Car question (YACT)

[Booster]

About to buy a used car (2000 - 2002 or so). I'm looking for a simple 'point A to B' vehicle. No frills this time, I don't care what car it is as far as it's fuel-efficient and not prone to frequent wrecks.

Honda Civic is the first thing that comes to mind. But those cars with giant exhaust pipes young guys drive are not only overpriced, their condition is often bad b/c of racing etc. Plus Civics seem a little too small for me. Ideally I want a 3-door hatchback just a little bit larger than Civic.

So far I found a 2001 Chevy Cavalier. This one has a lot of miles, but what do you think, if I find a similar car with less miles, will it be good say for a couple of years at most?

I heard bad things about Cavaliers, but I really like how it looks. BTW, do you know any other 3-door hatchbacks?

 

[Booster]

Another Cavalier, a 2002, but not 3-door. I think, it's better to buy a 4 year old American car, than 7-8 year old Japanese for the same price. Should be more reliable. What do you think?

 

[manlymatt83]

Chevy makes pretty decent cars. I've had no problems with them..... some of them have toyota engines in them (like my chevy prism).

 

[Vette73]

A used cars reliabilty will be more based on how it was taken care of then its name. So a good VW might be better then a Honda that has been beat to heIl.

The Cav is a ok car. Nothing fancy but reliable as long as it has the eco-tec motor (2.2L)

 

[Booster]

Originally posted by: mjuszczak
Chevy makes pretty decent cars. I've had no problems with them..... some of them have toyota engines in them (like my chevy prism).

Well, I'm not looking for decent, just don't want it to fall apart or stop suddenly on the road. Everyone is telling me to get Japanese, but I always prefer to decide myself.

The best car is of course new. But if you have to buy used, the less used, the better, right? Is a 7-year old Honda still better than a 4-year old American make? I mean, on average. Of course, it all depends on condition of specific vehicle.

 

[Ryan]

The Cavalier is the car that signifies EVERYTHING wrong with GM - it is the physical manifestation of complacency and failure - I could never drive one.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Cavaliers are POS but they are reliable POS if that makes sense . I'd rather find one of the many GM v6 clones, a focus, or taurus.

 

[essasin]

A used Mazda 3? Ford Focus? Prius?

 

[DougK62]

That Cavalier will be perfect for you as long as you find it comfortable. They're very reliable mechanically, but expect to have stupid annoyances like rattles in the dash and trim pieces falling off. But it'll get you around just fine, and they're very inexpensive.

 

[g paw]

Generally Japaneese cars are far more reliable and better screwed together, e.g., won't rattle nearly as much as the miles accumulate. Mazda, Nissan, Subaru don't hold their value like Toyotas and Hondas so while there so you don't see the a pricing permium. Something like a small Subaru wagon sounds like it would be ideal

 

[sniperruff]

cavalier/saturn SL's have pretty craptacular interior... it simply falls apart even before 100k miles. engine is noisy and ride is rough. however, mechnically they are reasonably reliable.

i'd go with an import. the ford focus is the only domestic compact that's pretty good (02' and on)