I Got My Used Car (Update 5-28). *pics*

AvidWriter

AvidWriter

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Ok well this thread was pretty old but I just got my used car yesterday and I'm posting some pics today.

I got a Toyota Echo. Yea I never thought I'd find an Echo, as they don't make them anymore and they are rare to find. Its an 00 but it looks new, no dings or dents no real damage at all, even inside is good.

car1.jpg

car2.jpg

car3.jpg


PS. Be nice to my bandwith at photobucket. I never used it before so I have no idea how much I get so if you aren't at all interested in seeing an Echo please dont bother clicking the "spoilers". Thanks.
 
[quote name='AvidWriter']I’d like to spend under 10k. I want a reliable car with good gas mileage. A few that I heard good things about are below but I’m just about clueless when it comes to what’s what.

Ford Focus

Toyota Prius

Toyota Echo

Honda Civic

Honda Accord


Anything you can offer will be appreciated. Thanks.[/QUOTE]

Priui (or whatever the plural is) will command a pretty hefty price over $10k.
The Echo is a rather blah car.
Some of the older Focuses are alright, but don't expect too much quality for your money.
Civics and Accords are pretty well regarded.

I'll get flamed for this but if you want a pretty cheap car that gets decent mileage and has some good handling to boot, the Dodge Neon is also a good choice.
 
i agree with Jeeper. you can't go wrong with a honda, especially the new hybrid versions of the civic and accord. think about the polar bears, too!
 
Why not a Corolla?

I'd probably spend about $6k on an older Corolla with low-ish miles. It'd get at least 25 mpg.

Outside of Volkswagens (which aren't super practical, like Honda and Toyota), Toyota's my fav manufacturer.
 
Honda or Toyota all the way!!

I have an 06 Accord and I love it... Much better than my 1st car, a 1986 Mercury Topaz. But then, anything is better than a Ford :lol::lol::lol:

Seriously though, I have a friend that has an 01 Corolla that is getting up on 200k. Only repair was a water pump (and brakes, but thats a given with that kind of miles...)
 
I have a 04 Dodge Neon. It's pretty good on gas (25-30 MPG), but still is pretty quick compared to other econo-cars. I've been seeing a lot of good prices lately since they're no longer produced, so you could easily find one for around $8000.
 
You can drive a Honda or Toyota into the ground and it'll still run great. Stay away from Ford - they don't hold up very well.
 
Listen just a few bad remarks on the Fords, don't bail on them just yet.

I love cars and own 6 currently. I get a few a year, and get rid of the ones I put 10-20k on the year before... The only car we are keeping is the Ford Escape (and my 2 Supras). Its been really reliable and does great all around.

So when you say good gas mileage what does that mean to you? I would not discount Mazda in the mix, the Mazda 3 blows most other smaller cars out of the water... 10k is do able as well on a Mazda3.

So elaborate on the mileage issue and I will hit up consumer reports for you. I love Toyotas, and have had great luck with Fords. We have also had great luck with Mazdas (ford product in reality), as well as Nissans.
 
I have an 06 honda accord 4 cyl. and I love it. its easily the best car I've ever owned. if you can find an accord in your price range (probably looking at something in the 2004 range I'd guess) I'd jump on it. I'm not a big fan of the new style civics (I test drove one and didn't like the feel or the UGLY interior, but to each their own)

you can check out the mazda 3 as well (can probably get one thats only 1 or 2 years old in your price range) I know mazda is made by ford but I drove this car I was VERY impressed, I ended up with the accord (wanted leather and a Nav system, mazda didn't offer that) but was very torn between the 2. My friend and sister have both bought Mazda's on my recommendation (neither wanted leather or a nav system) and they have been very pleased.

good luck!
 
I have a 03 civic that had 36000 miles on it, bought it back in 2006, very happy with it in the 2 years I've had it (up to over 60000 miles now, but 4000 of that was me driving from Georgia to Connecticut round trip twice). Also had a 99 civic new for 6 years before it and that car saw more accidents than I want to remember (some my fault, some not) but it never gave me any problems and it protected me beautifully as I came out of all of them unscathed.
 
[quote name='Snake2715']Listen just a few bad remarks on the Fords, don't bail on them just yet.

I love cars and own 6 currently. I get a few a year, and get rid of the ones I put 10-20k on the year before... The only car we are keeping is the Ford Escape (and my 2 Supras). Its been really reliable and does great all around.

