Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
And you were afraid of maintenance and repair costs on a 94 Legend?
Something to consider though.
The Aurora and Millenia would both scare me.. I'm also not feeling it for the 626.. That one might bore you to death...
Maybe a '94-'97 Accord... We had one for a couple of years.. It seemed nice at the time..
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
We bought three of them as Old's was going away cheap for company cars and the have been very reliable.
65.00 per hour? Where?
I liked the 2.5 626 i had for a couple of years. Definitely sportier handling than most others in its class. If I had the foresight to get it with a stick, I probably would have kept it much longer.
'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
03-05 Mercury Sable LS Premium. I'm seeing '05's with under 5k miles advertised in the 15's. Figure transaction prices at least a grand or more less. An '03 would be probably closer to 11.
These are all loaded up full of toys like leather, roof 6-cd changer, 4 cams under the hood, etc. I had one for a rental a while back and was amazed at what a decent ride it was. Definitely a shame Ford let the air out of the Taurus/Sable balloon.
We will receive about $7000 from insurance, and I figured I could kick in about $8000, give or take a couple to replace this car. I would like a sedan or wagon that is safe, reliable, relatively fuel efficient, not too large, and low maintenance. Styling and performance are of low priority (we have other cars that fulfill these missions ).
I cannot find a decent 2000-2002 Accord or Camry in this price range, but I am now considering a 2005 Ford Taurus or Mitsubishi Gallant from Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
Ought not to be too difficult to find a 2-4 year old Legacy or Outback in that price range.
I could be wrong.. happens multiple times daily...
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
I thought he was talking about $15k total.
I would think for $15K, you could find a very nice '02 Accord...
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
YMMV
for that, you could almost get into a NEW '06 Accord sedan VP ($17k, according to carsdirect), or a lightly used '05 or '04.
OR, how bout a new Scion xA? or Mazda3?
man. makes me wanna total my Volvo (j/k ... sort of). Mine is a '98 and I wouldn't get $7k even private party.
'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
I bought my S70 about 4.5 years ago. It was a certified pre-owned '98 with 30k miles on it.
The good: I have NEVER found a comparable used car at a comparable price that I thought fit all of my needs and desires so well. Its incredibly comfortable, quite fast, great in foul weather, great stereo, etc.
The bad: it can be expensive to keep up. but i knew that going into it, so it really hasn't bothered me that much. i learned to stay away from the dealership, so it hasn't been a money pit. I would say, over these past 4.5 years and 85k miles (it now has 115k), I think I've put about $3k-$3500 of necessary repairs and maintenance into it. And, coincidentally, I was just looking through the summary of several long-term testers in a particular magazine yesterday. Seems many of their cars had maintenance costs over $1k for their first 40k miles. So I'd have to say the Volvo has been on par with alot of cars on the market.
All of that said, I think alot of manufacturers have caught up and probably passed my volvo in many of my personal "needs/wants" since 1998. I still really like Volvo, but it seems to me they haven't been advancing in leaps and bounds over the past decade like their competition. For example, look at the '98 I30 vs my '98 S70 and I find the S70 to be an absolute DREAM CAR comparatively; HOWEVER, the '05 G35 puts an '05 S60 to shame, in my opinion. I can even say the same for an '05 Accord, which isn't even supposed to be in the same class. Its just SO much better than a '98 Accord, while I find an S60 to be virtually the same car as my S70.
The new C70 looks like it could be quite nice. I'd like to check one out, but I really wish they would have offered the higher output engine from the S60 T5.
'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
These are pretty nice drivers, especially for a convertible .... they're quiet, ride nice, look good, safe, the chicks love em' and they'll run til' 150k++ .... me personally, I'm not a convertible person but these are pretty nice -- that said, you need to drive one and see if "you" like em' ...
Qbrozen is right, they can be expensive for later repairs ... but ~ we then need to add BMW, Audi, Benz, Saab, etc ..... if you want "cheap" go find a Sunbird convert ..
Terry.
Is it worth going through the trouble of putting ads in the paper/online to sell this car for $400-500 or so (KBB value for a car in fair condition) or shall I just trade it in for whatever pittance the dealer might give me? Will I get any calls for this car if I bother putting it up for sale in the paper/online?
