What is the best used car for the money?
November 21, 2013 6:33 PM Subscribe
I am buying my first car. I am thrifty so I'd like it to be used because I think I will find the best deal there; I just don't like the idea of spending all of that money for a rapidly depreciating asset and I'd rather buy it after it has already depreciated some.
I am looking for one of two types of cars, either:
1) A sporty, but economical car (think Honda S2000, Mazda Miata)
2) A long lasting electric/hybrid (ie Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius, Corolla, etc)
Please let me know what your suggestions are, along with any caveats to buying a used car. I do not know much about cars. Should I bring a friend who does or hire a mechanic to inspect my car before purchase? Also, where is the best place to find a good deal? Thank you all.
You didn't mention these specifically, but I would not recommend a used Honda Civic Hybrid. Honda Civics are great and last forever, but the hybrids have mileage, battery, and O2 sensor issues. The oil changes often cost more, unless you buy your own oil and filters in bulk (which the previous owner of my car did, but I haven't been able to, not having a garage for storage). Low rolling resistance tires with decent all-season traction also cost more.
I'm an investor in Honda, because I do still think the company makes great cars in general, but after my experiences with my hybrid, I couldn't recommend those models.
posted by limeonaire at 8:17 PM on November 21, 2013
I'm an investor in Honda, because I do still think the company makes great cars in general, but after my experiences with my hybrid, I couldn't recommend those models.
posted by limeonaire at 8:17 PM on November 21, 2013
Check out some of the older car AskMe questions. Lots of recommendations for Mazda 3, Honda Civic etc. which are sporty but practical. Have a look at Subaru as well, we love our Impreza.
posted by arcticseal at 8:51 PM on November 21, 2013
posted by arcticseal at 8:51 PM on November 21, 2013
Honestly, if you want to be thrifty, neither a sports car or a hybrid are a good choice. Both varieties of car have potential for some expensive things to go wrong. Hybrids because of the batteries, and sports cars because they are often driven much harder and the insurance is expensive. A Civic, an Accord, a Corolla, a Honda Fit, a Camry or another smaller Japanese car is a great choice for a thrifty buyer. They are much more reliable, fuel economic, and have better insurance costs.
I say this as a non-thrifty german sports-car buyer. I buy cars I love to drive and I pay the price for that choice. If I wanted to be thrifty I would buy a Honda or a Toyota.
posted by Joh at 9:36 PM on November 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
I say this as a non-thrifty german sports-car buyer. I buy cars I love to drive and I pay the price for that choice. If I wanted to be thrifty I would buy a Honda or a Toyota.
posted by Joh at 9:36 PM on November 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
A heads up on the insurance, a two door is considered a sports car and is much more expensive to insure than a four door...at least it was through my insurance company.
posted by BoscosMom at 10:15 PM on November 21, 2013
posted by BoscosMom at 10:15 PM on November 21, 2013
Honda Civic. I'm LOVING mine (although it's new) Some of them have pepped up engines and have earned the name "rice rocket."
A friend of mine bought a new Nissan Leaf and with the Federal and State Government rebates he says he's getting it for a song. Check into that FIRST, then decide if you want to buy used.
Here's a place on the Leaf site where you can see rebates you'd be entitled to.
In Georgia, you get 6 diffrerent incentives:
Federal: Alternative Fuel Credit (up to $1,000)
Federal: New Qualified Plug In (up to $7,000)
State: Income tax Credit (up to $5,000)
State: Income tax Credit for charging equipment (up to $2,500)
State: Free HOV use (HUGE!)
State: Georgia Power (our electric utility) charging incentive.
Seriously, go talk to a Nissan dealer about it.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:45 AM on November 22, 2013
A friend of mine bought a new Nissan Leaf and with the Federal and State Government rebates he says he's getting it for a song. Check into that FIRST, then decide if you want to buy used.
Here's a place on the Leaf site where you can see rebates you'd be entitled to.
In Georgia, you get 6 diffrerent incentives:
Federal: Alternative Fuel Credit (up to $1,000)
Federal: New Qualified Plug In (up to $7,000)
State: Income tax Credit (up to $5,000)
State: Income tax Credit for charging equipment (up to $2,500)
State: Free HOV use (HUGE!)
