Daughter graduates from UT in the Spring and we are looking to buy her first car as a present. Any recommendations for a good dependable used car. Looking to spend $10,000 or so. Thanks.
I know a lot of people hate VW's, but the VW Jetta TDI, (diesel) gets excellent gas milage, and has a crazy dependable engine. We paid about 11k for our 2006 last spring.
A Mazda3 is a great car for that age. It's specifically designed for that target market. Should be able to find a 2006-2007 for that budget. Dependable, economical, safe, great stereo, and fun to drive. My 21 year old daughter and 24 year old son both drive Mazda3s and love them. "Zoom Zoom" is an apt description even if it is just marketing.
Getting a kid out of high school without buying them a car is a miracle. Through college without a car? Amazing.
Getting a kid out of high school without buying them a car is a miracle. Through college without a car? Amazing. --------------------------------------------------------------------- I got lucky
I respect that budget, but do you realize that for a couple grand more you can buy a new Kia with a 100,000 mile warranty? Probably cheap financing too That's tough to beat.
I would stay away from a KIA. I talked to an accident investigation officer a while back and he said that they were cheaply built and pretty much labeled them as deathtraps.
Kia's have 4 to 5 star crash test ratings on every model with the exception of 3 star for rear passenger side impact on the Rio. That's pretty damm solid. The car that looks the worst after a crash is often the safest. The body crunches up to absorb the energy of the crash.
Korean cars (Kias, Hyundais, etc.) used to be cheap POSs but have improved dramatically in the 2000s.
1968 Chevelle 454/4 Spd The Link I am sure you can get it for 10,000 flat. Best thing is you can work on it yourself or teach your daughter to work on it.
and it has front crumple zones for safety. The bad news is the crumple zone is your daughter's knees.
It's true Honda and Toyota (to a lesser extent now) retain value very well. The Mazda3 is competitive in that regard, too. Unfortunately, Honda and Toyota don't really have an offering that's as attractive to that age group as the Mazda3. Drove all the 2009/10s in that category with my 24 yo. The Mazda3 was the clear choice, and it wasn't even close in his mind or mine. Wife drives a Hyundai Santa Fe and loves it. Test drove all the competitors and the Santa Fe was her clear choice. Also scores extremely well in crash tests. And the price and warranty made it an easy decision. The days of Hyundais being second rate quality are long gone. Very impressive work by the Koreans.
I'll take a well kept 75k mile Lexus over a new Kia or Hyundai any day of the week. Here's a sweet ride for under $9k that easily has another 125k miles in her with proper maintenance. With a new set of quality tires and some new OEM floor mats you're still under budget. ES300 Why pay $4,000 or $5,000 more for a Korean econobox? Bernard
Nine years old, no warranty, and facing costly maintenance items over the next few years for someone not necessarily prepared to pay for the repairs vs. a new vehicle with a 10 yr/100Kmi warranty for not a lot more money? Not sure I'd agree. Don't get me wrong, a Hyundai isn't a Lexus, but there's not nearly as much difference as there used to be. I hadn't driven one for years and have to say I was pleasantly surprised how far Hyundai has come. And the reliability stats are almost as good as Honda. I helped my son take a Camry (ES300 platform) from about 100K to 230K until he got out of UT and it nickel and dimed us to death at about $300-$1000 a pop. Should have never kept it that long in hindsight. Back to the OP, I still suggest the Mazda3 for that age despite the value available in a Hyundai.
This is a great time to teach her about very important thing called depreciation. Unless you're buying a beater with a minimal upfront cost, the largest cost of owning a car is depreciation. Used cars depreciate a whole lot slower than new ones. I ran my 1989 Accord from 90k to 232k miles over seven years. Other than wear items (tires, brakes, oil change, filters, etc. --- new cars need these too), I replaced the AC compressor and a master brake cylinder. Bought it for $6,900. Sold it for $2,500. That's only $52/month or $629/year of depreciation. My 1992 ES300 went from 87k to 190k over six years. Not a single repair other than wear items. Bought it for $8,700. Sold it for $3,000. That's $79/month or $950/year. Then my boss bonused me a brand new ES330. Cost $37,000 before tax and title. No repairs, but 4.5 years and 65k miles later I sold it for $14,500 (Carmax offered $13,000). That's $417/month or $5,000/year of depreciation. Ouch. Total rip off, even though it wasn't even my money. For that kind of hit I could have done the same 65k miles in any number of higher quality used rides (S-class, E-class, 7-series, 5-series, A6, A8, LS430, GS400, etc.) I have nothing against Hyundai per se. I've rented several of them on recent trips and they are getting very Accord-like and Camry-like in terms of style, fit and finish. If you want to go that direction, at least buy a used one and save some serious cash. Here's an 2008 Sonata that cost $19k new. Now it can be had for $10,900 with only 38k miles. Sonata Bernard
Excellent point, Bernard. In most cases, buying a late model used vehicle makes the most sense from a depreciation perspective. I practice that approach myself. Wife's Santa Fe and daughter's Mazda3 were late model low mileage used. Only reason son bought a new Mazda3 was to take advantage of Cash for Clunkers. Something else to consider is who is responsible for maintenance. A new vehicle with a warranty can be a lot more appealing and worth the added cost to someone who doesn't want to deal with the unexpected and additional maintenance of a higher mileage vehicle as well as the reduced reliability. It takes time and attention that not everyone wants to deal with. I'm ok with that, but my wife and daughter wouldn't be if I weren't around to do it for them.
Recent college grad, young, female. She really is going to get ****** on any and all repairs, unless she uses accuratehorn. Meanwhile, under warranty, she takes it to the dealer, no cash out of pocket. No worries about finding an "honest" shop, etc. it's a no-brainer. Me? I'd buy used much like Bernard. In fact, I did exactly that for myself. If I had a daughter in the situation of the OP? I'd buy the kia.
unless she uses accuratehorn ------------------------------------ Please explain. Thanks PS, either way, Dad will be responsible for repairs. That's why I want a reliable low mileage car.
Honda Accord. Got my 16 yo daughter a 06 EX-L 4-door with 20K miles and all leather for $14k. With girls if you can get leather MAKE.SURE.YOU.DO. Leather is easy to clean and they definitely will need to be cleaned. It'll go to 200k with normal maintenance. You really can't go wrong and I've owned Lexus cars (LS400 and still have a LS430).
