Quote:
Originally Posted by H3rmit
Anyone here have any favourite practical vehicles of the past 10 years, or any pet hates? I am researching cars because I need to replace my antique. Well, it would be an antique if it were in better shape.  I wasn't even aware of car models til last week when I got out the Lemon-Aid book from the library. I will buy a used car. I want to be able to carry a canoe on it. What problems have you had with cars or what have you been very happy with? And why? |
There are a lot of vehicles to choose from in the used market.
Consumer reports has extensive research on the long term reliability of vehicles, as part of their annual car guide they include a section about what used vehicles to avoid due to maintenance issues.
I would recommend starting with a budget, determine how much first you want to actually spend on a car.
Then make a list of priorities to yourself
Fuel Economy
Comfort
Style
Performance
Handling
etc...
Then rank those in importance to yourself.
From there I would go to Edmunds.com, a very useful site that compiles a lot of research and comparison tools in one place.
Once you find some models you are interested in, go to Autotrader,com to see what these used cars sell for in your area and beyond.
Whatever you seriously plan to be buy be sure to look it over carefully, and always get a carfax on any used car to see if any insurance claims have been reported against the vehicle. Also look under the floor mats and trunk liner for signs of flood damage.
It is also important to take a thorough test drive at least a good thirty minutes over a variety of roads, to see how well everything works.
Also I would not recommend buying a car from a defunct manufacturer there is too much risk there. Used late model Saturns are not bad though as they were just rebadged versions of other GM cars and if there was any warranty left GM will honor it at one of its other facilities.
Good luck with your purchase, taking the extra time will be worth doing.