needin a new too me cage type thingy

[old2soon]

Lookin in the 2006  2011 years and around a $4000.00 $5000.00 price range. Do NOT need a huge gas guzzling V-8. Tryin to be around 125000 or so on miles. Have found some here in Illinois in the price range and about 80-85000 miles. A clean Carfax IS a plus. Maybe a relative or a friend is looking to downsize cage wise. While Mercury Grand Marquis and Cadillacs and Lincoln and Mercedes Benz and such like ARE Nice repair costs and parts costs are too cursed high. And for some reason he won't expand on my mechanic for a Lot of years will NOT work on Volkswagen. Another G M with the 3.5 3.8 3.9 V 6 engines Will be considered after so many years with my 3.8. NOT lookin fer a hybrid or an electric or a sub compact. I'm 6' 2" tall and hear bout 230 pounds of steak and biscuit and gravy fed kinda guy. Stayin away from pickups and s u vs. Sedans Are what I'm lookin into. Prefer 4 door as we KNOW how crowded parking lots are with the excellent drivers we have these days!  Saw some nice lookin Chrysler 300 tourin V-6s and the went to Edmunds and gobytel and Consumer reports and they-300 touring's-got scratched. Yeah-I KNOW-picky picky picky. Tryin to buy something that will see me thru a few more years. Had my 94 Olds near on 8 years and it did NOT break the bank for me. So anyone here if you could think about it a bit and either P M me or answer here-muchoappreeciado!  RIDE SAFE.

[msb]

For the money, and especially reliability and maintenance cost even with higher miles, can't go wrong with Toyota. Have several neighbours  here with Camrys and they all love 'em. So i bought one (2005) for my Mom who at 88 still drives a bit. Nice driving car, lots of room and reliable as heck. The V6 goes forever.

[RP#62]

How about a 6X6.

http://hennesseyperformance.com/vehicles/ford/f-150-raptor/2017-ford-f-150-raptor/velociraptor-6x6/

-RP

[old2soon]

How about a 6X6.

http://hennesseyperformance.com/vehicles/ford/f-150-raptor/2017-ford-f-150-raptor/velociraptor-6x6/

-RP

         YUP-saw dat da udder day! Ya wanna lend me bout a Mil American?  Yeah-thought not!  Kinda wee bit over da top-Well my top fer sure and fer certain!  Nuttin succeeds like excess!  RIDE SAFE.

[Robert]

Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Kia not necessarily in that order. Honda and Toyota will be a bit more expensive than the Hyundai but not necessarily better. Kia is not a bad choice and will last also. The Hyundai may have some warranty left if you get one with under 100k on the clock. I would also look at their SUV's since they are pretty small. None in this range should require frequent or expensive repairs either. Most come with 4 cylinder and will be efficient. 

You know I dont know how much you would be into this but the Honda Mini van is great to drive lasts forever and cheap to maintain. It has plenty of storage space and is no slouch, I have seen them go over 200k without to much of a problem. While the Chrysler 300 is a no go for me the Chrysler mini van is a good vehicle also.

While I love the 6x6 Raptor it might be a pain climbing into it.  600hp 0-60 4.9   

[Rams]

Personally, I'd consider something like a Honda Ridgeline.

Yeah, I know you're not looking for a pick up but, those things (the first iteration, not the second) have four doors (roomy), all wheel or 4WD, storage in the back and under the bed, can tow (with limits) and are almost as handy as a pick up.   Everyone I know that's had one has bragged about their dependability and low cost maintenance.   Been trying to talk my 82 year old mom into getting one and trading her pick up off.  

Anyway, that's my opinion for all it's worth.

Rams

[art]

Had a Kia Sportage POS got screwed more on that car than anything I ever owned except a Dodge Van.

[¿spoom]

How about a 6X6.

http://hennesseyperformance.com/vehicles/ford/f-150-raptor/2017-ford-f-150-raptor/velociraptor-6x6/

-RP

Not in my price range, but what a cool toy! You know Al Gore secretly wants one.

[¿spoom]

Lookin in the 2006  2011 years and around a $4000.00 $5000.00 price range. Do NOT need a huge gas guzzling V-8. Tryin to be around 125000 or so on miles. Have found some here in Illinois in the price range and about 80-85000 miles. A clean Carfax IS a plus. Maybe a relative or a friend is looking to downsize cage wise. While Mercury Grand Marquis and Cadillacs and Lincoln and Mercedes Benz and such like ARE Nice repair costs and parts costs are too cursed high. And for some reason he won't expand on my mechanic for a Lot of years will NOT work on Volkswagen. Another G M with the 3.5 3.8 3.9 V 6 engines Will be considered after so many years with my 3.8. NOT lookin fer a hybrid or an electric or a sub compact. I'm 6' 2" tall and hear bout 230 pounds of steak and biscuit and gravy fed kinda guy. Stayin away from pickups and s u vs. Sedans Are what I'm lookin into. Prefer 4 door as we KNOW how crowded parking lots are with the excellent drivers we have these days!  Saw some nice lookin Chrysler 300 tourin V-6s and the went to Edmunds and gobytel and Consumer reports and they-300 touring's-got scratched. Yeah-I KNOW-picky picky picky. Tryin to buy something that will see me thru a few more years. Had my 94 Olds near on 8 years and it did NOT break the bank for me. So anyone here if you could think about it a bit and either P M me or answer here-muchoappreeciado!  RIDE SAFE.

