Car shopping, any ideas?

[captmello]

I'm two weeks into car shopping for my 19yo daughter. She is commuting to school and work and it's costing her 400/month to get around in her current vehicle, '96 grand cherokee awd V8, 15 mpg, but a good reliable suv.
To make it worth buying a different car, I figure she needs to double her mpg.

She has a budget of 2500 to work with. So I've been shopping the 30+mpg vehicles and finding a pretty limited selection. We live in an expensive used car market and the cars I'm looking at that fall within her budget are not very reassuring.

First of all, not many cars get the milage I'm looking for, and the ones that do, seem expensive for what you get.

Honda Civic, toyota Corolla, Mazda protege, all known reliable cars, but the ones for 2500 tend to be 12-15 yo with close to 200k miles. I'm just leery of these high mileage cars...

Anyone have any other vehicle ideas besides the ones listed above. I've seen some saturns for sale as well as ford escorts, chevy cavalier, dodge neon...

Anyone had any luck/trouble with any of these? Or maybe I'm forgetting some. I'd like to find something I can work on since I'm also the family mechanic, and something that doesn't kill her in parts costs.

Any help or insight is appreciated.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

We had a '99 Intrepid that got 30+(we were getting 30 at 200k). Sporty looking, did well in winter and a little bigger for safety. I would think you could get a newer one for $2500.....

EDIT: I see they are a little crazy on pricing too. Saw a 2000 w/255k for $2000, that's nuts.....

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=19&subAreaID=&query=intrepid&catAbb=sss

 

[888]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

We had a '99 Intrepid that got 30+(we were getting 30 at 200k). Sporty looking, did well in winter and a little bigger for safety. I would think you could get a newer one for $2500.....

Intrepid has a fuel line run right beside the battery. Had a buddy hit a tree years ago and was burnt to death. I would avoid that car for sure. We bought a 2005 toyota camry with 177,000 miles and runs great at 260,000 now. Put a water pump on,tires,and brakes so far. Dont be scared of miles,just try and keep the year as new as possib le.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

when you're looking for $2500 used cars, there is no specific brand or model. Any car you listed can be awesome, or a piece of crap.
You have to go by condition. Get a mechanic you trust to get it on the hoist. Look for a vehicle where they have all service records available.
Keep an ear to the ground for any relatives getting ready to trade in a car.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

Here are my picks.. Late 90's or early 2000 Buick lesabre. Won't get the double mileage, but these are rock solid reliable and get upwards of 25 mpg. I got my kids a 97. They hated it just by looks, but after they drove it they love it. Parts are cheap and it is easy to work on..

Second choice, would be a ford focus. I pickup one up for $400, with some problems, I fixed it up for about $500 and it is a nice riding/driving car that gets up to 30mpg. You may find these cheaper as they won't have the brand inflation of the Honda or Toyota.. It is also more sturdily built that some other small cars. I had a 2000 Mazda 626, that seemed to be made out of very thin metal and bent easy.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

Mello, I am a GM myself. Impalas, Cavaliers, Grand Ams. I do drive a 95 Escort now, and I like it fine.

I will say that if you look GM, you can NOT buy a car with the 2.4l 4cylnder "twin cam" engine in it, unless you know for sure when the timing chain was last replaced. They are supposedly "zero tolerance" engines, which means you'll destroy them if the chain jumps or breaks. It is also a HUGE PITA to change one of those chains. The timing belt on my 1.9l Ford engine, is a cake walk, comparably.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

...I had a 2000 Mazda 626, that seemed to be made out of very thin metal and bent easy.

This is a fact. All Mazdas are (ok, not the Tributes, but they are Fords, really). So are Hondas. But that's just their sheetmental. Their structures are the same as everyone else's and are just as crash-worthy.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

At 2500 make sure you have it checked by a reliable mech. It took me 4 months to find a car for my daughter and i am in the business. I hate to say this but a worn out car that runs and moves is worth 2500. Its a shame but we are running out of used car's be careful...Ford foucs is cheaper than a import and lost cost to fix up..the lower the tech the eaiser to maintain.

 

[captmello]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

Oh man, I'm not feeling very optimistic.

