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Old 02-20-2018, 10:53 AM   #1
FC
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Age old question: What's a good, reliable car?

Asking for my younger brother. He needs a car in the 8-15K range that is reliable and low-cost to own.

Overpay for used Toyota/Honda?
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Old 02-20-2018, 11:01 AM   #2
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Would he like to overpay now, or overpay later?
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Old 02-20-2018, 11:20 AM   #3
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I bet he could get a leftover Civic inside that range. Maybe even a brand new one, although that's probably pushing it.
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Old 02-20-2018, 11:39 AM   #4
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Would he like to overpay now, or overpay later?
Hey, that is what I was suggesting to him for a reason.

I had told him to get the most Civic he could afford. So I'm not far off then.
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Old 02-20-2018, 11:57 AM   #5
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Focus ST is solidly in that price range. Seriously good value, practical, fun to drive, does great in the snow with snow tires.

I put just under 70k on my 2013 over 5 years and these are all the problems I had with it:

* Charge pipe (boost hose) blew off. Replaced clamp with updated clamp part #
* Occasional headlight fault indicator (maybe 10 times total), always fixed with a restart
* Occasional check engine light and MAF failure message at startup (maybe 30 times total), always fixed with a restart
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Old 02-20-2018, 12:13 PM   #6
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I don't think you can go wrong with a Civic for the stated purpose. An Accord would be a good option too if it needs to be larger.
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Old 02-20-2018, 01:15 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clyde View Post
Focus ST is solidly in that price range. Seriously good value, practical, fun to drive, does great in the snow with snow tires.

I put just under 70k on my 2013 over 5 years and these are all the problems I had with it:

* Charge pipe (boost hose) blew off. Replaced clamp with updated clamp part #
* Occasional headlight fault indicator (maybe 10 times total), always fixed with a restart
* Occasional check engine light and MAF failure message at startup (maybe 30 times total), always fixed with a restart
That's quite impressive, actually. That is good data to have, but for my brother's purposes it's unnecessary. He is absolutely not a car person and is not car-aware (came to my house once for an oil change and while pulling the car in the garage nearly crashed into the back of my garage because he had no brakes. I checked and he had no brake fluid in the reservoir at all (bone dry). He said he had felt the car was a bit tough to stop. Turns out there was a leak).

Last edited by FC; 02-21-2018 at 09:49 AM.
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Old 02-20-2018, 02:35 PM   #8
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I would ask him if he would consider a lease, the Hyundai's & Kia's have incredible lease deals and I would think the cost per year would be less then maintenance on an older car and your getting a very reliable safe car to drive.

You could probably get a nice one of either brand for $200 a month ... at $2400 per year that is pretty amazing.
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Old 02-20-2018, 03:18 PM   #9
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Quote:
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I would ask him if he would consider a lease, the Hyundai's & Kia's have incredible lease deals and I would think the cost per year would be less then maintenance on an older car and your getting a very reliable safe car to drive.

You could probably get a nice one of either brand for $200 a month ... at $2400 per year that is pretty amazing.
Good Call. I'll bring that up.
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Old 02-20-2018, 06:36 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FC View Post
That's quite impressive, actually. That is good data to have, but for my brother's purposes it's unnecessary. He is absolutely not a car person and is not car-aware (came to my house once for an oil change and while pulling the car in the garage nearly crashed into the back of my garage because he had no brakes. I checked and he had almost no brake fluid in the reservoir at all. He said he had felt the car was a bit tough to stop. Turns out there was a leak).

Quote:
Originally Posted by AF View Post
I would ask him if he would consider a lease, the Hyundai's & Kia's have incredible lease deals and I would think the cost per year would be less then maintenance on an older car and your getting a very reliable safe car to drive.

You could probably get a nice one of either brand for $200 a month ... at $2400 per year that is pretty amazing.
AF probably has the winning idea here.
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