buying my first used car, any help appreciated

[rollerblazed]

so my car finally shit the bed, it's a 93 buick and the other day it seems oil got into my coolant lines, so it's pretty totally out with that on top of tons of other problems. so now i go scouring car lots looking for something small, fuel efficient, and hopefully cool looking. i don't wanna spend more than 10k really.

what's a good website to look up car's general information, by year model etc?

any info on these models would be appreciated
Ford Ranger
Ford Focus
VW Golf/Rabbit
Mazda 3
Scion XB
Subaru Impreza

[fast eddie]

For car values, specs, etc.: http://www.kbb.com/

For finding cars in your area/price range: http://www.cars.com/

[psyconic]

so my car finally shit the bed, it's a 93 buick and the other day it seems oil got into my coolant lines, so it's pretty totally out with that on top of tons of other problems. so now i go scouring car lots looking for something small, fuel efficient, and hopefully cool looking. i don't wanna spend more than 10k really.

what's a good website to look up car's general information, by year model etc?

any info on these models would be appreciated
Ford Ranger
Ford Focus
VW Golf/Rabbit
Mazda 3
Scion XB
Subaru Impreza

Ford Ranger <- owned one of these a few years back, it was easily the worst truck I've ever owned. Stock suspension is garbage, no power, shit gear ratios and bad gas mileage for a 4 banger.

Ford Focus <- I hear the hatchback handles pretty well but, I have a friend that owns one and said they've had lots of maintenance issues. (alternator,water pump, front and rear engine seals.)

VW Golf/Rabbit <- sick cars if you get the right one. There are a few downfalls to VWs though. One of the major things is cost of parts and repair. Also they typically have a shit ton of electrical issues. I have a jetta GLS that I use to commute with and It has been a money pit with repairs.

Mazda 3 <- Rock fucking solid cars and fun as shit to drive.

Scion XB<- Gutless wonder but, gets great gas mileage and has few maintenance issues.

Subaru Impreza <- Do not buy a non-turbo Subaru unless you feel like replacing head gaskets every 20,000 miles. I had a non-turbo 2.5 RS and that thing fucking hemorrhaged oil. However, my brother has a newer wrx and he said the only thing hes had to do was change the oil in it, hasn't had a problem with it at all. Gas mileage is not very good though and if you get a subby with a turbo you have to use higher grade gas which is obviously more expensive.

[andreas542]

Some tips based on experience:

Aim for low mileage over anything else (with the exception of paperwork and service history). There are countless parts on a car, and however many have been replaced according to receipts and whatnot, there will be parts with twice the amount of wear on a car with 100k miles than on one with 50k miles.
Try to see the genuine reason for the sale of the car. I've sold most of mine when they've simply become money pits and cost more to repair than they are worth.
Take a test drive of at least 20 minutes. Do all kinds of roads and try heavy acceleration and breaking. Listen to your gut and don't write anything off (like an odd feeling during braking, or a strange sound) with some sort of optimistic attitude. Chances are if it feels, looks or sounds wrong, it is.
If you can, take a jack with you and have a look under the car. Specifically, get each wheel of the ground and ensure the steering linkage, brakes, suspension and running gear such as wheel bearings feel nice and tight. I was fucked in the ass by my last car, whose wheel bearing blew out after a few weeks of ownership and cost as much to replace as I paid for the car. If you exclude the engine and anything that rusts, all wear-and-tear parts on a car are by the wheels.
While you're under the car, check for rust.

Could be good to check out spare part prices for the models you're interested. I discovered that a wheel bearing for a Volvo 850 costs four times as much as one for a Peugeot 106 from the same year, for example.

[Switch_Bcn]

Some tips based on experience:

Aim for low mileage over anything else (with the exception of paperwork and service history). There are countless parts on a car, and however many have been replaced according to receipts and whatnot, there will be parts with twice the amount of wear on a car with 100k miles than on one with 50k miles.
Try to see the genuine reason for the sale of the car. I've sold most of mine when they've simply become money pits and cost more to repair than they are worth.
Take a test drive of at least 20 minutes. Do all kinds of roads and try heavy acceleration and breaking. Listen to your gut and don't write anything off (like an odd feeling during braking, or a strange sound) with some sort of optimistic attitude. Chances are if it feels, looks or sounds wrong, it is.
If you can, take a jack with you and have a look under the car. Specifically, get each wheel of the ground and ensure the steering linkage, brakes, suspension and running gear such as wheel bearings feel nice and tight. I was fucked in the ass by my last car, whose wheel bearing blew out after a few weeks of ownership and cost as much to replace as I paid for the car. If you exclude the engine and anything that rusts, all wear-and-tear parts on a car are by the wheels.
While you're under the car, check for rust.

