Official "Help Wolfn Pick Out a Car to Buy" thread

[Wolfn]

Well, I'm in the market for my first car. Here are the qualifications:
1) Hatchback/wagon, but a sedan could work too.
2) Between the years 2002-2010
3) Under 75000 miles
4) Gets more than 20 mpg in the city
5) Automatic
6) Under $7000


After doing a search on New Cars, Used Cars - Find Cars at AutoTrader.com, I've come up with the following cars:

2006-2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser:

2004-2006 Ford Focus ZX5:

2005 Kia Spectra5:

2005-2007 Suzuki Reno:

So, any thoughts?

 

[cp-connection]

I had a subaru legacy that I loved. I'm going to get another as soon as I can afford it. You'll probably have a hard time finding one for sale in Fla. though.

Dudes don't drive PT cruisers...

 

[Nickrober]

I vote Suzuki. I think it looks the best.

 

[rattler]

look them up and figure out what one is going to have the fewest issues......a car that constantly needs work drains the bank account fast and sucks no matter how cool it looks....

 

[Av8tor1]

go to a book store and look them up in the consumer reports auto buying guides, see which ones have a good service record and which ones will nickel and dime ya to death.

and as a rule of thumb dont ever buy the first year of a new model or a redesigned model.
year 3 or 4 tend to be a much better design.

of those pictured the focus has the best ratings... and the cruiser the worst, with the other two closer to the bottom then the top IIRC

but do your homework... most ppl spend more time researching a movie then they do a major purchase

then when you've found one, get a carfax and have a mechanice look it over from top to bottom

Av

 

[Not a Number]

When I was looking at used cars a couple months ago I noticed a lot of PT Cruisers in the lots. There must be some reason people are trading them in.

As Butch says, look up the buyers guide reviews on the vehicles you are interested then test drive and see which one you like the best.

 

[elgecko]

Like Av8tor1 said look up cars in a consumer report book / magazine.

I just went through finding a new vehicle for the wife. We wanted to replace a mid-size sedan.

Made a list up using consumer reports. Hyundai Sonata / Honda Accord / Toyota Camry / Nissan Altima / etc.

Went and drove a few different years of each vehicle to see which we liked better. Once we narrow down which car we liked I searched on cars.com for the color and options we wanted. Then went out to look at the vehicles on the lots and test drive them.

We where extremely impressed with the Hyundai Sonata and ended up with that. Consumers rates them extremely well.

You would have a hard time going wrong with Honda Civic / Toyota Corolla / Hyundai Elantra. I think the Ford Focus got pretty good reviews in consumers.

Stay far away from Chrysler / Dodge products.

 

[Wolfn]

I'm starting to lean against the PT Cruiser. I just found out it gets like 17 mpg in the city, the result of a heavy wagon built on top of the 20-year old Dodge Neon platform.

I'm learning towards the Focus or the Suzuki.

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

You would have a hard time going wrong with Honda Civic / Toyota Corolla / Hyundai Elantra. I think the Ford Focus got pretty good reviews in consumers.

Stay far away from Chrysler / Dodge products.

Beware of the 2007 Elantras. Mine has a speedometer and odometer which reads wrong. I go 5mph slower then my true speed and the odometer adds miles too fast. At about 39,000 miles, I have about 5,000 miles that I have never driven. After looking online I'm not the only one to notice this and the dealership says they'd have to diagnose and order parts blah blah. Long story short up to 5% error is acceptable meaning they wont do anything about it.

You cant go wrong with Carmax either, we just bought a Honda Civic 2005 this weekend and the quality of service has blown me away. I will never buy from a dealership again.

 

[Wolfn]

One reason why I am leaning towards the Suzuki and Focus is that they have MP3 connectivity. I can plug my iPod into the car and listen to my favorite jams through the car stereos. That's pretty cool.

 

[rattler]

dude, you can put in a new stereo that can do that for a couple hundred easy......if thats the major selling point for you prepare to bend over and get screwed on a deal......your laying out serious cash, worry bout how the engine is going to run without dumping $$ into it and that the body and interior will hold up....the stereo shouldnt even enter the equation, thats simple and cheap to switch out.....

 

[xvart]

As opposed to all the "unofficial help Wolfn pick a car" threads? lol.

xvart.

 

[swords]

Even I have swapped out a car stereo and I'm the most car-illiterate person out there! You can get a way better stereo by buying it and putting it in yourself. It was pretty easy.

Hopefully the new Focus are better than mine. Mine is a 2000 ZX3 (2 door + hatch) gets pretty nice mileage but it's had a lotta recalls. I think there have been a dozen! None for quite some years now but here's what I can remember has gone wrong over the years with my Focus:

Battery Cable (recall)

Brakes (recall)

Shutting off at stoplights (recall)

(I can't recall all the recalls)

I stopped to get gas on the way to work and the key no longer fit in the ignition. It had to be forcibly towed onto a flatbed (it won't shift to Neutral with no key inserted) and have a new ignition put in.

There is some sort of spring near the tire which snapped and nearly blew my tire. I paid to have it fixed at the shop by my house but a guy I work with who has a focus said later it happened to him too and was a recall fix ford would have paid for.

