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My second choice would be a 2004 Pontiac GTO with manual. Big, RWD, loads of fun, and 30mpg highway. Just that year and transmission combination, though. In 2005, they moved to a new engine and transmission and killed the MPG right into the floor (average 5 mpg drop!). But for $10-12K, you can get essentially a Corvette that seats 4 people and just looks different on the outside.
Fast, total "sleeper", and way more fun than you'd believe. As for the car, it was made in Australia, so quality is actually very good.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Monaro
Note at the bottom where it got Top Gear's muscle car award.
I would stay away from Pontiac, there is a reason they are no more. An 8 year old GTO is just begging to separate you from your money. And what about that in-town mileage? Driving the LIE or the 405 rush hour not likely to win the Prius economy awards.
Maybe a Subauru AWD is needed? They can be fun to drive, less expensive than IS and more reliable then Pontiac.
With that GTO, it was the last year that they put the LS1 engine in pretty much anything. All of the kinks were worked out, and the thing is bulletproof. The issues came from the new engine and 50 extra HP in the 2005+ models. And idiots who added extra HP and then wondered why their rear ends blew out. 350HP and 30mpg highway was awesome and GM should have left it alone.
With manual, it's super easy to skip a few gears and get good mpg in-town. It's not stellar, but it's certainly a lot better than most other full-size cars. And a LOT better than the Magnum he mentioned.
note - since he mentioned a Dodge Magnum, I figured RWD was not a problem, and neither was crazy high MPG. He probably just doesn't want to be stuck with 18-19mpg like most of these boats deliver.
I'll add another option for him, which IS inexpensive and reliable, if a bit boring. He should look at a 2005 Park Avenue. It'll give him 23-24 mpg combined (19/28 window sticker), and is a very solid car. It's one of the few cars from that era that GM essentially over-built. It's certainly a lot nicer to drive than a Camry, and the seats are superb.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
As for the GTO, I have a feeling a coupe is not in the cards for someone looking at a Magnum.
The OP hasn't been back since posting the query, so I'd guess we are all answering a ghost.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
99 Saturn SL2 4-D 97000 miles. Owner says has new transmission. Has engine light on, though owner says that's only due to the locking gas cap he installed. Test drive went very well. Car could use a good cleaning. Didn't appear to need any repairs or maintenance in the near future. Was willing to go down to $1850 for it. Young driver probably early 20's.
00 Saturn SL2 4-D 134000 miles. Owner won't budge under $2000. Appeared in great shape - no engine lights on - only "oddity" was a slight whistling type of sound I heard coming from engine area when driving. Almost like a person whistling type of sound, or a sound where you are using a ham radio, but the radio wasn't on and the windows were up. Rode nice - just had that sound.
99 Lumina 4-D 113000 miles. 2 owner car, very well maintained and in nearly immaculate condition. Asking $2000 - may go to $1700. The only thing I could tell it needed was 2 newer tires. Also, when you shift out of and into park that bar felt very stiff (automatic car - bar that you pull to get in/out of park, drive, reverse).
Our daughter is tiny - maybe 5'2" and maybe 110 lbs. She works at Panera Bread and her hours vary. She's concerned about affording the gas but ultimately wants something that just gets her where she's going. I want something I don't have to worry about fixing a bunch of things on. Currently she is driving our 2001 Chrysler Town and Country and we all know that's NOT good on gas lol....
Read more: http://forums.automotive.com/70/9012325/what-car-should-i-buy/saturn-or-lumina/i- ndex.html#ixzz1kOjBHjkT
Danger, Will Robinson!
Do you know this person--well? If not, don't trust anything they say.
On any of these cars, spend a few dollars and get the car inspected by a reputable mechanic. Could cost you big bucks later.
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I was trying to be helpful in recommending an expert mechanical opinion of any of these cars. But if I am forced to choose one to recommend, I'd go with the Saturn that appears to have been taken care of the best... and then I'd take it to a mechanic for a look-see, with the sale contingent on what they find.
Besides the vastly lower cost to fix, and get better gas mileage, the skills she will learn will be incredibly useful. Most of all, though, she'll have to spend time and attention on DRIVING. Both hands occupied, listening to the machine, and knowing how to really and truly operate it.
