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Used Vehicles Best Values
We've had a lot of questions about which vehicles are the best value for pre-owned purchase. Ask questions and post your opinions here!
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How about Infinity I30/35 or last model Acura RL? I noticed 2002 RLs with less
then 40000 miles can be bought for not much more than $20k.
Personally, my money is on a Volvo in this case. A few years back, I purchase my (then) 3-year-old off-lease S70 T5 with 30K miles for $20K. That's not much more than half its original sticker. These days, its still similar dealings on S60s.
The 2 you mentioned aren't bad deals, either, but it depends on what you're looking for. Based on my personal preferences, I'll most likely be looking for another used Volvo when mine dies.
'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
Only thing is (and this goes for the Volvo i just mentioned, too), you gotta like the car because even buying it 2 or 3 years old does not exempt you from suffering harsh depreciation in the coming years.
'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 always like to recommend the Ford Taurus, Chevrolet Impala, Mitsusbishi Galant, Infiniti I30/I35 (although resale on those are fairly high) the Saabs (sure, after a while they develop problems, but if you can find one with low miles, it can be a cheap, prestigious, fairly luxurious automobile) and Volvos.
I try to tell people to stay away from Lexus, Honda or Toyota. Resale on a ES330, Accord or Camry is outrageously high. Especially on a Lexus.
The local Lexus dealer had a CPO 2004 ES330 with 25,000 miles on it for $31,000. Why would I even consider a year old one with high miles when a brand new one can be had for just $2,000 more?!
I always say, if you want a Lexus and are looking at used ones, ask yourself, can you afford the extra $2,000-$3,000 for the brand new one? If the answer is yes, then get the brand new one.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
Based on maintenance costs of the particular jobs I've done or had done on both my Volvo and Honda, the Volvo has been cheaper.
'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
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
You are kidding...right?
I see the repair bills from the Volvo dealer on some of the Volvos we take in as trades!
With a Volvo, it seems like something is ALWAYS wrong and it's usually something electrical. Check engine light on, ABS light etc.
When they need brakes, they usually need rotors etc...
Nice cars to drive to be sure but as they age they can become big time money pits. At least that's what I see.
DITTO for the Saabs. They also can be real money pits. I have a real bias against these vehicles as the one in my fleet has been in the shop seven times before 25k on mostly minor issues and it also chews up tires.
If you are looking for a Honda or a Toyota under 2-3 years old, you are almost better off buying new. Many private Honda owners ask for stupid money on their used cars ... and occasionally get it. I think that the quality is better than some of the domestics but the margin is shrinking.
If you are looking for solid transportation, I generally like the fleet vehicles as they can be had for a very reasonable price. My personal favorites at this time are the Chevrolet Impalas, Buicks, and the NEW Chevrolet Malibus (not the old style which is an inferior car). The Escorts are pretty reliable. Most of the Taurus models post 2000 are fairly reliable. And we had some good luck with the Intrepids and Concords that we have had.
Personally, I look for the best car I can get with $6-7k which is a 3 year old domestic that is $4-5k less than the comparable Honda/Toyota and invest the difference for any major repairs.
Now, notice I said "cost of particular jobs." Yes, I've had the ABS light and had to have the module repaired ($180, so no big deal) and have yet to have such an incident with the Honda, so I can't compare that. BUT, I've priced rotors for both vehicles and the Honda (Pilot) was way more expensive (even the online suppliers want $87 per front rotor!! I paid $125 for a PAIR of Brembo replacements, INCLUDING PADS, for my volvo) - so I wound up just letting the Honda dealer do the Pilot because their quote of $425 all of a sudden didn't seem so bad (although they only cut to rotors for that price). Even if I let the dealer do the brakes on my Volvo, they wanted $600 for all 4 new rotors and pads. Again, seems like a bargain compared to the Honda, but, of course, since I did all 4 in my garage for $250 in parts, I went that route.
Oil changes are $27 for each vehicle ... so that's dead even. But then I have that $55 for the differential fluid on the Pilot every 15K miles.
Now, granted, my experience so far is with 106K on the Volvo and 46K on the Pilot, so who knows what the future may bring .... but, as I said, comparing repair to repair ... my Volvo has not been anywhere near the cost that many non-owners report it to be.
And the true failure of components hasn't been extraordinary. Let's see... other than the ABS module, its been pretty typical stuff like new shocks, one seized caliper, a bad wheel bearing, and a broken power antenna .... that's all I can think of. Not too bad. My sister had 2 seized calipers on her 45K mile Civic, so I really don't expect miracles from any car.
'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
True, but it's also from ME. I try to keep the "dealer" part out of things and just call things as I see them.
