$6700, what to get?

[BrunoPuntzJones]

So I posted before about some old woman hitting my Explorer and killing it. Insurance settlement was for $5200. I don't want to do more than $1500 out of pocket.

Needs to be reliable. Start every time and run with no problems.

Good gas mileage would be nice.

If it's a truck/suv, want 4WD

The cheaper the better. I don't really need a nice car. I would even do sub $3k or $4k if I could get a steal.

Thought of a Hyundai Elantra, early 2000s. 30+ MPG, the ones my dad has owned have been straight up reliable after tons of abuse. Can find them for under $4k pretty easily.

What else?

 

[PCMarine]

Any late 90s/early 2000s Taurus, Impala, Malibu, etc.

 

[FDF12389]

00-02 Civic

 

[krunt]

1990 ford tempo, or anything else selling for less than $500 in your neighborhood. Even if it dies in six months you just buy another one. Sure the gas millage might suck but who cares, you bought the car for $500. taxes, license and fees - cheap!

If that is too much (too little?) for you then find something you like in the classifieds.

 

[TimeKeeper]

congrats that you did get more than what your original est.

Have you try Craigslist?
Just go to your local city's "cars & trucks" section.
W/out type in specific car model or brand.
Do search on Min price say.... 6000 to Max price of 7500, then you can have better idea what choices you might have.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Audi or VW :-D

 

[Arkaign]

Awesome car. I had a 3g and a 5g, with either I could get ~30mpg while driving mildly. Pretty quick when you want it to be, and rock-solid reliable.Woot

 

[Mermaidman]

Do yourself a favor and take a test drive in a 2002 or 2003 Olds Aurora. It's one of those rare moments where you can own a $30K-$40K car for dirt cheap. Sure, it may not be as reliable or as fuel-efficient as a Honda, but you get a smooth V8 and lux for less $$!

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman
Do yourself a favor and take a test drive in a 2002 or 2003 Olds Aurora. It's one of those rare moments where you can own a $30K-$40K car for dirt cheap. Sure, it may not be as reliable or as fuel-efficient as a Honda, but you get a smooth V8 and lux for less $$!

Not a terrible idea, and a nice enough car.

But I remain firm : if you want a long-term GM car, stick with the 3800s and 5.7s.

 

[LordMorpheus]

Originally posted by: Arkaign


Awesome car. I had a 3g and a 5g, with either I could get ~30mpg while driving mildly. Pretty quick when you want it to be, and rock-solid reliable.Woot

a friend has a prelude. I like driving it well enough, but it's got some flaws. First, I barely fit. Second, the idea of me in the back seat is funny. Truly, the idea of anyone 5'6" or larger back there is silly.

Also it's had water sealing problem, water gets into the trunk and the rear seats when it rains.

And the biggest thing is that it gets ~18 mpg. She doesn't drive it very hard and it's running allright (although i guess something is probably out of whack for the mileage to be low like that).

It's a 2001, it shouldn't be having these problems.

I own a 1997 Town Car Cartier and I haven't had major mechanical issues with the machine, it gets up to 26 mpg on the highway and I average about 22 mpg with mostly city driving.

The ford 4.6 is pretty damn strong. A few weak spots, but i've already dealt with them, so I don't expect too many problems.

 

[dpert1]

Miata never disappoints

~3-4k easy

 

[alkemyst]

if you are considering cars, don't know why 4WD is a requirement for a truck.

Almost nothing with 4WD gets what anyone would consider good gas mileage.

 

[fbrdphreak]

97-99 Subaru Legacy. Sedan for a bit more sporty, wagon for more utility. Don't be lazy and get a 5-speed. The 97 2.5L motors had head gasket issues, so if it hasn't been done on a car it will need to be - keep that in mind. The 98-99's are pretty golden I think.

The 2.2L is pure bulletproof and will get you damn close to 30 MPG depending how you drive. The 2.5L is noticeably peppier and with a light foot, you should hit upper-20's with a 5-speed.