Honda mini vans and Toyota Camrys seem to be bulletproof, and I would look into the 2014-2017 Impala. Don't know anybody with one and I've had my outs with GM, but I do remember reading more than one report that was surprisingly good.

[cookiedough]

Had a Kia Sportage POS got screwed more on that car than anything I ever owned except a Dodge Van.

what year Kia Sportage??   I would never buy a hyundai or Kia prior to 2011.  Now,  2011 say thru 2013 hyundai or kia and much better quality and reliability.  I own a 2014 hyundai 3.3L V6 290hp santa fe and 2014 hyundai base 4 door sonata sedan but both will be over that 5-6K price range since too new.  A 2011 or 2012 sonata 2.4L 4 cylinder 190 hp is adequate for 5-6K with 100K miles or so but only issue is they do sit a tad bit too low but roomy once inside.  PLus, not that you care about mpg, but does get decent hwy. mpg around 36-37 but in town sucks about 24 mpg if all city driving.  Best mpg is long interstate trips on sonata getting no joke 39.5 avg mpg going 80 mph.  Reliability is good nothing wrong with the 2.4L engine just have to do regular 4-5K oil changes.

We bought for 4K this spring a 2004 pontiac vibe (sister of higher priced by 1K or more toyota matrix) and is easy to get in/out of and although only 130hp it only had 104K miles on it and in good shape runs well knock on wood some 7K miles later and is fine still for daughter.    You will be hard pressed to find ANY car worth buying for 4K but in that 6K range your options are more open.  

The toyota camry does sit up higher than our sonata easier to get in/out, but then again the price will reflect toyota over kia/hyundai another 2-3K in price higher as well.  when we bought new our 2014 base sonata, msrp was 22.5K out the door price 17.7K not too shabby for brand new vs. a comparable toyota camry base 4 cylinder was around 21-22K out the door price not worth it in terms of toyota vs. hyundai an reliability is just as good IMO with hyundai vs. toyota.

those honda crv's would be nice to get in/out of and an older one might be do-able if you can stand the looks of them not my cup of tea though in terms of looks.    

[Alpha Dog]

I will second that Pontiac Vibe Cookiedough.  They are well know for great reliability and the hatch with rear fold down seats gives a lot of cargo area. 2 years back one showed up around me and I bought an 07 with 90k miles on the spot for about 4k to use as a company vehicle and let my son use as he will be 16 in October.   I average 30mpg and get 35 to 36 on Interstates.

Happy hunting Dennis.

[pais]

   Good morning all,
    Hey "old" just went through this very thing recently. Right down to year, mileage and cost. I wanted a short bed Chevy Silverado though. Summer of 2016 I was in the market for a car with same parameters for my 6'4", 260lb teenage son.
    First off here is a handy website for checking out reliability as well as chronic problems: https://www.carcomplaints.com/
As I looked at various cars, a lot of issues I found were on the website.
     I decided on a Camry but once I found some worth considering. Found out son did not "fit" well. Honda Accord was out for the same reason.
     Then I stumbled on to the Toyota Avalon. Very roomy, reliable, comfortable car. If I remember correctly. The years that were in my price range were from '99-'04 or'05. They are sleds with plenty of safety features and decent mpg's. I found a 2000 with 132k on the clock in pretty good condition for $3200. Our 2000 consistently gets 18mpg w/pure city driving. Drops to 16mpg with winter gas.
      Hope that helps. Funny I was driving my kids Avalon recently. Car rides great, quiet and that 6 in it is peppy! I sold my '96 Ranger before I was sure of getting the '02 Silverado I found. It's hell when you gotta ask your kids for the keys to the car, LOL!
        P.S. I third that Pontiac Vibe. It was a joint effort with Toyota some years back. It's Toyota sister is the Matrix, I think.

                                   Good luck none the less!

[signart]

Camry, go Avalon if you can stretch it and quiet luxury is important. 4 cyl Camry has plenty of power and 32+ (36 hwy) mpg. I'll send you a little ole lady Camry for sale (ole lady do not go with it) if you want to comp. by PM

[John Schmidt]

Dennis, Kia is a subsidiary of Hyundai. Hyundai didn't build their own motors until the early 90's. Prior to that they got them from Mitsubishi. About 10 yrs. ago Mercedes was tying to get Hyundai to provide them with a 4-cyl., don't know if that ever came to pass. As others have said, Toyota and Honda are a good investment. My wife, when she got to the point she could no longer drive, gave her 1992 100k+ ES300 Lexus to her granddaughter upon graduation from high school. Before doing so, we spent a few bucks getting it thoroughly checked out, repaired/replaced a few small items and then let her have it. She put another 55k on it over the next few until finishing initial vet training. All she ever did was get a new battery and a couple tires. As I recall, it had something like 180k on it when she traded it, her dad said it still didn't use oil. I would suggest checking certain models of cars for either a timing belt or chain. The '92 Lexus we had used a belt and needed changing about every 60-70k, along with the water pump while they're in there. Our '08 Toyota Highlander has a chain so that shouldn't be an issue, we just turned 66k after 10 years so plan to keep it for a while....unless we win the lottery. I might possibly buy a new one then....or a new set of tires for the '08. 

