Single Mom needs an Appliance Car.

Unfortunately, my uncle just passed away. He left his daughter $12k cash to purchase a good car for her family. Currently she has no reliable vehicle. Single mother with 2 kids.

How this is going to work is they are transferring me the money. I will purchase the car in cash and then transfer it to the daughter, so she does not spend it on other garbage.

Since I am stuck here with a bunch of enablers, I almost never look at anything in this price range that does not include the words "Turbo", "Manual" or "V8".

The only stipulation is that it must be a reliable car, 4-doors, and have excellent parts availability. I live in Detroit, so obviously we are leaning towards something domestic.

Was thinking primarily about a Fusion or Milan. To be honest, I don't expect her to keep up with a timing belt interval or much outside of regular oil changes. Maybe a used Cruze or Focus? Something with <50k miles preferably. I'm sure that I'm overlooking a few options. As much as I love older Mopars, I know nothing of their more modern offerings past-Neons. If the Avenger or Patriot/Compass/200 is something that should be considered, I'd listen to someone's opinion.

I'd like to stay away from Pontiacs due to parts availability over the long-term. A Mazda 6 would be another good choice but I am concerned about parts cost vs. a Fusion.

Mazda 3? Timing chains FTW!

used mazda 5?

how many children? miatas do have a passenger seat

on the domestic side, turbo mopar minivan

Appliance? Prius.

mndsm wrote: Mazda 3? Timing chains FTW!

Mazda 3 or 6 is a good choice, but the Fusion/Milan twins are essentially a Mazda 6 underneath and are CHEAP. If you get the 4 cylinder, it's a Mazda MZR motor, and MZR's don't have timing chains! You cannot go wrong either way.

SWMBO and I both DD 2010+ Mazda 3's, and maintenance costs have been a joke compare to her old Elantra and my old WRX. The 2010-up 2.0 and 2.5 MZR's have spin-on oil filters too, and are available at any parts store. Other than changing the oil and fluids when needed, doing spark plugs every once in a while, and rotating tires, there's not a lot of maintenance. They don't get the greatest mileage, but the extremely low maintenance costs more than make up for it.

SWMBO had a 2012 (old version) Fusion rental last summer after her 3 was in an accident, and I was very impressed. It drove nice and was very roomy.

With that kind of money, the 4cyl 6/Fusion/Milan auto you will find should be in excellent shape, and pretty new.

And I would lean toward that size- the kids do grow up.

The Duratec 4 is a very good engine, timing chain reduces long term maintenence.

They are good cars.

FWIW, you should not be worrying about parts availabilty for a car of this price- it should not need parts in the near future- just oil and filter changes on a regular basis.

Check out Kia and Hyundai also. I believe they have 100k mile warranties so any issues are not out of her pocket. Women usually get swindled by mechanics.

2 Kids. I believe one is a teen and one is a bit younger.

Any concerns with the 4 vs the 6 cyl in the Fusion/Milan/6? I'm guessing you mean the MZR does not have timing belts (it has chains, no?).

I do most maintenance for the family, or at least advise on most issues (whether they listen after they ask for advice is a different story). Parts cost is more of a personal thing, but I'm unsure as to how long she'd keep the car for.

Are exterior parts hard to come by for the Milan now that Merc is dead? Just wondering how they would compare on insurance.

How reliable is the AWD system in these rides? I never see much about it mentioned anywhere.

Crown Vic with enough left over to service it until well past 1,000,000 miles

Pontiac Vibe - toyota Matrix could work. Cheap to run, safe for kiddies.

I have no idea what their service record is like or how they drive, but the first gen xb swallows up kid stuff ands groceries, even though it has the aerodynamics of a brick.

amg_rx7 wrote: Check out Kia and Hyundai also. I believe they have 100k mile warranties so any issues are not out of her pocket. Women usually get swindled by mechanics.

You only get the 10/100 if you're A.) original owner or B.) CPO. It's "just" 5/60 B2B 8/80 emissions for everyone else.

but still a great option. Dependable cars, affordable to maintain and make great appliances. Also look at last generation Impalas (they are around the 12-15k mark with 15-25k miles). They are solid, large, fairly efficient and being a GM parts are available from wal-mart if need be.

Late AE-series Corolla (as in, before the bloated jellybean NZE-series). Rock solid reliable, dirt cheap parts, she'll have most of the $12k left over.

