Used Car choices
 

Hi... Need to buy a Car for my daughter. She is really not into cars, just transportation I am looking in the 4K-7K range, Thank You for your advice

I'd look at a 5-10 year-old Japanese car for that price range. Accord, Civic, Camry, Corolla. Take your pick. I know some wold disagree, but I think in general that'll give you the most reliable car for the money.

My wife and I are looking to sell her 2005 Acura TL with 85K miles, but we're thinking a little higher than your price range.

No advice but Good Luck.... I just went through that exercise (again) for one of my granddaughters, we were trying to keep it under 5K. We ended up getting a 98 Honda Acord EX coupe with 105K on the clock, original owner, up to date on maintenance. Always garaged and like new in and out with full leather that was like new. Paid $3500 and think it will be a great car.

I had rather be flogged than buy used cars.. and I'll just leave it at that.

Do you have Toyota Corolla's over there?
They are the Whiteware appliance of cars. Reliable, dependable, uninspired transportation.

Or a basic VW Golf Mark 4 or 5?

Corolla.

This. Super reliable, minimal maintenance. Teenage girls normally turn up the radio when they hear a funny noise, so you need something bulletproof. Toyota and Honda are the default choices, but don't forget about Mazda. The cars are just as reliable, more fun to drive, and don't have the Toyota/Honda tax.

Mazdas are super reliable, but they do rust. I speak from bitter experience. My owned from new Premacy rotted in the rear wheelarches by 5 years old despite my regularly hosing out the mud from there. My neighbours 10 year old Mazda 3 had terrible rot in the same area

I wonder if they've improved in their more recent models? My Mazda3 was bought new exactly 5 years ago and has gone through salt encrusted Buffalo winters since - it has no body rust what so ever.

Fun car, can be had affordably and and relatively easy to work on. Mine's a stick, but if it's an auto - be sure to keep on top of the transmission flushes.

My car was new in 2000, my neighbours was new in 2002. I note that every Premacy(predecessor to the 5) that I see these days has rusty wheelarches, as do the 3's(two model series ago).

flyenby, does she have other needs for the car she gets, such as need to carry gear for sports activities, or AWD for snowboarding trips up to the mountains? If so, that might influence the recommendations you receive.

I vote Japanese. Do not buy a used VW. Speaking from experience.

The aforementioned Jap crap not excluding an Altima.

I have an '06 Altima 2.5S as a sales car, not the nicest thing, build quality could be better as a lot of little plastic crap likes to snap off... However, have you ever started/shut-down a 7year old car 30+ times/day and never had a reliability issue? Me either until now. The thing is bulletproof with 140k, it's needed a battery, brakes, and an alternator...

You can grab a really nice one with under 100k for around $5k

That said, my buddy's dad had a Toyota Corolla with 180k when he sold it and the only thing it ever needed was oil/tires/brakes. Toyotas and Hondas are much better quality than a Nissan, but you'll pay a bit more.

I would not entertain a Mazda ... MY $.02

Why not consider a small older SUV such as a Honda CRV or Toyota Rav4. Older high mileage examples can be had for $8k or less. The reason I mention this is that my daughter has our old 2006 Nissan Xtrail(think small Nissan Pathfinder) and it sits higher off the ground and has more metal around her in event of crash protection.

My neighbor has had Corollas for many years. Puts a couple of hundred thousand miles on them and sells them. Highly reliable but boring.

I would avoid older VW's and Mazda's(yes I agree rust issues). Nissan Altima 2.5 has the same engine as our Xtrail. Reliable and a tad bit more fun to drive than a Toyota....

And when you have decided pics please..:)

In New England, Toyotas and Hondas are gold. Used ones are crazy priceswise, even over 100K on the odo. My bro-in-law just bought his daughter a 07 Hundya (spelling???) Sonata with 100K miles for $6500. I agree, Toyotas and Hondas are preffered. Our 04 Honda Pilot has 94K miles, great vehicle.

The Jap crap already mentioned are all good choices. I'd also vote for a Kia/Hyundai. They're really great cars. You can get a '05 or so Kia Optima in your price range easy, and they're great cars. I owned one for a bit, and was highly impressed. No engine problems, nice interior, good sound system (came stock with an Infiniti system), and had some serious get up and go. Definitely the best car for the money these days (in my opinion).

Bad advise much easier to roll a vehicle with high center of gravity

Looks like a Jap car is the popular vote and would agree. Although if concerned for her well being, might want to check the safety crash test reports, especially at front angle hits. Some of those small model jap cars fall to the bottom of the list. One car you might consider in your target price range is a Nissan Maxima. Still not the tops in major collision but better than others. Bargain appliance car that checks all the right boxes. Anything over 100k miles is still a safe bet and untouched drive train often achieve 300k.

Also if a DIY owner, brake pads, starter, alternator (if needed), half shafts are cheap. Even better is to get parts from Autozone or those that offer free lifetime replacements! They keep your purchase on record and if you need another replacement and lost a receipt, no questions asked.

I agree if you drive it like a Porsche, or sudden change of direction. However I always feel safer in a small SUV than a small compact. Each one to their own. Obviously a driving school/or fatherly coaching can help a young driver of the pluses and minuses of a particular kind of vehicle.

I've owned three Mazdas and never had any rust issues. My wife's younger teen/early-20s sisters have a 1st gen 3, 1st gen 6, and a 2nd gen 3, no issues with theirs either (and they don't baby their cars). Rust has really been the Achilles heel of all Japanese cars, though they have gotten much better in recent years. When I was a kid my dad drove an early '80s Accord that ran great, but the body was damn near rusted away.

One other consideration for me would be a Ford Focus. They are about the only older domestic economy car that I would consider, and should be cheaper than a Japanese car.

The answer is, Miata.