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If you were gonna buy a reliable used vehicle for a family of 4 for around $10K what would you get?

Pictures are welcome!

Hard to say since cars where you live cost differently than where I live. But you should be looking for a used car probably 3-5 years old (no older probably than model year 2007 or 2008).

Do you have loyalty to any brand or country (gotta have a Big 3 or is foreign okay?)?

From personal experience my Nissan Altima's nice and much more reasonable than a Toyota Camry on price. My fiancee' drives a Ford Five Hundred and despite it's bad rap and generic styling it's solid and has tons of space. Either way with your family you'll probably want a mid-sized sedan at the minimum.

Ha! I was just looking at the Altima's. I was hoping to get a 2008ish. I would like to get something in the 3-5 year old range...which I guess mean no older than 2008.

I don't have any loyalty. Just needs to be something reliable and easy to find places that can fix it without having to send away across the globe for a part.

I'll likely be driving it to school every day next year. So, good gas mileage would be nice.

Oh, and nothing that has known transmission problems.

I'll be looking to buy in the summer, I believe.

I would avoid Dodge/Chrysler since they're relatively expensive off the lot and lose their value immediately. Stay away from Mitsubishi as well.

Probably need to look for:

Nissan Sentra/Altima
Toyota Camry (usually hold value better)
Mazda 6
Chevy Malibu
Ford Taurus/Fusion

If you can find a great deal:
Volkswagen Jetta/Passat

Stay away from Volvo/BMW/Acura/Audi/Mercedes/Lexus/Infiniti/Cadillac/Lincoln or any other luxury/foreign brand unless you absolutely luck into a deal because of the higher property taxes (you'll still pay taxes based on blue book value even if someone gave you a car worth 25k for 10k). Also foreign cars are incredibly hard to get worked on so stay away from Mini Coopers (which have surprising space) and other niche cars.

just me wrote:Ha! I was just looking at the Altima's. I was hoping to get a 2008ish. I would like to get something in the 3-5 year old range...which I guess mean no older than 2008.

Yeah I realize the 2013 models are already coming out lol.

I don't have any loyalty. Just needs to be something reliable and easy to find places that can fix it without having to send away across the globe for a part.

W/r/t my Altima I've not had any problems except for general maintenance. Will need new brakes but car is over 82k miles. Bought it used with 54k miles three years ago.

My 2006 model gets about 24-27 on roads. Maybe 30-32 on highways.


Also Hyundai has some pretty good cars. Might want to give the Elantra a good look.

I've had bad experiences with both Honda Accords and Honda Civics. No love for Honda on my end.

toyota corolla.

if low mileage, used is the way to go but shop around. if commuting 30+ miles a day and commit to long-term ownership, new is almost always cheaper, BEFORE factoring in gas mileage, warrenty, reliability.

Hyundai and Kia are great picks for new as well.

I would look for a vehicle to purchase from someone I knew.

Look for the combination of Japanese make and low mileage. Watch out for cars coming from dealerships that were flooded by a storm.

Hyundai and Kia offer second owners warranty up to 60K miles. I don't think there are any other manufacturers that will transfer a warranty to a second owner.

Something to consider.

Good tips, my friends! Thank you!!! I have plenty of time to shop and save my $$$$$.

Oh, I would never own a Taurus again or a Mitsubishi.

I love my Chrystler Town & Country.

I've had transmission problems with all three of these vehicles. I'm hoping to break the curse.