Mazda787b wrote: 2 Kids. I believe one is a teen and one is a bit younger. Any concerns with the 4 vs the 6 cyl in the Fusion/Milan/6? I'm guessing you mean the MZR does not have timing belts (it has chains, no?). I do most maintenance for the family, or at least advise on most issues (whether they listen after they ask for advice is a different story). Parts cost is more of a personal thing, but I'm unsure as to how long she'd keep the car for. Are exterior parts hard to come by for the Milan now that Merc is dead? Just wondering how they would compare on insurance. How reliable is the AWD system in these rides? I never see much about it mentioned anywhere.

the 6 cyl is a great engine- same one that has been in the Taurus since 1996. But I suggest the 4 cyl since this is a lower cost of ownership powertrain. Better mileage, cheaper insurance (big deal here in SE MI), slower (same reason), etc.

If she wants the 6cyl, nothing wrong with that.

Don't know anything about Mercury specific parts... but they are supposed to have a stockpile. Which car you get depends on taste, IMHO- they are exactly the same cars. (I like the looks of the Milan, but that's just me)

I don't think AWD is something that's really needed. That, and I'm not sure how many of those you could get it with- common on the cousin Escape, sure, but I've not noticed too many AWD Fusions. Don't know if they are good or not- it's a simple set up.

If it's an appliance, keep it simple.

Oh, it's a duratec, much of the development of that engine actually took place here in Dearborn. And I know the Ford version is not exaclty the same as teh one in the 6. Just sayn.

I would go for either an Escape, or a Vibe.

For a reliable safe appliance for a single mom:

Camry
Accord
Corolla
Vibe
Elantra

I'd vote Malibu or Fusion. Room with out to much of a fuel econo hit. Camry / Accord buy in too high.

Slightly used Accord or Civic, made in 'Merica. After my dad retired last year, his commuter car sat (2007 Civic LX, 4 door, auto). We were shopping used cars so I bought his for $3k. It had 170,000 miles, has "hit a herd of deer", been rear ended on the highway, and has had no maintenance other than oil changes, tires, and brake pads. It runs like a champ and I've put another 10k on it since it replaced our van as my daily. Parts are readily available and cheap. I also took 3rd place in HS with our club this year on 400 TW all season tires.

4 cylinder Camry.

chrispy wrote: It had 170,000 miles, has "hit a herd of deer", been rear ended on the highway, and has had no maintenance other than oil changes, tires, and brake pads.

Only a Honda would still sell for $3K after going through that.

i'm adding malibu maxx to the list of suggestions

Kia Soul.

But really, a car that's new enough to cost $12k is unlikely to have many reliability issues. She just needs to go shopping and try them out to see what will best fit her lifestyle needs. Reliability is unlikely to be a problem.

Here's my point:
We just got a Toyota Sienna in the press fleet. Other than being large, softly sprung, and reasonably powerful, I didn't have much to say about it. My wife, though, noticed entirely different things. She got in and dropped her purse in a perfectly placed spot ahead of the center console. "Purse goes there. Hah. This van is made for moms," she said.

Well-placed cup holders. Cubbies that are the right size for a smartphone. Power outlets, USB ports and aux jacks in the right places. Since it's a minivan, things like power sliding doors, power closing trunk, seats that fold flat into the floor—these are all big deals. Whether it has good steering feel or lift-throttle oversteer are absolutely irrelevant. Just make sure it's got good tires, good brakes, has had regular oil changes and gets decent fuel mileage. The rest is merely personal preference.

Vehicles that sit high are often favorable. Kia Soul and other small cute-boxes do well here, most sedans do not. That said, I don't think I've ever heard a normal person complain about a Toyota Corolla. And I wouldn't worry about parts availability on any of these things. Parts stores are good about having common parts to common cars in stock, and they often can get unavailable parts in a matter of hours.

Saturn Ion. You can find an'05 for cheap and other than the front sway bar issue they are actually solid cars. My wife's is at 200k miles.and has had no major issues. It's uses the cobalt chassis and drive train so what parts are needed are still available. Our local Chevy dealer gives us free oil changes every 5k miles. Put the left over money away and let it earn interest for her kids college .

07-08 4 cyl accord. They don't really hold their value that well compared to their 6 cylinder counterparts. They have similar power to the v6s of yesteryear and have more passenger room than the mazda 6/fusion/milan.

Gas mileage should be better than those guys as well, so if mom isn't good with her money at least she'll have less money going into the fuel tank. The k24 also has a timing chain.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/4215108194.html

Personal bias, but if you are looking at Fusion/Milan/6... Stick with the 4cyl. Its the Mazda MZR as other have said. Mazda design. The 6 cylinder is the Ford designed Duratec. We had a 2004 Mazda MPV with the "Mazda" v6 (again Duratec). We had problems with ignition coils. I'm not so keen on Ford. I'd always take the Mazda guts over the Ford ones...

Otherwise, Camry/Accord 4 cylinders...