[Jersey mike]

we've had my father-in-law's '05 Honda Element here for over a year now. It's not a vehicle I would take across country (the seating just isn't for me),  4 hours in it is about my limit but around town it's a great little vehicle. It turns on a dime and is great in parking lots. I swear you could turn this thing around in a single car garage. On the highway it'll cruise at 80 no problem.

The AC and heat work just great and in the snow and rain the All Wheel Drive has been terrific. It's easy to get into and get out of and the radio/speakers is pretty awesome too. Oil changes are easy.

The only set back is the All Wheel Drive version is a not too good on gas and I wish the wipers were about 2" bigger.

It looks a little funny but it's a great around town 2-4 hour trip vehicle and it gets you up over the sight line of cars in front of you.

[northernvalk]

For the money, and especially reliability and maintenance cost even with higher miles, can't go wrong with Toyota. Have several neighbours  here with Camrys and they all love 'em. So i bought one (2005) for my Mom who at 88 still drives a bit. Nice driving car, lots of room and reliable as heck. The V6 goes forever.

Yup....100%

[northernvalk]

I will second that Pontiac Vibe Cookiedough.  They are well know for great reliability and the hatch with rear fold down seats gives a lot of cargo area. 2 years back one showed up around me and I bought an 07 with 90k miles on the spot for about 4k to use as a company vehicle and let my son use as he will be 16 in October.   I average 30mpg and get 35 to 36 on Interstates.

Happy hunting Dennis.

That's because it's a toyota.....just get the matrix

[Jess from VA]

Having all the advice you can get on good (and also bad) choices is great.  But I also have a different way to look at the problem/solution.  It has to do with finding something relatively local to you, and not having to go all over creation to find something.

I really hate subjecting myself to dealers or used lot salesmen, who start off with ... tell me what you can spend, then show you cars worth a lot less (to pocket the difference).  But you can see and kick tires and maybe drive a lot more cars on a lot, than you can going to see one private car at someone's house.

I might even start out with a dealer or two, just to get an idea of what's out there, but I'm probably not going to buy anything from them, until I do some local private sale shopping first. The worst thing you can do is be in a hurry.  And walking away from dealer salesmen is the best thing you can do, if by chance you show up later to look around again (now they know you will walk away, and work harder to deal).  

With a dealer (or used lot), you can go in and say... I have X$ to spend (give or take) and I want the most reliable vehicle (4-door sedan) you have at that price point.  But he may not have any idea what is more reliable, or he might.  Your default position with these people is to not trust them at all, then see if they can change your mind when meeting them, one by one.

So I prefer private sales (and always looked for the proverbial older car owned by an older person/couple with low miles in perfect shape, and that even worked, once).  So with my dollar limit in mind, I go about looking at my local Craigslist and other local sources to see what pops up.  If I see something that looks promising, then I Google that make, model, year and engine type, and start reading up on it.  If it's crap, move on.  But if it still looks good, make sure to write down any chronic issues they might have, so you can check and ask about those issues when you go see the car in person.  Private sellers can also be liars, but I find that less likely in general than salesmen, who are often professional liars.  

This method may not get you the make and model you might really prefer, but it can get you the best deal/price/lower miles on a good car that fills your requirements, locally .

However you go about finding your car, deciding in advance you are going to take it (from either the dealer or the private home), to have it checked out at your own expense is a very good idea (before closing any deal).

One other thing:  I twice owned small/mid wagons with hatchbacks (and an El Camino with flat camper) that gave great utility in the storage and loading/hauling category over trunked sedans.  In all three of these vehicles, I was able to stretch out and sleep in back in relative comfort (at 5'9") on occasion.  But you do lose the security of a locking trunk (if that is important to you) .  And wagons seem less likely to have been hot rodded by their owners than sedans.

Good luck, and good hunting.  

Edit:  To start out, try computer Googling these words...  What is the most reliable vehicle (or 4-door sedan) I can buy for $5K?   And start opening windows and reading.  Consumer Reports is a bunch of safety fanatics, but a professional write-up should carry more weight than one written on some forum by some guy, but as you keep opening windows and reading and getting the same make and model recommended, that becomes valuable information.  

[northernvalk]

Jess....I agree with everything you said except for the whole "local" thing?!?! If you plan on owning a vehicle for a few years, why should an hour or five prevent you from getting the best one possible? I will search hi and low when I am looking for a vehicle and will travel 10 hours if it means getting a low mileage/better version of what I am looking for.  jmho

[Jess from VA]

I mean local to be a relative term.  I can see a million used cars within an hour from me.  And yeah, I would go a few hours to get the best deal.  But how can you ever know it is really the best deal until you make the trip.... maybe wasted trip.