Now, you seem to like GM. That's fine, but the problem is that GM cars of that era are plainly only a tiny bit better than a Chrysler as the electrical and accessory parts start to cause big bills as they approach 15 years. What you need is solid, reliable, and inexpensive. Manual, of course, is preferred, as is an under $2K price(apparently).
You need to go old. Really older. You need a bulletproof tank that is cheap and was overbuilt. ie - a "classic", or one that will be in a decade or so, but that isn't right now.
A perfect example is a late 80s to early 90s 4Runner with manual and a 4 cylinder engine. It's dead simple to run, big and safe, and hauls stuff. Cheap as dirt to fix, as well. Literally half the cost or less of those Saturns. My old one that I had made it to nearly 400K before I sold it.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/cto/2813393967.html
This is a typical example. Any money you put into it to keep it running will be minor or amounts that she can afford.
Also consider small/midsize trucks:
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/2807963015.html
Gets 18/23. Not bad, considering.
Another good example is a 1990-1993 (last year made) Volvo 240. These are bulletproof, safe, and amazingly fun to drive with stick. Good MPG, and superb seating and driving position and feedback. Airbags were standard starting in 1990, so it's a real hidden low-cost gem. Repairs are dirt cheap as well since they re-used components for roughly 25 years in the 100/200 series. The Volvo 940 is essentially the exact same vehicle with a fancier interior.
Of course, I'd spend more money and just get something like this:
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/2813774414.html
$3500 will get you a decent and pretty new vehicle. Yes, it's a dealer posing as a private party, but dealers can be good as they HAVE to make sure it passes basic safety and smog before selling it.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
Can anybody recommend which car is better for the money? Altima or Sonata? Also, if they have heard of Passat's being sold in that price range? Thank you very much in advance!
I strongly disagree with the suggestion of purchasing an SUV or truck for a new driver. Handling can be tricky. Insurance can be higher. The goal is to be safe and save money.
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Run away from anything that exhibits transmission problems of any sort. I can't tell you why that shifter is sticking (possibly just a worn interlock, but you never know), but it could leave her stranded.
my alternative suggestion is one I have given a number of times ... find a Protege. There are many out there for $2500 or less.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
My daughter is 17 and 5-3, so I know what you're facing. See if you can locate a Taurus or other relatively sizeable American vehicle with plenty of airbag protection and perhaps high miles to keep the cost down, but have a mechanic look it over. (An American vehicle won't carry the price premium of an equivalent Japanese version.)
Eventually, the used car market will be saturated with cars that have a good level of safety equipment. But for now, there are a lot of cars that are reliable, economical and potential death traps. When somebody loses control of his SUV or pickup, you want to make sure your daughter has as much protection around her as possible if he's heading her way.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
From what I've seen, that is outdated. Sonata prices, and resale values, have shot up in the past couple of years. What I see in my area is Altima prices undercutting Sonata prices, for new cars.
In a way, yes. Nissan has too much inventory right now. Nissan was bragging about how many cars they had in inventory, now it's a problem.
I have a good relationship with one of the largest Nissan dealers in CT and he has had a terrible month and is giving away new Nissan Altima's starting at $17,995.
Add in aging AC, a radiator that's almost certainly on its last legs (DexCool - you have been warned), a worn starter, crumbling electrical components and relays... That Saturn is going to be a money pit. As are most GM cars at this age. The only exception that I can think of is one of the Toyota clones that GM re-badged. A Vibe (Matrix), for instance, is a fine choice, and as far as cheap goes, a base model Prism (Corolla).
But only because you can get one that's literally got nothing on it to fail. For $2000 you need to be thinking stone-age simple and cheap as dirt to run and insure.
Note - the Volvo 240 I recommended has airbags and ABS standard in 1993. It's famous for being nearly indestructible. And a lot of elderly people owned them, so finding one that's in good shape would be easy enough. Repairs are cheap and any mechanic can fix one. The Wagons are nice because she can haul stuff as well when she needs to. I owned one a few years ago and it had over 300K miles on it and still ran very well.
* I've never needed to use the powertrain warranty--but I'm glad to have it.
