Hi guys,
My brother needs a car for college. I still need more info from my dad and my bro on the criteria. Here's what I got:
Used- 2 or 4 years
Around $10k, preferably less than $10k
**No Miatas, mini coopers, Smart cars, small cars like the Fit, no diesels, VWs, hybrids***
As you can see, I have more restrictions but soon I will add more to the list of what I need.
Another question. I am not familiar with American cars. My dad doesn't like them and that probably has to do with the Pontiac he bought when he came to the USA. Whats the deal with Ford's, etc. Good quality? Long lasting (my dad says they're only good for 5 years)?
phillyj wrote:
*Used- 2 or 4 years
*Around $10k, preferably less than $10k
Whats the deal with Ford's, etc. Good quality? Long lasting (my dad says they're only good for 5 years)?
Based on your little info given I will let you in on my current number one used car recommendation.
2006 or 2007 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan twins specifically with a 4 cyl engine and 5 speed manual trans.
These cars are design mates with the Mazda 6 sedan and share the same engine/trans. There have been tons of these released onto the used market through retired rental cars. Because of this the depreciation has been big but when buying used that works to your advantage. It is also because of this flooding of former rental cars that i recommend only the manual trans. Rental car companies do not have manual trans so if you do buy a manual you can be assured that it was not a rental but still get all the depreciation because of the rentals. You may even get more depreciation because the manual seem to be less popular and may be perceived as less desirable.
Search sights like www.autotrader.com and by choosing the extra criteria of manual trans only, you can find '06 and '07 Fusion/Milans listed for under $11k with selling prices under $10k (some under $9k.) This gets you a good sized car (not too big, not too small) that returns 30mpg on the highway and has less than 40k miles on it.
In this same price range you will only find Korean cars and lowly domestic model like Cobalts, Focuses, Calibers, PT Cruiser, etc. Even the lowliest Fusion is a nicer car than any of these.
Previous to this number one recommendation of the Fusion/Milan my lead off recommendation has been the '01 and '02 Chevy Prizm.
This thread needs more Subarus!
I don't believe I have ever owned a domestic that was newer than 5 years old, and I've owned several. I like the suggestion of a Fusion / Milan - they're cheap, but quite good cars.