[art]

Had a Kia Sportage POS got screwed more on that car than anything I ever owned except a Dodge Van.

what year Kia Sportage??   I would never buy a hyundai or Kia prior to 2011.  Now,  2011 say thru 2013 hyundai or kia and much better quality and reliability.  I own a 2014 hyundai 3.3L V6 290hp santa fe and 2014 hyundai base 4 door sonata sedan but both will be over that 5-6K price range since too new.  A 2011 or 2012 sonata 2.4L 4 cylinder 190 hp is adequate for 5-6K with 100K miles or so but only issue is they do sit a tad bit too low but roomy once inside.  PLus, not that you care about mpg, but does get decent hwy. mpg around 36-37 but in town sucks about 24 mpg if all city driving.  Best mpg is long interstate trips on sonata getting no joke 39.5 avg mpg going 80 mph.  Reliability is good nothing wrong with the 2.4L engine just have to do regular 4-5K oil changes.

We bought for 4K this spring a 2004 pontiac vibe (sister of higher priced by 1K or more toyota matrix) and is easy to get in/out of and although only 130hp it only had 104K miles on it and in good shape runs well knock on wood some 7K miles later and is fine still for daughter.    You will be hard pressed to find ANY car worth buying for 4K but in that 6K range your options are more open.  

The toyota camry does sit up higher than our sonata easier to get in/out, but then again the price will reflect toyota over kia/hyundai another 2-3K in price higher as well.  when we bought new our 2014 base sonata, msrp was 22.5K out the door price 17.7K not too shabby for brand new vs. a comparable toyota camry base 4 cylinder was around 21-22K out the door price not worth it in terms of toyota vs. hyundai an reliability is just as good IMO with hyundai vs. toyota.

those honda crv's would be nice to get in/out of and an older one might be do-able if you can stand the looks of them not my cup of tea though in terms of looks.    

    Not sure but I seem to think the Kia was an 04.  It blew out a spark plug taking the coil with it and costing $800 to repair the cyl. head an then a week later the oil pump went out they wanted another $800. I repaired it myself and sold it. I should have pulled the head to fix myself but was living in an RV at the time and had nowhere to do car repairs. The shop did a crummy job of fixing the spark plug hole. They put in oversize threads and a threaded bushing. When I replaced the plugs the bushing was loose enough that it was screwing down into the cyl. and would have gone in if I kept on going. Glad to get rid of it. Changing the oil pump meant removing the front drive to get to the oil pan. Lots of work on the floor in my garage at age 73 is not my idea of fun.

[sheets]

Our 2008 year Kia sportage has 101K on the clock. No a single hiccup in ten years. Did replace the battery at about year 5. Does not use a drop of oil between changes. Does not drip a drop of oil or other fluid from anyplace. Not one single problem to date. Other than scheduled maintenance, tires, and a second battery a year ago it has been flawless to date. Never had a rig in all my driving days I could say that about. Yrmv, 

[cookiedough]

I will second that Pontiac Vibe Cookiedough.  They are well know for great reliability and the hatch with rear fold down seats gives a lot of cargo area. 2 years back one showed up around me and I bought an 07 with 90k miles on the spot for about 4k to use as a company vehicle and let my son use as he will be 16 in October.   I average 30mpg and get 35 to 36 on Interstates.

Happy hunting Dennis.

That's because it's a toyota.....just get the matrix

having driven a matrix and a vibe same engine/tranny and tons of toyota/denso parts in engine bay on our pontiac vibe, but the looks of the vibe is better IMO inside and out.  Although, the seats are MUCH firmer and sits up even higher in the matrix vs. the vibe and that I liked, but the price tag is about 1 grand more paying for the toyota name is all.  It is a roomy little car and easier to get in/out of for us older folks, but no powerhouse at 130hp or so is all but does get 30-32 avg mpg and repairs are cheap and parts readily available as well.  If you can find a 2004-2007 vibe under 5K under 110K miles you done good that has all the parts in tack biggest issue is after test driving 4-5 of them is the lower body panels on each side were missing clips and not held on well.  It does not ride too terrible for such a small car but is like a subaru outback just tad bit smaller is all and much, much cheaper. 

We are hoping since got it for 4K with new tires installed at local dealer one owner car with not much rust (but does have door dings and scratches all over no biggie for 4K who cares) and good maintenance done to it like newer ignition coils and tune up and newer brakes, etc. it will last 3 more years of college for daughter and either she keeps it or gives it to our son who will be in college as well in a few more years.  If it lasts 6 more years we hope we got our 4K out of it.  ONly thing needed was new wipers, new battery just put in 1 week ago was a 6 1/2 year old battery in it, new cabin air filter and engine air filter and new gas cap (small evaporator leak is common on that car apparently mostly due to either purge valves/emmissions leak thru old non sealing gas cap and VERY easy to do oil changes yourself no need even to get the car up on ramps is tall enough to slide underneath and reach up and get at oil drain plug and oil filter easy enough. 

they are out there but test drive them since most in that 4K price range were junk needing brakes, tune up, steering wheel alignment, new tires, battery and battery bracket missing, rusted exhaust, etc., and missing or very loose lower body side mouldings.   is sort of a rattletrap though with all that plastic in back but sits 4 people very comfy IMO and rides good enough for me.

