Which used car <$9000?

[pulse8]

My car was stolen about a month ago and my insurance company is finally settling with me on the amount they are going to pay. I still owed money on the old car so it looks like I'll only get $500 left over from that.

I'm looking for the best used car I can get @ around $8500 or $9000. I'll probably have around $2000 to put down on the car.

I know dick about cars, except what looks nice to me. What are your suggestions? My only requirements are price and that it comes with manual transmission.

 

[TwiceOver]

Ignor flashy and get something that will last. Nissan, Toyota. I purchased my used Altima about 6 years ago now and havn't really had to put any money into it.

 

[Gibson486]

honda civic?

 

[Otaking]

YACT

What are your needs? Since you're in Cali, I'd suggest a gas saver, so civic is a good option. You should look into any of the compact 4-doors or hatchbacks. Maybe new/slightly used KIA/Hyundai ?

 

[alien42]

i bought my 98 prelude with 80,000 miles for $8k

 

[Random Variable]

Pagani Zonda F?

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Ignor flashy and get something that will last. Nissan, Toyota. I purchased my used Altima about 6 years ago now and havn't really had to put any money into it.

I have an 2001 Altima that my aunt sold me.....I hate it. It is the absolute worst car to drive on long trips. She hated teh car and told me it sucked, but liked the engine alot. 1 year later, I regret buying this car. The stupid service engine stays on and no one knows why. I brought to the dealer, auto zone and mechanics and they say the code that comes out doesn't make sense. My gas mileage is around 14mpg, also, so that does not help either.

 

[3chordcharlie]

What kind of requirements do you have?

There's a tonne of reliable used cars in that price range.

Do you need cargo room? Towing capacity? Is it a commuter car? If so do you care more about comfort or fuel economy?

I'm a big fan of the Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe, though I find them far from beautiful. I suspect you could find one close to your price range.

Lot's of cargo space, great gas mileage, corrola-based so you shouldn't have any real reliability concerns. They have reasonable towing capacity for a compact car, but it's far from stellar, and I doubt they have a heavy-duty clutch, so I'd be hesitant to tow with them (i.e. on a regular basis). They're also a bit noisy on the road, and could use better seats (but they aren't 'bad').

If you like larger vehicles, I'd look at an Intrepid 2.7L for a good mix of comfort, efficiency and practicality and importantly, affordability.

 

[pulse8]

I don't really have any needs other than something I would enjoy driving. I'm not too worried about gas because I only drive about 7-8,000 miles a year, but it's definitely on my mind. Anything that gets average to good mileage would be fine in my book.

I had thought about a used Hyundai Elantra GT, but was worried in the transfer that the warranty time would get lowered. I haven't researched that yet, though.

No towing capacity requirements or cargo room requirements.

 

[TwiceOver]

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Ignor flashy and get something that will last. Nissan, Toyota. I purchased my used Altima about 6 years ago now and havn't really had to put any money into it.

I have an 2001 Altima that my aunt sold me.....I hate it. It is the absolute worst car to drive on long trips. She hated teh car and told me it sucked, but liked the engine alot. 1 year later, I regret buying this car. The stupid service engine stays on and no one knows why. I brought to the dealer, auto zone and mechanics and they say the code that comes out doesn't make sense. My gas mileage is around 14mpg, also, so that does not help either.

Ouch. Mine is a '95 Altima with 85K on it now. I get about 24mpg in town and almost 30 highway.

 

[Sureshot324]

Would you mostly be driving this yourself or would you frequently have passengers. Basically, is a roomy back seat with a decent amount of leg room important?

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: Sureshot324
Would you mostly be driving this yourself or would you frequently have passengers. Basically, is a roomy back seat with a decent amount of leg room important?

Nope. Not important.

I don't frequently drive with more than one other person.

 

[BobDaMenkey]

You can't go wrong with Toyota's IMO. Not many of their vehicals are going to give up the ghost without a good long fight. Most toyota engines will go at least 150k if you abuse the heck out of them, and 200k on average with 300k not being unheard of with good maint.

