ArmyofOne

I am on a budget. Not more than $7000. I am paying cash. The following are the requirements:

-Auto Trans
-Smaller car (not nessecarily subcompact, but doesnt want anything bigger than say, a 8th gen civic.)
-good fuel economy (at least 28 hwy)
-Sun/moonroof preferred but not required
-must have 4 doors
-2002 and newer
-100,000 miles or less is preferable, but not a deal killer.
-power windows and locks are a MUST.
-cruise control/A/C are also must haves.
-Import is preferable.
-no silver, white or gold cars please.

Some of the cars we have been looking at include Kia's/Hyundai's and a few Mazda 3's.

I did find this 2006 Kia Spectra in excellent shape.

What are your thoughts?

She said she would love to have another 8th gen (2006+) civic, but we cant find a 06+ sedan in decent shape for our price range. We did find one, but it had 145,000 on it and looked beat to hell. and they were still asking $8900. It was an LX. She would prefer an EX, but would make do with the LX as long as it was auto, power windows, power locks and cruise.

Oh and one more thing...NO TOYOTA's please. Not because the brand sucks or anything. But because I had a horrible experience and the only place i can get service or parts within 100 miles of me will no longer "allow" me on their property. Read About it here.

I dont want to finance, Car Payments FTL. We paid off the civic like 6 months after we got it, and its nice not having any debt.
----------------------------------------------------

So far we have:

-06+ Civic (hard to find them used in my area, let alone in my price range. I was LUCKY to have found mine. KBB has them listed at over 10k even with over 150,000 miles.)
-Older Civic (I love this idea, not sure how she feels about it though, havent asked her about it yet.)
-Hyundai/Kia products
-Ford Focus
-Mazda 3.
-Nissan Sentra
-Hyundai Elantra

JDMUSCLE

iTrader: (1)

You seem to have a very realistic requirement... For 7k you can find yourself in a high mileage scion Xb ( I know it's funky looking, but it's very practical and easy to drive). Meets the all your requirements and more... Such as traction control, mp3 capability... Etc

caddyowner

I mentioned this in another thread about a young person looking for a car, but consider a Pontiac Vibe. It was made in the Nummi plant in California alongside the Corolla. (I believe the Matrix was made in Canada.) You basically get a Matrix without paying a premium for the Toyota brand name.

A buddy of mine bought one for his wife. She loves it. He hates what she does with it - fold down all the seats, including the front passenger seat, and buys OPJ (other peoples junk) at garage sales. They have taken it on a number longer trips when they don't tow their pop-up trailer and have found it to be fine. It is also the default hauler for their large dog.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Get a used Honda Civic.
My son has one.An '08 with 48K miles and he beats the snot out of it.I have friends and relatives with Civics without any issues.One has a 90's model with 265K miles.
The car is bulletproof and gets great MPG's.

SLegacy99

My sister had an '03 Corolla that got low 30s in the city, 40 on the hwy (5MT). I liked it enough. You could also look into a pre owned TSX perhaps if you are looking for something more upmarket. I bet you could find a 6 or 7 yr. old one for a good price.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Mazda3 is a good bang for yo buck!

mmarshall

Right here, Josh.

Used, non-turbo Mazda3s have generally been better-than-average in reliability (according to Consumer Reports), but not quite up to the typical Honda Civic. As for the choice between Hyundai and Kia, I'd choose a Hyundai, as they have been slightly more reliable overall, but still generally no real problems with the average used Kia small car. A used Elantra would probably be a good bet if in good condition. The U.S.-version Ford Focus is a fairly good small car, though the interior trim/materials are not first-rate, and has been better-than-average in reliability since about 2005 or so....you'd probably have to find an upmarket version to get the cruise and sunroof. For bad weather, of course, there is the Subaru Impreza, which is better-than-average in reliability and has a superb AWD system....but, as used cars, avoid all of the WRX/STi models and the non-turbo 2.5L engines from 1999-2002. The N/A 2.5L had head-gasket and some rear wheel-bearing issues during that period (the factory-extended 8-year warranty on those head-gaskets runs out this year on the 2002 models). I would also avoid Chrysler-built small cars such as the Dodge Caliber/Jeep Compass (they are, IMO, a POS), and, to a lesser extent, those from Chevy/Pontiac, except for the Toyota-built Pontiac Vibe (which also has an AWD option). Also, with the Vibe (or Corolla/Matrix), make sure, of course, that it is not affected by past-present Toyota recalls or gas-pedal problems. If it is on the list, make sure the proper service is done first.

