OT - thinking about a new vehicle - suggestions/opinions?

[cmg]

keep the camry, put $5k worth of repairs, then do it again. keep it 18 years. if you keep buying a new car every 6 years after 18 years you would have spent $100k just to own a car, don't do it. as far as spending more than the car is worth. that's the line the car salesman uses to sell you a new car.

[HenryA]

Originally Posted by jbreebs

These are all great things that I haven't entirely considered all the way through, so thanks for the advice and keep it coming! I'm trying to make the best choice going forward and I value your input!




Currently, I think the car is worth $800-1000. The bumper was hit recently (by the daughter of a guy I was buying bike parts from, lol). So I took a small payment out of that rather than fix it. Other problems: the engine is leaking oil from somewhere, low, and probably hard to get to. Likely one of the 21 year old gaskets is failing, and I'm sure others are heading that direction as well. The left rear control arm bushings are going bad and cause a rattle; while the parts aren't particularly expensive, it requires dropping the gas tank to remove the a 12" long bolt that holds both arms on. Need a new front left wheel bearing, and an alignment after replacment. The tires are getting to the point of needing replacement as well. I have access to a shop with a lift, and I can probably do most of the work myself, but the issue is that once I get these problems fixed, where does it end? It seems likely to me that there will be more minor issues that add up over time. I'm not particularly opposed to doing these fixes but think it might be wise to find something different now, while the car still maintains some of its value.

Then you might be down to "can I buy a very much better car for the $XXXX dollars I have to spend. On the other hand if those things were fixed, how much would that cost? The oil leak might be as simple as tightening some bolts. Or not. Find out if possible. Main seal? Oil pan?

The wheel bearing is important, fix it and don't align it. At least it will be safe from that one danger.

The other thing is I bet you can get more than that for it if it drives more or less OK. Especially if you can cure the things you write about. Spend a little more time shopping for what it might bring.

What car(s) have you found for the money you want to spend?

[Louis]

Originally Posted by jbreebs

Subaru Outback - AWD, room for all the stuff, easy to work on. But, poor mileage (due to AWD), and relatively more expensive up front than some others I'm considering

I have an Impreza (AWD, of course) and get over 35 mpg per tank (mostly highway).

[pasadena]

Honestly you're right not to dump more money into it.
Your plans for a car require more of the same, as others have said.

Another Camry is solid. They are boring but the most dependable.

For the same money, a newer Corolla. They have gotten very good, a bit bigger and, again, dead reliable.

Honda Fit is good. It's made in Japan and overall a good small car. Not sure how much fun on a long road trip.
You have to do some research on Hondas because some years of Civics and other models have some serious reliability issues.

I would avoid all German cars and especially German, made in Mexico cars and CVT transmissions.
For the long term, nah.

Though they can be reliable, they are more expensive and require more servicing and will never be as reliable as a mainstream Toyota with a good auto trans.

[biker72]

If I lived in snow country I'd look for an older Honda CRV, Toyota RAV-4, or Subaru Outback that all have more road clearance.

[fmradio516]

I was a phone call away from buying a new Subaru Forester until I started looking on the online Subaru boards. Tons of people having issues that you shouldnt be having with cars less than 80k miles. Among these issues was a guy who had to replace 3 out of 4 of the wheel bearings at around 70k.

[cinema]

I think if the body and frame are good i would try replacing those parts.

drive it till empty and drop the gas tank. much easier. while you're in there you can always do the fuel pump too if they place it in the gas tank.

how bad is the leak? i wouldn't worry about a small leak. a drop or two a day is fine. it's not super hard to do an oil pan gasket or valve cover gasket (one of those is messier than the other). Use a pressure washer and elbow grease to scrub the dripping parts off and then watch to see where it's coming from.

wheel bearings aren't always so difficult but i've only done them on solid axle vehicles and gotten to the point where i can do them in 15 min..

However, if your ride is all rusted out and at the mercy of road salt, i would say dump it. the road salt has done things to the 20 yo car that are not easy to spot and can fail instantly. therefore look for a newer, lower mile vehicle. I'm from chicago and if i still lived in the midwest, knowing what i know now, I would only be buying used cars from the desert and taking a weekend out of my life to transport and secure a rust free vehicle. also if you're bored of that car and want better mileage or something more useful for you, like a hatch, i do recommend the prius again.

you CANNOT fix rust. the problems rust causes accelerate with age. imagine a ball joint/control arm/knuckle failing instantly on the freeway. seen it many times in the midwest.

