I need to buy a low-mpg, reliable, manual transmission, four-door used car for under $3500. What models should I look at besides Civics and Accords? And do you know of any other major car classified websites besides Cars.com, Carmax, Autotrader, Edmunds, and Craigslist? [more inside]
posted by schroedinger on Jan 18, 2008 - 22 answers

Buying a used car. Basically paying the buyout of a lease. Am I getting a good deal? [more inside]
posted by eurasian on Jun 3, 2006 - 16 answers

Buying a used car in Vancouver, BC, dealers you'd recommend, or conversely, those to absolutely avoid? [more inside]
posted by eurasian on May 12, 2006 - 7 answers

TheFateOfTheCurseMobile! I purchased a used automobile about 18 months ago. Over the past year, the car has been involved in 3 minor collisions (but major headaches), none of which were my fault. I'm trying to weigh my options between getting it fixed (again!) or trading it in for a car with some (hopefully) better karma. Any advice? [more inside]
posted by paulychamp on Sep 19, 2005 - 5 answers

What's the best car you've owned in terms of reliability, longevity and generally fun to drive? I'm in the market for a used car and I'm leaning towards a luxury sedan. I'm curious to learn what cars everyone loved.
posted by renyoj on Nov 4, 2004 - 25 answers

My company recently moved to Silicon Valley, and since I live in San Fran and the commute via public transit is 1.5 hours (vs 30 mins in a car) I've decided to buy a car for the first time ever. But I am totally flummoxed by the range of possibilities. I know I want a used compact 4 door that gets good mileage. Seems like it would be good to get it from a dealer so I can get extended warranty. But I don't know where to go from here. Any advice for a first time car buyer would be greatly appreciated. My price range is flexible but would like to spend no more than 15k. Also, I would love to hear recommendations-- some people have told me to go for a Civic or a Corolla, are there other cars 'equivalent' to those? I am not a fixer-upper so reliability is key. I know older cars are cheaper but seems like they'd be more prone to mechanical trouble-- not sure how much of a trade off it is to go old vs new.
posted by jcruelty on Apr 12, 2004 - 33 answers