School/work car for my son....

[cardiac]

I am looking for a school/work car for the oldest son (Senior in high school - has a part time job). I read this forum 3-4 times a week, but need a somewhat specific answer. Mid-size or smaller. Early 2000's. Escort/Focus/Corolla type vehicle. Nothing in the VW/Audi/BMW/Volvo type vehicles.

What should I absolutely avoid? So many vehicles I am running across in the 140-150k mile range have not had much maintenance done (Brakes/timing belt, struts, etc).

He really did like the look of a 2002 Escort ZX/2, but really doesn't mind a 4dr for his first car. He is paying for half of it.

What say ye, Anandtech gurus?

 

[JulesMaximus]

1983 Alfa Romeo GTV

 

[Yuriman]

Can't go wrong with a Corolla. Get a 5MT and it'll outlast you.

I drive a 2000 model car with ~190K, and the only maintenance it's ever had done are oil changes and a brake job at 150k, and it needs nothing. I replaced the original spark plugs a month ago, only to find they were still fine. Just depends on how it was treated, so test drive them and see for yourself.

 

[RLGL]

let the kid find his own car, time to land the helicopter

 

[cardiac]

let the kid find his own car, time to land the helicopter

He's doing research and paying for half. Looking for the bad eggs.....

 

[mvbighead]

Price range you are looking for? There are a lot of plain simple and reliable cars out there. Just depends on your price point.

 

[desy]

Focus is good, The 02- Focus had engine issues, fixed in the 03 model and best in 05+
Also any Pontiac Vibe as a bargain Toyota Matrix but better looking IMO
For some reason I always liked the Saturn Ion 3 door coupe
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Saturn/Ion/

 

[DigDog]

be honest, is your son the kind of kid that will get into accidents? if yes, get him a used volvo, or some similar piece of junk that doesnt go fast and has high impact resistance.

otherwise, put some cash together and get him a second hand merc or bmw, one of the low end models, such as the 318 - they last forever and might help him get a bit of tail.

getting laid is very important for a person to develop properly, and only second to remaining alive.

 

[razel]

From your posts it sounds like you are already avoiding the bad cars for younger drivers and bad cars for maintenance in general. As someone mentioned, it's very hard to go wrong with the Corolla.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

We just bought a used 2011 Toyota Yaris, manual transmission, 45,000 miles, for $7,000 locally on Craigslist. It easily gets 41 mpg. I love the fact that it has crank windows, since I had to replace the power windows 3 TIMES on our Buick. I'm a firm believer that simpler usually means lower maintenance costs.

Other than that, you might find something cheap here:
http://cushmanforsale.com/truckster/

I've heard that some of these can get in the 55 to 60 mpg range.

 

[cardiac]

All good thoughts. He is not accident prone or a car geek. He is careful to a fault. But who doesn't like getting laid? My younger son is 16 and he is a motorhead. He already wants my Road King, and wants a Hellcat as a first vehicle (Kidding of course). He is going to be trouble, as he is just starting to drive....

 

[thedarkwolf]

Also any Pontiac Vibe as a bargain Toyota Matrix but better looking IMO

My first thought as well. the pointiac vibe is a toyota with pointiac resale value. They are basically toyota Corollas with sporty hatchback bodies. I bought a 2003 as a beater a few years ago for $2200 with 200k miles on it and some cosmetic damage and it was solid as could be. You can find nice ones for $3k+ just depending on how nice and old you want to go. They also make a sport version called the pontiac vibe GT or matrix XRS that only comes with a 6 speed manual and I think 180hp?. Probably not as good on the old insurance though.

 

[nerp]

Crown Vic.

 

[SSSnail]

Mitsubishi Galant? They seem to be pretty cheap.

 

[halik]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oan35lI5Eiw

ZX2 escorts aren't exactly safe

 

[cardiac]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oan35lI5Eiw

ZX2 escorts aren't exactly safe

At the price point we were looking at probably not too many were 5 star safe... We did end up getting a 1999 Escort ZX/2 Sport, 118k miles, fairly clean. Just had fuel pump, timing belt, and a head gasket replaced along with fresh coolant/oil change. Tires are 60-70%. A/C works great and has a moon roof (Didn't find any leaks in testing) and a 6-disc CD changer. He owned the car since 2007 and drove it to work. Receipts for all work he ever had done were in a folder. Got it for $1500 cash. After looking at dozens of cars, this was by far the best we ran across.

Thanks for all of the ideas!