Decent Used Car For About 10K

[The J]

Hi all! I might be overexplaining this, but I figure more info is better than little info.

(Edited to shorten it a bit)
Right now I drive a 1998 Buick Century that actually belongs to my mom. It has the 3.1L V6 with 136k miles on it. It has been in two accidents, damaging the front end. The cars hasn't been maintained very well and has problems with the transmission (the ATF is black, like engine oil), throttle system, and possibly CV joints. It isn't worth fixing, so I'm coming to all of you for help in replacing the Aluminum Falcon.

Just for the heck of it, here's a couple of pics (yes, that's rust on the roof):
Ain't she a beauty?
Hotness!

The two accidents took out the stock headlights, so my dad put on those ones (I think they're foglamps for trucks or something) as an interim solution. They light up, but are not that useful.

I guess my point in this little forward here is that my standards are low! I don't want to hop into the first thing with real headlights, so I come to all of you gurus for help.

I would like to find a used car that I can finance for about 10K USD. I can go a little higher, but not much. The catch is that I want to stick to domestics. The reason is that they're quite a bit cheaper around here and because I have family who work the Big 3. Showing up in a Toyota would NOT go over well. Here's what I'm looking for in a car:

--Real headlights. That actually light up more than 6 feet infront of me.
--When I press the accelerator, the car should, you know, accelerate. Every time.
--Let's keep the car to ONE color (this guy has 3: white, paint-peeling-gray, and rust).


Alright, in all seriousness, here's what I really want (edited):
--Good in the snow and adverse weather.
--Midsize, compact, or maybe small SUV (like Vue or Escape).
--Not too expensive to insure. I imagine with my rather lax desires this won't be a huge problem.

Things that'd be nice to have, but I don't really need. I'm open to cars that don't have these:
--Radio controls on steering wheel.
--Electrochromatic rear view mirror (dims bright lights coming from behind).
--Remote Starter (I can always just get a kit and have it installed, so no biggie).

I don't care about fancy gadgets and whoozawidgets like GPS, leather butt-warming seats, heated mirrors, sunroof, or anything like that. I'm not picky about interior quality. I won't care if the plastics don't feel like rubberized happy. The only interiors I didn't like and affected my decision to look at the car were older (before 2004) Pontiacs I saw on AutoTrader. They looked very old to me. Also, I don't like how the Saturn Ion has the cluster gauges in the center of the dash. Other than that, I'm cool.

I'm pretty flexible about all of these. Again, I'm looking to finance about 10K (can go a bit higher if something is really nice) and will stick with domestics (even though I know some here will go nuts for me saying that).

Thanks for reading this long, long post and for any recommendations. Please let me know if I managed to miss any info in this massive wall of text.

EDIT: It might be worth mentioning that I was given the Buick I currently drive, I did not buy it. I would not buy a Buick or another large car like it by choice simply because those just aren't the cars for me.

 

[Hyperlite]

WRX? edit: nvm
domestics


yeah, that's going to be hard.

umm... i bet you could get a good deal on a 2001 Tahoe.
unfortunantly, the "domestics" is the part of this that might kill you... most domestic cars made before 2006 or so don't exactly have a good reputation.

maybe look for a 2003 CTS

edit: forgot CTS didn't exist before 2003. ;

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/...max_price=&cardist=641

 

[BassBomb]

If it did not have to be a domestic I would take a look at 2003 I35 / 2003 Maxima

 

[The J]

Thanks for the responses!

I did figure that limiting myself to domestics could cause problems. I used the AutoTrader link to look for the CTS, Maxima, and I35 (that's Infiniti, right?) and there were no matches for any of them. There seem to be a few domestic dealerships around here, one Mazda/Jeep, and one Toyota dealership. I looked around on Craigslist a bit, but didn't find much there (though I was trying to see what was there that was much cheaper). AutoTrader for around here shows a good amount of Impalas, Malibus, Cobalts, a couple of PT Cruisers, and stuff like that. I'm in zip code 49085 if anyone wants to poke around. I noticed I haven't seen many Focus vehicles for sale, which make me think that's a good bet since people are keeping them.

Like I mentioned in the first post, I'm pretty flexible when it comes to features. The stuff I listed was really just a way for me to state where I'm coming from in terms of what I drive now and what I'd find ideal for cars in my budget. Let's throw those out for now and let me restate my question to be more general:

What could I get domestic that is around 10K (or less) that is good in the snow, relaible, has a "not sucky" interior, and doesn't handle like a boat? When I say "not sucky" interior, I mean that I was fine with pretty much anything that I saw. I'm not one of those people who whines because the plastic isn't soft enough to wipe my butt on. The only interiors I saw that I really didn't like were ones from a few Pontiac models before 2003. They just looked so old, like from 1990. Of course, that could be due to the owner not taking good care of it.

