SUPER KING

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum. I found this site to be very useful so I've decided to give it a shot.

I'm in the process of looking for a new car under 6K. I was just wondering what you guys think would be a good buy. The two factors that I would look for are:
-Fuel efficient and
-Less likely to have maintenance problem

Any advice or inputs are welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks

Brian R.

What is the smallest car you would consider?

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SUPER KING

Hey Brian R.,

Thanks for the relpy. Well, the smallest car I consider would be a Corolla. Hope that helps.

jdmccright

A Camry would be hard to beat if gas-sipping, reliable transportation is your objective. For 6k, NADA guides list a '99 w/ 2.2L 4-cylinder and ~110k miles for that amount. Go smaller to a Corolla and you could get an '01 with the same engine & 95k miles for $6,150.

FWIW, my '92 LE (2.2, auto) has 205k and could go for as much as $2,800.

Prices will vary according to mileage and vehicle condition. Good luck!

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Current Garage:
2003 Pontiac Vibe 1.8L AWD
2003 GMC Envoy XL (aka "fat-a$$") - K&N air filter, otherwise stock.
1995 Chevrolet C2500 2wd, 5.7L - K&N air filter, otherwise stock...my weekend hauler.
1992 Toyota Camry LE 2.2L - K&N air filter.

Vehicle History:
2004 4.7L Dakota Quad Cab 4x4
1996 GMC Jimmy 4wd
1992 Chevrolet S10 Ext. Cab 4.3L
1995 Honda ST1100...my first (and only) new vehicle.
1980 Yamaha XS400
1980 Mercury Bobcat...my first car.

Brian R.

jdmccright has listed your Toyota choices. Same goes for Honda, Nissan, Hundai, etc. You sacrifice interior room and smoothness for mileage in all these cars. Civic vs Accord, Corolla vs Camry or Solara, etc. You will have to decide whether mileage or interior room/smooth ride is more important and whether you would give up 6-8 mpg for your rear seat passengers and luggage room.

IMO, the best buy right now in the US is Hundai. See what you can find. Toyota would be my second choice for a good car with good mileage at a reasonable cost.

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DFBonnett

A whole lot about the price of anything is the demand for it. IMO, you'll get a better bang for the buck with something like my daughter's Mitsu Mirage. They got a bad rep because of ECM problems in the early to mid 90's, so the demand is not there and the price is much lower than a similar Corolla or Civic. Her '00, which I bought new for her in college, has had few non-maintenance repairs (tires, battery, etc). These non-maintenance repairs have consisted of a new spring gizzy that flips open the fuel door and a hose clamp to secure a broken spot weld on an exhaust heat shield. The total is under $5. Granted, it has only about 45K on it, but $5 in 8 years says something.
FWIW
YMMV