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Buying car for my parents, $15k or less (preferably)

jpeyton

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
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Parents car got totaled, and the insurance company is cutting a very fat check this week.

When they bought their previous car, they were driving more. Now they are both retired and driving a lot less (7,000 miles a year or less).

I would prefer to buy something used, and use an all cash offer a leverage to drive the price down.

They need something reliable for the next 5 years.

Some things that popped up used locally:

2008 Malibu LS $9000
2010 Insight LX $12,500
2009 Camry LE $11,000
2009 Accord EX-L $14,000
2011 Sonata GLS $15,000

Most of these cars are high mileage between 80k-100k (except the Insight which was 60k, and the Sonata at 30k). I figure that because they are driving so little, a high-mileage car won't necessarily be a deal-breaker.

Any thoughts? Should I even bother looking at something German? Or maybe something higher-end on the Japanese scale (Acura, Lexus)?
 
chucky2 said:
Where do they live and travel?
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Accord - that's what we ended up getting for my mother-in-law - she loves it! I figured it would be the most reliable out of the bunch - plus, it's a step up from the Camry (quality wise).
 
Buy the Sonata, but don't pay that much.

It's got 8 years left on the power train warranty, and 3 years left on the bumper to bumper. Plus, they come standard with so many bells & whistles that you can't go wrong.

See if they'll knock $2K off the price, though.
 
marvdmartian said:
Buy the Sonata, but don't pay that much.

It's got 8 years left on the power train warranty, and 3 years left on the bumper to bumper. Plus, they come standard with so many bells & whistles that you can't go wrong.

See if they'll knock $2K off the price, though.
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Hyundai warranty not transferrable; keep this in mind
 
chucky2 said:
Where do they live and travel?
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They live in Oregon and rarely travel.

I have an 09 Accord EX-L I4 (which I bought new) so I have a good idea how reliable they are.

What about an 06 Avalon for $13k? That's a good old people car from what I hear.
 
jpeyton said:
They live in Oregon and rarely travel.

I have an 09 Accord EX-L I4 (which I bought new) so I have a good idea how reliable they are.

What about an 06 Avalon for $13k? That's a good old people car from what I hear.
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That'll depend on their preference.

Personally, I'd say the Accord is more common and thus repairs will likely be somewhat cheaper. The Avalon will be a bit bigger, so I'd suspect the Accord will be more nimble and offer better MPG. All these things depend on what your folks prefer.
 
I'd go with either the Accord or Camery. Whichever is in better shape. You can't go wrong with either of those.

Sonata if it's a sixth generation is also a fantastic car. If it's a 2011, then it should be. Very luxurious for what you pay, and good power if it has the 2.4 Theta GDI. I think it's nicer than the Camery.

I'm not a big fan of the Malibu. It's a stiff car, cheap interior. Driven far too many of them than I would have cared to. Nobody ever wanted to rent them unless they had to. Insight has no balls. Prius is really the only hybrid worth buying IMO.
 
Yeah, the '08 Malibu is nothing to write home about. From your list either Camry, Accord or Sonata. My feeling is the parents would prefer the Camry since its the softest riding of the three.
 
jpeyton said:
They live in Oregon and rarely travel.

snip
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Lots of snow there probably I take it? I was going to suggest a Town Car or if you could find it lightly used Continental, maybe STS, something like that. The older people get the more they appreciate a nice smooth quiet ride. I think the Caddy is FWD, maybe check one of those out.

Nothing listed so far is something anyone older I know would want. They might make do with it, but it's not what they'd really want.

Chuck
 
2010 Fusion 2.5L should be in the mix. Outstanding fuel economy, good transmission, comfortable, affordable.

I like the Sonata as well.

Imho the 'tax' on Honda/Toyota isn't worth it, you'll get more car for the $ with the other choices. Honda/Toyota = buy new.
 
If you really want to get them the best car for their situation, you're going to need to consider more aspects of their situation.

Would it be better on their retirement money if they had a car that gets good gas mileage? What kind of driving will they be doing? How important is comfort? Do they care at all about driving characteristics or how cool the car is? Obviously, reliability is going to be of utmost importance for older people or for people who just want their car to be something to go from point A to point B.

Specific answers to these questions will narrow your search down greatly.

Basically, if people are already recommending all kinds of cars based on little more than a reliability preference and how often they will drive, then their recommendation can't be based on anything more than personal anecdotes or haphazard stabs in the general direction of what you need. That's fine if you are just gathering possible candidates, but for the final choice, a lot more information is needed.

Of course, a lot of people just buy shit with minimal research. On the flip side, there is the anal retentive way of making purchases, which involves becoming acquainted with the offerings available in the market, and then matching your predetermined preferences to something in that market... at least that's my take on it.
 
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you know given the 2013 fusion is all new, you might be able to get a 2012 base model fusion new or a demo or somethign for really cheap. at least its possible.

i remember when the current sonata came out, you coudl buy the last style sonata for like $15k or less.
 
They bought a car. Ultimately, three factors won out: reliability, low miles, and utility.

Reliability meant they were willing to pay the Honda/Toyota tax.

Low miles meant they weren't looking at any cars with more than 36k miles.

Utility meant they wanted something with some versatility for carrying various sized things; another hatchback (like the Prius) was preferred.

Here's what they got:

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