So when you say good gas mileage what does that mean to you? I would not discount Mazda in the mix, the Mazda 3 blows most other smaller cars out of the water... 10k is do able as well on a Mazda3.

So elaborate on the mileage issue and I will hit up consumer reports for you. I love Toyotas, and have had great luck with Fords. We have also had great luck with Mazdas (ford product in reality), as well as Nissans.[/QUOTE]

Well I just want to save as much money as possible on Gas. I'd say mostly city driving as in stop and go. Not much highway.

[quote name='UnderwaterMadman']You can get a brand new 07/08 Focus for $10k.

Other than that, I would consider:

Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Mazda 3/6

Where do you live?[/QUOTE]

NY. To be more specific Long Island. I doubt I'd go into the city much.
 
[quote name='AvidWriter']Well I just want to save as much money as possible on Gas. I'd say mostly city driving as in stop and go. Not much highway.



NY. To be more specific Long Island. I doubt I'd go into the city much.[/quote]

I dont know if this was said but Volkswagen's are pretty good. My Cousin that lives in Georgia (ATL) has a Volkswagen Jetta, and they get really good gas mileage.

I myself have a Toyota Supra and it is the perfect car for price, reliability and gas mileage.
 
Let's see I've had both a Focus and a Chevy Cavalier. Focus crapped about before 100k, easily. Chevy still going strong. Plus my best friend also had a Taurus, (these are the biggest pieces of s*** in the world). If you do Ford, an SUV or Truck is okay just stay away from their cars.

Also Dodge cars blow, and Hyundai's in the States suck.

Mazda-good
Honda-good
Toyota-good
Chevy-not as good but still decent (Malibu's are pretty nice)

If you've had good luck with your Ford you get a cookie, they don't call them fix or repair daily for nothing....
 
I would recommend a Honda or Toyota aswell. Chevy's are hit or miss imo, I had a 99 Blazer that only had one problem for 180k miles, but the 99 S-10 I have right now is a piece of crap. My mother has a 06 Mazda 6 and it hasnt had any problems but it only has 50k on it so far.
 
[quote name='kube00']Let's see I've had both a Focus and a Chevy Cavalier. Focus crapped about before 100k, easily. Chevy still going strong. Plus my best friend also had a Taurus, (these are the biggest pieces of s*** in the world). If you do Ford, an SUV or Truck is okay just stay away from their cars.

Also Dodge cars blow, and Hyundai's in the States suck.

Mazda-good
Honda-good
Toyota-good
Chevy-not as good but still decent (Malibu's are pretty nice)

If you've had good luck with your Ford you get a cookie, they don't call them fix or repair daily for nothing....[/QUOTE]

Isn't Ford the most reliable domestic brand now? And do you realize that Ford owns Mazda and most new Ford models are more or less Mazdas?

Previous generation Taurus's are pieces of shit, as are the previous generation Malibus. I would really avoid Ford Explorers (especially those with a V6). Focus's have improved dramatically over the past 3 - 4 model years, not nearly as good as an import but still much better than any domestic car in its class.
 
You guys all do realize that any sweeping generalizations you make are just B.S. right?? I mean unless you are reading this and you are 12 and you need to choose some kind of allegiance.

Ford is no more or less reliable than Chevy, it all comes down to luck of the draw. You could get the car that has the part with the bad metal piece from some supplier, or you could get the one car that has the clutch thats going to fail because that part is so-so, you really dont know, there are too many factors. Plus on the internet you will basically only get the people who have had problems voicing their opinions, you rarely get the guy whos perfectly happy with the car chiming in.


And of course alot of it can be brought down to the driver too, get the guy who rides the clutch, the jackrabbit starts at every light, or who thinks oil changes are for suckers.....and on and on it goes.

YES, some cars do historically fare better than others, but that has to be brought down to specific models with specific problems...ie: The focus has a clutch problem or the Neon has a problem with the valve heads...(PS: Those are just made up)........but don't start in with the "Fords suck" or "Chevys are rusting hunks of crap".

IF you own an automatic, get your radiator flushed every other year......get your transmission filters (automatic) changed every other year....keep up on the 3k oil changes.....and dont beat teh shit out of your car, and you will probably get alot of life out of the thing, no matter what it is.
 
Under 10k ?