[cookiedough]

agree, goggle top 10 cars under 5K

https://www.trustedchoice.com/insurance-articles/wheels-wings-motors/cars-under-5000/

this is I think a decent looksie.

toyota corolla (same engine/tranny as a pontiac vibe/toyota matrix) and the vibe/matrix is roomier inside and more useful interior with more room inside all one area with fold down flat middle seats is pretty roomy inside.  the corolla gets better mpg though than the vibe/matrix

older honda CR-V is taller and easier to get into for us older folks but looks are so-so IMO sort of blah SUV

older subaru outback better for winter driving and taller ground clearance and slightly roomier than a vibe/matrix, but basically same design of a hatchback vehicle.

toyota camry and honda accord used are also good buys but might not get for 5K more like 6-7K.

those would be my top choices as well as a 100-110K mileage 2011 hyundai sonata but like said, is hard to get in/out of since sits pretty low to the ground.

[cookiedough]

I mean local to be a relative term.  I can see a million used cars within an hour from me.  And yeah, I would go a few hours to get the best deal.  But how can you ever know it is really the best deal until you make the trip.... maybe wasted trip.

I limit my driving time to 2 hours one way.  We spent 5 long weekends wasting the entire day when looking for our pontiac vibe (and other vehicles) like a 2008 camry we saw at a dealer we stopped at driving thru their lot 2 hours away on a whime with 170K miles on it but ran well.  Was going to jump on that camry but dealer was too high in price wanted over 5K for it and needed mirror fixed which was a safety issue they would not fix which turned me off to that dealer.  Do not be afraid to drive thru dealer lots since that one dealer finally gave in to fixing the few things needed on that camry but pissed me off bugging me to come on back once again to 'talk'.  AFter 10 phone calls leaving annoying messages they told me they would fix the mirror, etc. needing fixing and let me have it for 5K but by then I was pissed off at them wanted it done ASAP up front vs. dickering with them for over a month.
dealers really piss me off I offer a fair price tell them what needs obvious fixing and yet they want either more money (even 300 bucks more I say NO) or not fix what needs obvious fixing ASAP.  A fricking outside rearview mirror lense broke is under 100 dollar fix even with dealer labor rate, so fix the darn thing BEFORE putting it on the lot for sale!!!  You will find tons of dealers NOT inspecting the older used cars for safety and repair what needs repairing upfront which basically means their inspection shop in repairs is not doing their job to get a used car ready for sale.  Thus,  private party to me talking to owner can mean a lot to me vs. most dealers have no clue on history of car besides the CARFAX which just lists the obvious if been in a wreck or not, etc. and how many owners it had, etc.

[old2soon]

Preciate all the help offered here.  Tween readin reviews and ads and lookin tween the lines I believe I are bleedin from my eyeballs a bit!  And as an aside anyone here have Direct knowledge of the G M Northstar engines? Found a 2006 Buick Lucerne with a Northstar V-8 with 148 G on the clock. ALL and I Mean ALL decked out leather and the 9? speaker Bose stereo system. Read where the earlier N S had teething problems but after 02  03? they appear to be sorted out?? And I am More inclined to go with the G M 3.8 in the later configurations. Just soliciting the general fund of knowledge we have here available. After writing down year and model-American-Japanese and Korean well over half my picks have been scratched. And as a plus-da prez-has recently been thru this very process. My S I L and my Brother had one of dem V dub diesel thingys to git out from under. Again-preciate All the help and suggestions offered up here. At the risk of repeatin maself-THIS BOARD DO ROCK!  RIDE SAFE.

[Robert]

I have seen the later Northstar engines run without water without a problem, no maintenance almost no oil and the thing ran and ran, that kind of made respect those engines.

The 3800 is a good engine in it own right and came on many models and cars but I dont like the idle, and sometimes the intake manifold leaked water into the engine turned the oil milky and some diagnosed it with a bad engine. Some actually knew the problem and sometimes the fix was successful. Since sometimes the coolant would get into the cam bearing and seize it a month or two down the road breaking the cam in half.

The pickup from a Northstar as compared to the 3800 is night and day and even the smoothness I would choose the Northstar. The gas used is not much different with either.

[cookiedough]

like we say on here on cycles, 4 is better than 2 and 6 is better than 4 or 2.  So on a car 8 is probably going to be better than 6.    Only thing is a v8 gets nowhere near the gas mpg as a modern V6.