I'll edit the first post to try to generalize a bit more so people don't think I'm looking for something really specific.

 

[ElFenix]

2007 ford taurus. several of them around here for under 11500 asking from ford dealers. i dunno about the handling, but it's probably better than a camry. the last version of the old taurus (not the new taurus, which is a 500) was pretty reliable. the vulcan 3 liter v6 may not have a lot of power, but it's got a lot of torque low and is quite drivable day to day. it's also bulletproof.

 

[cheesehead]

How about a Pontiac Vibe? It's mechanically identical to a Toyota Matrix (yes, Toyota made all the parts - it's just assembled in the US) but you can buy it and get it fixed at a GM dealership. They even do a 4WD version.

If you want something a bit more sporty, consider the Mazda6. While technically a Japanese car, Ford until recently had a controlling ownership of Mazda, and the car is mechanically very similar to a Ford Fusion - in fact, some of them are built in American ford plants. I've heard a few minor durability concerns, but the Mazda engine and gearbox are bulletproof and the rest of the car can't be any worse than anything else domestic.

If you like Buicks, please consider the Toyota Avalon. Getting a good one for $10k might be tricky, but the Avalon is basically a Buick with much better build quality and slightly better fuel economy. (It's basically a low-end Lexus with the engine and gearbox out of a V6 Camry.) My grandparents have owned nothing but Avalons for many years, and the oldest - which is now nearly thirteen years old - is owned by my cousin. The Honda Accord is quite good, too - especially the less expensive four-cylinder models (the V6, apparently, is a bit too much engine for the gearbox.

Subaru is also worth a mention - while the AWD system standard in all of their cars nukes the fuel economy, it makes them brilliant in snow. Reliability is good across the range, and you could get a nice Forester or Legacy sedan for around $10k.

If you do want a truly domestic car, consider the Pontiac G6. I'm honestly not very familiar with these vehicles - they're supposed to be nothing very special, but they're not bad either. However, unlike FWD Pontiacs of old, they're not just trash. The Malibu, Impala, and Cobalt are all less than desirable cars (aside from the Cobalt SS, whose sheer speed will usually keep you from noticing how cheap and nasty the interior is,) and the PT Cruiser is rubbish sold only for CAFE standards.

Finally, if you can find a place to fix it, a recent model Hyundai/Kia might be worth considering. $10k will get you a nicely equipped midsize sedan that's only a few years old, and while the interior quality and suspension could be better, both a local mechanic I know and Consumer Reports agree that reliability for some recent Hyundais - notably the Sonata, which you'll be looking at - is on par with Toyota.

 

[jagec]

Chevy Caprice.

 

[The J]

ElFenix: The Taurus is one of the cars I'm considering. I've driven one a few times and it drove well and, while the power certainly isn't going to blow the doors off of anything, I did find it powerful enough. I have heard that it'll keep on going for a long time, so that's certainly a plus. Just out of curiosity, though, do you know what has changed with the Taurus between 2002 or so and the 2007 version? I've seen a 2005 version and a 2007 version and I drove a 2003 version, but they seemed to be exactly the same. I guess I'm wondering if you recommend a 2007 instead of a 2006, 2005, etc., for a reason other than mileage.

Cheesehead: You know, everytime I read someone on here mention the Vibe I tell myself to check it out. I've been in one before (didn't drive it) and liked it, but for some reason it keeps slipping from my mind. I think I just think "Grand Prix" or "G6" when I think Pontiac. I do want to find one, though, so thanks for the reminder.

I did read that the Mazda3 was based on the same platform as the Focus, but didn't know that was also true between the Mazda6 and Fusion. I haven't seen a lot of Mazda3s or 6s or the Ford equivalents in the local listings, which might mean that owners are happy with their cars and keeping them.

While I thought this Buick could've been a good car if it didn't have its problems, I certainly would not buy one if I had the choice (this car is actually my mom's, who gave it to me to drive until I can afford something better). I have nothing against Buicks, but they just aren't my kind of car. Also, I am trying to stay with domestics for the reasons of price and "not getting beat up by family members who work for Ford and GM". Then again, if they lose their jobs then neither I nor they will really care. With that said, it probably isn't wise to leave out Toyota and other foreign car makers if their offerings really are better. There's a big Toyota dealership not too far from here that I will have a look in, but that and a tiny Mazda/Jeep dealership is about all we have for foreign dealers so I won't have a lot of foreign choices. I haven't really seen any used Subaru online for this area, but I do think their cars are nice and Hyperlite also seemed to recommend them. Another friend had a 2006 Subaru wagon of some sort that I have ridden in and liked. Legacy maybe? Then again, I'm pretty sure I'll find cars from pretty much every automaker that I think are nice (which is a good thing).