 

[ncage]

I 2nd the Civic idea or maybe a corolla. Also a Mazda 3 or Mazda protoge might not be a good idea. If you want good gas mileage then you DON'T want a 4wd truck or SUV.

 

[warmodder]

How about a mitsubishi lancer. You could get a 02/3 for around 5000. You could even pull the oz rally edition. It's still an econobox, but it's a little different from the other Japanese sedans you'll probably be looking at.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Already have a Miata, and it's just too small for me to drive daily. Mucho fun though

The 4WD concession doesn't depend on gas mileage being good, I know it's a killer. I just don't see much use in having a truck or SUV without 4WD. I don't live in the city, and have beaten on the prior vehicles I've had that were 4WD. Lots of areas to explore here.

I've seen some Hyundai Elantras for under $4k without about 100k miles. Seem to get good gas mileage, and Edmunds has them as a "Best Bet" for whatever that is worth.

I'll have to check out the Lancer and Legacy.

 

[ashishmishra]

I have a 03 Hyundai Elantra 5sp Manual. I love my car but make sure you get it throughly checked from a reputed mechanic before buying it, mine had quite a few issues which weren't visible to my untrained eyes (first car purchase). After I had those initial issues fixed it has been a very fun and reliable car with great gas mileage when you exercise some restraint (I get 27 mpg city and 35 mpg highway). The 2.0L engine on this car loves to be revved, it's reasonably fun to drive if you get it with a 5 speed manual.

 

[w00t]

just don't get fwd

fwd = fail wheel drive

also, you haven't even told us what type of vehicles you're looking to get

 

[ultimatebob]

I'm seeing a 2001 vintage Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla in your future.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: w00t
just don't get fwd

fwd = fail wheel drive

also, you haven't even told us what type of vehicles you're looking to get

Actually FWD is better for many people.

 

[themisfit610]

Nobody's mentioned an Accord or Camry? They're fantastically reliable, comfortable, and efficient cars. My 97 Camry gets a clean 30mpg on my savage, twisty highway 17 commute up and down the santa cruz mountains. It's never given me a single problem.

Accords tend to be a little sportier - depends on what you're really looking for. The newer (mid 00s) Camrys are a big improvement. Are they lookers / cool? No. Are they great cars? Yes!

~MiSfit

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: w00t
just don't get fwd

fwd = fail wheel drive

also, you haven't even told us what type of vehicles you're looking to get

Actually FWD is better for many people.

I'll second that, and even amend it to 'FWD is better for *most* people'.

RWD is good for (1)- high-performance car + experienced driver, or (2)- a truck

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: w00t
just don't get fwd

fwd = fail wheel drive

also, you haven't even told us what type of vehicles you're looking to get

Actually FWD is better for many people.

I'll second that, and even amend it to 'FWD is better for *most* people'.

RWD is good for (1)- high-performance car + experienced driver, or (2)- a truck

Another agreement...I'm a driving purist and a stick Nazi, and I regularly refer to FWD as "Wrong Wheel Drive", but most people don't have the skills to take advantage of the upsides of RWD, and lots of them end up getting in trouble.

Besides, the OP clearly wants a reliable econobox. Most of those are FWD, and you'd be ruling out some of the better and more reliable examples if you made RWD a requirement.

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones

The 4WD concession doesn't depend on gas mileage being good, I know it's a killer. I just don't see much use in having a truck or SUV without 4WD. I don't live in the city, and have beaten on the prior vehicles I've had that were 4WD. Lots of areas to explore here.

I agree wholeheartedly:thumbsup:

Maybe if someone does a LOT of towing on the freeway and nothing else with their truck, 2WD would be acceptable...but not otherwise!

 

[amdfansftw]

you could get a used toyota tacoma or a jeep for cheap

 

[foghorn67]

Turn of the millennium 4 cyl Toyota Camry's. Toyota Corolla's. Post 2000 Taurus. Really boring cars. But parts are cheap and plentiful, plus they are comfy.
Or a 2WD truck of almost any brand. Why 4WD?
Civics are just too overpriced on the used market. 6700 will get you further on any other compact car, or a sporty car.