Nisson Altima ,bought it used.It went through two kids,a couple of wrecks,the only mechanical failure was ,the alternator went at about 150K.My son is driving a Corolla that we have had since new,its got 90k on it now with Zero failures of any kind.Had a new Honda civic.The gas milage was amazing,but it was the worst POS in snow that I have ever driven.And I have driven most of them!
i am on my 2nd civic in 20 years. good cars. i can recommend the subarus too. 3k is a bit low though. you need to check out whatever you get real close. those imports can nickel and dime you to death after a while. my first civic was heading that way and i sold it for $1500. needed a/c, clutch, brake lines, exhaust, tires, etc.
I bought a clean-lookin' 94 accord for one of the older offspring a few years back. 164K on the clock didn't sound like much, and it had the records for recent repairs. In under 15K miles, it went through distributor/wires/plugs, radiator, & head gasket before it finally threw a rod on I-75 at 2am as the kid was on his way to NG drill.
I'm not slamming Accords, by any stretch. Just sayin' the kid will definitely be assuming some risk at this price point, regardless of what he buys.
Originally Posted by krupp
Does it have to be a car. Lots of used small Nissan and Toyota trucks out there that are still bombproof.
I want more steel around him. Plus, I remember myself at 16 in 2wd mini trucks... it's a wonder I'm still here.
Has anyone had any experience with Hyundais in the past 10 years? The mechanic says they're actually fairly decent.
I also suppose I've gotta bone-up on which ones have timing belts, and which ones among them are interference engines.
FC
"Every day is a holiday, and every meal is a banquet."
I drive a 98 Civic to work every day, 130km round trip. They are pretty good little cars, fuel efficient too. Not the most comfortable but not terrible for an average size guy. Mine has around 300 000km on it, I expect it to do a fair bit more. My dad drives nothing but Toyota, usually Camry's and has taken a few up to the 450 000km range before rust took them.
Hondas and Toyotas are really good cars. Most likely better than the American made small cars. The reason I never buy Honda or Toyotas is cause I buy older used ones. They are not worth the price but they get it cause of a good reputation. There are a lot of good smaller cars that are almost as good and some are as good but noone knows it cause USA made cars have a reputation they are not nearly as good but much cheaper on the used market. An example is my 91 Saturn, 4 cyl, manual, no air and roll down windows. I bought it for 900 bucks 3 yrs 3 months ago. I put on 55k. The odometer went out @ 147k, I needed a new alternator ( $110 myself) a $430 ignition module too. A 24 yr old car for $900 bucks and $550 in repairs is as good a the average Honda / Toyota. My son went with a 2000 Dodge Stratus. At 84k , and some paint peeling it didn't need anything. No problems yet but only has it 5k and 7 months. My wives 2dr 2003 Dodge Stratus has 147k. We had a clutch slave ( $177) and one other thing I dont remember but was $400 repair. So, $600 in repairs in with 147k ? Not bad. One thing I will tell ya about American cars. They ride better most of the time. We tested an 05 Civic 4cyl. At 65MPH the engine was @ 3100 RPM. It was loud and s stiff ride. Japanese Don't spend as much time with comfort, only dependability. This is something that does't get brought up when talking a comfortable ride. The seats on a lot of Japanese cars suck too.
But the fruits of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, Gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5: 22&23
Hondas and Toyotas are really good cars. Most likely better than the American made small cars. The reason I never buy Honda or Toyotas is cause I buy older used ones. They are not worth the price but they get it cause of a good reputation. There are a lot of good smaller cars that are almost as good and some are as good but noone knows it cause USA made cars have a reputation they are not nearly as good but much cheaper on the used market. An example is my 91 Saturn, 4 cyl, manual, no air and roll down windows. I bought it for 900 bucks 3 yrs 3 months ago. I put on 55k. The odometer went out @ 147k, I needed a new alternator ( $110 myself) a $430 ignition module too. A 24 yr old car for $900 bucks and $550 in repairs is as good a the average Honda / Toyota. My son went with a 2000 Dodge Stratus. At 84k , and some paint peeling it didn't need anything. No problems yet but only has it 5k and 7 months. My wives 2dr 2003 Dodge Stratus has 147k. We had a clutch slave ( $177) and one other thing I dont remember but was $400 repair. So, $600 in repairs in with 147k ? Not bad. One thing I will tell ya about American cars. They ride better most of the time. We tested an 05 Civic 4cyl. At 65MPH the engine was @ 3100 RPM. It was loud and s stiff ride. Japanese Don't spend as much time with comfort, only dependability. This is something that does't get brought up when talking a comfortable ride. The seats on a lot of Japanese cars suck too.
Originally Posted by Geno67
Trump being classless,tasteless and clueless as usual.
Originally Posted by Judman
Sorry, trump is a no tax payin pile of shiit.
Originally Posted by KSMITH
My young wife decided to play the field and had moved several dudes into my house
I was under the impression that most of the Honda, Nissan, and Toyota vehicles sold in the U.S. were assembled in the U.S. with parts from all over the World.
I have been on this same subject now for a couple months in preparation for my son. Couple of my thoughts...
Manual tranmissions are probably a less risky bet at that price point.
The Saturn S series of cars are decent runners and the plastic bodies don't rust, though the other parts can. They are excellent on gas mileage. Low cost, easy to fix, easy to get parts.
Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 models in the late 1990s to the early 2000's fall in that price point. A stick shift 4 cylinder AWD unit in good shape would be a nice find
Corolla, Civic, Accord, and Camry are all good bets if the prior owner took good care of them. Some years had troubles
In my area Fords and Chevys are the easiest to get dealer service on. Independent garages are around here too and are probably good enough for most repairs if you can't or don't want to fix it yourself.
I have contemplated Subaru cars but am a bit gun shy about things I have read about timing belts and head gaskets. I have talked to one guy I know who has had several and he has never had a problem with those issues.
Every make and model at one point or another has had major issues with various components and systems.
Be patient and have cash in hand
Buy a $2500 car and use the other $500 for repairs
Just sold my daughters 01Jeep grand cherokee for 3k to a nice family with a new driver .. New tie rods,water pump, gas tank skid plate, battery, and much more. She drove the crap out of it and it never failed to start and go. Straight six is a tough engine. Looked great with no rust. 170K on the clock and burned no oil between changes. Upgraded to an 08 and she misses the old one. Nicer one yet for sale at $3500 locally. Easy to work on and cheap parts. Did I mention that the 4wd worked great? It was great first car for her.
I was under the impression that most of the Honda, Nissan, and Toyota vehicles sold in the U.S. were assembled in the U.S. with parts from all over the World.
They are, but they're designed and built to japanese quality standards.
The U.S. is capable of manufacturing higher quality goods than anywhere else in the world. Look where Boeing aircraft are manufactured. The reason American cars are crap is because of the cost cutting management philosophy of U.S. makers. It's the reason I have no sympathy for the big 3 and their financial problems, it's all self induced because they chose the business model of building inferior crap to pad their bottom lines and expect the consumer to suck it up. If they chose to they could build a better vehicle than the japanese, but since they choose not to I choose not to buy their products.
