inexpensive car for relative

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greenjp

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I'm assisting a relative to find an inexpensive yet reliable car. Her budget is in the 2013-2016 Elantras
2014 Accents
2011-2013 Jettas, some 2.slows and some diesels
2014ish Sonics
Have found single examples of a 2012 Corolla LE, a 2011 Camry XLE, a 2009 Civic EX, 2011 Altima. On the latter three the mileage is out of range but the Camry and Civic in particular have more features than most of the other options and presumably likely to be dependable.

If she asked for a single recommendation I'd say the Corolla. What I could use from the BITOG collective is any thoughts on the Elantra, Accent, Jetta, and Sonic as those seem to be available in the greatest numbers. Thanks!

jeff
 
The Yaris is a KISS car, 2012 is the last year for the sedan which is low tech car made in Japan. Its a bit more refined than the hatchback.
 
I would go the Toyota/Honda route if you can find one with <80K miles in your price range. Move that range to 100k and make sure it's a manual tranny, same amount of money.
 
Honda and Toyotas will be harder to find and pricier than same-year models from Hyundai, etc (seems to be what you're encountering too).

A Corolla is definitely a good option as well as a Civic. They are obviously less $ than their bigger siblings Camry and Accord but fit your size range of small to medium sized vehicle.
 
Recommend a mid-size if you can find one, people generally are way happier and as they age hold up better with them over a the smaller counterparts.
 
City or highway driving? Smaller might be nicer in the city, larger if doing more open road driving (better ride, better NVH), but YMMV.

I'd avoid Jetta, unless if you have a good mechanic that you know of. They may well be much better than they used to be, but I suspect they are still intolerant of shadetree hacks (and that used to apply to most dealers too). But they do tend to be nice driving cars. At only 10k/year I'd skip diesel altogether, just not worth the hassle and cost, not unless if you're an enthusiast.

Any chance she can go out and test drive any? Tell her to go into a dealership (or lot), state up front that she is just looking and getting info, and wants to test drive a few cars to see what she likes. She very well might cross off a model or two that she just hates driving.
 
Originally Posted by greenjp
I'm assisting a relative to find an inexpensive yet reliable car. Her budget is in the 2013-2016 Elantras
2014 Accents
2011-2013 Jettas, some 2.slows and some diesels
2014ish Sonics
Have found single examples of a 2012 Corolla LE, a 2011 Camry XLE, a 2009 Civic EX, 2011 Altima. On the latter three the mileage is out of range but the Camry and Civic in particular have more features than most of the other options and presumably likely to be dependable.

If she asked for a single recommendation I'd say the Corolla. What I could use from the BITOG collective is any thoughts on the Elantra, Accent, Jetta, and Sonic as those seem to be available in the greatest numbers. Thanks!

jeff


Corola or Camry
 
Originally Posted by greenjp
I'm assisting a relative to find an inexpensive yet reliable car. Her budget is in the div>


If you're in the DC area I would go to the Manheim Baltimore auction on Tuesdays. They have a few lanes open to the public running late model cars like on your list. You will see more cars in 2 hours than you would in 2 weeks going to dealers.
 
Originally Posted by supton
I'd avoid Jetta, unless if you have a good mechanic that you know of. They may well be much better than they used to be, but I suspect they are still intolerant of shadetree hacks (and that used to apply to most dealers too). But they do tend to be nice driving cars. At only 10k/year I'd skip diesel altogether, just not worth the hassle and cost, not unless if you're an enthusiast.
2.slow is basically the VW SBC, it's hard to screw up an 8v OHC engine designed in the 80s. I agree on the diesel.

Automatic trans? Hyundai is probably your best bet. Manual? I prefer Golfs but get the Jetta. I wouldn't bother with the Sonic.

Honda and Toyota have too high resale for what they bring to the table post-2005 IMO. They are pretty solid but I think you can get more car for the money at that price point. Normies are afraid of VWs and not as familiar with Hyundai as they are with Honda and Toyota. The easiest way to get good value is to exploit market inefficiencies.
 
I would up the mileage requirement to 100k on the midsize and leave it at 80k for the economy cars. The mid-size hold up better so 20k more miles is nothing.
 
Originally Posted by Danno
Elantra or Accent all day long.
Good value imo.
Check my signature.


I think there's probably something to be said for depreciation "value" in relation to the reliability...and the Accent was supposedly ( statistically ) the most reliable vehicle sold in the U.S. from the 2012 thru 2017 model years. With the caveat that it's a used car, you might be able to get a considerably better deal on something like that than a used Toyota for example. IDK, saving x dollars might be of greater value to her if it's only going to be a grocery getter and do 10K miles a year.
 
She should stretch and get a cheap new hyundai.

The 10/100 warranty is only for the original purchaser-- it drops to 6/60 upon resale.

Even if she makes payments for a few years, she's suddenly in a used hyundai that still has a warranty to 10/100. The 10 year part is perfect for her driving style.
 
Originally Posted by Donald
Originally Posted by greenjp
I'm assisting a relative to find an inexpensive yet reliable car. Her budget is in the 2013-2016 Elantras
2014 Accents
2011-2013 Jettas, some 2.slows and some diesels
2014ish Sonics
Have found single examples of a 2012 Corolla LE, a 2011 Camry XLE, a 2009 Civic EX, 2011 Altima. On the latter three the mileage is out of range but the Camry and Civic in particular have more features than most of the other options and presumably likely to be dependable.

If she asked for a single recommendation I'd say the Corolla. What I could use from the BITOG collective is any thoughts on the Elantra, Accent, Jetta, and Sonic as those seem to be available in the greatest numbers. Thanks!

jeff


Corola or Camry


+1
 
2014-2018 Jetta would be high on my list. You can find them (maybe not 2018) for less than $8000 with low miles. Solid overall, with good gas mileage. Plus they are nice driving cars.
 
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