I'll check out G6s as well. I knew the Cobalt is generally considered to be not so hot around here, but I haven't heard such things about the Malibu (not sure about Impala). This could be why I've seen so many for sale on AutoTrader. I've read on here that the newest Malibu won an award, but I'm not sure how that translates to the older models for sale. I don't really like the looks of the PT Cruiser and it seem pretty much unanimous that they're pretty cruddy, so I'll stay away. Oddly enough, when I first started looking it seemed like there were a lot of PT Cruisers for sale. It turns out that there are really just two and they've been pushing them hard on multiple websites. One of them says Touring Edition and I have no idea what that includes. The feature set seemed exactly the same as the vanilla one.

I haven't looked at Hyundai yet, but have looked a bit at Kia. From what I've seen, those cars appeared to me as "basic". As in, Cobalt or Aveo "basic" in that they had seats, a steering wheel...and not much else. I didn't look *that* hard, though.

jagec: :Q That's a big car! I actually didn't realize they're still being made, but according to Wikipedia Holden imports them into the Middle East or something like that.

Thanks to all of you so far for the responses! It seems like my next move might be to actually go to dealerships and see what's out there. All the research I've done so far has been online (some of the dealerships have websites, but not all).

 

[Vette73]

Look at another Buick. But get one with a 3.8L V-6.

Most people turn their nose up at Buicks but even when beat on, and even more so in your case, they still keep going. That and since a lot of people pass them over the price is right. I got one as my 2nd car when I was younger. Bough it with 70k and drove it till about 200k with only 1 major problem (but that was a early 80's thing so not a problem now).


Also soem Oldmobile's, pontiacs, and Chevy mid size cars came with the 3.8L and shared frame with the buick.

 

[Jhhnn]

My wife's 2002 PT Cruiser has been flawless so far, much to my surprise. It has the highest reliability ratings of any mopar, iirc. Just basic maintenance, new tires and a new battery- the latter was just insurance- 7 year old oem batteries aren't to be trusted...

Her sister drives a Saturn, which has also been excellent. basic econobox that, with proper maintenance, has also just done the job...

The American made Hondas, Nissans and Toyotas are also solid cars.

 

[aleckz]

Might be a stretch but look for a Saturn Aura, you might find one with the 3.5L for 10-13,000~ They are the same thing as the new Malibu.

 

[Squisher]

The Buick Century was a GM vehicle with probably the best reliability ratings of any GM vehicle in the last 10 years, that is until 2 or 3 years ago.

I wouldn't shy away from any domestic unless there is a specific known defect that follows that model around. It might be wise to subscribe to Consumers Reports online for a month (I think it's $5), just so you have it handy to look to see what is good depending on what is available. Not that I think Consumers Reports is the end all, but it does indicate if there are problems and gives a good comparison between vehicles.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Could get a used 08 Focus nearly loaded for that price.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: The J
ElFenix: The Taurus is one of the cars I'm considering. I've driven one a few times and it drove well and, while the power certainly isn't going to blow the doors off of anything, I did find it powerful enough. I have heard that it'll keep on going for a long time, so that's certainly a plus. Just out of curiosity, though, do you know what has changed with the Taurus between 2002 or so and the 2007 version? I've seen a 2005 version and a 2007 version and I drove a 2003 version, but they seemed to be exactly the same. I guess I'm wondering if you recommend a 2007 instead of a 2006, 2005, etc., for a reason other than mileage.

it's newer. that's the only reason. may be still under warranty. heck, you may be able to get a CPO 2006 for under 11500 ask (which is probably negotiable down near 10, imho)

there may have been additional engineering done between 2000 and 2007 (2000 is when that body style started), but i wouldn't count on it.

 

[The J]

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I have to admit that I'm surprised to see so many different recommendations on here. I thought that there'd be maybe one or two cars in my price range that would be recommended and everything else would be considered junk. I'm glad to see that isn't the case. My experiences with this car do not negatively influence my opinion on Buick or GM at all since its problems stemmed from the accidents and the fact that it was not maintained very well. The ATF in it could very well be the original stuff that was in it when the car rolled off the dealership. This car certainly has its good points like the steering wheel controls and the nicer interior.

Anyway, I think I'm going to spend some time this week going from dealer to dealer with pen and paper in hand just to see what's actually available. That, and I might be able to narrow down some choices by seeing cars in person.