A month or two ago I was coming home and the coolant line "popped off" (according to the shop) while I was driving down the freeway and sprayed antifreeze all over my engine, setting it on fire and causing almost $3000 in repairs.

 

[Av8tor1]

sadly, case in point, 2000 was the first model year for the focus....

typically bad mojo regardless of mfg.... there is usually a murphy's learning curve with any new design.

 

[seedjar]

One reason why I am leaning towards the Suzuki and Focus is that they have MP3 connectivity. I can plug my iPod into the car and listen to my favorite jams through the car stereos. That's pretty cool.

I'm sorry - I don't mean to sound inflammatory - but that's one of the worst reasons to buy a car ever, right up there with, "But that's my favorite color!" Actually, it's even worse than picking based on color; you can install an aux jack for under a hundred dollars on most stereos, where a paint job is going to cost three hundred or more.
Also, stay away from Kia. They've got a tempting price, nice features, and decent mechanical quality, but the bottom line is that the value of the deal rests on their so-called 10-year warrantee. I looked at Kias when I was shopping around, and the most common complaint I heard is that dealerships don't honor the factory warrantee; apparently Kia is pretty bad about reimbursing their independent dealers for service costs, so many dealerships do whatever they can to not accept their customers' claims.
You should buy a Subaru.
~Joe

 

[raccoon city]

I utilized Consumer Reports to help my mom pick out a used sedan last year. I wanted her to get a Toyota Prius, to save the most on gasoline. She went with the Toyota Corolla because it was a lot cheaper, and it has turned out to be a reliable car that gets excellent gas mileage. Toyotas and Hondas usually get the best reviews in Consumer Reports, so a Honda Civic would also get the job done... But don't take my word for it! Look for a copy of "Consumer Reports Used Car Buying Guide" at your local library, bookstore, or even online! And before you buy your used car, no matter what make or model, have a mechanic thoroughly test the car so that you don't get stuck with a lemon.

 

[swords]

Yeah Aviator, when I was baby my folks had a VW 250 (or something like that) it was the first & only year they made that model cos it was so foul.

I didn't have a choice, needed a car by Monday, nobody but Ford would give me a loan and not for much. All in all it's been pretty good though with way less hassles/worries than my 85 Buick Skylark which was one of those every few weeks a new fix-it thing.

 

[scottychaos]

My opinion, from 25 years of being a "car guy".. looking at, buying and driving used cars, and family and friend history with many different cars:

Kia = junk
Hyundai = junk
Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth= junk

GM (Chevy, Buick, Olds etc) = ok, but you can do better.


(I would never buy anything above this line)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(I would consider anything below this line)

Ford = best of the USA. I used to place Ford below Nissan and VW, but now I place them above.
Nissan, VW = middle of the road, generally good.

Toyota and Honda, tired for 1st place, best reliability and quality of any make..

I have no experience with Mazda, Subaru or any luxury brand..
but any of the japanese luxury brands (Acura, Infinity and Lexus) are basically Honda, Nissan and Toyota's..
so they should be good..

I also highly recommend getting the Consumer Reports guide, study it carefully, and heed well its advice.

My wife and I just bought a 2009 Ford Focus..we really like it so far..
before that I drove a 1997 Honda Civic for 10 years..by far the best car I have ever owned..
(and it was built in Ohio!)

Even though I like the new Ford Focus..I just discovered the tires on it were MADE IN CHINA!!
very disappointing..
I dont think its possible to buy a 100% "Made in the USA" car anymore..


Scot

 

[rattler]

depends on what your buying.....for trucks ill take a half ton Chevy over a half ton Ford...killed 2 shifting forks for the 4 wheel drive in the front end on a Ford....there was more metal on the same part of my Jeep Cherokee's and it weights half as much.....im told the part in the 3/4 and 1 tons is beefier.....but given i wasnt doing serious off-roading i shouldnt have busted 2 of them in the Ford....

if i have to buy a new car i woudnt by either......but other than for a fun vehicle i dont have much use for a car....

 

[seedjar]

but any of the japanese luxury brands (Acura, Infinity and Lexus) are basically Honda, Nissan and Toyota's..
so they should be good..

Not sure about Infinity, but Acura and Lexus are both great brands from the experience of my friends and family. You end up paying luxury car prices for parts and service, though, so they probably aren't as appropriate to Wolfn's budget.
I hear you on the American cars, Scotty - I was really shocked to find out how much "domestic" production is outsourced to Australia, China and the rest of the Pacific rim. It almost seems like the Japanese do more manufacturing here in the States than our own brands.
Scotty's definitely right about checking Consumer Reports, Wolfn. I believe that Kelly Blue Book and some of the other auto-specific services have discussions and customer reviews on their websites as well. You might also look around for some automotive forums, but try to avoid the ones that are brand-specific, as you'll find a lot of bias there (big surprise.) Recreation-focused groups (racing, rallying, etc.) might have a little better insight, if you can find a community that focuses on the kinds of features and applications you want.
~Joe