Car shopping: need advice/guidance

[Pandamonium]

I'm currently living in New Orleans and will be here for 3.5 more years. The road conditions here are absolutely horrible, and the humidity must be pretty harsh on all steel. My driving amounts to maybe ~5000 miles/yr, about 50/50 city/highway driving. Because of this, I think I should be looking in the used car market for something that will last me about 8 yrs or so.

I don't have kids, and I'm 5'6"/145 lbs, so a ~2004+ Corolla is big enough for my daily use. I might have kids about 6 yrs from now, so whatever car I get only needs to be big enough to handle up to a toddler. On the off-chance of a hurricane evacuation, something along the lines of a CR-V/RAV-4 would be really nice to have. I'm not convinced that buying bigger on the off-chance of a hurricane evacuation in the next 3.5 yrs makes a lot of sense though.

I've only ever driven Toyota Camrys. The 1992-1996 era Camry felt like it was the best size for me. I never drove the 1997-2001 models, but the 2002-06 and 2007+ models feel much wider and seem to have larger turning radii than my 1994 Camry.

My priorities are: price, reliability, fuel economy, comfort. I don't want a "sporty" ride; I want something that drives smooth. If the cabin noise can be kept down (I think newer Corollas improved this significantly), that is nice. I'm thinking an upper limit of 10k +/- 1k sounds reasonable.

Given that, this is what I'm thinking:

Toyota Corolla
Honda Civic
Toyota Matrix
Pontiac Vibe

Should I consider other cars? I thought about the Honda Fit, but I'd like to be able to tow a UHaul sport trailer if I had to. (The Fit isn't recommended for any kind of towing)

Where should I start a search? I've been playing with Cars.com, Carsdirect.com, Autotrader, and Swapalease. Nothing has really jumped out at me as the best source. I've heard Manheim can be good, but I don't have any auto-dealer friends to hook me up.

 

[thespeakerbox]

I would get another corolla and upgrade the suspension and tires. I found that now is a great time to buy used in the private market. I suggest crazedlist.org and autotrader. Call around and search for a competent seller. Also frequent enthusiast forums. They have great used cars, as most of their members really care about autos. Research, research , research is the only way to get a great deal and value.

 

[Vette73]

Hard to say without a price range? What you looking to spend?


The cars you listed would be fine but the Pontiac would be cheaper for more car as "its a pontiac so it must be junk..." people.

Also look at a Nissan Altima 4cyl or pontiac G6 as they should also have a bad resale price so you get more car for your money.

 

[Pandamonium]

Thanks! I was just driving around and noticed the Suzuki SX-4 and Chevy Aveo5 seem like they could work. I'd like to keep the price at or below 10k, but I'm somewhat flexible.

 

[Bignate603]

I'd personally stay away from the suzuki or the aveo. Their reliability is lower than the other vechicles you mentioned.

You may want to take a look at a chevy cobalt. They have a low resale but are good cars for the money if they've been maintained. A honda fit may also be about the right size for you. A friend has one and for a small car I was impressed by how much useable space there was in it.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Originally posted by: Bignate603
I'd personally stay away from the suzuki or the aveo. Their reliability is lower than the other vechicles you mentioned.

You may want to take a look at a chevy cobalt. They have a low resale but are good cars for the money if they've been maintained. A honda fit may also be about the right size for you. A friend has one and for a small car I was impressed by how much useable space there was in it.

It drives like shit and falls apart faster than one too, stay away from the cobalt.

 

[ElFenix]

you may be able to find 4 cylinder ford fusions for $10k.


take a look on craigslist and be sure to expand your search to baton rouge and southern mississippi and alabama. if you don't mind a drive houston is one of the largest car markets on earth so there's plenty over here to look at.