ArmyofOne

I had an 05 Matrix XR, I will never own another Matrix or vibe. Problems arose after 30k that the only toyota dealer in my area refused to fix. It eventually ended with me calling corporate, the dealership calling me and telling me my business was no longer welcome, and me buying a 2006 Honda Civic.

Yes, i am looking, problem is (at least in my area) the ones that are in my price range are either rusted out or have 250k+ on the odo. Generally people that buy them keep them for years.
MMarshall,

Remember all the horrible problems we had with our AWD Matrix? I should have put "no toyota's" in the main post. Not because we hate toyota, but because we only have 1 shop in our area where it can be serviced/I can get parts to fix it, and I am no longer "allowed" to bring my business there.

I am keeping track of a list of suggestions so that my wife can go drive them. That way she can have her choice made by the time I get home from this deployment. See original Post for edit.

(Cj)

MMarshall, brought up some great suggestions.

I would put the Subaru Impreza and the Mazda3 at the top of your list

ArmyofOne

so far the 3 is at the top. we dont need the AWD which is why we are steering away from subaru. We are finding not only that FWD is just fine in the snow, but N/A 4 bangers, with auto trannies and AWD, SUCK on gas mileage.

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

Mazda3 is a great car and if you get the last gen you don't have to deal with the toothy grin Are you looking at the hatch or the sedan?

LexusChris

iTrader: (1)

Nissan Sentra, Mazda 3, would be on my list.

caddyowner

You may also want to consider 1st gen Miatas or 93-97 Honda Del Sol. They are 2-passenger fun cars that lots of women enjoy. The Del Sol had a very roomy trunk, even with the top stowed under the trunk lid. A buddy of mine is still driving his 93 Del Sol as a daily driver with over 200K miles. I bought an 05 Del Sol as a first car for one of my kids. Too bad he slid it into a tree on ice. He was fine, the car not so much.

mmarshall

Subies do pretty well on gas mileage, by AWD standards, if you keep them at cruise and avoid a lot of stop-and-go driving. My A/T, AWD Outback can do better than 30 on the road without A/C, and 28-30 even with it running. The lighter Impreza should do even better. In town, though, the average Subie, in good weather, drops to about 18-20. But if you would rather not have AWD, fine.

That's why I didn't put Toyota at the top of the list. Your experience with the Matrix, though, is not typical. The average owner has better luck.

If you can get past the funky shoe-box styling and center-stack controls, I agree......the xB is a good possibility, and is very reliable and space-efficient. The smaller xA is also reliable, space efficient (for its size), but may (?) be too small for your needs. Its small size would also be a detriment, safety-wise, in an accident. Scions, in the model years you would be looking at, seem to have escaped the issues that have plagued some recent Toyotas....and the matrix you had.

Agreed.....a potentially good choice. Not quite as reliable as the average Civic, but still generally better-then-average, with sporty handling and a competent chassis. The ride, though, in the upmarket versions, is a little stiffer than in the average small car.....make sure it is not too stiff for your wife. The base models have a smoother ride, but somewhat slower steering response and less-competent handling. The automatic version's manual-mode shifter-gate's +/- sequence, like BMW, is opposite that of most other cars, and takes a little getting used to.

If ride quality is an issue with your wife, I'd look first at the Elantra....the Elantra, for several years, also had a nice attractive two-tone interior. The Corolla also has a smooth ride, but, on newer versions, the brake-pedal sponginess is awful (essentially Push-and-Pray), and, of course, there are the issues you seem to have with the local Toyota shop.

(Cj)

Yes a used Nissan Sentra's can be had very cheap. They don't hold their value as well as Mazda3s, Corollas, and Civics, but they're still reasonably reliable.