Good car for about $11k?

[RU482]

what I am saying is that it seems every compliment to the Fusion needs to be made in reference to the Mazda6

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: RU482
what I am saying is that it seems every compliment to the Fusion needs to be made in reference to the Mazda6

It's because of Ford's frankly well-deserved poor historical reputation based on their previous cars ('80s-'90's era Escorts, Taurus, Tempo, etc). To try to explain to someone that has been programmed by experience and/or media coverage to only trust imports or Japanese cars, it helps to explain that there is little to distinguish them today, given the wealth of shared parts, design, and features.

To not realize the massive difference between the Ford of 1979-1999 vs. 2009 is pure ignorance, just as it would be to pretend that all Fords are awesome. Neither would be true. Each model from each maker has it's pluses and minuses, and Ford is faring better now than they have in my memory.

I frequently recommend BMWs, Infinitis, Hondas, etc, based upon certain models/configurations that make sense for the needs and wants of the buyer in question.

 

[TimeKeeper]

Originally posted by: InlineFive
Just found some interesting information on the Fusion rear impact crash test ratings. Makes me think twice since I'm 6'2".

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/he...details_page.aspx?ford

Since you have good experience w/ Volvo
and you are a tall guy, you will sit comfortably in Volvo S80.
I just kinda look through craigslist and looks like you can get 04~05 S80 for similar price?

For safty.. http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=413
For reliability... http://www.jdpower.com/autos/V...S80/2004/Sedan/ratings

 

[DivideBYZero]

Anything with an inline five.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Mojoed
A fleet vehicle is owned or leased by a business or government agency, not an individual. People may tend to drive vehicles they don't own "harder", since well, they don't own it and don't have to worry about the cost of repairs.

Many 07-08's being sold at dealerships are also former lease cars. (hence the 24k-40k on the odometer.) Others are former rentals.

On the other hand buying from a private party may give you more comfort, but who knows? A privately owned car could have been beaten on more than a fleet/rental/leased car. It all boils down to what you're comfortable with.

Have a qualified mechanic check out any car you're seriously thinking about buying to cover your bases.

Whenever I'm car shopping, I buy the 30-day unlimited carfax report deal for $40. This helps me weed out cars I'm not comfortable buying, without having to deal with the expense of having a mechanic check it out.

Good luck!

yeah, I just went through this the previous 2 weeks and pretty much took all these steps.

actually, I ended up purchasing the 11th car that I carfaxed (the next lowest deal below unlimited is for 10 reports )

My car was a previous rental, and there were plenty 07-08 ~25-34k miles in the area with the same going on.

The positive about a previous rental, I suppose, is that you can expect it to be well-serviced by Hertz or Enterprise or whoever.

I did test drive an 07 Nissan Sentra w/ ~50k miles, selling for $7k, iirc. Nice little value car, that, and you can expect it to chug on past the 200k mile mark.

I ended up going with an 08 Mazda3 though...but I paid well above your budget (and WAY above my original budget, tbh ) My plan was to go for a high mileage reliable car that would give me ~5 good years. I rethought after a week of frustration.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: RU482
what I am saying is that it seems every compliment to the Fusion needs to be made in reference to the Mazda6

It's because of Ford's frankly well-deserved poor historical reputation based on their previous cars ('80s-'90's era Escorts, Taurus, Tempo, etc). To try to explain to someone that has been programmed by experience and/or media coverage to only trust imports or Japanese cars, it helps to explain that there is little to distinguish them today, given the wealth of shared parts, design, and features.

To not realize the massive difference between the Ford of 1979-1999 vs. 2009 is pure ignorance, just as it would be to pretend that all Fords are awesome. Neither would be true. Each model from each maker has it's pluses and minuses, and Ford is faring better now than they have in my memory.

I frequently recommend BMWs, Infinitis, Hondas, etc, based upon certain models/configurations that make sense for the needs and wants of the buyer in question.

I see where you're coming from, and I'm more willing to "almost" consider a Ford these days. I honestly haven't been paying attention to what has been going on in the car industry since ~97-98, tbh....but I tend to agree with KK and others that b/c of my personal experience with late 80s and 90s Fords, Chevy's etc., I still have an extremely sour taste in my mouth when it comes to the big American manufacturers.

I freely admit that the bias against American may be illogical and unfounded in today's market, but it nonetheless remains that b/c of those 2 decades, I still have a hard time even considering them as an option.

