recommend Mrs Hombrewerdude a car

[HomeBrewerDude]

I finally found a car for Mrs HBD.

Its a 02 Honda Accord EX 70K miles.

I think I got a pretty good deal... The car is really nice, and the 3.0 V6 has plenty of pick up and go. leather, all airbags, indash 6CD, power all, sun roof, etc... Very clean (almost excellent condition).

I'm really glad this is done... now, just need to get it detailed.

Thanks everyone for their help.

HBD



Budget is 10k.

Mostly a commuter (70 mi/day) on Interstate and State Hwy.

Required:
4 door
AC
good MPG
low miles

Preferred:
Low Noise
Wagon
warranty


I first thought of a Toyota Corolla... but what other options are good to consider?

Moved from Off Topic
moderator allisolm

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I know I'll be bashed because it's not Japanese, but when I think of a cheap 4 door commuter car, I think Lincoln Town Car. You're just not going to beat that kind of luxury for the price. In my area, you can easily get a fully loaded 2004 Town Car Executive Series with around 50k miles for a mere 12 grand. 50k miles is nothing on a Town car. Heck, our old 1989 Town Car went 186,000 miles before the first major problem, and it's still driven by another owner today. It's got around 370,000 miles on it. Still no engine rebuild though a lot has been replaced.

No corolla, camry, accord, etc. is going to beat the room and bang for buck provided by a Town Car.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
I know I'll be bashed because it's not Japanese, but when I think of a cheap 4 door commuter car, I think Lincoln Town Car. You're just not going to beat that kind of luxury for the price. In my area, you can easily get a fully loaded 2004 Town Car Executive Series with around 50k miles for a mere 12 grand. 50k miles is nothing on a Town car. Heck, our old 1989 Town Car went 186,000 miles before the first major problem, and it's still driven by another owner today. It's got around 370,000 miles on it. Still no engine rebuild though a lot has been replaced.

No corolla, camry, accord, etc. is going to beat the room and bang for buck provided by a Town Car.

MPG? I thought those things were beasts on fuel.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

17/24 for a 2002.

 

[UNCjigga]

It will be difficult to get a good one with low miles for $10k, but I'd seriously recommend a Subaru Legacy wagon, especially if you're in Wisconsin. If size isn't an issue, you can also get the smaller Impreza 5-door.

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
I know I'll be bashed because it's not Japanese, but when I think of a cheap 4 door commuter car, I think Lincoln Town Car. You're just not going to beat that kind of luxury for the price. In my area, you can easily get a fully loaded 2004 Town Car Executive Series with around 50k miles for a mere 12 grand. 50k miles is nothing on a Town car. Heck, our old 1989 Town Car went 186,000 miles before the first major problem, and it's still driven by another owner today. It's got around 370,000 miles on it. Still no engine rebuild though a lot has been replaced.

No corolla, camry, accord, etc. is going to beat the room and bang for buck provided by a Town Car.

goddamn that interior is ugly though (at least the pass/driver area)

 

[Canai]

Originally posted by: UNCjigga
It will be difficult to get a good one with low miles for $10k, but I'd seriously recommend a Subaru Legacy wagon, especially if you're in Wisconsin. If size isn't an issue, you can also get the smaller Impreza 5-door.

Yeah, one of my friends used to have a beat up old Suby wagon, that thing was a beast in winter. They have generally good MPG for AWD cars, and are generally decent.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: thecoolnessrune
I know I'll be bashed because it's not Japanese, but when I think of a cheap 4 door commuter car, I think Lincoln Town Car. You're just not going to beat that kind of luxury for the price. In my area, you can easily get a fully loaded 2004 Town Car Executive Series with around 50k miles for a mere 12 grand. 50k miles is nothing on a Town car. Heck, our old 1989 Town Car went 186,000 miles before the first major problem, and it's still driven by another owner today. It's got around 370,000 miles on it. Still no engine rebuild though a lot has been replaced.

No corolla, camry, accord, etc. is going to beat the room and bang for buck provided by a Town Car.

gas mileage for the loss.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Used 2003-2004 Jetta TDI.

Get the old body style, they'll get you 45-50 mpg on diesel. The newer ones are more horsepower and heavier....they'll run you 35 mpg.

 

[warmodder]

How bout a volvo s40/60? You could get a nice example with under 50k on the odometer for around your asking price. It comes in a wagon if your wife likes that better too. You won't get the new body style s40, but it's still a decent looking car with a nice badge.

 

[desy]

70 a day is a lot in a small car

I'd move up to a 4 cylinder Malibu, Fusion, Sonata, Camry or Accord.
They all get good HW mileage and a much more posh ride

A small wagon would be a 03 or later Focus or Toyota Matrix or Vibe

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Protege 5 - 5-door wagon
Focus ZX5 - 5-door hatchback
Pontiac Vibe - 5-door hatchback

 

[vi edit]

Vibe was the first thing that came to mind, but they are anything but quiet. The 1.8L in there (same engine as the Corolla) sounds like it's ready to leap out of the engine bay and in your lap at any blip of the throttle.

I just picked up an '06 Malibu Maxx with 2k miles on the Odometer this weekend for $15.5k. It was almost as loaded you could get it short of leather. I've seen a number of '05's going for around 11k-12k. With a bit of negotiating they'll be in the 10k range. I really like the car. It's incredibly quiet and composed at highway speeds and will pull upwards of 30-32MPG. You get 4 cylinder economy with the smoothness and grunt of a 6. Good compromise.

Great crash ratings and reliability are both pretty good. Plus in Maxx trim you get hatch/wagon functionality and excellent rear seat space.

 

[Vette73]

Look for a used Saabaru. They are Subarus with a saab body kit pretty much. Only made them for 2 years .

The Pontiac Vibe also should not hold its value used well as its a "Pontiac" yet it is just a rebaged toyota.

The Chevy malibu wagon was not to bad either. They just came out with a new style Malibu so that should pus the price of the older ones down a little.

 

[boomhower]

I just bought my wife an 03 impala. It was cheap and she is averaging 28MPG. You might want to look into a slightly newer model. We paid 8k for it. For a comparable camry or accord it would have been 12-14. Just not worth it. I have been very impressed with it so far.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

thanks everyone... very helpful.

keep them coming if you got em.

 

[cvrefugee]

Scion xB, but finding one for $10K may be hard.

 

[sniperruff]

how about a RAV4 or a matrix/vibe?

while you're at it, i think the CRV, focus ZX5/wagon and elantra GT wagon fits the bill too.

out of all those, i like RAV4 the most personally. all of these cars have pretty good resale value (except the focus wagon) which is actually disadvantageous to you.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Good news!

We found out today that the insurance company has valued the old car at $5500, plus another $300 or so to pay for the replacement car's tax and license. Thats pretty good considering I only paid $2750 for the old car 24 months ago. They must have listed the car as excellent condition instead of somewhere between fair and good.

 

[Summitdrinker]

mercury grand marquis or town car, 2001 thru 2004
2002 is a great year, 2003 (esp early 2003) not as good, 2004 is good

I am looking to buy one right now myself

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

updated. car found and bought.

02 Accord EX V6 3.0 (70kmiles) all extras minus heated seats. @ $10,800