UPDATED - I'm In The Market For a Used Car - What Should I get?

[summerrluvv]

I have no idea what kind of car to get. I've looked around and I'm overwhelmed. I'm looking for something 2003 and newer, four door (no SUV, so station wagon types), safe and under say $13k (is that even possible?!).

Any recommendations?

 

[eeyoreiscool]

I would find something Toyota or Honda makes that is that low. I think some of the Scions are around 13-14k new so used ones should be cheaper. The same with the Echos.

 

[aprilgail2]

Saturns are awesome cars..I have had 3 and never a problem...I have an old 99 Saturn as my second/station car and never had any problem with it at all and it has 60,000 miles on it.

 

[powellrj]

ask about a ford Taurus fleet car. Many companies use them as their company cars, so there are usually many out there. Call a few dealerships and ask if they can get you one and then deal from there.If they don't know what you are talking about, call another one. I know the guy we work with told us to just call and tell him what color and options we want and he would have a car for us in a couple of weeks. We usually get a car that is a year old, for around $10,000. The mileage is usually a little high, but the cars are usually well maintained.

We bought one last year, it was a loaded 04 SES with 19,000 miles on it and paid $10,500. We have to replace both of our cars every 4 years so we are usually buying a car every 2 years.

 

[we3disneygo]

good questions as we need to replace one or both of our 93's.....

 

[summerrluvv]

I would find something Toyota or Honda makes that is that low. I think some of the Scions are around 13-14k new so used ones should be cheaper. The same with the Echos.

Those cars are really tiny aren't they? I have a child, so I'm looking for something about the size of an Accord (which is what I have now) or even a Civic.

I saw that Saturn Ion's are really inexpensive and look nice, but I've never seen one in person. Does anyone know how those compare in size (not performance) to an Accord? I've read mixed reviews on Saturns. I did a search on the boards. It's either love them or hate them.

How about Hyundai? Anyone have one of those? I've seen a few Sonata's that look nice, and I know they carry a great warranty, but don't know anything about them otherwise.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I have a Saturn Ion III. I bought mine brand new in 2004. It gets great gas mileage and mine has a sunroof and the material is a bit nicer, but overall I really like mine. It has some get up and go. I will tell you that the inside is a bit small. If you are hauling around a family of 4 and they aren't little people, this isn't the car for you. My husband is 6'1 and cannot sit in the back seat. He just cannot bend that much into a pretzel, lol. If its just you and a toddler or two I would say its just fine. The trunk is very good size. I've not had any maintenance problems what so ever. The only thing motor wise I don't like is the electric transmission. It really sounds weird sometimes when you are going up and down hills.

Have you looked at the chevy Aveo(something like that). Brand new I don't think it costs around what you are wanting to spend. I think its about the size of a civic. Good luck I hate car shopping.

 

[motherhen17404]

We were also looking for a used car for my DH, he has a van, but he got a new job that is 1 1/2 hours each way so we needed something good on gas. We looked at over 15 used car places and even the auto auctions here in PA.

We ended up buying a 2006 Saturn Ion. My DH is 6'4 and he has no problem driving it, just don't ask him to sit in the back! I am only 5'2 and I thought the back seat was very comfortable. I could not believe how big the trunk is either. The only thing "strange" thing about the car is the instruments in the dash are set off to the right of the stearing wheel. So instead of looking down between the stearing wheel to see your speed, you just look a little to the right to see the speed.

The reason we went with the Ion was every used car we looked at that was in good shape was the same price as the Ion. And those cars had a lot of miles on them. So for us, getting a car with no miles, good gas mileage and a warranty was what sold us.

Good luck in finding a car. Just be careful that if you buy a used car it is not one of the "flood cars" from New Orleans. I have heard a lot of those cars are hitting the used car lots.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Have you checked out anything at Barons Auto Mall in Medford or Selden? OT but did you ever get the old car fixed after the little fender bender? Good luck. We checked out alot of the local dealerships for our ds and ended up at barons. They give you car fax, warranty etc. etc.

 

[RC Fan]

I would second the suggestion of a Toyota or a Honda.

 

[MICKEY88]

2003 or 2004 Chrysler 300M..perfect blend of luxury and performance, just drove from PA to Orlando, and back of course...my MPG for the whole trip including a week of driving around Orlando..was 27MPG, not bad for a decent sized car....

If you want more testimony for the value of theis car I can give you the link to The Chrysler300M Enthusiasts Club, the owners there will tell you it's the best car they've ever owned, handles great, very comfortable on long trips..

I actually drove straight thru from Orlando back to PA, no fatigue or stiffness when I stopped for gas along the way..

if you want more info PM me..

 

[puffkin]

I have no idea what kind of car to get. I've looked around and I'm overwhelmed. I'm looking for something 2003 and newer, four door (no SUV, so station wagon types), safe and under say $13k (is that even possible?!).

