Can anyone offer me some suggestions on what car to buy?

BMW’s keep their value very well, and even with high miles are good cars. You could probably find a really good deal on an older one that is stylin’

BMW, or a VW. Right now I have an ‘03 Jetta 1.8T and it has just over 60,000 that I got for around your top price. Clean title and all. I love the car! I know BMWs hit that range pretty easily too, as I’ve shopped around for one.

Go Honda or Nissan, they last forever, very reliable.

Lexus and Audi have some nice reliability too, sporty with the luxury sedan comfort.

I have a 2006 Honda Civic, and it has been a great little car. Wonderful mileage (36–37/gal) and very reliable. I am going to sell it, and I think it will be about your price range—although I have over 50k miles on it.

Try doing some general research first, based upon the parameters you’ve already given. There are plenty of web sites that allow you to slice and dice based upon make, model, age, mileage, reliability, safety features and expense to repair. I think you can also do history checks on individual cars which should include accidents, repairs and general maintenance. Just do the homework before purchasing. “Lemon” doesn’t only mean a citrus fruit.

I own a ‘96 Lexus SC 400 with just over 100,000 miles. It’s semi-sporty, reliable, and feels solid and safe. The one time it has needed to be taken to Lexus for maintenance, it seemed expensive, but then aren’t all dealerships? They also arranged for a rental car and picked up the tab, which is how they generally do business. Granted, it was a savvy future sales ploy, as the car was another Lexus, and one much newer and fancier than mine.

You haven’t told us enough about how and what the car will be used for. Commuting? How far? How many people will normally be travelling? How many long trips annually? How long are the trips? How many ppl? Any camping? Do you need to sleep in the car, even for a few nights each year? Are you in Miami, or International Falls? These are some of the important variables.

I just have one bit of info/advice or whatever you want to call it :)

From experience the more expensive the car is new the more costly parts are. Buying an older model of a BMW, for example, if there is no remaining warranty and you need engine work or as parts wear out with age you will be looking at dishing out more than just pocket change.

Just something to consider :)

Get a Matrix or Vibe. They are the same car. The 1.8L Toyota engine has decades of proven reliability and low maintenance in the Corolla.

Like the BMW…i have a 2005 model! Bought it new and most people that I’ve talked too have driven their’s over 400,000 miles! See models for sale all the time in your price range with a couple hundred thousand miles on them! Well, more like $8000!

I love the shit out of my Mazda 3. Not as sporty as a BMW but it definitely goes zoom zoom. I have >100,000 miles on it now and have never had any problems of any kind.

Oh yeah, Mazda, any of the Japanese cars is my recommendation. I think @HeatherGrace makes a really good point.

Try a Subaru. I have a 1993 with 310,000 miles. They are a solid and reliable vehicle with a dependable four wheel drive and good gas mileage.

@JLeslie : Thank you :)

Im prolly the only one going to say this, but buicks. I had a buck last me to 250k,only reason I got rid of it was because I graduated college. The lacrosse is sporty.

Honda/ Toyota-both great cars.

Skoda Octavia….. 1.9 TDI, great car…..

Now, everyone meet an honest used car salesman!

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1778284

I’m partial to Mercedes diesels; not sporty or high-performance, but a rock-solid investment and very fuel efficient for its size. Rust is about all that will kill them. Maintenance is far less than an equivalent gas model. The pre-1980 models were built to be used as taxis, so everything on them is heavy duty.

Honda or Toyota. my Toyota Solara is about to turn 250,000 miles. a used Toyota or Honda is still a great bargain.

Honda or Toyota. forget everything else thats out there.

I found a ‘90 Pontiac Grand Prix Turbo for $3,000 and it’s mine once I earn the money for it. It has to be one of the coolest cars from the early ‘90’s that I have ever seen, and it performs well, too. Only problems on this one are irrelevant details, such as an interior light dimmer not working, etc.

The NADA guesstimate for one of these in perfect condition is $4725, in case you do find one, which could be tricky because Pontiac didn’t make many of them.

Nissan 370z!

One option is to either buy a Consumer Reports membership or use one from someone who has one. They break down some of the best performers by price range. So you could look at yours and see what is listed there.

You can google Consumer reports best used cars.

I know that Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler are not in the running. lol

Seems like a lot of Americans go for Jap cars! I thought you all drove Fords & Chevy’s??? :-/

@Scooby Most Jap cars are now made in the USA. Very few of them are 100% imported content.
Honda, Toyota and Subaru have several plants for manufacture of their models.

@Tropical_Willie

Ah I see, thanks for that.. :-)

I was in Asia a few months ago…there were cars I had never heard of like ’ Freecas’. lol

Everyone drives scooters, gazillions of them…I heard stories of families and kids and dogs and mattresses all on one scooter.

Rush hour is one giant swarm of scooters….it was crazy!

@Coloma D’oh, I have the friggin’ 2010 list here on my desk!

For $6k-$8k, considering all sedans and smaller SUVs:

Acura CL ‘02—‘03
” RL ‘02
” RSX ‘02
” TL ‘01—‘02
Ford Explorer Sport Trac (2WD) ‘02
” Focus ‘05—‘06
” Mustang (V6) ‘04
” Mustang (V8) ‘00—‘01
Honda Civic ‘03—‘04
” Civic Hybrid ‘03
” CR-V ‘00—‘02
” Element ‘03
Hyundai Santa Fe ‘02—‘03
Infiniti I30 ‘01
” I35 ‘02—‘03
” Q45 ‘00
” QX4 ‘00—‘01
Kia Spectra ‘07
Lexus ES ‘00—‘01
” IS ‘01
Mazda 6 sedan (4 cyl.) ‘03—‘04
” MX-5 Miata ‘00
” Protege ‘03
” Tribute (4 cyl.) ‘03
” Tribute (V6, FWD) ‘02
Mercedes-Benz C-Class (4 cyl.) ‘00
” E-Class (V6, RWD) ‘00
Mitsubishi Lancer ‘04
” Outlander ‘04
Pontiac Vibe ‘04
Subaru Impreza wagon ‘04
Toyota Avalon ‘01—‘02
” Camry ‘02
” Camry Solara ‘03
” Celica ‘01—‘03
” Corolla ‘03—‘04
” Highlander ‘01
” RAV4 ‘00—‘01

I took out stupid things like the Ford Crown Victoria and Taurus, with their respective clones, as well as really big SUVs, minivans, or anything else that just didn’t work. I didn’t pay attention to the word “sporty” as a tool to narrow down the sedans and coupes on this list because I don’t have any experience with almost all of them. Also, there are too many descriptions for a crossover and, frankly, I don’t even believe in the term any more, so I just chose reasonably-sized SUV’s.

@Fred931

Excellent….what a great list to have!

I’m following this question too cuz I am thinking of buying a second something in the same price range.

Thanks Fred!

i recommend KIA Cerato 2010 model

@espanyol For Americans, it’s the Spectra, not Cerato, and I don’t think you’ll find a car much cheaper than $9,990 as new, and the Nissan Versa at that price doesn’t even have air conditioning…