Need to buy car for wife < 5K. Suggestions ?

Hi,

I am new to this forum. My wife recently graduated and found a job so i am looking to buy an used car for her. I would like to spend around $5000 or less. Since she is a new driver, i need something small(sedan) & reliable with not too many miles on it. From my research so far, i found the following cars: Altima(96-97), Sentra(97-99), Protege(97-99) & Mazda 626(97-98). I need opinions with regards to the following aspects of ownership:
1. Reliability
2. Highest mileage on car that i should risk buying.
3. Maintenence costs
4. Insurance cost

Honda/toyota have too high of resale value so i can't find any less than 80K miles for that price. Also, any other car/model suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance
nivas

well if its your wife have you ever considered a hyundai? you can get those extremely cheap. 100,000 mile warranty or 10 years check that out foreal. super cheap if there are any problems

I haven't seen many used hyundai's around. New ones start at 9K, don't they ?
I just want a decent, small, sedan with not more than 70K miles or so. I have an 00 integra gsr and since my wife can't drive manual, she's stuck depending on me. Hence, if i can buy a cheap 4-dr sedan now, i could trade my car for a good sports car sometime in the future.

Nissans have poor resale value, so you can get the Sentra or Altima pretty cheap. I'd go with either of those.

ya u could find a used like 2000 for pretty cheap heres a site that will tell you about what to expect and reviews here

http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/used/

good luck man

Thanks for the advice...zxtt & kman.

I researched some cars on consumerreports, kbb & edmunds and also looked at ads in autotrader, but i can't find many private party ones. I am using Autocheck to verify Vehicle history and a private ones turned out to be accident involved cars. Almost 99% of dealer listings are cars which have been through auction(s) and/or fleet sales. This was more common in lower mileage cars. Is it risky buying cars acquired through auction ? For e.g. sentra with 40k miles listed for $5800, but record shows 3 different auctions.

What about the Ford Focus ? I found 2 cars, 00 & 02 model selling for around 6K with 35K miles. I've heard good things about Focus but am not sure if used ones will have quality/reliability issues.

Nivas

ya those are actually pretty good car and you said you are tryin for a new sports car and theres actually a decent aftermarket for them right now in case you wanted to give it a little oomph hha

The Focus is nice, it's a great car to learn on. Come to think it, that's what I learned on. Also, it's pretty cheap and unFordly reliable.

A Taurus is a pretty good choice, especially one with a duratec. The Transmission may go at about 120K to 150 K though; good old ford reliability. But the Duratec engine's well built. So is the vulcan, and their both 3.0L. I also learned ot drive on one to. I killed a tranny at 120K though, but I drove it hard. But whatever you do, dont' go for an SHO, your insurance may go higher; and if the cams aren't welded/pinned, the engine will be destroyed, and parts are expensive since the engine is yamaha built.

Also, it's pretty cheap and unFordly reliable.

one of the best quotes. anyways, sentra's are nice little cars. the protege could also be a good car. if you want low insurance and reliability, honda and toyota is the best bet, you might pay a little bit extra up front, but you will probably save more in the long run.

ya those are actually pretty good car and you said you are tryin for a new sports car and theres actually a decent aftermarket for them right now in case you wanted to give it a little oomph hha

Its mainly for the wife. She doesn't like big cars so the focus would be ideal. I love my integra and it has never given me a single problem in the last 4 yrs but then i have not modified it all. When i do change my car, it will be for a Z, G35 or a used M3 (dreaming) :)

one of the best quotes. anyways, sentra's are nice little cars. the protege could also be a good car. if you want low insurance and reliability, honda and toyota is the best bet, you might pay a little bit extra up front, but you will probably save more in the long run.

the consumerguide site shows the insurance rating on focus to be higher than the sentra/altima/civic i.e. cheaper insurance. Most of my friends have civics (24-28 yrs old) and they pay as much as i do (~$600 for 6 months). Personally, i don't like toyotas, something about their shape....i would never buy one unless its a lexus..

Well, my top 3 recommendations would be the Nissan Sentra, Mazda Protegé, and Mitsubishi Mirage. You can get any of those used for pretty damn cheap, and the insurance/gas won't be bad at all.

ya but its for his wife tho and im sure she wants a "cute" car so maybe focus is the best bet

The info below is a sample of the kind of cars available on Autotrader. Is there any site where i can purchase from private sellers ? Most dealer cars seem to be either lease/fleet or auction vehicles. I am not sure if the car would be reliable especially at 80K + miles.

98 Nissan Sentra
Price $5,665
Mileage 77,049

03/16/04 TX 76,983 AUTO AUCTION REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION
03/16/04 TX 76,983 AUTO AUCTION REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION AS DEALER VEHICLE

99 Nissan Sentra GXE
Price $4,995
Mileage 76,733

01/17/00 SOUTHWEST REGION 15,017 AUTO AUCTION REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION
01/19/00 PACIFIC NW REGION 15,017 AUTO AUCTION AUCTION ANNOUNCED AS FLEET/LEASE
9/30/03 TX 76,733 AUTO AUCTION REPORTED AT AUTO AUCTION
10/01/03 RICHARDSON, TX INDEPENDENT EMISSION SOURCE PASSED EMISSION INSPECTION
10/01/03 TX 76,733 AUTO AUCTION AUCTION ANNOUNCED AS FLEET/LEASE

ya but its for his wife tho and im sure she wants a "cute" car so maybe focus is the best bet

Yeah, before she found the job she did want one of em cute cars, she loves the z350, mini-cooper but not the bug, jetta(thank god !). But w/o driving experience, a new car is a risky proposition. So now she just wants any car, to get her to work & back since its a taxing job in a startup.

Chevy Cavlier/Pontiac Sunfire?

They are cheap, reliable, and easy to fix if they break. Cheap insurance on them too. Wouldn't be a bad choice unless your wife 6'3". :icon16:

They're not nearly as reliable as the Focus, and the Focus is just a better car overall.