[buddybikes]

We have owned prius's (or similar platform) since 2004 - our 2007 has original battery with no end in site. Think we have had 1 out of normal repair, and 2 extended warrantees went (thankfully) down the drain not being used. I wish they had a wagon or something other than the ugly low powered Prius 5 to handle our kayaks and bikes. My saab is nickel and diming me, my search for holy grail doesn't exist. I don't like the seats in VW.

[cmg]

Sounds like a leaking rear seal or a front seal from the timing cover. never good. engine from junk yard, fewer miles, replaced $3k, wheel bearings $300 per wheel, wheel alignment along with the follow up bushing replacement $1200, dropping the gas tank for fuel pump or whatever $300. Future transmission swap $1500-$3000. and you think you can avoid this by buying another used car with less mileage? just postponing. repair/replace and drive it into the ground, always cheaper than buying new.

[FriarQuade]

You need a Miata, that's always the answer to a car question.

[JAGI410]

Originally Posted by FriarQuade

You need a Miata, that's always the answer to a car question.

That's not a bad suggestion actually. My supercharged 2000 gets 30mpg when driven responsbily. Super easy to work on. Ridiculously easy to get parts for. Fun in winter (with proper tires and LSD rear end) and since the cabin is so small it heats up quick. Can put a hitch on it for a bike rack or small trailer.

[zap]

edit

Originally Posted by pasadena

I would avoid all German cars and especially German, made in Mexico cars and CVT transmissions.
For the long term, nah.

Our 21 year old +200K mile MB would shrug and say whatever if it could. Extremely reliable. Our repair folder from new is extremely thin, regular maintenance, front suspension bushings (once) and an ac compressor went kaput 4 years ago.

Cheapest car we've owned.

We have two other reliable MB's but they are too new at 12 and 5 years old.

Bottom line, it depends. Personally I wouldn't touch any BMW or Audi. Some MB's are also problematic initially but once sorted should last a long time.

[Mzilliox]

im gonna jump in this thread instead of start new and i hope thats ok, and my input adds value. I just test drove a subabru outback, 2016 top end model. the road noise was surprising. i kept checking to make sure the doors were all the way closed. is this normal for subarus? the car was on a ford lot, so the salesman simply said, yeah, all subarus are really noisy, im not sure why we sell so many.

so are there any cars comparable to a subaru (awd, space for stuff, semi rugged) with less road noise or do i have to go to something like a volvo, who then gets worse gas mileage?

My sister has a honda fit, i think it would get stuck in the rain and snow here a few times per year. otherwise not a bad car

[Ralph]

One of my concerns would the vehicles you are considering in your price range might have similar problems to the vehicle you already have. So you go pay retail for something you still have to fix up. Might be cheaper to just fix the problems you have now. Take it to a good garage and go from one end to another. Might cost you a few thousand to have a reliable car, but hey....you were willing to spend some cash without really knowing what you were getting.

if your current vehicle has rust issues.....then disregard above.

[Ozz]

I'll jump in too....

How many miles do you drive per year?

Given your criteria I would stick with Honda or Toyota..

I have a 2003 Honda Pilot, 105,000 miles and current trade in value is about $3000...retail would probably be $4-5000 I would imagine. It has been trouble free for 15 yrs...just gas, scheduled maintenance, tires and brakes. It does not get great mileage (~15 mpg mixed driving) but I only drive it about 4000 miles per year.

A Pilot might be bigger than what you are looking for, but is certainly checks the boxes for reliability, hitch rack capable, and suitable for road trips. Throw a box on the roof and you have even more room.

I also have a 2008 Prius....again, very trouble free. No idea of the value on it, but incredibly reliable...just scheduled maintenance and tires in 10 yrs. My son drives it. They have tons of room, but not tons of power. It is perfect for around town type driving....it is not my favorite for highway driving mostly due to size and how light it is.

I would not worry about the battery life...even with an old battery you will still get 30+ mpg with the gas engine. No AWD on these, and you are limited to 1.25" hitch. They get a lot of flak from car-snobs, but they are pretty cheap and reliable transportation, even if driving them is a lot like driving a golf cart.

Good luck in your search....