NOW, my GFs car that was recently rear-ended and totaled (hence sending me on the course to find a new vehicle of my own), was a 99 Mercury Tracer. Not the type of car I would ever consider, but she loved it dearly and it was HER car (she admits that the purchase was mostly out of sympathy for the lonely car sitting at the very end of the lot ). She paid $3.4k at 50k miles just over 4 years ago.

That car sat in the city for most of it's time (Chicago), so really didn't see too much action. It got us from Chicago to the Bay Area this past summer with no problem. In fact, the only problems it ever really had were battery/electrical (due to low usage), and some shoddy brakes (poor job by mechanic), easily fixed. It was quite dependable, I must say, and it has honestly contributed a lot towards widening my consideration of other manufacturers....but I still maintain my prejudices b/c, well...i want too!

 

[InlineFive]

Do any of you know to find out the configuration of a Nissan through it's VIN? I like the looks of the Altimas but I'd want to make sure that I purchase one with the additional airbags in it. And I'd prefer to gather this data through the VIN instead of what the dealer happens to know.

Thanks!

I5

 

[AMDMaddness]

I just picked up an 07 Sonata SE V6 for 11k great purchase so far and a very nice car for the money.

 

[InlineFive]

Originally posted by: krunchykrome

Originally posted by: Mojoed
2007-2008 Ford Fusion would be an excellent choice. Keep in mind most '07-08 Fusions with 30-40k miles are former fleet/rental cars. I know this because every single one I have ever carfax'd clearly states "fleet vehicle".

This may or may not mean anything to you, just letting you know.

ford = :thumbsdown:

I'd go with a used Subaru Impreza

I've been looking at the Imprezas a bit and liking what I see. Have you had experience driving both transmissions? I'd be looking at an '06-'07 2.5i. The manual seems enticing but I've never driven one before and I'd rather not garble it's innards through mistakes.

 

[cheesehead]

You can get a reasonably nice Toyota Avalon with ~60k for $11,000. You won't be getting all the bells and whistles, but it's a very big, very nice car, and 60k on on Avalon is nothing.

If you want a manual, Mazdas are, IMO, very nice. I would, however, stay away from the Mazda6 - it's not rated so highly in terms of reliability as the smaller Mazdas, mostly because it's almost totally Ford, and as long as you're buying a Ford Fusion you may as well get a Ford Fusion pricetag.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: Cheesehead
You can get a reasonably nice Toyota Avalon with ~60k for $11,000. You won't be getting all the bells and whistles, but it's a very big, very nice car, and 60k on on Avalon is nothing.

If you want a manual, Mazdas are, IMO, very nice. I would, however, stay away from the Mazda6 - it's not rated so highly in terms of reliability as the smaller Mazdas, mostly because it's almost totally Ford, and as long as you're buying a Ford Fusion you may as well get a Ford Fusion pricetag.

??

The only other small Mazdas are the 3, the Miata/MX-5, and the RX-8.

In the case of the 3, it's more of a Ford than anything else, the Duratec motor, the transmission (Getrag for the Speed3), and the platform are all sourced/shared from/with Ford. The Duratec V6 is a bit of an older design, but one that has matured nicely (they even use a TT version in the Noble M400, producing 425bhp).

If I had to hazard a guess about the lower reliability ratings on the Mazda6, I'd guess the same thing about the Fusion : the more modern 2.3L 4 Banger is simply underpowered for a vehicle of that size and weight, particularly when mated to a slushbox. When you get the V6, you get a stronger motor, but also one that's about a decade older in design.

The new 2.5L looks like a much better match for that car though, particularly when matched to the manual transmission.

Basically what I'm saying is that criticizing the Mazda6 for being a 'Ford' makes little sense unless you also want to call the Mazda3 a POS for being a 'Ford', as they both share an equally overwhelming level of parts and design.

It's going to get even crazier when the C1-2 global Focus launches, the Mazda3 will lag for a year or two on C1, then jump to the new Focus platform, at which time there will be a direct overlap.

 

[LeetViet]

I'm growing really fond of the Toyota Yaris hatchbacks!

 

[InlineFive]

One more question, I'm a little over six feet in height. Out of the Fusion, Altima, and Camry, which one(s) do you think would be the most comfortable?

 

[desy]

Go down and get your ass in a few
Guessing which is more comfortable?

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: InlineFive
One more question, I'm a little over six feet in height. Out of the Fusion, Altima, and Camry, which one(s) do you think would be the most comfortable?

FWIW, I'm 6'3", and all three are very comfortable to me.