Last week...Volvo S-80 traded in with ABS and some engine light on. Our cost at the Volvo dealer was 1900.00 to repair. Typical from what I've seen but your experience may vary. Nothing as bad as an Audi but still naggy problems.
I once owned a bulletproof Volvo 240 that was a primitive, rugged car. the newer ones are so much more complex.
Not knoocking Volvos but I'm vary of them for the reasons I stated.
As far as what you've seen, I think its fair to say that many trade-ins suffer from neglected maintenance, don't they? I mean, when someone has their mind set on trading a vehicle in, they tend to let it slip a bit. Plus, the mentality is usually, "well, why fix the current problems when I can just let someone else do it." I would think you get to see most brands of cars at their worst, no?
'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
And, this fear comes from years of experience. I don't have the same fear if I'm showing a used Honda or Toyota because they usually don't act up.
Again, I'm not knocking European cars. I do think there are better choices for people on a tight budget.
'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
Which is why I ended up with a Japanese entry level luxury car earlier in the year instead of a German or Swedish one.
For people on tight budgets, I think the Ford Taurus is ideal- its reliable, inexpensive to fix, cheap and is fairly safe. Plus it depreciates like a rock thanks to all those fleet sales.
And, yeah..these have no resale and can be bought cheaply. Just be very sure to have it inspected by a competant shop. It seems these can be very good or very bad depending on the car. A lot of car for the money if you get a good one.
'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
For GM, I'd probably go with a Saturn.
Cadillac Deville
Chevy Impala, Lumina, Malibu, Prizm
Chrysler Pacifica, Crossfire
Dodge Intrepid
Ford Contour duratec V6, Taurus D-V6, Crown Vic, T-Birds
Lincoln LS
Mercury Grand Marquis, Sable duretec V6, Mystique V6
Old's Intrigue V6, Aurora, Alero V6
Saturn Ion, SL, L series
--- Worst Buys ---
Kia
Saab
Mitsu (except for their 4x4's)
Hyundai
VW
Terry.
Possibly a 2000 Taurus or Sable? I don't know the average selling price of those, but I'm sure it'll be cheap.
A 1999-2000 Oldsmobile Alero might be around $4000, although I'm not sure. It should be fairly inexpensive too, since Oldsmobile doesn't exist anymore. I don't know how reliable the Alero was though.
I think your best bet would probably be a 2000 Ford Taurus or Mercury Sable.
I think Hyundai made their warranty transferable now, but I'm not sure. But if it is transferable, then Hyundais might be the best values out there.
On the worst buys list, I'd also add Lexus. The resale on one of those cars is outrageously high, so high that you're much better off just buying brand new.
Give the kid a break, it's his first car .. we don't need to put him on a suicide watch ..l.o.l...
Terry.
Pontiac Vibe. The first ones came out a little over 3 years ago, as 2003 models. They're selling fairly well on the new side, and can be had for substantial discounts used. I have a 2004, so I check the auction pricing occasionallly.
An '04 Prizm with automatic and 20k can be bought for $11-12k in 'average' shape. A new one is at least $16. It's not quite the discount the Prizms used to have, but I think when they become widely availlable as off-lease vehicles, the prices will drop a little.
It should be noted that last November/December, they were doing about $1,000 less than they are doing now. Must be the price of gas.
A similar Matrix XR can not be bought for less than $14... at the auction. That is nuts.
-Mathias
I wouldn't trust Countour or Mystique as the miles pile up, I owned a 99 Mystique and while mine was basically trouble free thru 72K miles, I read alot of reports of problems on these and other forums (contour.org?). The V6 models are expensive and complicated to repair-just as a forinstance, a front wheel assembly must be removed to replace the alternator. The 4 cyl models have a suspect tranny also used in mid 90s Mazda 626.
I also would not get a Saturn L series. Too many reports of bad ones on saturnfans.com. Many people report bad steering racks, cupping tires and electrical issues.
Under 4k? Id look for a late 90s Escort, Mercury Tracer is the same thing, or a Saturn S series. Any Honda or Toyota at that price is going to have well over 100K on it. I considered doing this, I had 8K of insurance money to spend to replace my Regal, but wanted something bigger than a subcompact. I looked at 3-4 year old Taurus, Regal, Century, Saturn L, Mits Galant, Olds Intrigue , also looked at Accord, Camry, Mazda Protege, Ford Focus and ZX2. Intrigue was a real nice ride, Saturn L was OK but nothing special , Galant felt cheap and tinny. Protege is very noisy and stiff riding. Liked Focus alot but the bad rep scares me, I will put 100K on this car in 4 years. Finally decided to go with the best reputation, something I have not always done in the past, and got a 97 Camry LE 4 cyl. I found with only 43K. It now has 53K, is very quiet, comfortable and smooth riding, runs like a clock.