Could be good to check out spare part prices for the models you're interested. I discovered that a wheel bearing for a Volvo 850 costs four times as much as one for a Peugeot 106 from the same year, for example.

You are a giant of a man.

[wilk]

Auto trader.com I found my previous car on there (07 Mazda 3 touring) and my current car (06 mits eclipse GT), I would recommend a Mazda 3 . I wish I still had mine, very fun to drive and decently fuel efficient. Fast, if you get the S or the touring etc. I got my first bad ticket in there 104 in a 70....zoom zoom.

[Jacob_Cawley]

First I will start by saying I do sell used cars for a living. If you are trying to find out if you are actually getting a good deal on a car instead of looking at kelly blue book go to www.nadaguides.com instead. This is the site almost all the credit unions and lending compaines use. Also if you are wanting to know the most up to date history on a car go to www.autocheck.com instead of carfax. If you got anymore questions man just PM me and I would be glad to help you.

[DnEhThEnD]

buy a crown victoria, what you lose in mileage you will gain in maintenance, and if it comes to that parts are cheap. sometimes you can buy a grand marquis from old people for the same price but in better condition.

[John X Campbell]

buy a honda civic it will last forever if you do the preventative maintenance on it

[fnly]

Get a 2006 Rabbit. It's a fifth-generation model, which is when VW started getting much more reliable. Also get manual transmission.

[CovertOps]

95 or older Pathfinder.

[FLaSHBaCK]

don't get a vw. they are costly when it comes to repairs. then again, if you can fix your car yourself, then go for it. if you are looking for a fun little sports car and you got 10k saved up, get yourself a honda EG hatch or a bmw e30. both are fun cars that you can pick up fairly cheap, clean title and in good condition. parts are plentiful and cheap and these cars will last forever if you keep up with basic maintenance. expect to spend about a grand or less on maintenance unless you can do it yourself. timing belt, water pump, oil change, coolant flush, hoses and belts if needed and brakes/rotors if needed. first 3 are the most important whenever buying a used vehicle. good luck finding a new car!

[kike mallahan]

You're asking be-mag?

[Dr. Zaius]

buy a crown victoria, what you lose in mileage you will gain in maintenance, and if it comes to that parts are cheap. sometimes you can buy a grand marquis from old people for the same price but in better condition.

and you get to scare people and pretend you're a cop. Fun for all.

[Matthew Shannon]

if youre going for something fun that you don't plan on having for a long time (5+ years) go for the subaru.

if you want something that is nice, and will last you forever get a volvo. they are surprisingly fun to drive, are pretty nice.

[Mike Stoll]

Out of the options you originally listed, the Mazda3 and xB are the best options in your price range in terms of reliability and what you seem to be looking for. You should be able to find a 2008 or newer model with reasonable mileage if you look hard enough. If you can swing a few grand extra, a 2011 or newer Focus is nice as well, but I'm not a fan of the older models.

Ranger- almost bought one a few months ago and whomever said the suspension is garbage is absolutely correct. Most of the ones in your price range with a reasonable amount of miles will be former fleet vehicles, plus they haven't really changed anything significant about them in the last decade. There's a reason they aren't available in the US anymore.

VWs are mostly made in Mexico these days if I understand correctly and have pretty significant electrical issues, among other stuff. Parts will cost you a fortune too.

Not real familiar with Subies.

Look on Autotrader for listings in your area, and compare prices on NADA. KBB overvalues pretty much everything.

[andreas542]

Would agree with VW being electrical problem cars, had two friends with recent cars (2006ish) who have both had expensive issues with theirs.

Like other people have, I'd recommend a Honda Civic. Super reliable and the engines are superb, lots of power, especially when the VTEC kicks in, yo! While Volvos do last forever (my grandparents 940 was scrapped at over 600k km) the parts that do wear out are expensive to replace. If you're handy with tools then the 850 and earlier (especially the 740/940) are really easy to work on, very simple mechanics and lots of room. Also incredibly practical cars, they never seem to run out of room! The 740/940 are RWD too, so lots of fun in rain/snow!