Why not look at the newly redesigned Mitsubishi Lancers? I have an '03 Lancer OZ and have absolutely abused it (running it with no water, not changing the oil for 15k miles, etc.) The car has no stop and now has over 75k miles on it. The new look makes them much roomier and they are VERY economical on gas. You can't go wrong with pretty much any of the Japanese automakers, which coincedentally, now make their cars in the US as opposed to our automakers who make their cars (large part) in Mexico.
 
One thing about the Echo: it's light at hell (hope you don't live where it's windy!) and it's also a discontinued model (replaced by the Yaris I think? Or something that looks just like the Echo but isn't). Don't buy a car with only 2-3 years on the assembly line/salesfloor. It won't be easy or cheap to repair or find parts for it.

Honda Civics are fuckin' everywhere, man. My 2002 still runs awesome, and it feels nice to have a car I know I can put 250K on without any worries or concerns - plus, should I need a replacement part, these cars are everywhere. Getting parts should be remarkably easier and cheaper than with others.
 
Thanks. The civic seems to be a good bet I've seen overall good feedback and it's more likely I'll find a used one cheaper in good condition.
 
If you're tall, a Civic is not a good idea. Make sure you try out all of them. See if it's comfortable to sit in.

I second the Malibu. An '04 with pretty low mileage will be in your price range, and it gets 36 mpg on the highway.
 
Honda anything. Very well engineered given their reputation as economy cars. I personally have an 04 SRT-4 at the moment but once I finish school I'll probably get rid of it for something more sensible. Probably a Honda Fit assuming those are still selling in the US.
 
[quote name='Dynasty1756']I dont know if this was said but Volkswagen's are pretty good. My Cousin that lives in Georgia (ATL) has a Volkswagen Jetta, and they get really good gas mileage.

I myself have a Toyota Supra and it is the perfect car for price, reliability and gas mileage.[/QUOTE]

Year? Insurance is through the roof unless your running an MK2, or even MK3... MK4 and your paying a shit load... and if you have an MK4 that really is not the car to even try to calculate the mileage... its for pure enjoyment!

[quote name='kube00']Let's see I've had both a Focus and a Chevy Cavalier. Focus crapped about before 100k, easily. Chevy still going strong. Plus my best friend also had a Taurus, (these are the biggest pieces of s*** in the world). If you do Ford, an SUV or Truck is okay just stay away from their cars.

Also Dodge cars blow, and Hyundai's in the States suck.

Mazda-good
Honda-good
Toyota-good
Chevy-not as good but still decent (Malibu's are pretty nice)

If you've had good luck with your Ford you get a cookie, they don't call them fix or repair daily for nothing....[/QUOTE]

Wow, I have had 7 Tauruses and non of them gave me any trouble... and two of them were into the mid to high 200,000 mile range. The only one that gave me issues was the SHO and that was all motor issues (Yamaha).

Funny the Cavalier/Cobalts have 2/5 rating for 05 & 06 years on Consumer Reports.. the Focus is running a solid 3-4 for both those years....

Taurus is running solid 4 stars for 03,04,05,06 years...
Malibu 2/5 for 03 & 04 and 3/5 for 2005 & 2006 years...

And given the Taurus outsold the malibu considerably those years....



Avid,

I would seriously consider a Mazda.. The problem is I am unsure what you feel is low mileage, but around here the Mazda 3 is hot, especially the Hatchback. I am currently looking for one and its hard to find them, especially with sub 50k miles and under $10,000.

The Hondas get solid recomendations, but as you can see everyone knows that, so the used value is preceived as higher and you get stuck paying more for them. A good friend of mine just bought a new corolla for the same price he could find a decent used coralla or Civic for.

If your going compact then drive a few first. The fit & finish has been praised on the Mazda 3 and not so much on the other larger compacts.

If you are going to step up to the accord, Mazda 6, Camry size, then those three are good choices. If you want something a little more sporty, and unique with a solid 5 star rating check out the Solara by Toyota, its basically a 2 door camry, with bit more power if you get the V6 SLE(they come with a 4 cylinder as well). Thats what I am currently driving for work and love it.

Another consideration is the Scion XB. They just had a redesign and I dont think you will find a new one for sub $10,000, but the original design was a solid rating of 5/5 stars for 04 & 05 and 4/5 for 06. They get great gas mileage (~35+mpg), and are very, very roomy inside. If you dont mind the looks (I like them with a nice, non flashy set of rims).