* All cars were very reliable. There were a few little things that needed to be taken care of, under warranty, e.g. squeaky clutch pedal on my first Hyundai, hatch struts needing replacement on my 2nd Hyundai, and a faulty power recliner on my 3rd Hyundai. But nothing major on any of them. The oldest car has over 100k on it, the 2004 has about 70k on it and still drives like new, as does the 2007 with about 55k on it. I haven't had trouble with length of repairs, my dealer has given me what I consider to be professional and courteous service (and they give me free oil changes every 3750 miles plus free shuttle service), and they have possibly the nicest dealership in the area as far as physical plant (maybe not as nice as the MB dealer next to it, but then I didn't pay MB prices for the cars).
Based on KBB figures, my 2004 car is worth about 50% of what I paid for it... and it's 8 years old! And my 2007, purchased used in 2009, has dropped in value only about $1000 in over 2 years.
I have heard of Korean cars going 200k+ miles. Too bad you had such a bad experience with your Korean car.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
But please, please folks, do NOT buy Korean cars... especially Hyundais! That will help keep the prices down for folks like me who think they are pretty darn good cars here in 2012.
The Korean dealerships here in PR are so full repairing cars that the wait time to schedule your car to get fixed averages 10 days. I can tell you also that their suspensions do not hold up like Japanese cars. In PR we have a lot of rough roads, pot holes, etc., and you you can ask any Kia or Hyundai owner how many times they have had bushings and struts go out.
Check out this list of best used cars by consumer reports. A Korean car appears on there once...
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/used-cars/cr-recommended/best-and-worst-- - used-cars/overview/best-and-worst-used-cars.htm
"Overwhelmingly, the best values come from Japanese automakers, including most of the top models in the categories. (See Best & worst values.) Of the 48 best values in our lists, 34 are from Japanese brands. Six models come from European brands (mostly Volkswagen), five come from American ones (mostly Ford), and three are from South Korean automakers."
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/buying-advice/best-values/overv- iew/index.htm
As for CR's opinions on new Korean cars:
* A Korean car (Genesis) is preferred by CR over the like-priced Lexus car. Both are among the highest-scoring vehicles CR has tested.
* A Toyota is one of the lowest-scoring vehicles in CR's tests. There are no Korean vehicles in CR's list of Lowest Scorers.
* There's 8 Korean cars that CR recommends in its "under $25k" list. There's only 5 Hondas and Toyotas. The new Civic was so poor in CR's tests, they didn't even recommend it.
Welcome to 2012, where the Japanese brands no longer have the advantage in quality they once had. But then, Korean vehicles no longer have the huge price advantage they once had.
Also, looking at a consumer reports Ratings and Pricing 2011 right in front of me. 2011 Gensis coupe and sedan reliability is average (hollow circle) Lexus IS: Excellent (solid red). None of their cars have solid red reliability.
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#24 of 35 2006 Sedona by lavrishevo
Feb 19, 2010 (8:35 am)
Has been a great van . Few minor problems fixed immediately by the dealer. 31k and running great. Best van for the money by far!
Please include your daytime contact information and a few words about the decision you made.
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The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
Help.... any thoughts from anyone that own one of these three cars and why they are happy with them would help me out. I am buying one of these cars easter weekend.
If you like a lot of back-seat room, the Jetta might be the best "compact" in that area. But the base Jetta has an anemic 115 hp engine and the dash is pretty chintzy. Has a nice low price, however.
I've driven the Elantra several times, have driven several current-gen Corollas, and have taken the 2012 Civic LX on a long test drive (5MT). IMO the Elantra is clearly the tops in that group, and the Corolla at the bottom. The Civic wasn't terrible but I like the dash of the Elantra much better than the Civic's, and the Elantra has more back seat leg room. The Corolla has a cheap interior IMO and the least back seat room of the bunch. Also I find it uncomfortable to drive. It's possible you'd get a little higher FE with the Civic, but you have to decide if that is most important to you. You might find you can get a Civic LX for less money than an Elantra GLS.
Be sure you take the cars on a LONG test drive before plopping down your hard-earned money.
I have never driven a civic. Maybe I should drive one just to make sure I would or wouldn't want one. I have driven a Toyota, but again I don't like the looks of it.
mr qone - thanks for that info on the civic. The civic just seems small to me. I like the room in the elantra.
You might want to check out the Mazda3 Skyactiv, if you don't need a lot of rear seat legroom. It doesn't get better mpg than the Elantra but is very close, and is a blast to drive especially with the short-throw stick. All new Mazdas sold in the USA have the same warranty, AFAIK.