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So, my friend is looking for a secondhand car - any suggestions?

C

cheesehead

Lifer
A friend of mine has a Dodge Intrepid with 186,000 miles. While it still works pretty well, it's definitely a bit long ind the tooth, and her work requires her to have a car that's very reliable. (If it breaks down, she's in a very scary part of town.)

Here's her major requirements:

1. Very low total cost of ownership. The friend in question is thinking about going back to school (working at an Oscar-Meyer plant is a bit of a bummer long-term), and needs something cheap to run. For various reasons, her costs are quite high, and something with a low cost to insure would be dandy.

2. Very easy to park. Because she hasn't got a driveway, a vehicle that's easy to park on the street is very important, and being very short is a bonus.

3. Reasonably good in the snow. Madison, WI can have some funky weather in the winter, and something acceptable on snow and ice is pretty important - in short, no secondhand Maseratis, please. FWD/AWD is probably the way to go.
 
What is her price range? Is she looking to finance it?

If she wants cheap AWD looking at subarus is probably the way to go. I would expect their wagons to be relatively cheap to insure. My mother has a Forester and loves how it does in snow. However, AWD tends to burn more gas than a comparable FWD car.
 
I used to have a 96 Accord, it got me through 6 years of school without breaking down on me once. Gas mileage was fantastic and I drove it like I stole it everyday.

It had 120K miles when I bought it in 2004 for $3500. And it was fun to drive too, I put near 40K miles on it (mostly city miles). I once replaced the original CV and the original radiator but that was about it.

A guy crashed into me last month and that's the only reason why I am still not driving it, definitely would recommend that generation of Accords to anyone on a budget.
 
The budget is approximately $5,000. Due to one rather long-standing unpaid credit card bill, financing is not likely an option.

Bignate603 said:
What is her price range? Is she looking to finance it?

If she wants cheap AWD looking at subarus is probably the way to go. I would expect their wagons to be relatively cheap to insure. My mother has a Forester and loves how it does in snow. However, AWD tends to burn more gas than a comparable FWD car.
Click to expand...

I recommended a Subaru wagon myself. They're terrific cars - if you can ignore the fuel economy issue (which isn't that big) and the fact that they're kinda ugly, there's not much to dislike. I'm actually looking at buying one myself. Sadly, she doesn't want one; partially because they're a bit long but mostly, I suspect, because of the stereotype of subarus being owned by lesbians.

DarkThinker said:
I used to have a 96 Accord, it got me through 6 years of school without breaking down on me once. Gas mileage was fantastic and I drove it like I stole it everyday.
Click to expand...

If I can find one with sufficiently low miles, I'll take a look. I've heard that contemporary Toyotas tend to have rust issues after fourteen years; I'm impressed that Honda has managed to produce such durable cars. Since Accords are often quite popular with the AARP set, I'll hopefully be able to find one with well below 100k miles in her price range.
 
cheesehead said:
I recommended a Subaru wagon myself. They're terrific cars - if you can ignore the fuel economy issue (which isn't that big) and the fact that they're kinda ugly, there's not much to dislike. I'm actually looking at buying one myself. Sadly, she doesn't want one; partially because they're a bit long but mostly, I suspect, because of the stereotype of subarus being owned by lesbians.
Click to expand...

Have her look at a Legacy sedan. They aren't as common as the wagons but they are good cars. My grandmother has had one for years.
 
cheesehead said:
I recommended a Subaru wagon myself. They're terrific cars - if you can ignore the fuel economy issue (which isn't that big) and the fact that they're kinda ugly, there's not much to dislike. I'm actually looking at buying one myself. Sadly, she doesn't want one; partially because they're a bit long but mostly, I suspect, because of the stereotype of subarus being owned by lesbians.
Click to expand...

Whaaa? Subarus are everywhere here, owned by men and women alike. They're great winter cars.
 
Bignate603 said:
Have her look at a Legacy sedan. They aren't as common as the wagons but they are good cars. My grandmother has had one for years.
Click to expand...

Bignate603 said:
What is her price range? Is she looking to finance it?

If she wants cheap AWD looking at subarus is probably the way to go. I would expect their wagons to be relatively cheap to insure. My mother has a Forester and loves how it does in snow. However, AWD tends to burn more gas than a comparable FWD car.
Click to expand...

Bignate603 said:
I just googled "lesbian subaru" and this was one of the hits.

http://www.gaywheels.com/2009_subaru_forrester.htm
Click to expand...

Well then, I guess grandma just got a little bit cooler :awe:
 
HarryLui said:
204k miles on mine with original engine and transmission.
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185k on mine with original engine and tranny. Just keep the oil topped off and these cars run forever, the power windows are a little sticky, the sunroof doesn't open anymore, and there are a few other little issues that honestly aren't worth my time to repair. The only downside to buying one now is that the brand is extinct and sourcing OEM parts might be a problem, I've never had a problem finding OEM parts at a junk yard though.
 
AWD 95 Eclipse or AWD Eagle Talon. Fun, small and powerful.
I've seen many for sale in the 3500-5000 range in very good condition.
 
Used Ford Focus? They depreciate very rapidly, so ought to be cheap to get with relatively low miles.
 
CrackRabbit said:
That's surprising, I had a 96 that barely made it to 115k.
Big plasticy piles of garbage that drink oil like a programmer does coffee.
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Mine drinks about 1 qt between 3000 miles. Lack of oil changes and lack of checking the oil level are the number one killer of Saturn engines.

Got 36mpg last road trip as well.
 
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ppatin said:
Used Ford Focus? They depreciate very rapidly, so ought to be cheap to get with relatively low miles.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen a lot of reasonably priced Foci around here, but I'll take another look. My father has a Mazda3, which is basically a vastly refined and more expensive Focus, and it's been impressively reliable.

kornphlake said:
185k on mine with original engine and tranny. Just keep the oil topped off and these cars run forever,
Click to expand...

I know one fellow who has a Saturn with almost 170k on the odometer, and another who went through three engines in less than 100,000. Quality control seems to be a bit poor, and if they're not taken care of, things can go south quickly.

The issue with the Eclipse is insurance. The owner has rather a lot of points on her license, and can't afford to insure anything classified as a sports car. (If she could, she'd have bought a Miata long ago.)
 
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