In general,  a 4 cylinder will get 35 mpg, a V6 around 25-26 mpg, and a V8 under 20 mpg all day long.  As the engine goes up in cylinders, the smoothness and idling and power is better.  WE did have a 3.8L V6 2004 chevy impala LS that we liked no issues with and did get impressive 29 hwy. mpg and was a good vehicle/engine/tranny, but that also sat pretty low to the ground harder to get in/out of.  Sorry, no experience with Cadillac Northstar V8 engine but guessing is o.k..  ONLY thing I would stay clear of is any GM engine 4 cylinder vehicle not had good luck with those engines past 30 years. (the pontiac vibe is a toyota 4 cylinder engine)

[solo1]

This is like asking about the best oil or tires, LOL, or maybe guns.

I would never again buy a Chrysler product, new or used and reviews back me up.

My family drives Toyotas, Hondas, and Mazdas. Mark drives GM because he knows GM.  All are good with maybe Mazda (Zoom, zoom)a little bit sportier driving.

After years of getting screwed buying 'cold' from car salesmen, I finally got wise.  When I bought this Miata, I signed up for Autocheck and did my looking ONLINE first.. What an eye opener! salvage cars, repossessed, junk, etc. It took me a month before I found this Miata and I worked a deal by offering low.  Just look up the SN on the one your interested in and you have the history.

Today, the market is the best for sedans, people are buying pickups and SUV's, and used car prices are down.  I found that it doesn't matter how many cylinders (except in motorcycles, LOL). Fours are dominant.  Economy? look for fours and lighter weight.

Summing it up, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, are all good if you do your 'homework"  Stay away from Pickups and SUV's ,they are in demand.  The car has to fit you. I bought a Mazda Three and had to trade into a Mazda 6, not enough leg room in the Three.  Dennis, I'm sure that if you consider GM, Mark would be glad to give you advice after 35 years working on GM.  He knows GM.

If you asked about a GM here I would pass it along to him.  There are some really good GM cars too if you know which ones.

[cookiedough]

This is like asking about the best oil or tires, LOL, or maybe guns.

I would never again buy a Chrysler product, new or used and reviews back me up.

My family drives Toyotas, Hondas, and Mazdas. Mark drives GM because he knows GM.  All are good with maybe Mazda (Zoom, zoom)a little bit sportier driving.

After years of getting screwed buying 'cold' from car salesmen, I finally got wise.  When I bought this Miata, I signed up for Autocheck and did my looking ONLINE first.. What an eye opener! salvage cars, repossessed, junk, etc. It took me a month before I found this Miata and I worked a deal by offering low.  Just look up the SN on the one your interested in and you have the history.

Today, the market is the best for sedans, people are buying pickups and SUV's, and used car prices are down.  I found that it doesn't matter how many cylinders (except in motorcycles, LOL). Fours are dominant.  Economy? look for fours and lighter weight.

Summing it up, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, are all good if you do your 'homework"  Stay away from Pickups and SUV's ,they are in demand.  The car has to fit you. I bought a Mazda Three and had to trade into a Mazda 6, not enough leg room in the Three.  Dennis, I'm sure that if you consider GM, Mark would be glad to give you advice after 35 years working on GM.  He knows GM.

If you asked about a GM here I would pass it along to him.  There are some really good GM cars too if you know which ones.

My neighbor has had 2 brand new Mazda vehicles I think 2014 on up bought new.  One was suppose to be the top of the line got great reviews decked out mazda cx-5 suv he liked driving it was peppy and responsive but the tranny gave out right before 60K warranty.  Now his now 3 year old mazda3 hatchback tranny going out as well.  I think that skyactive technology must not be all it is cracked up to be.    Getting 2 lemons brand new both around 60K tranny going out is not good reliability and all hwy. miles.

I like the way mazda's look, but reliability??  Personally I would buy a Hyundai/Kia over any Mazda until they prove me wrong with issues.  I could not justify a used camry or accord about 3-5K more in price  new or used so bought a new 2014 end of year clearance hyundai base sonata for 17.7K out the door pricing was msrp around 22.5K or so.  I was going to get the cheapo 2014 new hyundai accent for 15K out the door price but stepped up for more room, peppier engine, bigger tires with a spare tire since base accent does not even have a spare tire,  and not sacrifice much in terms of hwy. mpg. only city mpg being bad on the sonata around 23 mpg but do mostly hwy. driving.  We drove it 20 hours to washington DC straight thru and averaged 39.5 avg mpg doing 82 mph on all interstate.  Am sure under 75 mph we could have gotten 41 avg hwy. mpg.  in the base 2.4L 190hp engine. 

[old2soon]

Had a long discussion/talk with Mark-mad6gun-earlier today. We talked about the G M North Star engines and he said while overall a Good power plant they are Very Expensive to repair. And we also talked bout the Pancho Vibe. Like has been talked about here on this post it Is basically a rebadged Toyota. With the reliability of Toyota already built in. While Not overly powerful they are roomy and economical. And if not ending up with a Pancho leaning towards something I already Know and like and is as near bullet proof as our Valkyries-a G M 3.8. While I Am narrowing the field a finally decision has Not been determined at this point in time. But I'm not really looking to go cross country near as much as I used ta wuz while drivin 18 wheeler.  Even here in Illinois with 2 Very reliable vehicles of my Brothers at my disposal I choose to stay in as out wuz MINUS 12 this mornin!  And here locally at 1300 hrs it is a rompin stompin 1 degree above zero!  Any more suggestions here will be weighed and preciated!  The help and suggestions here are very cursed good and Very helpful! Again-Thanks. RIDE SAFE.