State: Georgia Power (our electric utility) charging incentive.
Seriously, go talk to a Nissan dealer about it.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:45 AM on November 22, 2013
Speaking broadly, your desires to (1) buy a cheap (and hopefully durable) used car and (2) buy a sports car or a hybrid are incompatible. Sports cars tend to be driven like sports cars by their earlier owners, and often have more mechanical problems than, say, 4-door Corollas. Hybrids are not built around particularly mature technology yet, and they have a lot of cache in many circles, so they aren't particularly cheap or durable. First decide which priority is more important to you, and go from there.
posted by craven_morhead at 7:15 AM on November 22, 2013
posted by craven_morhead at 7:15 AM on November 22, 2013
For sporty, you want something that's fun, but not fun enough where hooligans go ripping around in it. For reliable, yeah, you want a Japanese car under 100k miles.
Legit sportscar that won't have been abused and are cheap to insure:
- Mazda MX-5 aka Miata
- Toyota MR Spyder
Sporty cars that aren't sports cars, but offer decent performance and good mileage:
- Scion TC
- Nissan Altima Coupe
- Toyota Solara
- Honda Accord Coupe
Sleeper - a practical car that will likely not have been abused, but is a hoot to drive:
- Subaru Forester XT (the one with the 2.0 turbo engine)
The S2000 is not a good choice, as it's very challenging to drive and not as fuel efficient as a car that small should be.
If buying from a dealer, check out the Car Fax. Always try to arrange a pre-purchase inspection with a mechanic, always bring a friend who's done some work on their own cars.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:17 AM on November 22, 2013
Legit sportscar that won't have been abused and are cheap to insure:
- Mazda MX-5 aka Miata
- Toyota MR Spyder
Sporty cars that aren't sports cars, but offer decent performance and good mileage:
- Scion TC
- Nissan Altima Coupe
- Toyota Solara
- Honda Accord Coupe
Sleeper - a practical car that will likely not have been abused, but is a hoot to drive:
- Subaru Forester XT (the one with the 2.0 turbo engine)
The S2000 is not a good choice, as it's very challenging to drive and not as fuel efficient as a car that small should be.
If buying from a dealer, check out the Car Fax. Always try to arrange a pre-purchase inspection with a mechanic, always bring a friend who's done some work on their own cars.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:17 AM on November 22, 2013
A guy at work bought a used Honda for $800. He had to put an alternator in it for $120. The hood doesn't close all the way. It gets great gas mileage. He drives it to work instead of his truck and saves $80 to $100 a week on gass.
Consider paying for top-of-the-line roadside assistance, with rental coverage for when your car is in the shop, and then getting a beat up old car for a song, completely paid off. Put away $300 a month for repairs/savings, and when the time comes in a year or two, get a slightly less beat up old car for a song, completely paid off. And so on.
I recently purchased a vehicle for $4,000. Most money I've spent on a vehicle in my life.
Just a thought.
posted by jsturgill at 9:44 AM on November 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Consider paying for top-of-the-line roadside assistance, with rental coverage for when your car is in the shop, and then getting a beat up old car for a song, completely paid off. Put away $300 a month for repairs/savings, and when the time comes in a year or two, get a slightly less beat up old car for a song, completely paid off. And so on.
I recently purchased a vehicle for $4,000. Most money I've spent on a vehicle in my life.
Just a thought.
posted by jsturgill at 9:44 AM on November 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
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Import cars tend to have better reliability than domestics, so you're on the right track with the Honda, Toyota, Nissan, etc.
When you find a car you're interested in, call around to a few auto shops and tell them you are thinking about buying a used car and that you would like them to look it over before buying. Most shops will do this for a nominal fee.
Research reliability and maintenance costs of the electric/hybrids. They are costly to maintain and should be given careful consideration.
Price out insurance on a vehicle before making a decision. An S2000 will probably have significantly higher premiums than, say, a Corolla.
Look at the (older) cars you see driving around. See a lot of Ford Taurus's? No, because they suffer from a world of problems that are not worth fixing, so the car is scrapped. See a lot of Honda Civic's? Yes, because they are cheap to fix and last a long time. There are exceptions of course, but what you see around town gives good indication of what's reliable.
Good luck!
posted by mrrisotto at 7:33 PM on November 21, 2013