Buying a used car need help!?

Question

I've narrowed it down to a 2000 Rodeo with 90,000 miles, 1998 Honda Passport with 138,000, or a 1998 Jeep with 125,000, anybody have any advice which will be the best deal for the money they are all in the $5,000 range. That's what I can afford.

None of them are 4WD

Answer 1

they are all good cars, i recommed that you take each one on a test drive, and take it to a mechanic, and have them all checked out, then buy the one that has the least problems

let the mechanic know what you are doing, and make a appointment with them to do this, you may have to pay $30 to $40 per vehicle, but its better than throwing away $5000 on a vehicle that will cause you alot of problems

Answer 2

The Passport and the Rodeo are essentially the same car. Don't give the Honda name on there any credence, it is an Isuzu. I would say with the miles on them, you are looking for problems and repairs. Isuzu's are now only sold in the states as rebadged Chevy's, no more of Isuzu's own vehicles. There is of course a reason for this. They were not very reliable, did not hold their values, and generally paled when compared to the better SUV's.

The Jeep probably has the 4.0 liter 6 cylinder, which is darn near bullet proof (avoid the AWD V8's like the plague - junk). Else the rest of the vehicle is unfortunately not quite as well made. They are relatively inexpensive to fix as the design is pretty old, and the parts you will need are available new or used. Hence you see a good deal of them on the road. Bear in mind, this is more of a truck like vehicle than the Isuzu's. It rides hard, handles poorly, sucks gas and is generally pretty crude.

I think your best bet is a 4-runner or a Pathfinder. They will probably be a bit older, but are more reliable and overall better vehicles. I would definitely avoid a Blazer, as the Blazer is as ancient and poorly made as the Jeep. A Ford Explorer is a decent alternative. They have good road manners, but feel slow and will have a lot of nagging little problems (forgivable on a $5000 car). They have actually proven to be half way reliable. Explorers are kind of a crap shoot, you hear of some that go 200000 miles without incident, and then some that are blocks at 100000 miles.

4Runner #1
Pathfinder #2
Explorer #3 (more of a gamble)

Answer 3

Given the condition for all the cars are the same, I will say go with the Rodeo 2000.

The reason is that the mileage are less. If i recall that Honda passport is made by Isuzu. So the passport is similar if not same as the Rodeo. I will pick the newer model and less mileage.

I have heard the Jeep quality is not that good.

Again, that is assuming all the vehicle has the same level of maintainence and condition.

5K should have a lot more choice than just these three.
Be patient and look for something a bit better. Try to see if you can get something in 7K or so. All you do is to finance the rest.

Answer 4

The Passport is made by Isuzu and only has the Honda name on it. Isuzu's are extremely reliable. I currently have a 92 Trooper with over 190.000 miles on it and it is very reliable. The Rodeo or Passport will be the most reliable although if something does go wrong the parts usually cost more and are harder to find. The biggest thing to worry about on the 2 Isuzu's is the timing belt. it needs to be replaced every 60.000 miles if the belt breaks you could ruin the engine. The Jeep will probably be much less reliable.

Answer 5

You need to do a little more research. Go to the library and check out consumer reports and read the reviews on these trucks, especially the reliability reports.
Get the Carfax reports on each of the SUVs too.
The 1998 Passport was made by Isuzu and were not particularly reliable. The 2000 Rodeo may be similar.
Before you purchase have it checked out by a ASE mechanic. It will be $$ well spent. The mechanic will have a print-out of all the necessary repairs and costs.

Answer 6

Just my opinion but I would but the Honda. I have 2 Honda accords a 97 and an 05. The 97 we bought used and it has 230, 000 miles on it. We have never had to replace anything major and the thing runs like brand new!!

Answer 7

Get a copy of Consumer Reports Used Cars at the library and check the reliability rates for each of those cars.

I would rule out the Jeep even without looking at Consumer Reports.

Answer 8

Get a old Buick with a 3800 engine. they are good for 200,000 miles. for $5000 you get a 98 park ave or lesabre with about 100,000. That is plenty of car left and they are dependable. The 3800 engine gets 29gpm highway and 18 city. The ride is smooth almost like a Cadillac.

Answer 9

None of the above, too much money, too many miles and since they are all probably 4wd, too much offroad use. Look on your computer on autotrader.com and you will probably find much better deals. do you really need a 4wd?

Answer 10

Alwayse stick with loe mileage only because at 140,000. you have to change the timing belt, plus imaging everything else such as belts, shocks, etc...