Since GM shut down the brand, resale on an Alero should be very low.
I really want to move away from my van (kids are getting older now), but can't bear the thought of selling it for less than $10K - it's a great vehicle.
I don't know what comment you are looking for from Isell. He can't control what people will pay for used cars.
That being said, if you have acceptable miles for a 5 1/2 year old vehicle (meaning 66K or less), then I'd be surprised to hear its only worth $7500. I would think a private buyer would pay good money for it.
By the way, I just searched Carmax in Maryland and found 3 '00 EXs and the cheapest one is $16K. so either something is really wrong with yours or you got a lowball offer. Do you have a Carmax near you? If yours is nice and, like I said, the right miles, I would think they might give you $12K or so. Even if you don't, with asking prices like that for other '00 EXs, you could certainly ask for more than $10K on yours for a private sale.
'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
From my several experiences with Carmax, I did not find that they offered any more than the wholesale prices that were offered my a number of the local dealers that I also offered the vehicles to.
I do not find their buy (or their sell) prices to be all that godd personally.
'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 Honda has 75,000 miles, no accident. Just a fairly well taken care of van (with 2 kids). I was surprised. I thought I might be offered $9-10K. We always sell our cars ourselves with good success (have never traded), but would have 'considered' a trade in offer in the $10K vicinity - but, of course, it was no where close.
We will either keep it or sell it ourselves probably now.
Thanks for your help.
These are high demand cars and like all Hondas they have a strong market and great resale.
Are you sure they didn't think it was a Chrysler?
.
... can we agree than anyone who pays 50% of new for a six-year-old ANYTHING is not paying attention?
The professionals are excused; cars are worth what they're worth. But the consumers who pay these prices should be arrested for aggravated idiocy.
-Mathias
[who tonight sold the only Honda vehicle he ever owned: A 1974 CB175 with 1800 miles.
For $1125. Talk about strong resale.]
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For $1125. Talk about strong resale.
Was it to a museum?
If Honda's early cars were built as well as the motorcycles, I can see how that company grew as much as it did since then.
But as used cars, you pay for the expectation of quality. A Honda makes sense only if you KNOW it's been maintained and trouble-free. They're incredibly strong as used cars. I recently borrowed a 2000 Accord LX 5sp from a dealer and showed it to a friend at work who I thought needed it. He thought so too and wound up buying it.
When I drove it, I began to understand why people like these cars so much. It felt incredibly solid and was fun to drive. Perfectly sized, too. Now if they brought back the wagon...
-Mathias
$7,500..?? ... was it caught in a terrorist attack.?
Terry.
While the 00 Odysseys are bringing $10 at the auctions, the 2000 Villagers with normal miles are doing $6-7 with leather and all, and can be had for $1,200 north of that at a dealership near you. That's without the magic seat and the Honda name, but with a Nissan drivetrain and comparable reliability. To me, that's an easy choice.
Just some food for thought.
-Mathias
And, it still might not be a good value...
'00 Odysseys for $10K might be a good deal... but a poor value in my book..
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Nice vehicles, but money and payments talk ... the Villagers will be history while I'm still trying to convince someone what a good buy the Ody is, especially since they have been lookin' at 01 and 02's for a little more and less miles ..........
Terry
I agree, a Quest/Villager reepresents good value for the money but they are still slow sellers compared to Odysseys or Siennas.
" It's a Mercury"
" Well, it's really a Nissan in disguise"
" Yeah...call me when you get an Odyssey in my price range"
But, I don't get that many payment buyers either.
Aaaah yeah .l.o.l.. people don't go to Ford stores to buy a Mercedes ....
No one is knocking any type or model, were talking the "broad market" .. Ody's are great vehicles, but we're using them as an example .. that said, with all things being equal, a clean Quest/Villager will be loooong gone before an Ody .. the difference.? price ....
Getting someone to spend $8,9/$9,5 on a vehicle is alot easier than $12+ because $10,000 is like a watermark in the pricing market ....... of course, your always going to find the folks that have "Honda" tattooed to their foreheads and that's always what they will buy, period - and that doesn't make it good and that doesn't make it bad, it just makes it what it is ..........
Terry.
My point was, I'm usually not successful in doing this.
The $10K is from a Honda dealer. We are planning to trade the Odyssey now for a CR-V, if we can get them to come down a bit on the CR-V price. They are at 3% over invoice, which is higher than most people are paying (I think).
Thanks for all your help.
Dawn