[solo1]

I like the way mazda's look, but reliability?? quote by Cookiedough

My son is driving a new Mazda Skyactive CX5, no problem.  I know a used car (Ford) salesman owning the same no problem.  My son-in-law had a Toyota truck with problems.  Maybe we should look at the big picture.

Both of my Mazdas have had no problem but neither have the skyactive engine..  The 2002 Miata and the 2013 Mazda 6, and I would buy them again.

[Robert]

Solo has it right about the Mazda and there's the Nissan like the Altima, both are reliable and can be purchased cheap and easy to repair. I probably should have put those in the decision blender earlier also. The Mazda B series pickup was a very good small pickup and Ford had the same truck in their lineup. 

[cookiedough]

Had a long discussion/talk with Mark-mad6gun-earlier today. We talked about the G M North Star engines and he said while overall a Good power plant they are Very Expensive to repair. And we also talked bout the Pancho Vibe. Like has been talked about here on this post it Is basically a rebadged Toyota. With the reliability of Toyota already built in. While Not overly powerful they are roomy and economical. And if not ending up with a Pancho leaning towards something I already Know and like and is as near bullet proof as our Valkyries-a G M 3.8. While I Am narrowing the field a finally decision has Not been determined at this point in time. But I'm not really looking to go cross country near as much as I used ta wuz while drivin 18 wheeler.  Even here in Illinois with 2 Very reliable vehicles of my Brothers at my disposal I choose to stay in as out wuz MINUS 12 this mornin!  And here locally at 1300 hrs it is a rompin stompin 1 degree above zero!  Any more suggestions here will be weighed and preciated!  The help and suggestions here are very cursed good and Very helpful! Again-Thanks. RIDE SAFE.

If you do go test drive a used 2004-2008 or so vibe/matrix,   it might take 4-6 of them to get what you want.  I test drove 5 of them in that 4-5K on up range in price and most needed some work before actually able to drive good so buyer beware on that.  Kick the tires and get it thoroughly checked out even the obvious like tires and steering and other broken stuff on them needed attention and some were from dealerships that I informed them to fix this or that for set amount and I will purchase.  One had a bad serpentine belt squealing at a dealer loudly and dealer said they would fix before buying.  I said fix NOW and I will come back, never heard from them again.    A few at 3K price range were junk not safe to drive in my opinion not well taken care of.

[Ramie]

I've had a couple GM vehicles with the 2.2 ecotech engine in them and found them very reliable.  Right now i'm driving an old 05 chev malibu with 175k on it and am getting anywhere from 30 to 35 miles a gallon back and forth to work, that's all I use the vehicle for.

[ricoman]

you can't beat Toyota, Honda, late model Kia's and Hyundai's. And the Mazda 3 and 6 are under-rated-very good cars.
Most Camry's are 4 cyl. and are very dependable.
Stay Away from the Northstar V8, intake manifold has to come off to change a starter-not cheap to do

[Gavin_Sons]

This is like asking about the best oil or tires, LOL, or maybe guns.

I would never again buy a Chrysler product, new or used and reviews back me up.

My family drives Toyotas, Hondas, and Mazdas. Mark drives GM because he knows GM.  All are good with maybe Mazda (Zoom, zoom)a little bit sportier driving.

After years of getting screwed buying 'cold' from car salesmen, I finally got wise.  When I bought this Miata, I signed up for Autocheck and did my looking ONLINE first.. What an eye opener! salvage cars, repossessed, junk, etc. It took me a month before I found this Miata and I worked a deal by offering low.  Just look up the SN on the one your interested in and you have the history.

Today, the market is the best for sedans, people are buying pickups and SUV's, and used car prices are down.  I found that it doesn't matter how many cylinders (except in motorcycles, LOL). Fours are dominant.  Economy? look for fours and lighter weight.

Summing it up, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, are all good if you do your 'homework"  Stay away from Pickups and SUV's ,they are in demand.  The car has to fit you. I bought a Mazda Three and had to trade into a Mazda 6, not enough leg room in the Three.  Dennis, I'm sure that if you consider GM, Mark would be glad to give you advice after 35 years working on GM.  He knows GM.

If you asked about a GM here I would pass it along to him.  There are some really good GM cars too if you know which ones.

My neighbor has had 2 brand new Mazda vehicles I think 2014 on up bought new.  One was suppose to be the top of the line got great reviews decked out mazda cx-5 suv he liked driving it was peppy and responsive but the tranny gave out right before 60K warranty.  Now his now 3 year old mazda3 hatchback tranny going out as well.  I think that skyactive technology must not be all it is cracked up to be.    Getting 2 lemons brand new both around 60K tranny going out is not good reliability and all hwy. miles.