Edit: CPO == Certified Pre-Owned?

 

[Bignate603]

Don't let them pressure you, most dealerships NEED to sell cars right now. If they try and tell you that the price won't last if you leave just laugh at them. If they would sell you the car right then at that price they'll do it tomorrow. The only thing that may change is factory incentives but I don't see those incentives changing too much. They need to move cars.

 

[Turin39789]

05 focus ST

 

[RU482]

Chevy Impala - it's a well made, attractive car that is made in volume.

 

[The J]

Originally posted by: Bignate603
Don't let them pressure you, most dealerships NEED to sell cars right now. If they try and tell you that the price won't last if you leave just laugh at them. If they would sell you the car right then at that price they'll do it tomorrow. The only thing that may change is factory incentives but I don't see those incentives changing too much. They need to move cars.

Yup, I figure now's a great time to buy since the buyer has a lot of leverage when making a deal. I've also read that December's a good time to buy even when the companies are doing alright since the car salesmen have yearly quotas to fill.

The only things I'm bringing with me to the dealership are a pen and notepad (and my phone so I can take pictures of the cars/stickers). I want to make a list of dealers and their available models that I like and get basic info on them like price, trim level, mileage, features, and whatever else seems useful. I figure that since there's a few GM dealerships around here I can get them to compete against one another. Also, I've thought about getting VIN numbers for cars I was interested in and looking them up on Carfax or a similar service. Is this actually worthwhile?

 

[cheesehead]

If you want to get the most for your money, consider a Focus. A 2.3L 3-door hatchback will be reliable, fun to drive, practical, deliver superb fuel economy, and won't cost you $10k - it'll be much, much, much less. A friend has a 2001 Focus wagon, and while the interior has had better days, it's been very reliable mechanically. The SVT focus is supposed to be a hoot, too. Do not, however, buy an Aveo - it's actually a rebadged Daewoo Kalos.

The Malibu has won oodles of awards, but mechanically it's almost identical to an Aura. I've yet to meet a happy Aura owner. Not much more to say there.

Some people have had varying luck with the Mazda3, but my dad absolutely loves his. It's basically just a Focus with a jazzed-up engine (variable valve timing being the biggest difference) and modified suspension, and it's not a bad car to drive. Problems I've heard of include air pressure sensors (ours work) and rust issues (we haven't had any - just keep your car clean!), though any problems you'll find on a Mazda3 will also crop up on a Focus or Volvo C30.

It might be worth noting that you can get a Nissan Versa for $10k - brand new. Don't. Consumer Reports has listed it as the least reliable small car made today.

Finally, remember that dealers are unspeakably desperate. Let them make their pitch, listen to it...and then leave. The sales crew have been trained to pressure you into buying a car, and are good at their job. Having a friend along for the sole purpose of talking you out of buying cars is advisable. (If it weren't for me, a friend would be paying $490 a month to lease an R32....and he only makes about 2200 a month!)

 

[desy]

Quit spouting that BS about the Versa, Consumer reports also recommends it as a best buy the intitial quality problems were almost always due to the TPMS
The 10G Versa is the simplest iteration which should have the least amount of problems.

If your still interested in the Vue the V6 drivetrain is the same as they put in a Acura MDX I don't know if you can get an 06/07 at that price because the newer the better with those as improvements came every yr incrimentally for the interior

 

[vi edit]

If you can look past the interior cheapness - which it sounds like you can - then the previous gen Malibus and G6's are great used values. Very robust V6 engines that give great milage. Our Malibu pulls high 20's in combined driving conditions. Highway manners are very good - it's quiet and comfortable. It's also a very good car in the snow. Our car has plowed through some pretty heavy snowfalls (for the midwest) with little drama.

The Malibu is a little more cargo/people friendly. The G6 is a little sportier and blingy at the sake of trunk and back seat room.

I'd also look at the Fusion.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Focus.

 

[Arkaign]

Another Focus vote. Reliable Duratec motor, excellent fuel economy, dirt cheap insurance, easy to work on, reasonably roomy, good road handling manners (excellent for its class), cheap to get parts for.

 

[The J]

Just out of curiosity, what's the deal with the Jeep Liberty? I've seen quite a few a them for sale and the price was pretty good for what they included. This makes me wonder, though, if it is because of Chrysler's financial situation or if because there's some underlying reason why people were selling these off. They aren't at the top of the list, but if they aren't bad cars then I might actually take a look at one. Actualy, at the top of my list so far is the Focus, I think. I just need to get some prices on them from a few places.

Thanks!