What is a good used car that can last for lots of miles?

Question

My current vehicle is a 2000 Chevy Malibu LS with about 134,000 miles on it. I'm happy with it so far; nothing major has gone wrong yet. When it does come time for me to buy another used car (whether it be six months from now or six years from now), I need something with great mileage that will last quite a while, yet does not cost me an arm and a leg. My budget will be $12,000 to $15,000 at the very most, including warranty. Any ideas?

I do a lot of highway driving to and from work (about 70 miles a day), and use cruise unless the roads are wet or icy.

Lots of people in my area drive those little Nissan and Toyota trucks (80s and 90s models and - in same cases - 70s models).

Answer 1

honda

Answer 2

Used in that price range I would suggest a Honda Accord.

It retains its resale value better than ANY other single car (FACT-not opinion) for a good reason.

If you're happy with a Chevy Malibu, you'll think you died and went to heaven after owning/driving an Accord. Honda makes excellent engines as well. I suggest a 4 cylinder Accord.

If you want something brand-new in that price range, I'd suggest a Toyota Corolla. It's very roomy for a small car and get amazing gas mileage (about 40 mpg!) while still having plenty of power. It's safe and extremely reliable.

Don't take our opinions for it though. Check your local bookstore for a copy of the Consumer Reports Car Buying Guide. It will confirm everything I've said.

Solid survey research by a non-profit consumer group that accepts no advertisng and is unbiased outweighs any anecdotal evidence by some fool who is going to tell you a Ford Focus will run for 300,000 miles.

No matter what anyone tells you the facts are that Toyota and Honda build the most reliable cars on the road. Period. It's proven time and time again by market research. Solid data, not opinions. Again no matter what, that Honda or Toyota is going to retain it's value better than any Chevy, Ford or Korean make when it comes time to sell it. Period, end of story.

You will see your '00 Malibu is probably going to be worth 50% what you paid for it, if you're lucky. If it was a Honda Accord it would be closer to 75%. Check out Edmunds.com and read about "True Cost of Ownership" to learn more about why cars that depreciate like a rock (American and Korean especially) actually wind up costing more to own over their lifetimes.

Just giving you the factual data here. No opinions. Facts.

Best of luck whatever you choose. :-)

Answer 3

I used to be a product specialist for Subaru Automobiles. Therefore, I was always at the major auto shows and talking to customers about thier cars. Well, I was so impressed by the fact that people were SO happy with thier cars and had driven them for many years. Some had put over 250k miles on them and tehy were still going strong.

Test drive one. They are all wheel drive, very comfortable and great on gas. They are also quite reasonable in price.

If that doesn't work for you, some other great longevity tested cars are Toyotas and Hondas. The Hondas hold thier value quite well so you may not get as good a price on them.

Go to www.carsdirect.com or edmunds.com to learn more about cars. You can also do side by side comparisons.

Good luck. Hope that helps a bit!

Answer 4

Lots of cars CAN. Will yours is the question. A Jeep would be near last on my list if I were you. Imports are good. American cars with the 3800 motor can last a long time assuming the transmission holds up. Whatever you decide on, don't be penny wise & pound foolish. Spend for an independent mechanic to check it out. ASK HIM if it will last. Even if he says it will, its no guarantee. Any & all cars under $2500 COULD Have a big problem shortly after buying it. Or not. I bought a $2100 car 5 and a half years ago. Ive needed an alternator, tires, a fuel filter, I changed out the antifreeze and that's it. But, the motor or transmission could have gone out 2 weeks after I bought it. Random things happen to old cars.

Answer 5

I would look for a newer Malibu.

Stay away from the foreign makes if you are planning to keep it a long time.

Foreign make break down like any other car. Anyone who tells you they don't is full of it. Just lok at the foreign car sections of Yahoo answers, trust me they break down.

Why I'm telling you this is that you need to know that foreign cars can cost much more than the domestic makes to repair. I wn 3 cars, 2 GM products and a Mitsubushi.

Just spent $1500 to replace the transmision with a remanufacturesd one. I could have replace the transmission in either of my GM cars for half that.

Started getting an exhaust leak in my Mitsubishi. Found some factory installed flex pipe rotted away on the crossover pipe. Who would use flex pipe in a factory exhaust system. The replacement crossover pipe costs nearly $1000 and is only available through the dealer. I could have put a complete top of the line exhaust system on either of my GM cars for less.

My Mitsubishi also has a lot more rust on it than either of my GM cars.

You can get lots more parts at the local auto supply for a domestic make and for a lot less money.

So if you want to keep it a long time, stay away from the foreign makes.

By the way, my GM cars
1995 Grand Am with 140,000
2000 Malibu with 120,000

Answer 6

Honda Civic Or Toyota Corrola

Answer 7

I own a Hyundai Sonata and have nothing but good things to say about it. Hyundai in the recent years started offering the 10yr/100,000 powertrain warranty on their cars which means they are confident that their cars will last a long time. Once this becomes established their resale value will rise. Until then you can get a good deal, new or used, for a solid vehicle.

Answer 8

i think a good use d Toyota corolla would make you good vehicle,,and also a good used Nissan would be a good investment,all of these hold there value real good ,and the newer ones have good warranty,s on them,and there in that price range also,,you could get a real new model one for that price,and one with everything you need on it also,,good luck hope this help,s..PS you might want to check out some of the newer dodges they have some good cars on the market now,,have a good x-mas.

Answer 9

Ok, My Honda accord (1994) is awesome! and most people I know with Honda's would agree that they are a great car without a lot of trouble. My car is still going strong at 257,356 miles.......Not only that I have had the car since it was brand new, and never has it once given me problems....other than regular mantinance

Answer 10

Toyota corrall or Honda civic its around that price for used car i sorry America car always have miner problem Japan its better Mazda parts more expensive no Korea car they are useless

Answer 11

Just about any Toyota model will be a good value. I had a 4Runner that had 365,000 miles before I traded it. Ran like new.