If you dont want to pay for Consumerreports, then I would suggest using www.Edmunds.com to help you look at car reliability ratings.

Also use www.autotrader.com, www.cars.com, and I am unsure if www.auto-rv.com covers your area or not... I dont think it does.

Other sites are www.thebiglot.com

Good luck.
 
[quote name='UnderwaterMadman']What is with all the Ford hating?[/quote]

Ford sucks.

I've been in the car business for 6 years and can tell you that the absolute best cars, that hold their value the best, are the most reliable, and best overall cars are either Toyotas, Nissans, or Hondas.

There is really nothing to even argue about, the numbers (avg. mileage at death, avg. trade in value), reviews, and statistics speak for themselves.

My fiance just bought a 98 Nissan Sentra with 42k miles on it for $4,600. It's not the fanciest car in the world, but for the money, there is no better way to get from A to B. This car will last for 150k miles easy. Just watch the fluids, get your oil changed and they're fuckin beasts.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']Ford sucks.

I've been in the car business for 6 years and can tell you that the absolute best cars, that hold their value the best, are the most reliable, and best overall cars are either Toyotas, Nissans, or Hondas.

There is really nothing to even argue about, the numbers (avg. mileage at death, avg. trade in value), reviews, and statistics speak for themselves.

My fiance just bought a 98 Nissan Sentra with 42k miles on it for $4,600. It's not the fanciest car in the world, but for the money, there is no better way to get from A to B. This car will last for 150k miles easy. Just watch the fluids, get your oil changed and they're fuckin beasts.[/QUOTE]

Except that "BEST" is a subjective term, and whats best to you isn't best to me. A Nissan Sentra from 98 with 42k miles on it? Yeah right, try 142k miles on it....besides the fact that while its reliable, a Sentra is about as bare-bones as you can buy in a car.

If you compare how much car you get for X dollars when you compare imports to domestics, you get more car for your money by buying domestics. The difference is that American cars depreciate much quicker than japanese cars....part of this is deserved, part of it is urban legend (ie: you expect the cars to last longer so you resell them at a higher price).

Yes, you can expect a honda to get to 150,000 miles.....but in this modern age you can expect a Chevy Malibu or Ford Focus to reach those numbers as well if you take care of them.

Now having pontificated all that.............for flat out reliability its hard to ignore the japanese 4-bangers that just seem to last forever, just see what your dollar gets you first. If you aren't planning on putting 150k miles on the car, who cares if a car is so reliable that it makes it that far.
Most people I know never "use up" a vehicle.
 
[quote name='HeadRusch']Except that "BEST" is a subjective term, and whats best to you isn't best to me. A Nissan Sentra from 98 with 42k miles on it? Yeah right, try 142k miles on it....besides the fact that while its reliable, a Sentra is about as bare-bones as you can buy in a car.

If you compare how much car you get for X dollars when you compare imports to domestics, you get more car for your money by buying domestics. The difference is that American cars depreciate much quicker than japanese cars....part of this is deserved, part of it is urban legend (ie: you expect the cars to last longer so you resell them at a higher price).

Yes, you can expect a honda to get to 150,000 miles.....but in this modern age you can expect a Chevy Malibu or Ford Focus to reach those numbers as well if you take care of them.

Now having pontificated all that.............for flat out reliability its hard to ignore the japanese 4-bangers that just seem to last forever, just see what your dollar gets you first. If you aren't planning on putting 150k miles on the car, who cares if a car is so reliable that it makes it that far.
Most people I know never "use up" a vehicle.[/quote]

Are you arguing that her car doesn't have 42k miles on it, and instead has 142k? Don't you think I'd have a better knowledge of how many miles are on her car than you would?

You're also completely wrong about getting "bang for your buck" Japanese vehicles, dollar for dollar, are a much better value than any domestic car.
 
[quote name='pittpizza']Are you arguing that her car doesn't have 42k miles on it, and instead has 142k? Don't you think I'd have a better knowledge of how many miles are on her car than you would?

You're also completely wrong about getting "bang for your buck" Japanese vehicles, dollar for dollar, are a much better value than any domestic car.[/QUOTE]

I was making a funny, I'd be surprised to find a Sentra with 42k from 1998......the car was driven on average less than 5 miles per year? Or were you lucky to find someone who drove it until 2002 and then slipped conveniently into a coma!?

