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Best bang of the buck used car for under 13,000?

V

VinylxScratches

Golden Member
So far it seems a 2007/08 Hyundai Sonata v6 is the best bang for the money.

I drove a Focus, I was a bit unimpressed. Same thing with the Fusion. The cars seemed reliable but "cheap".

I'd be interested in buying new but the Ford Fiesta is the only car that will be reasonable and will probably cost 18,000 after everything is said and done.

Mazda's seem to hold their value used. Like a Mazda3 with 50,000+ miles is going for over 15,000.

What else would you suggest? I'm not interested in anything GM. I hated the Cobalt.
 
Also, what do you guys think of 2003 to 2007 Ford Police Inceptors? There's a place that sells them for under 4,000 depending on the mileage/age. Would one of those cars be worth it for a couple years? I don't really care about gas mileage if the car itself is cheap.
 
VinylxScratches said:
Also, what do you guys think of 2003 to 2007 Ford Police Inceptors? There's a place that sells them for under 4,000 depending on the mileage/age. Would one of those cars be worth it for a couple years? I don't really care about gas mileage if the car itself is cheap.
Click to expand...

I would not buy a used cruiser. They're usually driven pretty hard.

Some people love them...but keep in mind you'll likely attract a bit of police attention (due to the 'wannabes' buying them to be 'cool'), and forget about getting anywhere in a hurry when every car in front of you does 5mph under the limit. 😛
 
Sonata is a good choice.

I would also have a look at the Saturn Aura.

The 2009 Sonata interior redesign was significant and an all new Sonata comes out in 2011.
 
Fmr12B said:
Sonata is a good choice.

I would also have a look at the Saturn Aura.

The 2009 Sonata interior redesign was significant and an all new Sonata comes out in 2011.
Click to expand...

The Aura with the premium V6 isn't bad. The base 4cyl is a pile of poo.
 
OP, hands-down probably the '03'/'04 G35. They can be had in that price range all the time, though the coupes bring a little more $ than the sedans. Both are pretty killer for the price. Here are some with fairly low miles :

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...=&max_price=13000&cardist=1113&standard=false

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...=&max_price=13000&cardist=1117&standard=false

Bout the only negatives :

Middling fuel economy (what do you expect from a DOHC 3.5L V6?)
Mediocre interior
Very common car (if that matters to you, they're common because they're good IMHO)
17" or 18" tires are more $$ than the common 14-16" on cheaper cars

Lots of pluses :

Proven reliability, super common drivetrain (easy/cheap to get parts for the most part)
Good power
Good balance / proper FR layout
Decently roomy but not a boat
Can probably drive it a few years and still sell it for a decent price
 
Arkaign said:
OP, hands-down probably the '03'/'04 G35. They can be had in that price range all the time, though the coupes bring a little more $ than the sedans. Both are pretty killer for the price. Here are some with fairly low miles :

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...=&max_price=13000&cardist=1113&standard=false

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...=&max_price=13000&cardist=1117&standard=false

Bout the only negatives :

Middling fuel economy (what do you expect from a DOHC 3.5L V6?)
Mediocre interior
Very common car (if that matters to you, they're common because they're good IMHO)
17" or 18" tires are more $$ than the common 14-16" on cheaper cars

Lots of pluses :

Proven reliability, super common drivetrain (easy/cheap to get parts for the most part)
Good power
Good balance / proper FR layout
Decently roomy but not a boat
Can probably drive it a few years and still sell it for a decent price
Click to expand...

Speaking of G35, that reminded me that I saw a G37 the other day and really liked it..so I check real quick - it's almost as fast as my car and looks great. Cool. Then I see the price.

holy hell WTF.

I can not haz.

🙁
 
Try Mazda 6 or 05/06/07 Accord. I got my 06 Accord a year ago for $13,500 with 26k miles on it. Oh, and it has a manual transmission too.
 
jlee said:
Speaking of G35, that reminded me that I saw a G37 the other day and really liked it..so I check real quick - it's almost as fast as my car and looks great. Cool. Then I see the price.

holy hell WTF.

I can not haz.

🙁
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awww, poor jlee 🙁 I can not haz either. Too many $$ for the ark.
 
When I was looking for a car I test drove two fusions and two sonatas (a 4 and a 6)



Im glad I got the fusion
 
yh125d said:
I got the 4
Click to expand...

Those are great cars, but seems the OP wants something sportier / more fun, he already nixed the Focus and Fusion in the OP.

There's a pretty big difference between a ~150hp FF car, and a ~260+hp FR car. Test a G OP.
 
I'll check out a G's. With cars that old, should I be concerned with repairs becoming more expensive?

I guess my issue is that when a car hits around 100,000 it's fair game for the thing to just fall apart. I currently have a Dodge Neon from 2002. I bought it used when it had 12,000 miles back in 2003. I have 75,500 on it now. I've never been on the side of the road with it. It did have a tranny leak that I got fixed. Now it's doing weird vibrations when I'm at a red light in drive (putting it in neutral stops it). I honestly don't want to fix this car if it breaks so I'm trying to find something to replace it. Getting a used G35 with 50,000+ miles on it kind of feels self defeating I guess, or maybe not.
 
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Are you looking for 2 door? 4 door? SUV? Wagon? Hatchback?

2002-2003 Nissan Maxima/Infiniti i35 would fit the bill.
 
Arkaign said:
awww, poor jlee 🙁 I can not haz either. Too many $$ for the ark.
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I have the G37 coupe but not the S. I actually got a great deal on it. I guess the time to buy was early this year when everyone was starting to get feel of the recession.
 
zoiks said:
I have the G37 coupe but not the S. I actually got a great deal on it. I guess the time to buy was early this year when everyone was starting to get feel of the recession.
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I've realized that I can get a C5 Z06 for about $20k. I think work on the MR2 is going to cease and I shall begin saving $.
 
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