Used Car Recommendations -$5500

[DeliciousTacos]

My current car is costing me way too much money, so I'm considering my options as far as replacing it with something more fuel efficient and more reliable.

I need something under $5500 that will:

Look good
Have an automatic transmission
Have no major problems for the next 50k miles
Get 25 mpg+ in mixed city/highway driving


I prefer small 2-door or 4-door cars with a trunk.

Any ideas?

 

[vi edit]

Tough requirements. For that price it's a crap shoot on what your next 50k are going to be for maintenance...planned or otherwise.

I'd look at a Focus. I've seen lots of '02-'03's going for around that range with 60-80k miles on the clock. You should have another 50k rather uneventful miles out of them.

 

[Bignate603]

It really depends on what you can find. A well maintained car with 100k on it will be better for you than a neglected car with 50k on it.

 

[TridenT]

Honda Civic? Toyota Corolla? Both of those get pretty good MPG and I think they look good. (2003+ Corollas look good, and I think most Honda Civics do too)

Pretty soon you're going to hear people saying you should get a Ford Focus, Dodge Neon, and Pontiac Grand Am.

EDIT: You can get a car with a reconstructed title for cheap as well... But beware not all are the same.

 

[Arkaign]

Honda Civic? Toyota Corolla? Both of those get pretty good MPG and I think they look good. (2003+ Corollas look good, and I think most Honda Civics do too)

Pretty soon you're going to hear people saying you should get a Ford Focus, Dodge Neon, and Pontiac Grand Am.

EDIT: You can get a car with a reconstructed title for cheap as well... But beware not all are the same.

$5,500 won't buy much of a Civic most of the time, mostly ones that are abused or well over 100k miles. I wouldn't recommend a Dodge Neon or Grand Am at all, but an '05+ Focus might be just the thing, with the Mazda Duratec motors. Pre-'05 Focus, you definitely want to get the Zetec motor over the SPI.

Corolla is reliable, but is terribly boring to drive. They don't seem as overpriced as Civics though on the used market.

 

[TridenT]

$5,500 won't buy much of a Civic most of the time, mostly ones that are abused or well over 100k miles. I wouldn't recommend a Dodge Neon or Grand Am at all, but an '05+ Focus might be just the thing, with the Mazda Duratec motors. Pre-'05 Focus, you definitely want to get the Zetec motor over the SPI.

Corolla is reliable, but is terribly boring to drive. They don't seem as overpriced as Civics though on the used market.

The good civics that are $5500 or below vanish instantly because people buy them with cash insanely fast. It's like buying a brand new Lamborghini Murcielago for $10k. People will jump on that shit fast.

 

[Vette73]

For $5500 and your requirments look for MAYBE...

Ford Focus (not sure about trunk?, I know a lot are hatch)
Pontiac G6 (4cyl model)
Nissan Sentra and maybe a 4cyl Altima


These cars, outside the altima, are not main kid/popular cars like a Civic/Corolla. As such you get way more car for your dollar.

 

[angry hampster]

Geo/Chevy Prism.

 

[Vette73]

Geo/Chevy Prism.

Only reason I don;t bring that up is they are getting harder and harder to find as time goes on. The last year they were made is 2002.

 

[Bignate603]

Honda Civic? Toyota Corolla? Both of those get pretty good MPG and I think they look good. (2003+ Corollas look good, and I think most Honda Civics do too)

Pretty soon you're going to hear people saying you should get a Ford Focus, Dodge Neon, and Pontiac Grand Am.

EDIT: You can get a car with a reconstructed title for cheap as well... But beware not all are the same.

The good civics that are $5500 or below vanish instantly because people buy them with cash insanely fast. It's like buying a brand new Lamborghini Murcielago for $10k. People will jump on that shit fast.

So you're recommending a car that's apparently impossible to find within his budget?

 

[DeliciousTacos]

Hmm, I like the pontiac G6, but those are really hard to find, as well as most of the other cars that you guys have suggested. But I don't really need a 4-door. What could I get if I reduced my requirements to a 2 door coupe?

 

[Bignate603]

G6s and focuses aren't really any harder to find than any other car you might look at.

If you aren't dead set on a coupe or a sedan I'd just look at both. There's no reason to limit your search to just one or the other because then you might miss a good deal. Keep your search as broad as you're willing to accept (car model, brand, year, 2 or 4 door) to increase the likliehood of finding the best deal possible.

 

[DeliciousTacos]

G6s and focuses aren't really any harder to find than any other car you might look at.

If you aren't dead set on a coupe or a sedan I'd just look at both. There's no reason to limit your search to just one or the other because then you might miss a good deal. Keep your search as broad as you're willing to accept (car model, brand, year, 2 or 4 door) to increase the likliehood of finding the best deal possible.

I should really stop posting before i've had my coffee. lol

 

[TridenT]

So you're recommending a car that's apparently impossible to find within his budget?

It's not impossible, they just happen to be rare compared to bunches of Ford Focuses with salvage titles.

 

[kornphlake]

It's not impossible.

So you finally found a Civic you can love at a price you can afford or are you speculating again?

 

[TridenT]

So you finally found a Civic you can love at a price you can afford or are you speculating again?

I have found them, but they just sell really fast and usually during the weekends when the bank isn't open to get out the money. :/

 

[PhoKingGuy]

I have found them, but they just sell really fast and usually during the weekends when the bank isn't open to get out the money. :/

You found like one in 4 weeks of searching, its not that they're out there, its that you're waiting for some idiot to undervalue their car for you to buy it

 

[desy]

Focus, Vibe its a hatch but usefull, Protege

 

[matas]

I bought a 2003 honda accord coupe recently and I am very happy with it. But not sure if you will be able to find one for less than 6000, I just got lucky.

 

[Bignate603]

You found like one in 4 weeks of searching, its not that they're out there, its that you're waiting for some idiot to undervalue their car for you to buy it

And I bet that wonderful car that he found had some issue that made the seller want a fast sale.