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What's the best vehicle for my needs?

1145 messages, Last post on Sep 17, 2009 at 12:59 PM
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Replying to: stewardrobbins (Jan 05, 2009 4:08 pm) I would also consider an Isuzu- since the brand has died, the products it left behind will have depreciated significantly. While the Rodeo and Trooper weren't exactly the greatest of cars, they fit your criteria as a winter beater. Other Isuzu vehicles, such as the Axiom and Amigo (Rodeo Sport, in later years) are also fine choices, although the Rodeo/Trooper will be an easier pair to locate. Another decent choice would be a Ford Explorer, although it may not be as good of a deal as you expect as the Explorer doesn't depreciate as much as you'd expect from a Ford product. |
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Replying to: stewardrobbins (Jan 05, 2009 4:08 pm) Extremely straightforward and stable in bad weather. High resale value. Nearly impossible to kill reliability. And, it's not insanely huge like a 4Runner or Suburban. |
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Replying to: stewardrobbins (Jan 05, 2009 4:08 pm) We just picked up a '99 Subaru Legacy L wagon with 95k miles for $4k for my brother. Very clean. If you are looking to spend more, I've seen Volvo S60 2.5T AWDs for very cheap, relatively speaking. |
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I am really having a hard time even deciding what cars I should look at, and I need some help from some savvy car shoppers. I am turning in a '05 Pacifica, which I really liked except for horrible gas mileage and big rear end. I have a budget of $12,000 for the car itself (plus WI taxes/fees). Here are my requirements: comfortable for my frame (6'2", 350), sedan, automatic trans, not a base model - but no need for premium features (leather, etc.). Cars I have driven to date include: 2008 Chevy Malibu (too small), 2007 Chevy Impala (was okay, but didn't get me excited), 2008 Ford Taurus (I like, but probably out of price range). I would like to test drive: 2008 Mitsu Galant, 2008 Chrysler Sebring. Anything else I should consider? |
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Replying to: TWoP_Fan (Dec 28, 2008 6:31 pm) |
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Replying to: jnorman76 (Jan 06, 2009 10:31 am) I'm surprised there are so many mid-sized '08s in your pricerange. I would never have guessed. How about a Grand Marquis? Brand new those can be discounted almost to your price limit, if you go easy on features. although you didn't say what kind of mileage you actually want out of your vehicle. We got 17-18 mpg in our Pacifica, so we were quite happy to now be getting 21 in our XC90. |
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Replying to: jnorman76 (Jan 06, 2009 10:31 am) The Ford 500/Mercury Montego might work for you - it's the basically the same as the new Taurus except with a smaller engine. An '06 Buick Lucerne might also fit you well, or if you want to look older the Park Avenue might work. |
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Replying to: jnorman76 (Jan 06, 2009 10:31 am) |
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Replying to: jnorman76 (Jan 06, 2009 10:31 am) You could also consider an older Volvo S80; someone mentioned the S60, which is probably too small for you (the S60 is only slightly larger, if any, than a 3-Series) I think at $12,000 you could get into an '03 or an '04; S80s don't hold their value too well. What about a 2007 or 2008 Dodge Charger (or its corporate cousin, the Chrysler 300)? It's not terribly expensive, a full-size, they're available EVERYWHERE, and with Chrysler on the ropes, you could probably swing a pretty good deal on a used one. Or, if you want to spend a few grand more, you could get a brand new one, although it'd be a stripper SE model with the underpowered 2.7L engine (I've seen some advertised in the $16,500 range) Haven't seen a Galant recently enough to judge it, and I'd stay away from the Sebring if at all possible. Just... no. |
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Hello everyone, I am hoping for a little bit of advice regarding which makes and models of vehicles I should be looking at. I am looking for a fuel efficient, reliable, used small car that I can drive for many many years. Reliability is probably the most important factor to me in this purchase, with fuel efficiency coming second. I do probably 50% of my driving on the highway, and 50% in the city. I do live in the NW and get a bit of nasty weather during the winter so handling and traction are also something I need to consider. I "need" - something small, fuel efficient and reliable that I can drive for hundreds of thousands of kilometers. I would really like - cruise control, power windows/locks, I'm thinking I'd prefer manual transmission due to better fuel efficiency and price (new), but I'm finding with my looking that most used compact/subcompact vehicles are automatics and the ones with manual transmissions do not have lots of extras like cruise control. (I've been looking at newish, low milage subcompacts) Forgot a vital detail . .. . I'm willing to spend up to $15 000. |
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