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New Possibly time for next car, researching
When I bought my volvo S80 it was based on having a cheap mechanic available. He no longer is.

I've got a bunch of front end work to do, plus engine mounts, plus (who knows).

The car costs WAY too much to fix.

Also, the boy's car died (we are sharing right now) and we need another.

I really do love the solidness of the volvo though, and would consider another, just not the most expensive one of the line. The boy said it was the 1st non-toy car he ever drove. He loves it too.

So, given a purchase time of 2-3 months, a cash price of between $4-$8K per vehicle, and the desire for 1 per each of us, what should I be looking at?

My goals:

Generic 4 door midsize sedan or fake sporty family car.
Automatic transmission.
Bland better than flashy.
A split bench front would not be a bad thing, so larger is not bad.
Comfy driver seat.
Decent acceleration and handling, but nothing nearing sports car quality.
Decent suspension, better for old man soft than young punk road hugging.
Decent highway mileage (25+ mpg).
4 or 6 seat.

Pretty much everything else is negotiable. I don't have to carry big loads or lots of people, I just need to move from point A to B with a bit of safety and comfort for 4 people.

On the other hand, the boy would like something both big and small. Big so he can fit (he's over 6') but small so it's a bit quicker and funner to drive.

On the other other hand, if we end up with a pair of the same vehicles, plus a parts car, that might work out.

I'd be happy with a "wagon" as well.

So, got a list of vehicles for me to research?
New I'd look at a Corolla / Altima / Focus / Civic / Mazda 3
Corollas have grown up over the years and are quite large inside. I imagine the others are similar.

Around here, Corollas cost a bit more than the others due to their reputation for being cheap to run.

The Altima is a nice car. The 3 is a sporty little thing. I don't know much about the Focus except they have good mileage ratings and look interesting.

There's the Kia/Hyundai twins, too.

Volvo has change hands. I dunno who bought them from Ford. I don't know if that's an issue or not.

Browse around KBB to get some ideas of cost and features - http://www.kbb.com/c...ine=4&distance=75

Have fun and good luck.

Cheers,
Scott.
New What he said
I'd add Honda Accord/Civic and Subaru Legacy/Impreza to the list. Exceedingly reliable and long lasting cars capable of 300K+ miles with decent care and relatively inexpensive to repair and maintain.
New Avoid the Civic for now
Consumer Reports gave a low rating to the 2012 model, and the 2013 is too new so it hasn't been tested. My daughter has a 2011, and I prefer a Corolla over it.


http://news.consumer...arsh-reviews.html




Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous.
- - - Mark Twain “Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar,” 1897
New Hard to get a new Civic for $4-8k. ;-)
New Yeah, no worries on that
No new cars for me.

I might consider a 10 year old accord with a manual trans though. I had to give mine up when I could not drive the stick anymore, and now I can.
New Re: Possibly time for next car, researching
http://southjersey.c...o/3508341277.html
http://southjersey.c...o/3547520871.html
http://southjersey.c...o/3547359865.html a little pricy but if milage is accurate worth it
http://southjersey.c...o/3547347089.html
since every other ad is "I buy flooded vehicles!" take someone who knows what to look for on the test drive
Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 57 years. meep
New Since I'm traveling these days...
...I'm renting cars. Lots of different cars. With all of these rentals, I'm making notes on what features I like (both about my current car, as well as about the rental cars.)

Around here, it's cheaper to rent on the weekends than it is during the week. By lots.

For me, I find that I don't much care for the Chevy Sonic or the Toyota Corolla. The Hyundai whatever-it-was that I rented last week wasn't all that bad, but still had a couple of things that I wasn't fond of.

Could be a good way to figure out what you want in a car.
-Mike

@MikeVitale42

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin, 1759 Historical Review of Pennsylvania
New Mitsubishi Diamante 1997-2000
Last model years of the Diamante. Dynamite car. In excellent Condition goes for about $5800 retail. Less from a private party. Very resistant to Rust and stuff like that.

Or go with a Mitsubishi Galant (LS V6 or GTS V6) 2004+. A 2004 in perfect shape is about $7500 retail. Stay away from the 4 Cylinder, its adequate, but not enough at highway speeds.
--
greg@gregfolkert.net
PGP key 1024D/B524687C 2003-08-05
Fingerprint: E1D3 E3D7 5850 957E FED0 2B3A ED66 6971 B524 687C
     Possibly time for next car, researching - (crazy) - (8)
         I'd look at a Corolla / Altima / Focus / Civic / Mazda 3 - (Another Scott) - (4)
             What he said - (Steve Lowe) - (3)
                 Avoid the Civic for now - (lincoln) - (2)
                     Hard to get a new Civic for $4-8k. ;-) -NT - (Another Scott)
                     Yeah, no worries on that - (crazy)
         Re: Possibly time for next car, researching - (boxley)
         Since I'm traveling these days... - (mvitale)
         Mitsubishi Diamante 1997-2000 - (folkert)

For Wade, it is to wait.
85 ms