Used car recommendations

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

ijosef - 05 May 2006 03:21 GMT

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 this Message

Kevin - 05 May 2006 12:26 GMT

> 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
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> seems to get good ratings as a reliable used car so perhaps mine was a
> fluke?

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.

Signature

Kevin Mouton
Automotive Technology Instructor
"If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy"
Red Green

Reply to this Message

TeGGeR® - 05 May 2006 15:29 GMT

> 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,
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> that totaly neglect it. It is pretty easy to tell which type owned a
> car when you examine it closely.

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.

Signature

TeGGeR®

Reply to this Message

Al Bundy - 05 May 2006 12:33 GMT

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 this Message

Steve B. - 06 May 2006 00:40 GMT

>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
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>seems to get good ratings as a reliable used car so perhaps mine was a
>fluke?

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 this Message

larry moe 'n curly - 06 May 2006 22:36 GMT

> 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
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> times they are selling the car because, even though the odometer
> doesn't show it, the poor thing is just falling apart.

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.

> 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.

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

> 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 this Message

do_not_spam_me@my-deja.com - 06 May 2006 04:59 GMT

> 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.

> 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?

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 this Message