What car, $15k, 15 years, 150k edition?

I have a friend who I'll call "Sue". Just so happens that her name is Sue.

Sue hates cars and hates driving. It is simply something she views as a necessary evil. Her life has been nothing but a series of cheap beaters, because she simply doesn't care. Her current ride is an early 00s Pontiac "something". It's starting not to go into reverse very well.

She came to me with this question... "Is there a car I could buy for $15,000 and drive trouble-free for 15 years? I'd do it if I could." Since Sue hates driving, 15 years means 120-150k miles.

My first two thoughts, based on preliminary searches...

'14-'15 Toyota Corolla 6MT. Cars.com shows a couple with a stick and under 20k miles in the right price range.

or

Brand-new '17 Hyundai Elantra 6MT. Used ones with clutches seem not to exist, but Hyundai has a lot of cash on the hood right now and every dealer seems to have one or two new ones with a stick on the lot.

Who's got other ideas I ought to pursue?

She hates driving and you're looking at smallish cars with manual transmissions?

I'm thinking something dirt common that is easily serviced. Last of the Ford Rangers from 2012, or whenever they went away, with the 2.5? Last year of the Chevy Cobalt? They seem like cockroaches. Maybe her Pontiac is the same as this. Probably a couple grand for a good trans R&R but why not just keep it running?

I don't see anyone being happy driving a truck that doesn't want a truck. Rough ride and fuel economy are part of truck life, and if you aren't looking for that trade off so you can haul stuff, I don't see Sue liking it. And the Cobalt? That's a car that you make someone drive that you don't like. Heck, THAT'LL make someone hate cars. If she already hates cars, she'll hate life. Plus, around here, they rust like crazy, like, from the middle of a body panel

Evan, I keep wanting to offer up a car that I'd like to drive, but I don't think Sue will ever enjoy car ownership. I think the Elantra is a nice idea. Cheap to run, reliable, and well equipped.

In reply to DrBoost:

The Ranger that Pres suggested (duratec powered) is capable of 30+mpg with a manual trans, and is about the most simple and easy to work on vehicle available from that year. It's not a typical truck with typical truck fuel economy. And you can buy them all day for well under the price cap, which leaves money for other purposes. They're cheap to insure and plate. Parts are cheap and readily available pretty much anywhere. It can be a great option, as the platform and layout are simple as a stone reliable as gravity.

That being said, I think you're right about a truck only appealing to someone who is looking for that sort of thing. Sue probably needs a backseat more than a truck bed. And a modern econobox probably fits this situation better.

I was going to suggest the Elantra too. My niece had a 2003 Elantra brand new. Just replaced it with a 2013 with <8k on it. She just wanted something nice, inexpensive, and would run for 10-15 years. She had over 140k on her last Elantra. Is Sue set on a manual? I would think someone with her outlook on driving would be automatic only.

Prius.

Quiet, decently comfortable, practical, MPG, and the ones I have seen are willing to put up with an unreasonable amount of neglect without flinching.

I think the Elantra is a great choice. The 2015 Mazda 3I's are down into that range with 20-30K miles as well.

Prius.

She hates driving. Is there some other aspect about cars she could get into, like tech or luxury to make her care about it beyond the necessary evil? What are her translation needs? Children, dogs, large cargo? What is her commute, city/highway/other?

Otherwise I stand by the Prius, followed by you pick of Japanese or Korean compact sedan or crossover.

Chespest new leftover 2016 appliance from company with best warranty?

15 yr 150k trouble free. No mention of mpg or manual transmission. You guys must all have jump to conclusions mats

I'll third (I think) Prius. Newest, best condition third generation you can find in her price range. After that, late model Corolla comes to mind, and if you truly can get a new Elantra (or Accent) for under 15K, maybe one of those. I'd pass on a used Hyundai, not because I don't trust it, but because you lose the 10/100 warranty.

At $15k there are a lot of good choices, but we need to know a bit more about what Sue likes and will use it for. Does she really want a manual? In this day and age I have a hard time imagining that someone who doesn't like cars would want to put out the effort to drive a stick as a DD. After bad experiences with GM automatics my mom always wanted a stick shift, but since she usually buys ex-rentals from Hertz that hasn't an option since the eighties. Her most recent car purchase was a brand new Honda Fit, she insisted on a manual at first, but realized during a test drive that her 60 something years old knees weren't going to be able to do it as a DD, and went with the AT.

I'd steer Sue towards a new, or nearly new, Hyundai/KIA for the warranty and huge bang for the buck in content. To be honest, if I were shopping for myself I'd be looking at those too for family car. If shopping for myself at that price as personal car, I'd be looking at a 500 Abarth.

