What to get?

[jae]

Getting rid of 1997 Buick Park Avenue Ultra. I will miss the supercharger, but the thing is too fragile now and wasn't designed well enough to survive much longer (much like the 93 Taurus SHO I had :-(). So I'm forced into looking for another car. Plan to do a lot in the next 3 years, like house and marriage, so trying not to spend too much.

Used
2003-2010
Mid-size sedan
Reliable/Dependable
Good Mileage
Easy to maintain I guess if that exists.

Looks are of no concern.
Don't care about speed much anymore.
Powered windows and locks is about all the features I need.

 

[nerp]

Why not another Buick?

 

[pauldun170]

Getting rid of 1997 Buick Park Avenue Ultra. I will miss the supercharger, but the thing is too fragile now and wasn't designed well enough to survive much longer (much like the 93 Taurus SHO I had :-(). So I'm forced into looking for another car. Plan to do a lot in the next 3 years, like house and marriage, so trying not to spend too much.

Used
2003-2010
Mid-size sedan
Reliable/Dependable
Good Mileage
Easy to maintain I guess if that exists.

Looks are of no concern.
Don't care about speed much anymore.
Powered windows and locks is about all the features I need.

Pick any Honda Accord 4banger, newest you can afford.
07+ Camry (avoid 03-06 4 cylinder Camry's and Highlander)
06 and newer Nissan Altima 2.5
08+ Ford Fusion.

Whats wrong with the Buick Park Avenue Ultra?
Interior falling apart? rear mounts?

 

[jae]

Why not another Buick?

Why should I? Not against it, but wasnt impressed with some of GM's design decisions with this car.

Pick any Honda Accord 4banger, newest you can afford.
07+ Camry (avoid 03-06 4 cylinder Camry's and Highlander)
06 and newer Nissan Altima 2.5
08+ Ford Fusion.

Whats wrong with the Buick Park Avenue Ultra?
Interior falling apart? rear mounts?

What about last gen of Sonata (07ish)? Or Galant?

Everything except the interior, interior is in great shape. Steel engine cradle is rust. Supercharger's rotor pack or coupling is going out (hopefully the coupling, haven't really diagnosed, just hear the dreaded noise), internal engine leaks, small trans leak because of the engine cradle, list goes on and components just fail on a monthly basis literally.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm pretty happy with my Camry Hybrid XLE but I drive a lot of miles so having a hybrid actually makes sense for me.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Totally boring although you can get a manual trans in them

Pontiac Vibe

Same car as the toyota matrix which is a basically a camry wagon but with GM resale value. Timing chain so no stupid belt to worry about and decent gas mileage. Had an 03 with 200k miles on it for about a year and it still drove great. I'd still have it but I got a great deal on an 04 TDI jetta.

 

[dmoney1980]

Budget range?

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Buick LaCrosse 3800

Chevrolet Impala

 

[pandemonium]

For reliability and low maintenance costs for other budgeted needs?

Pick your make and budget flavor:
Accord, TL.
Fusion, Taurus.
Optima, Sonata, Genesis.
Camry, Avalon.
Mazda 5.
Altima.

 

[Meghan54]

Pontiac Vibe

Same car as the toyota matrix which is a basically a camry wagon

Nope...the Matrix/Vibe is a Corolla-based vehicle, not Camry.


To the OP...you want mid-sized car that's reliable, durable, and relatively cheap? I'd look into Accord and Camry (the two obvious choices), but I'd also include/look into these: Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Mazda 6, Nissan Altima. All have proven reliable and durable.

Also, I'd look into browsing around down in the southern tier of states....no rust problems. When we were buying while we lived on Cape Cod, I tried to avoid buying a vehicle that had been in the NE----snow + salt = rust. Although I did end up buying a Murano that'd been in MA, we got lucky and no significant rust. When I had to replace the Murano after a tree fell on it during Sandy, we bought down in SC.

Good luck in your search!

 

[thedarkwolf]

Nope...the Matrix/Vibe is a Corolla-based vehicle, not Camry.

They both start with a C close enough

It was late

 

[satyajitmenon]

Gonna throw out a slightly unusual suggestion.

How about a Lincoln LS?

Same chassis as the Jaguar S-Type of the era, near 50-50 weight distribution, and pretty decent engines in the 03-06 years.

Only issue might be mileage. They get an easy 25 mpg on the highway. But you may be looking for more.

 

[vshah]

The previous gen of acura rls can be had for pretty good prices around the low twenties. Possibly high teens. Solid, comfortable, quite powerful.

 

[Ferzerp]

Get a GT-R

 

[monkeydelmagico]

My top 3 budget choices

Ford fusion
mazda 6
honda accord

Not on a shoestring budget? Consider this:

Toyota Avalon
Audi A6
Lexus ES330

 

[Midwayman]

Get a GT-R

Yes, but not the Nissan.

 

[XavierMace]

My top 3 budget choices
Audi A6

I almost bought a used A6 once for like $8k. Took it to a dealer for a pre-buy inspection. They gave me a list of maintenance items that were due. It was a $2,200 quote. I'd hate to see what an actual repair bill would be.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I've been pretty happy with my 200hp Buick Regal (3800 Series II). I don't have the turbo charger and it has enough power.

When I get ready to replace it, I'm going to definitely look at Buick again, but don't know if I would consider another Regal. They shrunk the car slightly and only offer it with a 2.0L turbo charged 4 cylinder, I believe. I would have to drive one to see how it compares to whatever I end up comparing it to.

Edit: I read up on their lineup...the Verano and Regal are currently the cheapest models, but the Verano is priced to compete with Japanese models...The Lacrosse has more Luxury and cabin space, which makes the Regal slightly overpriced for what you get.

If you're buying used, you can pick up the Verano or Regal at great discounts. I bought my 2003 Regal in 2004 for half price under MSRP. (it's why I bought it) I just found very similar depreciation on the Verano and Regals. You can get well-equipped 2010-2012 Regals and Veranos for $17-20k easy.

As for the larger Lacrosse, it's in the same price range if you don't mind having slightly higher mileage from 30k-45k. For what you get in interior bells and whistles, engine power, bluetooth connectivity, onstar, hud in some trims, and power moon roof.....those are a bargain when compared to more stripped down NEW Japanese sedans.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

I almost bought a used A6 once for like $8k. Took it to a dealer for a pre-buy inspection. They gave me a list of maintenance items that were due. It was a $2,200 quote. I'd hate to see what an actual repair bill would be.

Nice edit :ninja: NOT on my "budget" list but more of a nice car to have.

Take any used CamCord that's been neglected and if it needs tires, brakes, belts, misc. = $,$$$

I've seen plenty of used Audi, BMW, and Mercs that needed nothing.

Used car purchasing requires a bit of skill, due diligence, and some luck.

 

[XavierMace]

I meant to cut out the budget too, sorry about that. The point I was trying to make was that I wouldn't recommend the Audi regardless. Even among luxury cars, their services costs are inherently higher, regardless if you are doing it yourself or at the dealer. The 90k service for my Lexus (T-Belt, etc) was under half what the Audi's was at dealer pricing. Doing it myself made it a fraction of the cost, but the Audi parts were twice as much. Not to mention the service manual made the process look like it would take an act of god to complete without assistance. The AWD alone adds more failure points and maintenance items.

I completely agree on the ES330 suggestion, or even a ES300 depending on how cheap you want to go. I'd also considering compromising, looking a little older if needed and getting a GS350.