Also I have followed with some interest the Volvo discussion. I have been kind of enamored with european cars and their reputation for quality and nice ride. I am considering a used Volvo 850 (1995) but I'm really worried if that will turn into an endless pit of money with endless trips to the shop. I am not the do-it yourself kind of guy so I'd be bringing it to the shop for most things. I like the 850 because with so many SUVs on the road I'd like something safe and without jumping to the SUV bandwagon myself and it also is in my price range (~$6000).
How would a 1999 Toyota corolla compare to a Volvo 850? A newer (2000 or 2001) Ford Taurus or Nissan Altima? (I found what seems like a good deal on a Nissan Altima (2001 with 60 K miles) for $6000, it was a rental car after running a carfax check.
Sorry for so many questions. Many thanks for any feedback!
You'll see that a lot of folks here recommend the Taurus - if nothing else, parts & service are readily available and not at a premium. I'd be interested in hearing others' opinions on the Altima, as that's one of my list as well.
As far as the car goes, if you're only hoping to get $500, max, for it, is it really worth the effort of placing an ad, having people call you and stop by your house? If it's worth the extra few $$ you'd get, then by all means, do it. But it might be worth a trip to the dealership just to see what they'd give you for it before you go through the hassle.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
While I agree with Kirstie, that the hassle may not be worth it... If the car runs decently, putting it on the corner with a sign that says $895 on it, might bring you a cash buyer in a big hurry... maybe only $500 cash, but worth it, I think...
Every time someone posts in the forums, asking how they can find an "under $1000" beater... they get told that the "under $1000" beaters are now $1500-$2000..
I'm betting there is a pretty good market for an under $1000 car... and that you can sell it in one weekend, if you put the car where it can be seen..
Umm.. CASH ONLY.. no checks or money orders..
regards,
kyfdx
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator
Have her checked out real good though!
The Sandman
Only reason I got rid of the Stanza was because someone hit me running a red light and totalled the car (not hard to do on an 8 year old car).
Have a mechanic look it over, and be prepared that you might need new brakes soon at that mileage if they haven't been done yet, but IMHO, for $6,000 that Altima should be a good driver for you for several more years.
Taurus - O.K. cars for the most part, especially the newer ones. Can be a lot of car for the money.
Altimas - A good choice. Good cars that never hold resale values like a Honda or Toyota.
The one I looked at today was red/black top. I'll probably look again on Monday & perhaps Wednesday, but would love another opinion on this particular vehicle.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
I wouldn't waste my time, but maybe you'll get lucky, since it's February.
-Mathias
Also it's got new tires, again very normal for that many miles on the car.
Other than that we've been very dedicated to changing the oil every 3 to 4k miles. Maintenance costs have been very low on this car.
Kirstie, don't know if you're reading in the Convertibles topic? I was considering a Solara too, but now have just about decided to buy a new Volvo C70.
You might also want to look at a newer Mustang, if fun to drive counts with you. If reliability and practicality counts more, the Solara looks like a good choice. It has a HUGE trunk for a convertible; that's a plus if it's going to be your only car.
I did see a nice looking 1999 Toyota Corolla with 90 K miles for $6000 from a private seller. Toyotas seem pretty long-lasting from what I've read. The only thing with them is they are quite plain and boring looking.
Also compared to that somewhat old Toyota, would a Hyundai Accent be a better deal? I saw a 2001 from a private person for $6000 and it only has 56 K miles. It looked fine, with the only "defect" being a few scratches on the paint and their dog tore up the rear door handles. Would that be a good deal? Or will this also be a car that I'll have to start sinking money into soon? Many thanks again for all the feedback. It's very useful for someone like me who's not all that experienced with all the car makes out there.
I do miss my old PV 544 though. Anyone know what these were?
The Malibu drove nice, but the seating position without the power seat was abyssmal!
The Sandman :sick:
So...your kids fit in the back seat of a CR-V, but not in the back seat of an Accord :confuse:
Keep in mind that I'm trading in a minivan, which generates the lowest rating on the excite-o-meter. I drive 22K+ miles per year, so I'm looking more for reliability, comfort, & safety than an exciting experience.
biancar, the Mustang? Good mid-life crisismobile, but not practical enough for me.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
Edmunds Price Checker
Edmunds Lease Calculator
Did you get a good deal? Be sure to come back and share!
Edmunds Moderator