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Most dependable mid/low range vehicle

S

Slappy5

Member
Currently have a '99 Pontiac Sunfire that's just falling apart on me, and my wife and I are interested in buying a new vehicle being that the Sunfire was used wheb we bought it. Any suggestions?
 
Anything from Honda/Toyota/Nissan/Mazda should be as reliable as heck and efficient.

What is your budget? Do you want a smaller car Honda Civic or family sedan Honda Accord?
 
notoriously expensive too 🙁 But I suppose if the verdict is Asian, then we'll have to go Asian...

Edit: Price is the second foremost concern behind reliability. A sedan would be great but I'd be willing to bet that would drive it beyond $20k. We're definately aiming for $15k and under.
 
If cost and reliability are the major issues, get a 2 year old car and keep it for 3years. You get the car for its most reliable time and you get it in the time where it depreciates the least.

A used Civic, Contour, Corrola, Accord should fit your needs.
 
I'll agree with the pre-owned accord. They are fairly reliable though not as much as many people think. (consumer reports may not tell you this, but ask any seasoned mechanic and they will tell you honda transmissions suck.) and because slightly used, someone else has already taken the depreciation hit.

However, remember that for around 15K new, your options are much more limited than if you were able to bump it roughly 2-3K. Since basically that 2,3K bump moves you from (civic, corolla) country to (base accord and camry) land.
 
Take a look at Hyundai----their quality is pretty much on par w/ everything else now and you get the 10 yr. 100,000 mile warranty. VW was offering a 10/100,000 powertrain warranty, but I don't know if they still do.
 
You can get a V6 Ford Contour SE for $12000 or less (w/ 35000 miles). For a few more $$ you can get the SVT version which is kick ass AND a collector's item.
 
Ford Focus if you want a new, reliable car. Roomy inside, peppy little motor. Don't knock it until you've driven it.
 
The new Nissan Sentra GXE probably fits the bill perfectly. I drove one 150 miles recently. The 1.8 L engine has a lot of pep, it's fairly quiet, comfortable, the interior looks and feels classy, the factory CD player sounds pretty good (for factory), and it handles very nicely.

Also look at the Civic, and lastly, a Corolla. The Civic and Corolla will be more expensive. LOTS and LOTS of people just love their Civics, myself included. I've had an '85 Wagon, an '89 LX, and currently a '92 LX. The Corolla is probably the most expensive, but most comfortable/quiet of these three.

From personal experience, and from what others have said, I will warn you that Toyota Service departments are terrible. I've had much better experiences getting my Hondas serviced.

Good Luck! 🙂
 


<< The new Nissan Sentra GXE probably fits the bill perfectly. I drove one 150 miles recently. The 1.8 L engine has a lot of pep, it's fairly quiet, comfortable, the interior looks and feels classy, the factory CD player sounds pretty nice (for factory), and it handles very nicely.

Also look for at the Civic, and lastly, a Corolla. The Civic and Corolla will be more expensive. LOTS and LOTS of people just love their Civics, myself included. I've had an '85 Wagon, an '89 LX, and currently a '92 LX. The Corolla is probably the most expensive, but most comfortable/quiet of these three.

From personal experience, and from what others have said, I will warn you that Toyota Service departments are terrible. I've had much better experiences getting my Hondas serviced.

Good Luck! 🙂 >>



My brother suffering from the Gas issue just bought his 2001 yesterday.. Loks like a good sedan to me
 


<< (consumer reports may not tell you this, >>


Consumer reports, not telling all of the story, never! 😉 If you cant trust them who can you trust...LOL

I've always had good luck with dodge products. Check out maybe like the stratus, or one of the new neons, they are nice I think.
 
ACK Mwilding, you are actually suggesting that someone buy a CONTOUR? Are you crazy? I own one right now, 99 SE, and it is the worst POS I've ever owned. The resale on them is in the crapper too! I've been to dealerships that have offered me only $5000 for it. It's ONLY 2 YEARS OLD!!!
Never will I buy a domestic car again, maybe a domestic built truck. My next vehicle will definitely be an Accord or Camry. Sure everyone has one, but there is a reason for that.

And don't tell me you expect a Contour, even a SVT, will ever be a collector's item.
 
I have a 2000 Nissan Sentra GXE, the thing is built for reliability. The model has a bulletproof reliability record. It comes with a distributorless ignition, 100,000-mile platinum-tipped spark plugs and a timing chain instead of a timing belt.
Saving you even more money, it gets pretty good mileage (27/35 with the manual) and you only have to get an oil change every 3,750 miles.
The GXE comes with a lot of standard features and it has a perfectly adequate 126-HP engine. For more pep and features, go with the 145-HP SE trim. And since it's Nissan (which doesn't sell as well as Toyota/Honda), you should be able to find a pretty good deal.

The only caveat about the Sentra is that the rear seat is definitely tight. For me, it's not a big issue but it could be if you are going to have people in the back seat a lot. If that's an issue for you, I wouldn't recommend this car.

For reliability, you can't beat small/midsize Japanese cars.
 
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