The irrelevant backstory is that I am a Rice U. Student, living on campus so I don't need (and therefore don't have) a car. However, this summer Shell will be employing me, so I will be staying here instead of going home to saint louis, and I need to get to and from work which means I will need a vehicle. I don't want to spend more than 8 grand, it needs to run, and above all, the aircondition needs to work (houston summer = the suck).
What I want from a car: Big. I will be moving very frequently, sometimes with a friend so I need to be able to carry every personal belonging of at least two people in this vehicle (College age, though, so its not that large an amount of stuff). In addition, during the school year I will be cramming dozens of people in, so the bigger the better. Reliable, with reliable climate control. Comfortable: I'd rather have a quiet and comfortable ride than a sporty handling car. I won't be going to a track or streetracing. It needs to be able to do highway speeds easily, though. Fuel economy is not a big issue with me, my commute won't be that long, and during the school year the car will see very light use.
So on to the top candidate: I'm looking at '96 and '97 Town Cars. I love the styling, the interior is large enough for 6 with belts, though you could probably carry significantly more people than that (we did 7 in a prelude at one point). Huge trunk. Very comfortable, but the V8 gives it enough power to do highways easily.
Here: http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Relia...ake=Lincoln&model=Town%20Car&trimid=-1 we have reports that the '96 and '97 Town Cars are practically bulletproof everywhere except for a few minor engine flaws, none of which should cost more than 200 to fix if they go wrong.
In houston, there is a fairly good selection. Carmax has a few, and I've heard they charge a premium but that their used vehicles aren't going to be lemons. I would be willing to pay extra for a car that would be more likely to be reliable.
I'm looking for advice on this vehicle, other suggestions, and what I should expect/do when purchasing a used car - I know it would be a good idea to have a 3rd party inspection, but is this step needed with Carmax?
All help is appreciated.
What I want from a car: Big. I will be moving very frequently, sometimes with a friend so I need to be able to carry every personal belonging of at least two people in this vehicle (College age, though, so its not that large an amount of stuff). In addition, during the school year I will be cramming dozens of people in, so the bigger the better. Reliable, with reliable climate control. Comfortable: I'd rather have a quiet and comfortable ride than a sporty handling car. I won't be going to a track or streetracing. It needs to be able to do highway speeds easily, though. Fuel economy is not a big issue with me, my commute won't be that long, and during the school year the car will see very light use.
So on to the top candidate: I'm looking at '96 and '97 Town Cars. I love the styling, the interior is large enough for 6 with belts, though you could probably carry significantly more people than that (we did 7 in a prelude at one point). Huge trunk. Very comfortable, but the V8 gives it enough power to do highways easily.
Here: http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Relia...ake=Lincoln&model=Town%20Car&trimid=-1 we have reports that the '96 and '97 Town Cars are practically bulletproof everywhere except for a few minor engine flaws, none of which should cost more than 200 to fix if they go wrong.
In houston, there is a fairly good selection. Carmax has a few, and I've heard they charge a premium but that their used vehicles aren't going to be lemons. I would be willing to pay extra for a car that would be more likely to be reliable.
I'm looking for advice on this vehicle, other suggestions, and what I should expect/do when purchasing a used car - I know it would be a good idea to have a 3rd party inspection, but is this step needed with Carmax?
All help is appreciated.
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