Any recommendations?

This is EXACTLY what we were looking for and we really had a hard time. We wanted to replace our Ford Ranger because we needed something with a back seat for the baby. We also wanted something newer, low mileage, safe and reliable in that price range.

Let me tell you pickings were SLIM! At least around here. Cars like that were way over priced in our opinion and the dealers weren't that willing to negotiate with us. We actually ended up going with an '06 Toyota Corolla with side curtain airbags and ABS. We didn't end up paying that much more and we got a brand new car with full warranty, the safety features we were looking for, and the reliability/peace of mind we wanted. Plus, since we were financing (new or used) we got a much better rate for the new car which brought the overall price of the car down even more. We actually just picked up the car last night after over a month of shopping. We will miss the truck....but we are happy with our choice.

Good luck with your hunt, it can definitely be overwhelming!

 

[Regina]

Our DS really likes his ION. We've been very happy with our Hyundai's. I have the Sante Fe, DH has the LX something or other (I can never remember the model.) We got our DD the Elantra and she loves it. The IONs and Elantras are fairly close to the price range that you're considering.

 

[agnes!]

For our last car we bought from Carmax. Got a 2002 Toyota camry XLE & it was *loaded* - V6, leather interior, heated front seats, electronically-adjustable driver *AND* front passenger seats, moonroof. We bought it in June 2002 and it only had 6000 miles on it. Got the car for about $7000 under new/retail!

Our neighbor has alos bought from Carmax & was very happy.

agnes!

 

[bengalbelle]

I have a 2002 Nissan Altima and I love it. I'm sure you could find a used one in your price range. It's very roomy (even the backseat) and has tons of trunk space. It has been a very reliable car.

I also love Hondas and Toyotas. With the exception of my Nissan, they're all we've owned. One word about the Hondas, I don't know if this is true with every insurance company, but when we were looking at new/used cars our insurance agent told us Hondas are the most expensive to insure because if they're wrecked only Honda parts can be used in them. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[summerrluvv]

Have you checked out anything at Barons Auto Mall in Medford or Selden? OT but did you ever get the old car fixed after the little fender bender? Good luck. We checked out alot of the local dealerships for our ds and ended up at barons. They give you car fax, warranty etc. etc.

They are on my list of "preferred dealers" from HSBC so I'll check them out

Oh..my friend ended up getting the dent out of my door so I didn't have to pay a bunch of money to fix it

 

[summerrluvv]

I have a 2002 Nissan Altima and I love it. I'm sure you could find a used one in your price range. It's very roomy (even the backseat) and has tons of trunk space. It has been a very reliable car.

I also love Hondas and Toyotas. With the exception of my Nissan, they're all we've owned. One word about the Hondas, I don't know if this is true with every insurance company, but when we were looking at new/used cars our insurance agent told us Hondas are the most expensive to insure because if they're wrecked only Honda parts can be used in them. Just something to keep in mind.

I've heard that as well, but I'm not sure if it's true. My Honda right now (96 Accord) is only about $50 a month to insure. Of course that sounds cheap to me and it's only liability (no collision coverage).

 

[summerrluvv]

I got a 2006 Saturn Ion Sedan! I'm so excited I signed all the paperwork yesterday and provided everything goes smoothly with the financing (used Capitalone Auto Finance Blank Check deal online) I pick it up Tuesday I just couldn't find anything I liked that was used, clean, with cheap insurance and had the options I wanted (specifically power windows, locks and keyless entry), and the payment isn't much more on the new so I just went for it.

 

[puffkin]

I got a 2006 Saturn Ion Sedan! I'm so excited I signed all the paperwork yesterday and provided everything goes smoothly with the financing (used Capitalone Auto Finance Blank Check deal online) I pick it up Tuesday I just couldn't find anything I liked that was used, clean, with cheap insurance and had the options I wanted (specifically power windows, locks and keyless entry), and the payment isn't much more on the new so I just went for it.

Congratulations. It is just too funny that we were in the exact same boat, just a week ahead of you. We picked up our '06 Toyota Corolla last Tuesday. Amazing how many cars still don't have power windows/locks and keyless entry! To me that is not a luxury option anymore. We have been happy so far with the Corolla (though it is a big adjustment from the Truck we traded in). I hope you enjoy your Ion!

 

[summerrluvv]

Congratulations. It is just too funny that we were in the exact same boat, just a week ahead of you. We picked up our '06 Toyota Corolla last Tuesday. Amazing how many cars still don't have power windows/locks and keyless entry! To me that is not a luxury option anymore. We have been happy so far with the Corolla (though it is a big adjustment from the Truck we traded in). I hope you enjoy your Ion!

Congrats on your Corolla too!!