I'd recommend staying away from the american makers for something ultra reliable, and away from european stuff as well. The japanese have done great things with autos as far as reliablity and gas milage go. I've got a 95 Mitsu truck that I picked up with 77k on the clock, now I'm at 86.4k and I've only put 1.1k into it(A/C blew out), but I did have the alternator go at 79k(bought it from a used dealer, so they replaced it). It's a great little truck, and I get 22+ mpg in the city without A/C 19ish with it. It's rated for 18 city, so I'm damn happy.

My dad has a 2000 Nissan Fronteir with 105k miles on it now, and he hasn't had to do a single thing outside of general maint(shocks/springs, tires, and brakes). I don't have good things to say about my mom's 01 Sentra, but then again she never maintains it, and runs into stuff with it...

 

[thedarkwolf]

miata, 240sx, or if your old enough for the insurance not to kill you mustang GT/camaro z28/trans am. Mileage really isn't as bad as people think. I doubt you see to much snow so you might aswell go RWD.

 

[Summitdrinker]

2 door or 4 door?
2 door, how about a mustang that was adult driven and taken car of, the 3.8 V6 isn't all that great in the long run thou

but a honda or nissan sounds good

maybe find a old nice taken care of nissan maxuima


but the best used car for the buck, which isn't for you thou, is a 1999 to 2002 mercury grand marquis

 

[Aves]

2002 Sentra SE-R

 

[skyking]

I'd take all those suggestions, since they are fairly good.
Go find the lowest mile best condition examples of the toyos, nissans, hondas in that price range. One owner being sold by owner is best. Reciepts are good to have.
Sit in them all. Give it quite a bit of thought. If either seat sucks, forget it. If you envision hauling any friends around in the back, sit there for a while. Would you want to subject your friends to that, or will it happen so infrequently that it does not matter?
Find the model that fits you, then choose the one with the best condition/value/price.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: pulse8
My car was stolen about a month ago and my insurance company is finally settling with me on the amount they are going to pay. I still owed money on the old car so it looks like I'll only get $500 left over from that.

I'm looking for the best used car I can get @ around $8500 or $9000. I'll probably have around $2000 to put down on the car.

I know dick about cars, except what looks nice to me. What are your suggestions? My only requirements are price and that it comes with manual transmission.

I leased a Saturn a week ago. They look decent and get good gas mileage. $1000 down and $206 a month for four years. Leasing has it's ups and downs. The downer is you don't own the car at the end and you're restricted as far as miles ago (60k over 4 years). The upside is it takes the headache out of owning a car. I know how to fill a car up with gas and add windshield wiper fluid, that's about it, lol. I got the maintenance plan with the lease, which means that for the duration of the lease, they change the oil, rotate the tires, etc., etc., etc., and even give you a free car wash every month. Basically, any problems and regular maintenance are taken care of Saturn. I just fill it up with gas every week and I'm set. So, it comes out to about $11,000 over the 4-years, and in return you get to drive a headache-free brand-new car. Something to consider

 

[Summitdrinker]

a mazda 626 with a manual tranny can be good, some of the older 4 cyl with auto tranny were problems

 

[sniperruff]

any 94'-98' camry/accord/altima/maxima or 99'-02' galant will do, with <100k miles. just buy a cheap car then you won't have to take out a loan again.

 

[tweakmm]

Acura Legend
Nissan Maxima

 

[Dr. Detroit]

How about you Lease a Starun ION?
$149/mnth with no money down!

Focus ZX3 - in my Newspaper they have '05s with AC or $9,995
Mustang V6 Coupe from 2001

 

[MustangSVT]

get a pussywagon. it will pay for itself!

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: MustangSVT
get a pussywagon. it will pay for itself!

it broke down, remember?

 

[QuitBanningMe]

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Ignor flashy and get something that will last. Nissan, Toyota. I purchased my used Altima about 6 years ago now and havn't really had to put any money into it.

I have an 2001 Altima that my aunt sold me.....I hate it. It is the absolute worst car to drive on long trips. She hated teh car and told me it sucked, but liked the engine alot. 1 year later, I regret buying this car. The stupid service engine stays on and no one knows why. I brought to the dealer, auto zone and mechanics and they say the code that comes out doesn't make sense. My gas mileage is around 14mpg, also, so that does not help either.

I have a 2001 Altima. No problems on long trips. Also get ~30mpg highway. No problems with the car ever except for the window regulators which were recalled.