Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire "Sleeper" of a reliable used car?

I've got a 17 year old who's scraping his pennies together for his first car. I've offered to match whatever he contributes, but it still won't come to much.

I know that searching for a used car that will last a few thousand miles, usually starts with Toyota, Honda, or some late-model Hyundais.

What are some makes/models that don't get much press, but that hold together better than one might think? For instance, it seems like the V6's in the 1990's and 2000's Buicks are held in decent esteem, both for longevity, & decent highway mpg.

What are some others?

Thanks,

FC

crown vics, anything toyota or honda. ford rangers last forever as well. so do saturns.

I can't speak for any others, but my 2000 Durango has been so reliable I call it my Durabledango. Zero major repairs, and everything on it still works. Everything.

Bought my daughters old Chevy Cavaliers/Cobalts. Surprisingly tough,cheap,good fuel mileage, and relatively easy to repair.It's been a few years ago, like 10-15yrs. Don't know if you can still find them on the used market.

Other than that Toyota Corollas will run forever if you take care of them. I have a newer one and I plan on driving it at least 8 more years.

Jim

The old straight six Ford trucks would run forever and can be found cheap, but they suck for gas mileage.

Re: Buicks, it's a wash - and besides, that's an Obama-car.. (I worked in a Buick/Honda dealership for 5 years - so I have a little background in 'em).. but I digress..

Most used cars today under 100K on the odom are gonna be ok. Hate to admit it, but the American cars take a short back seat to the foreigns.. That said, nothing wrong with a Kia or Hyundai. Honda OK but repairs can run a tad higher/incident.. Stay away from VWs - electrical issues is the most common complaint after 125K. We had one and it went 200K before it began to have issues. The engine/trans was fine (TDI Diesel Jetta) but weird electrical things began to be a pita.. Dang good handling car though - one of the best..

I guess for the money (and they're rated high in safety, IIRC) it may be hard to beat a Kia/Hyundai model.. And one can find a decent one for around $5K or less, especially Elantra or similar.. I'm sure there are tons of others..

whatever you look at, ensure you can talk to the previous owner as to why they traded it and if not for a mech. reason, how did they like the car - did it perform ok - were they the original owner, yada yada yada...

Good luck..

FWIW, the worst vehicle I ever owned was a 2000 Dodge Durango. Rear end grenaded, transmission slipped, constantly overheated, and not to mention the gas mileage sucked! That was the one and only Dodge/Chrysler product I'll ever own!

Crown Vic/Grand Marquis all the way.

Safe, fast as [bleep], big back seat.



Travis

To the OP, IMO, the best "under the radar" vehicles out there are Geo/Chevy Prisms, which are simply re-badged Toyota Corolla's, but without the premium price tag.

same with the pontiac vibes. all toyota parts where it counts.

2nd generation (1995-2001) Chevy Lumina sedan.

I'm a huge Honda fan, but you'll usually pay a premium, although sometimes you can find a diamond in the rough. Two years ago I picked up a '92 Accura Integra for my daughter from a neighbor for $900.00 thinking it would get her by while we looked for something better/newer. She's still driving it. Has over 300k on the odometer and still runs like a top.

Instead of looking for a certain brand of car I would be looking for a well maintained vehicle.

I bought a little Toyota off of 24HCF this past summer and I use it as a little hunting rig. It was so well maintained and it just runs like a champion. I could not be happier and I've got it just the way I want for under $4k

Good luck

I will through a plug for a ford Taurus. Aftermarket parts are cheap and plenty. They get fair mileage and their are bunches for sale so the price is right.

I've had a couple of Datsun P/Us that held up real well. So I wouldn't overlook an older model Nissan as a first car/truck.



Another excellent choice would be a Suzuki Sidekick, Grand Vitara or XL7.

Jeep cherokee (non grand) with a 4.0 either 5spd or auto. I had an auto that i beat the unholy hell out of, sunk it in a pond, sucked water in the motor, crawled out the window, pulled spark plugs, hit the starter shot the water out of the motor, then put the plugs back in, started it up and drove it out, and 200 miles home.

Buicks or other GM with the 3.8 liter motors have been good to me over the years with great gas mileage as well.

Pontiac Grand Prix with the 3.8.

When my kids were looking for their first cars I was in the same boat.
My son ended up with a Chevy S10 pick up which fared pretty well until he went in the Marines and sold it to a buddy.
My oldest daughter got a Nissan Sentra which turned out to be a super reliable car and lasted her through college and a couple years after until she traded it in on a new Civic.
My youngest daughter was a little tighter on money and we shopped until we found a nice used Honda Accord. It was okay, but not especially reliable so she sold it after about a year and bought a Mazda Protege (renamed 323) and it was a great car for her. She just couldn't kill that car. She drove it for about 7 years and finally got rid of it when she and her new husband bought a new Honda Civic.

For the money, I think the Mazdas have always been undervalued. Great cars, easy to work on, reliable and great on gas milage. Another one that fits into that category is the earlier Subaru Legacy.

Bob

Lots of good advice so far but I'll add this. If you're looking for a budget vehicle under $4000.00 I'd shy away from buying anything at a dealership or used car lot. Buy from a private party where you can meet the person that's owned it and get an idea of how it's been driven and maintained.

Also, take it to a reliable mechanic and have a buyer's inspection performed before laying out any cash.

One often overlooked consideration is the tires. If you have to put a new set of tires on a vehicle it will set you back hundreds of $$$. Take that into account when negotiating the price.