I like the way mazda's look, but reliability??  Personally I would buy a Hyundai/Kia over any Mazda until they prove me wrong with issues.  I could not justify a used camry or accord about 3-5K more in price  new or used so bought a new 2014 end of year clearance hyundai base sonata for 17.7K out the door pricing was msrp around 22.5K or so.  I was going to get the cheapo 2014 new hyundai accent for 15K out the door price but stepped up for more room, peppier engine, bigger tires with a spare tire since base accent does not even have a spare tire,  and not sacrifice much in terms of hwy. mpg. only city mpg being bad on the sonata around 23 mpg but do mostly hwy. driving.  We drove it 20 hours to washington DC straight thru and averaged 39.5 avg mpg doing 82 mph on all interstate.  Am sure under 75 mph we could have gotten 41 avg hwy. mpg.  in the base 2.4L 190hp engine. 

My parents new highlander is in for a new transmission, less than 5 thousand miles.

[RP#62]

Beware of great deals on cars coming out of FL or TX, they may have high water marks.

-RP

[cookiedough]

This is like asking about the best oil or tires, LOL, or maybe guns.

I would never again buy a Chrysler product, new or used and reviews back me up.

My family drives Toyotas, Hondas, and Mazdas. Mark drives GM because he knows GM.  All are good with maybe Mazda (Zoom, zoom)a little bit sportier driving.

After years of getting screwed buying 'cold' from car salesmen, I finally got wise.  When I bought this Miata, I signed up for Autocheck and did my looking ONLINE first.. What an eye opener! salvage cars, repossessed, junk, etc. It took me a month before I found this Miata and I worked a deal by offering low.  Just look up the SN on the one your interested in and you have the history.

Today, the market is the best for sedans, people are buying pickups and SUV's, and used car prices are down.  I found that it doesn't matter how many cylinders (except in motorcycles, LOL). Fours are dominant.  Economy? look for fours and lighter weight.

Summing it up, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, are all good if you do your 'homework"  Stay away from Pickups and SUV's ,they are in demand.  The car has to fit you. I bought a Mazda Three and had to trade into a Mazda 6, not enough leg room in the Three.  Dennis, I'm sure that if you consider GM, Mark would be glad to give you advice after 35 years working on GM.  He knows GM.

If you asked about a GM here I would pass it along to him.  There are some really good GM cars too if you know which ones.

My neighbor has had 2 brand new Mazda vehicles I think 2014 on up bought new.  One was suppose to be the top of the line got great reviews decked out mazda cx-5 suv he liked driving it was peppy and responsive but the tranny gave out right before 60K warranty.  Now his now 3 year old mazda3 hatchback tranny going out as well.  I think that skyactive technology must not be all it is cracked up to be.    Getting 2 lemons brand new both around 60K tranny going out is not good reliability and all hwy. miles.

I like the way mazda's look, but reliability??  Personally I would buy a Hyundai/Kia over any Mazda until they prove me wrong with issues.  I could not justify a used camry or accord about 3-5K more in price  new or used so bought a new 2014 end of year clearance hyundai base sonata for 17.7K out the door pricing was msrp around 22.5K or so.  I was going to get the cheapo 2014 new hyundai accent for 15K out the door price but stepped up for more room, peppier engine, bigger tires with a spare tire since base accent does not even have a spare tire,  and not sacrifice much in terms of hwy. mpg. only city mpg being bad on the sonata around 23 mpg but do mostly hwy. driving.  We drove it 20 hours to washington DC straight thru and averaged 39.5 avg mpg doing 82 mph on all interstate.  Am sure under 75 mph we could have gotten 41 avg hwy. mpg.  in the base 2.4L 190hp engine. 

My parents new highlander is in for a new transmission, less than 5 thousand miles.

it can happen to the best of them, even Toyota.  I had a 2007 RAV4 3.5L V6 supposedly rated #1 and had head gaskets go out antifreeze all over under warranty around 20K miles near 2 years brand new.  Got rid of that soon after since had another major issue before warranty was up. 

As said someone had good luck with GM 2.2 ecotech, NOT me.  I avoid GM 4 cylinders since had issues.  Opinions on this subject might be like what oil and filter is best to use on our Valks???

[3fan4life]

I will second that Pontiac Vibe Cookiedough.  They are well know for great reliability and the hatch with rear fold down seats gives a lot of cargo area. 2 years back one showed up around me and I bought an 07 with 90k miles on the spot for about 4k to use as a company vehicle and let my son use as he will be 16 in October.   I average 30mpg and get 35 to 36 on Interstates.

Happy hunting Dennis.

The wife has a Camry and I have a Matrix.

Both cars are great.

With the back seats down the Matrix has a ton of cargo room.

The Camry rides quieter, smoother and gets a little better MPG's (both are 4cyls).

My 09 Matrix has a little over 200k miles and runs as good as the wife's 16 Camry with 40k mi.