I'm at a loss as to what to recommend...

to my friend whose 626 just died of wiring harness failure.

She's going back to school since she can't find a job, needs something for less than $5K, dead reliable, cheap to repair, economical and doesn't care much for whether it's a hatch, 2 door or 4 door. Prefer Japanese or possibly US.

I'm thinking Camry, Accord or Taurus. We're in the middle of Missouri and she can't travel far. She doesn't trust herself with buying private and I'm concerned is about to be taken advantage of by a local dealer. I'm also worried about the possibility of her buying a 10 year old rust bucket.

Suggestions?

Miata
P71
E30

Okay that is taken car of.

4 door Civic. Decent/reliable appliance for transportation and can blend in enough not to be trashed on campus.

Less than $5k, Ford Escort or ZX2.

Lowest miles, best condition, good reliable track record. Everything else is almost irrelevent--mpg counts.

I second the P71 if she's not looking at a ton of miles everyday. They do get 25 or so on the highway, and I dare you to kill one that has had the coolant pipe replaced and the spark plugs checked out.

The hot ticket for a car in this role is a Pontiac Vibe, though. Modern Corolla drivetrain, Pontiac prices.

And, having had a friend who thought it was a good idea to buy a beater Intrepid 1/2 down and payments, small lots are a fool's bet unless you're dealing "cash on the barrel" (I'm stealing that from someone here) for something that's hard to flip, because that's what most of them are: car flippers with a business license.

(I'll spare you my rant on the ones around here, other than to say those "We buy junk cars" Craigslist ads just funnel those cars into what amount to above the board, semi-legal chop shops, which in turn piece together $2k beaters to get sold for $5k on those "we tote the note" lots. Oh, and the interest on that $5k? Exactly the highest amount they can charge without getting slapped for criminal usury.)

Here's my favorite example of the quality of the Memphis used car dealership community:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJOCn8_57wY

What about a newer saturn, I'm pretty sure they are forgotten and unloved. My aunt has an Ion and she seems to like it.

What about fixing up the wiring harness instead? Wouldn't that be cheaper than $5k if the car is in otherwise good condition.

Of course I probably should return my GRM membership token, given that I don't just recommend another vehicle...

Camry, they are called appliances for a reason. Just find the lowest mile example you can. Rust shouldn't be an issue in Missouri.

-Rob

In reply to BoxheadTim:

It is generally easier to finance a "new" car purchase than an old car repair.

And I would second the civic option.

Johnboyjjb wrote: In reply to BoxheadTim: It is generally easier to finance a "new" car purchase than an old car repair. And I would second the civic option.

That's stinkin' thinkin'.

The cheapest car you can get is almost always the one you've got.

I recommend a wiring harness.

stroker wrote: She doesn't trust herself with buying private and I'm concerned is about to be taken advantage of by a local dealer. I'm also worried about the possibility of her buying a 10 year old rust bucket. Suggestions?

Why don't you help her with THAT?

Hire someone trustworthy to check out the car before she buys, from either a private seller or dealer. No amount of internet "what car" advice will replace actually trained eyeballs looking hard at the car.

My brother lives in LA. I love him, but he's a car doofus. I live 2500 miles away, so when when his car died I couldn't really help. I got on this board, found a GRM brother who was in between jobs and lived near LA. My brother hired him to check out a couple of cars he was looking at (and he did a VERY thorough job). He successfully steered him away from a couple of crapcans, and they found a great car in his price range. He ended up paying him a couple of hundred dollars. It was a very small price to pay to avoid buying a $5000 Lemon, my brother was thrilled, and it helped out a great guy. Everybody was a winner!

I would repair the harness. But if a new car is required Civic

SVreX wrote: Why don't you help her with THAT? Hire someone trustworthy to check out the car before she buys, from either a private seller or dealer. No amount of internet "what car" advice will replace actually trained eyeballs looking hard at the car.

My luck with buying cars has not been good so I wouldn't trust my final say so on any selection, but I have somebody I trust to help check out candidates.

I would look at the value of the car vs the cost of the repair. If the two are close time for a new one.

The camery is ok, just watch out for engine sludge, you can pick them up cheap now.

The Taurus is a picky one and if you don't know them you could get in trouble.

Nissan Maxima and Sentra are good choices if they haven't been too pounded on.

Honda Accord or Civic are also good choices but aren't very good values (Too many people see the H unplug the brain and charge out the ass.)

2003 or newer Zetec or Duratec Focus. Avoid the split port pre 2003 focus, fuel pump issues and the split port drops valve seats.

Good luck

My go to recommendations for people that need a cheap, reliable car

Chevy Prizm, up to 2002. It is a Corolla with Chevy badges, so you get the best of Toyota's reliability at used Chevy prices.

Pontiac Vibe, starting at 03. Once again, this is a Toyota with GM badges, and as Pontiac is now dead, they are even cheaper.

Neither of these are exciting or fun, but they are extremely competent, reliable, and a GREAT value for a cheap appliance daily driver.

If I was in the market for a newer car for a lady friend on a budget, a Pontiac Vibe would be my first choice. I would even buy one for myself in GT manual trim.

The neighbor had a toyota matrix which died from running out of oil, so I would only recommend one for someone who can fit occasionally checking the oil between changes into their schdule. The car in question didnt receive much attention at all so that likely has alot to do with it.

Travis_K wrote: The neighbor had a toyota matrix which died from running out of oil, so I would only recommend one for someone who can fit occasionally checking the oil between changes into their schdule. The car in question didnt receive much attention at all so that likely has alot to do with it.

I'm pretty sure that isn't brand specific.
I'm just saying....
I'd be looking at the usual suspects: perhaps the chevy prism as well, though it would be well below your 5k price point.

Not completely brand specific no, but I do believe the oil consumption was rather high on that particular vehicle.

Need more info on the 626, like year & miles & transmission.

But the problem with buying at the $5k level is, you're probably buying something with 80k to 120k miles on it. Meaning it's got all sorts of deferred maintenance to deal with. So better make it $4k and have the remaining grand set aside for shocks/struts, suspension bushings, hoses, etc etc. She's probably better off with the car she has now unless we're talking about a 1993 with an automatic and 200k+ miles on the clock.

^What he said. Depending on which 626 it is, it very well be more feasible to just repair it. 626s can be EXTREMELY long-lived.

Ford Focus or Mazda Protege. She would probably hate the P71 since it is so big and lumbering compared to a 626 or any of the other cars I listed.

Buick, Crown Vic, Focus, or really anything previously owned by an old person, barely driven, and well maintained. Really, what you are looking for is any vehicle that was maintained well and does not have major design flaws.