In reply to mtn :
7th gen accord 4-cylinder would work though
Panther platform cars are about the best value I can think of for decently fun with enough legroom for full size adults in the rear. I prefer the 81-89 cars but that's a bit old for most people
Some more that I don't think have been mentioned:
Acura TL, especially with the stick. Not going to be a huge back seat, so not sure it it'll meet your requirements or not.
Camry with a stick shift. Stick=fun, right? Going to be hard to find, but not impossible.
Yeah you can find the mid 2000s Camry with the 2.4 and a MT. It's tough, but they are out there.
I can't imagine a 6-footer wanting to spend much time in the back of a TL. And a TSX, no flipping way.
CyberEric said:Yeah you can find the mid 2000s Camry with the 2.4 and a MT. It's tough, but they are out there.
I can't imagine a 6-footer wanting to spend much time in the back of a TL. And a TSX, no flipping way.
this. Azera or Sonata in the 06-10 range with the V6. power, comfort and reliabiliy.
stroker said:I need suggestions for a sedan with adequate rear seat room for legitimate adults (6 foot tall) that doesn't suck to drive, is reasonably reliable and can be bought used for about $5K. Decent gas mileage (20+mpg) would be nice.
Ideas?
I'm answering late-to-the-game without having read any of the responses posted so far (so I'm sure others have already said what I will) but this request screams for the answer of Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis.
They've taken a price hike (like everything else) in the past couple of years but still fit your criteria. I can take you for a ride if you want the IRL experience.
At the badlands this summer:
Getting ready to drag the boat to the lake (you said reasonably fun, right?):
And to address a criteria you didn't mention but I'm sure you'll appreciate (I know I sure found out I appreciate it). They can take a hit like a champ (or at least deliver a hit):
That's just after the wreck that popped the airbag but just before I drove it 45 minutes home.
The silver car was my first one and is a P71 (Police package). Now that I have the white car which is NOT a P71...I really appreciate the P71 for all the stupid features it doesn't have. For me, features are just annoying things I'd rather not deal with when they stop featuring (like the electronic climate control I dissected today to put $3 of o-rings into instead of replacing the whole unit for mucho dollars).
In reply to stroker :
I have no personal experience with these but I do notice that this one is wired for Cruise Control (buttons on steering wheel.) Many of the P71s did not leave the factory with cruise control.
Power seats on this one too.
It looks like the paint on the driver's door is a slightly different color than the front fender. Just saying.
I would go drive it and see what you think.
W124 Mercedes?
My nephew picked this one up, a 1995 with the OM606 diesel, for under $3k. Sure, it's needed some things (fuel lines, glow plugs, brake work, replacement of the biodegradable engine wiring harness) but most used cars at that price point and age will need that. He's into it for under $5k total and it's a cool cruiser. We had 4 large adults loafing down the highway in this thing in comfort a few weeks ago. I drove it, and it's slow as molasses on a winter day but it's still somehow fun. He's also getting decent MPG with the diesel. Not sure what he's getting, but he told me he got 200mi out of a quarter tank without trying. Tank is 23 gallons though.
stroker said:
IF that's real and not a scam, it'll be gone before you can drive to IA to get it ;).
That's seriously a low price in today's market. Don't be afraid of the 181K miles. The silver one I wrecked had 280-something on it. I bought the white one with 160-something miles.
Both of my cars were suffering from peeling paint. White is notorious for it and I think the silver cars are know for it too. Just something to consider depending on your appearance needs.
A couple things I thought of you'll want to know. I've had to replace a few coils. They're not super expensive, but there are 8 of them. I haven't felt the need to bite the bullet and replace 8 at once yet. The silver car would let me know I had a misfire and which cylinder (which made it easy to replace them as they conked out). The white car doesn't provide the same service (of pinpointing the cylinder with a misfire) for some reason which is frustrating.
Also, I had a spark plug blow out on mine. The 4.6s aren't as known for this as the 5.4s are but it does happen. If you torque your spark plugs properly, it should not be a problem. If you blow a plug out any capable shop can fix it for you or you can do it at home in an hour or two (albeit, with a $200 repair kit). When it happened It scared the heck out of me. Now that I've fixed one, it's not even a concern.
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