Regardless (I have a Mustang with about 21k miles from 95 so I know its possible, but didn't think a Sentra fit the description of weekend fun/impractical car).......anyhow, dollar for dollar, I could argue every point about a cars value and we wont get anywhere.

If we all lived in your world, we wouldn't need Ford or Chevy, just the Japanese right, because everything they make is perfect, yes?
 
I know I'm gonna get flamed but I have a 2002 Saturn SC1. I got it for 4K with 83K miles and it runs great. Gets about 27-33 MPG but does have a small tank. It works for what I need it to. Also, Hondas of any year can be a bit pricey however you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a somewhat recent civic for under 10K
 
early 80's diesel mercedes. Excellent mileage, bulletproof drivetrain, cheaper than dirt insurance rates and can be had for under $2K.
 
I'd avoid American cars since they're less reliable and don't hold their value as much as their Japanese counterparts. I also saw that a few people recommended Dodge Neon's. I have a 99 Neon that's been pretty good to me. I've had it for six years and it only has 100k miles on it, but it just developed a knock in the engine and has no re-sale value to speak of. Decent car, but in the long-term I'd go for Honda, Nissan, Toyota. In fact, I'm just about to buy either a Honda S2000 or Nissan 350Z at an auction on Sunday, wish me luck!
 
[quote name='2Fast']I'd avoid American cars since they're less reliable and don't hold their value as much as their Japanese counterparts. I also saw that a few people recommended Dodge Neon's. I have a 99 Neon that's been pretty good to me. I've had it for six years and it only has 100k miles on it, but it just developed a knock in the engine and has no re-sale value to speak of. Decent car, but in the long-term I'd go for Honda, Nissan, Toyota. In fact, I'm just about to buy either a Honda S2000 or Nissan 350Z at an auction on Sunday, wish me luck![/quote]

lol that would be cool! :D Wish you lots of luck
Maybe later on we could race lol.. Honda S2000 vs my Toyota Supra or Nissan 350Z vs Supra :lol:
 
Honda Civic or Ford Focus imo. I owned a 97 civic as my first car and it ran great.

My sisters focus has had no problems what so ever. She bought the car in 01 and its maintenance has just been tires, brake pads, air filter and oil. She is coming up on the 60k miles so i would have to say its been an excellent car.

She is in LV so maybe thats why the focus has been so stellar? All the other cars I have owned have had problems...maybe its because Chicago's weather isn't kind to vehicles.
 
[quote name='HeadRusch']I was making a funny, I'd be surprised to find a Sentra with 42k from 1998......the car was driven on average less than 5 miles per year? Or were you lucky to find someone who drove it until 2002 and then slipped conveniently into a coma!?

Regardless (I have a Mustang with about 21k miles from 95 so I know its possible, but didn't think a Sentra fit the description of weekend fun/impractical car).......anyhow, dollar for dollar, I could argue every point about a cars value and we wont get anywhere.

If we all lived in your world, we wouldn't need Ford or Chevy, just the Japanese right, because everything they make is perfect, yes?[/quote]My 92 taurus only had about 30K on it when i bought it. Was just never driven much.
 
[quote name='Magehart']early 80's diesel mercedes. Excellent mileage, bulletproof drivetrain, cheaper than dirt insurance rates and can be had for under $2K.[/quote]Have you seen the prices for diesel fuel?
 
if you get a civic try to find out if the timing belt was ever changed. you gotta replace it ~100,000 miles

'02 civic here and the gas mileage is pretty good, get ~400 miles for a full tank until the low fuel light comes on (13.2 ga is the max capacity but there's about two gallons left when the light comes on)
 
[quote name='JolietJake']Have you seen the prices for diesel fuel?[/quote]

Yes. Have you seen the price of peanut oil at Costco compared to the cost of gasoline OR diesel fuel :D ?
 
[quote name='Magehart']Yes. Have you seen the price of peanut oil at Costco compared to the cost of gasoline OR diesel fuel :D ?[/quote]Touche:)
 
Love my 03 Saturn Ion, runs great MPG and everything else great so far. Paid maybe 8kish.

Personally since gas is so insane I would man up and drive the ugly Yaris and get, what is it, 40mpg for highway?
 
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