Pretty much any Toyota/Scion or Kia/Hyundai or Honda/Acura should fit the bill.

My ex-wife's xB has 158k and she finally had to replace a muffler and a gas cap. That's it except for routine maintenance like brake pads, tires, and one set of spark plugs. Having said that, an xB is a great idea. Ridiculous amounts of room with the seats folded down but still a tiny car on the outside, 30+ mpg, and parts are cheap. Things like tires are a dime a dozen on those 15" wheels.

If she's not a car person, take away as much maintenance as you can. Get something with a timing chain, otherwise she'll forget (or hate) that she has to do a belt every so often. Get something with 15" wheels so tires are cheap. Get something not diesel so she doesn't feel like its a job to "wait to start" or change fuel filters more frequently. Don't get a manual unless she's a seasoned stick driver, because replacing a FWD clutch can get pricey.

We've put 185k+ on our '09 Fit with minimal maintenance: brakes once, shocks & spark plugs twice, tires every couple years, and oil changes about every 10k when it tell us it's due.

Nissan Cube? Cars are such a lifestyle thing for all of us. For Sue as a non-car person maybe something funky like that big Kia thing. Oh yeah, bright color too might help. The standard black/silver look might not bring a smile to her face every morning.

My thinking with the truck suggestion was, what's the closest you can get to the simplicity and ease of service of a postal truck, without it being an actual postal truck.

My Suzuki SX4 has been fluids and filters as far as maintenance goes for the 71k miles on it so far. That said, I think I should have looked for a Fit, or maybe a first gen xB. The SX4 has some quirks that make it hard to recommend like the gas mileage to acceleration ratio being not what I would have hoped for. The ride isn't that great either.

I'll vote Chevy Cruze. New base models start around 17k so a 1-2 year old car with some options should hit your mark.. Note, they come in 2 different bodies for '16, you want the later one.

Versa? Stupid cheap, from what I hear from my friend the Nissan tech, the only problems are the exhaust in salty areas (3 years average from purchase to rotted).

What was I saying about the 2016 Versa deals out there? About 10k?

Or new hyundai

My mom drives a Honda CR-V. If there is anyone who cares less about cars, I have yet to hear about them. Mother Theresa wanted more in a car than my mother. She wants it to start every time, and get her from point A to point B. And carrying her stuff would be good too. That's it. That means Civic and CR-Vs.

I'm back. Sue has lost enough beaters to dead automatics that she's amenable to manual transmissions, if it means fewer headaches.

Pres said "I'm thinking something dirt common that is easily serviced." No. Sue is looking for a car that doesn't need much service. She doesn't care how hard it is to service.

Prius lovers, I get it. But I think the Corolla is a non-hybrid Prius, and there's a "Prius tax", which doesn't make sense at these low annual miles.

Versa? You can have a proper clutch, and a totally stripped car, or you can get decent equipment and a CVT. I'm scared of a CVT over 15 years, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to crank her own windows.

I will dig through the available info of which cars have timing belts and which have chains. I would surely rather she got a car with a chain.

As for the rest of the comments, Sue honestly doesn't care. The car will move her about, and some groceries once a week. If I told her a smart car was a good idea (it isn't) she'd drive one, and if I told her a '67 Buick Electra was a good choice (it isn't) she'd drive one of those.

Ls430 ultra luxury edition would be my $15/k choice. Even people who give zero berkleys about cars can enjoy comfort and luxury, people who don't like cars probably can't parallel park so the fact it does that for her is nice. Radar adapive cruise is nice cause it's as close to autopilot as she's gonna get for $15k and they're super reliable so she can just rock it and not repair it. Oh and everyone likes a massage

Any size/doors/creature comfort requirements?

I'll throw in another vote for the elantra. A lot of car for the money. I helped a friend negotiate a deal on a new one a few years ago. She still loves it, and it's been trouble-free.

Agreed on the Fit, but not so much on the creature comforts, which I'm guessing "Sue" being a non-enthusiast would probably appreciate more than the excellent handling and creative use of interior space.

I rented a near-new Versa several years ago, and it was absolutely the most terrifying piece of E36 M3 I've ever driven in my entire life. No joke.

Alternatively, rock another beater until a self driving car is an option.

Smarta$$ McPoopyPants wrote: Any size/doors/creature comfort requirements?

To reiterate, no. I'm fairly sure Sue would rather spend time in a Turkish prison than in a Rolls-Royce.

I've sent her some links to CPO Corolla 6MT. I'd also forgotten that base-model Corollas (L trim) came with a bulletproof 4-speed automatic (higher trims got CVT, which scare me over 15 years) so I sent her links to a couple Corolla L automatics as well.