me as I would prefer to buy American.  To be honest, I would buy a Hyundai before I'd buy American.

[PourMyOwn]

I think your budget is fine. I second the opinion that used Subarus are worth a look. In my neck of the woods, Subaru owners are religious about their maintanence, and they do it at the dealer. Rust kills them before they break down. Great in the snow, I used to drive a 96 with 278K in the snow and left my new truck in the driveway. 

 

[soflabasser]

Make sure to test drive the car for a decent distance before you buy it,as well as thoroughly inspecting it. If the seller won't let you do this walk away and find someone who will.

[new2BC4bass]

8 hours ago, soflabasser said:

Make sure to test drive the car for a decent distance before you buy it,as well as thoroughly inspecting it. If the seller won't let you do this walk away and find someone who will.

Another good idea is to take it someplace to be checked out.  My mechanic died from cancer a few years ago.  Since then I take my car to Meineke.  They told me to bring in any car I was looking at buying, and they would go through it to see if any work was needed.  This is done for free.

[new2BC4bass]

23 hours ago, PourMyOwn said:

I think your budget is fine. I second the opinion that used Subarus are worth a look. In my neck of the woods, Subaru owners are religious about their maintanence, and they do it at the dealer. Rust kills them before they break down. Great in the snow, I used to drive a 96 with 278K in the snow and left my new truck in the driveway. 

 

Man we bought the Forester from said in Maine many parking lots look like Subaru dealers because there are so many parked there.    He has no problem selling 200k mile plus vehicles.

[PourMyOwn]

On 9/5/2016 at 9:15 AM, new2BC4bass said:

Man we bought the Forester from said in Maine many parking lots look like Subaru dealers because there are so many parked there.    He has no problem selling 200k mile plus vehicles.

It's true, Vermont, NH, and Maine are filled with Subarus. My girlfriend has a Forester because her main concern is driving in the snow. She hates it, nearly to the point where she should seek help. She feels safe in the Forester, which is the number one thing I look for in cars for the women in my life. Well, that and cupholders.

[Last_Cast]

Honda Civic. Hate them but they're reliable

[fishwizzard]

My GF also has had a series of older Subarus.  Taken care of, 250k isn't uncommon and the various 90-00's ones she has had have been decently easy to work on.  

[jr231]

Interesting about the Subarus. My aunt owns one. A 2010 outback . And the dealership told her for her specific engine it wasn't out of the norm for it to burn one quart of oil per 1500 miles.. I'm no mechanic.  But surely this can't be right 

[Ratherbfishing]

21 minutes ago, Yeajray231 said:

Interesting about the Subarus. My aunt owns one. A 2010 outback . And the dealership told her for her specific engine it wasn't out of the norm for it to burn one quart of oil per 1500 miles.. I'm no mechanic.  But surely this can't be right 

Burning or LEAKING?  The only cars that "should" burn anywhere near that much use rotary engines and I don't think Subarus use them.  If they have problems with burning oil, they probably either have gasket problems or worn rings (or both).

[jr231]

Yea that's what I was telling her.. and she said the dealership told her so.. which doesn't make any sense . You would think that they would try and make as much money as possible and diagnose every little problem they could find. Who knows. What I do know is she has been getting it changed every 3000 .. and when she pulled in to my house . (We let it sit for awhile and checked it) we added a a quart and it still didn't show on the dipstick. It took 2.. and only holds 5 . The car only has 140k. Idk

[soflabasser]

Don't trust the car dealership, they just want to sell you the car to make commission. Get every car your interested in checked out by someone who's a expert in the type of car you want, preferably by a certified mechanic with a proven history of being reliable. 

[jr231]

I used to work for a car dealership; for a couple years.. as a detailer . I seen many, many shady deals.. but I'm going to share with you the worst one. 

It was a newer Jeep liberty. We took in on trade.  It had a water leak issue. Coming through a panel and a dome light. We were hit with a huge series of storms and long story short. The jeep had standing water in it. Instead of the owner getting it fixed, she decided she wanted something else..  

I spent at least 4 hours vacuuming all the water out. wiped it down. Did the wheels etc. It was supposed be worked on in a few days and then put back on the lot. Well. In just 2 days, Someone came on the lot and fell in love with the car. The used car manager came to me and told me to prep it for delivery. I looked at him in disbelief "dude.. it's gonna be flooded as soon as it rains. " Me and the manager were cool. I had been to his house twice for some poker games. He looked at me and told me to go get some gas in it. Don't wash it (cuz he knew it would leak) , put the matts in it and bring it around front.. I did what I was asked to do. And looked at a family with a mother who clearly had joy in her eyes. I wanted to tell her so bad.. but I didn't (I regret it now) I screwed her temp tag on and she left. .  This was my source of income . Lose my job .. or do what I was asked. I should have told her. 

She was back a week later... with a flooded car.. and the used car manager told her not to worry, that her warranty would cover it... such a crook. 

This was not a buy here, pay here lot . This was a licensed Chrysler company . It really blew my mind. Thankfully I don't work there anymore. And have never trusted a car dealership ever since. 

[JustJames]

If you were near me. 

I bought a 1999 honda accord for 4500 a few years back. It got a salvage title from one accident on the front wheel and driver door. Everything elses are original and with only 60,000 miles on it, one owner to boost. Two year I dont have to fix nothing just regular meatenance and new tires.

I decided to sell it this year for a truck.