Hypothetical Vehicle Purchase

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Let's assume you want to purchase a 5-10 year old vehicle for a new driver within the following parameters:

1. Lowest total cost of ownership.

2. High availability of aftermarket and repair parts from junk yards.

3. Ease of maintenance and repair. Especially for somebody that doesn't have a professional shop and full line of specialty tools but who tries to do as much work as possible themselves. (For instance, I routinely do brake and suspension work, also replaced a Hyundai beta timing belt and swapped a manual tranny in a Ford Focus.)

4. A good online source of information (forums, etc.) that can be used to research various maintenance and repair tasks the may arise over the remaining life of the vehicle.

5. Above average reliability.

6. Creature comforts and "fun-to-drive" are not considerations.
 
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So, what's the question here? Which car to buy with the parameters you've set for yourself?

Any I4 for ease of maintenance, preferably a brand with a large market share for parts availability and active forums. With a 5 year old car, I'll consider cost of ownership. At 10 years old, I'm understanding that it will cost what it costs to keep the car on the road, to be truthful. FWD, not AWD (unless climate dictates otherwise), good gas mileage, but the most important part of all, buy the car with the best maintenance records. Easy answer: look for a Toyota Corolla. Maybe off the beaten path choice: look for a gently used Ford Fusion.
 
2006-10 Hyundai Sonata 4 cylinder.

1. $2-3K

2. plenty of wrecked ones in the junkyard

3. check

4. Paper FSM on Ebay occasionally

5. Sold a 2006 with 292,000 miles and running great

6. check
 
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Versa, Mirage, Yaris, Fit, Mazda 2
 
corolla--- conservative design, cheap diagnostics, parts sharing with other toyotas.

Get the last year of a body style run and the junkyards will be full of them, and rock auto full of clearance parts.
 
Silverado with LS v-8. Might pay a bit more to buy, but easy to work on, pretty reliable, lots of parts, easy to work on. AND resale is higher than most vehicles when you are done with it, even with high miles, they sell.
 
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There are a number of choices that I'd look at, depending on the use of the vehicle.

In my experience, trucks (body-on-frame, RWD) are more reliable and durable than FWD cars. But you also mentioned total cost of ownership, and purchase price of trucks is higher. Then there's the fuel economy penalty.

We kinda need to know more about what the use will be. Will there be any need to tow/haul? Passenger capacity requirement? Size of vehicle?

If it were me, as for cars, I'd be looking at manual transmission Hondas and Toyotas with 4-cyl. engines (ease of service over a FWD V6 due to no aft bank of cylinders, more room in engine bay) that have been well-maintained.

Doing some searching here can reveal common problems with models you're considering.

I can personally recommend the Honda 2.4L engine. I had a 2004 Accord that was great. A lot of people say that engine is really reliable.

I can also recommend the Toyota Tacoma. I have a 2007 I bought new. It now has 225K and I've had to do very little to it. All underhood components are original except for battery, serpentine belt, and an idler pulley. Other than that, mechanically, all I've had to do in over 12 years is a driveshaft u-joint (mine is a PreRunner and doesn't come with grease Zerks), and front/rear wheel bearings. Everything else has been very minor things (overhead compass/temp display needed a connection re-soldered, center console latch broke, sunvisor wore out, etc.).
 
Originally Posted by spasm3
Silverado with LS v-8. Might pay a bit more to buy, but easy to work on, pretty reliable, lots of parts, easy to work on. AND resale is higher than most vehicles when you are done with it, even with high miles, they sell.


Unless you don't drive it much, the gas costs will be high.
 
2011 Ford Focus. 2011 was the last year of the Focus MkII. It's a very dependable car and similar to the Mazda 3 of that era.
 
Any 5-10 year old vehicle which is highly regarded as being reliable cost more to buy used.
A 2012 Camry vs a 2012 Ford Fusion as an example. The Camry commands more money to buy used.
The Ford Fusion while not as reliable, has never been known as being a POS, was made in high numbers which means good parts availability in salvage yards and in the aftermarket.

Also to note is that many of the small cars like even the Nissan Versa, are decently reliable with a stick and cheap to buy used.
 
Originally Posted by The Critic
Any 4-cylinder Toyota product.



Surprised there even a discussion about this. Get a Corolla and you won't have to worry about junk yard parts. It's a very easy car to work on. My son changed the serpentine belt in 15 minutes the first time he ever worked on a car. Gets 30+ mpg.
 
Originally Posted by john_pifer
I can also recommend the Toyota Tacoma..

There was a problem with the frames rusting out in some years of Tacomas. The vehicle can look perfect except that the frame is rusted out, which can pretty much mean the Tacoma is a write off.

So if you can buy a Tacoma from the South or West coast that would be great. Otherwise be sure to check which years had the rusting problem - and have the frame thoroughly checked before buying. They're a great vehicle otherwise.

As for small trucks, older Ford Rangers are very popular in my area as well. The owners swear by them.
 
Originally Posted by spasm3
Silverado with LS v-8. Might pay a bit more to buy, but easy to work on, pretty reliable, lots of parts, easy to work on. AND resale is higher than most vehicles when you are done with it, even with high miles, they sell.


I second this. But maybe something like a trailblazer if you don't want a truck. Absolutely bulletproof engine, transmissions aren't bad as long as you don't abuse them. Parts galore and cheap. Decent fuel economy for a v8.

I miss our truck....
 
My 07 Corolla has been fantastic. My niece (16/17yo) bought a low mileage 06. I think they make a great solid car for a new driver. It will rarely need work done.
 
Has anyone mentioned a Honda or Toyota 4 banger?
You will have to pay the "Honda tax" or "Toyota tax", but there is a reason for it.
You should get it back at resale...

If you wanna pay less, some of the Hyundai and Kia cars have a strong following; I have very little experience with them.
I would not be afraid of an Altima; just be sure and service that CVT...

My #1 choice would be a 1st gen Acura TSX. Great cars.

Good luck.
 
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