I've looked at a few that look "used up". Some have lower mileage, but I haven't found them to be in better shape. City cars are rustier and lower mileage, and country cars are higher mileage, due to commuting. I'm thinking I may take a chance on a higher mileage car used for commuting.

I also appreciate the suggestions of the larger, safer cars. I just don't think its worth switching vehicles for one of those since her jeep is in nice shape, and has been well maintained, but also has 200K...

I'll let you guy know what happens. I'm trying not to rush into something. I won't be having it checked by a mechanic as I feel pretty comfortable checking it over myself, but that would be a good idea for someone who didn't know what to look for.

 

[captmello]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

We had a '99 Intrepid that got 30+(we were getting 30 at 200k). Sporty looking, did well in winter and a little bigger for safety. I would think you could get a newer one for $2500.....

EDIT: I see they are a little crazy on pricing too. Saw a 2000 w/255k for $2000, that's nuts.....

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=19&subAreaID=&query=intrepid&catAbb=sss

I followed your link to check out those intrepids, and this was mixed in with them...

This car is 11 yo and must have sold for under 10k new!!! over a decade later...

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/ctd/3289938878.html

Ok, back to car shopping.

 

[snowforfun4]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

Have you thought about listing the jeep for trade for the more efficient car? Can't hurt to try and let them come to you..

BTW do not get a Saab!

 

[JB]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

According to Consumer Reports, the most reliable, long term, cars are made by Toyota and Subaru. Daughter #3 and one of her sons each have a Prius that delivers about 50mpg and have well over 100K on them. Your suspicions about high mileage cars are based on history, not the present. We have 4 other Toyotas and three Subarus in the family and all are very reliable, economical, high mileage cars.

If your daughter drove a Prius, getting 50mpg, how many bux per month would that save her over a 30mpg econobox?

 

[jimr]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

I have an 01 buick regal and have over 200,000 on it and have never had a real major problem with it. it still has original waterpump and coolant in it and original tranny fluid in it. I have nothing but praise for this car. 3.8l avoid any gm with a 2.4l

 

[bigdee]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

At $2500 it will be a crap-shoot at best. Search where dealer auctions are held and contact them,some allow the public to bid. Sometimes you can find a cosmetic beater (hail damage, body damage,etc) with a solid drivetrain. Dealers dump these type of vehicles for whatever thay can get out of them.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

One of the best cars I have ever owned was a '92 Ford Escort. It was an LX Wagon with the 1.9L engine and a 5 speed.

It was styled like this one: http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/ctd/3289396914.html but more of this vintage http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/cto/3283441899.html

With just me in it, and watching my Ps and Qs on the interstate I could get 45MPG outta' that car. We drove it to 220k and then gave it to a friend who needed a car (who then promptly wrecked it )

It handled well in snow (front wheel drive) and was pretty roomy/comfortable inside. The Focus is the newer iteration of the idea, but I'm not so sure they are done as nicely as the Escorts were.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

...

I also appreciate the suggestions of the larger, safer cars...

That is a fallacy, don't fall for it. Well, the "larger is safer" part is a fallacy. By all means get a safer car. Just realize that it may not be the biggest car.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

Look at Kias and Hyundais

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

If your daughter drove a Prius, getting 50mpg, how many bux per month would that save her over a 30mpg econobox?

Just remember that old Priuses are ready for battery replacement $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[emoney]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

You are in the absolute toughest price range right now for vehicle shopping. It is what it is, however, so you just need to be able to act when you find something that works, ftr. Like others have said, $2500 can be a crap-shoot in a car. No different than a boat, as it has a lot to do with previous owner. I will say that I'm currently driving as my commuter car an '07 Saturn that I've put 140k miles on in the past 4 years. It's been a really good car. Not sure how that relates to other models in the line-up, but ?

Anything import is a good idea, but another option is a "Geo" if you can find one. "Geo Prism" for example, is a Toyota Corolla. A "Geo Metro" is a Suzuki. All the cars in that "Make" were imported by GM and sold as domestic cars. However, the resale value is affected just like a domestic car so if you can find a used Prism it will be 30-35% (or more) cheaper than the exact same car with a Corolla badge on it.

 

[rbh]

Re: Car shopping, any ideas?

What ever you find, this time of year get a set of good winter tires for it.