my mother-in-law's car is 16 years old and pretty much dying. so she is looking at a new/new to her car. i'd like your opinions plz.

- her current car is some old oldsmobile. i don't recall the model. it does have a v6 and is what i'd term a mid-sized car. so that is what she is used to driving; that isn't saying that a 4cyl is out of the question.
- she needs something that is good on gas.
- needs something reliable.
- with 4 doors.
- cheap to work on.
- preferably with a timing chain rather than belt.
- she doesn't do too much interstate or outside of town driving.
- we don't live nearby so any work on the car would be done by a mechanic.
- she isn't good at car maintenance - i.e. oil changes and whatnot so we need something that can withstand only mediocre maintenance.
- would like something that could be driven well past 100k.
- also, would prefer something around $12,000 as she doesn't make alot of money. that isn't concrete but it would be easier on her. we of course are helping with a decent down payment, but an $18,000 car is out of the question.
- depreciation is not a concern as she will be keeping this car for a long time.

here are some options i came up with. please offer opinions or experience with any of these (especially if you have 1st hand mechanical knowledge). also feel free to suggest others.

2004/05 Buick Century (v6 3.1) program car w/ less than 40k - $12,000.
2004/05 Buick Le Sabre (v6 3.6?) program car w/less than 40k - $13,000.
2002 Civic with low miles - $12,000 or less
2002/03 Accord with 65k - $14,000
2004/05 Corolla with low miles - $13,000
2002/03 Camry - $14,000
2002 Buick Regal - $12,000
2005 Hyundai Elantra - $12,000
2003 Toyota Matrix - $12,000
2004 Hyundai Sonata - $12,000

i like the buick program car idea as it would have a dealor warranty (at least some warranty). the other prices are what i got off of Autotrader.com near her town. i've *heard* that the engine they put in the le sabre is one of the best GMC ever made.

cars that are not going to be considered for one reason or another:

Chevrolet Cavaliers, Malibus, Impalas, etc.
Ford Focus or Taurus
Mitubishis
Mazdas
Pontiacs
Dodges (perhaps a Stratus, but we don't have a lot of info on them)
Saturns
BMWs
Mercedes-Benz
Volvos
Saabs
VWs
Any SUV or truck
No sports/sporty cars obviously

i have Hyundai as an option as it seems that they have drastically improved over the years. i don't know much about Kias other than they depreciate like crazy.

also MSRP on a new Civic, Matrix, Corolla would be around $15,000. would that be a smarter option for some reason than the used ones i listed?

thanks a ton!
Katie

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3/16/2006 10:48:46 AM

Mazda 6 or 626 isn't a bad car; however, they have timing belts.

As far as Chevy Impala or anything Pontiac, understand that the majority of GM's are merely badge-engineered, and you'll be getting roughly the same drivetrain as you would with a Buick.

The only major differences are trim levels. That said, I'd take an Impala any day; they're comparable to the Le Sabre or Century. If you can get a good price on one, why not?

I do highly recommend any Toyota, especially the Camry. '02 and later should have the timing chain. Totally excellent cars.

3/16/2006 11:05:05 AM

with the azera - hyundai is finally making the full swing into a decent car - they have turned around a lot - even the popular reports that used to call them crap have started to change their mind - they still leave a bad taste in most people's mouths though

i'd do the accord or the corolla

3/16/2006 11:10:10 AM

a 2000-2003ish nissan maxima. 4 doors, 24+mpg, cheap to work on, reliable, looks good, offers a lot of creature comforts, and believe (atleast some generations of the maxima) have a timing chain

3/16/2006 11:56:12 AM

New Civic if she'll be comfortable with it.

If she wants/needs something bigger get a used Camry followed closely by a used Accord and be done with it.
[/thread]

3/16/2006 12:19:01 PM

Quote :

"2002 Civic with low miles - $12,000 or less 2002/03 Accord with 65k - $14,000 2004/05 Corolla with low miles - $13,000 2002/03 Camry - $14,000"

or a 2000+ jetta 2.0 or tdi if you can convince her... both engines are strong and will last a long time. the tdi will get 40+mpg

you say you prefer a chain over a belt.. but that's until you have to foot the bill to change the chain...

[Edited on March 16, 2006 at 12:47 PM. Reason : ,]

3/16/2006 12:46:24 PM

^The point is, a belt is a known extra maintenance item. In other words, it HAS to be done at prescribed intervals.

There are no prescribed intervals for a chain, as it's considered a non-maintenance item.

Sure it costs more, but it's not expected or required (not normally, though some do break or require replacement) over the life of the car.

3/16/2006 1:02:55 PM

^yep, that's our rationale. a prescribed $700 ticket item is preferrably avoided. if something were to happen to a chain, we'd come in and foot the bill.

^^i thought about the jetta BUT the area that she lives in is in rural north texas. and to be honest, most people there buy american or japanese. and most people buy "conservative" cars. european cars are just not seen alot. there are tons of american/japanese shops but next to zero european. finding a mechanic would be tough to do. she knows a lot of people already that do american and japanese. so that is why i said no vws, mercedes, etc.

thanks for the suggestions. keep em coming

3/16/2006 1:51:02 PM

Quote :

"with the azera - hyundai is finally making the full swing into a decent car "

that's why i'm getting one.

oooooo yeah.

costs as much as a TL though and worse gas mileage.

3/17/2006 1:15:15 PM

Our 1998 Toyota Sienna (V6) made it over 300k miles without any major failures, just regular maintenance. The engine finally needed a rebuild at 310k miles, and the dealer did it for free!

Thus I highly recommend Toyota. I think a camry would satisfy the requirements and would last a very long time.

[Edited on March 17, 2006 at 1:23 PM. Reason : ]

3/17/2006 1:22:54 PM