What cars to Buy, and What to stay away from

Some cars are just junk

Published on May 12, 2005 By Dynosoar In Car Reviews

Used Car Dealer Reveals "Best Buys"

This is another rambling, spur of the moment, thinking as I'm writing info piece. My recomendations are based on 20 years in the
Automotive business, and my personal experience

I'll try to categorize by style, budget, and age.....

1. Euro-Lux Under 30k;

I've been out of this market for so long I don't know what to tell you other than Look at maint logs, expect to spend $300 to $500
every 5000 miles on routine maint.
I'd also shy away from higher mileage Top end cars like 7 and 8 series BMW's and 500 MB because their original owners likely
"got the most out of them" and they're tired old thoroughbreds once traded in.

2. Sport Utilities

American made is still the best in this class. IMHO it's a tie between the Ford Expedition or the Chev Tahoe.
These two are based on tried and true Truck drive trains and require minimal maint.
Realize as well that the Lincoln Navigator is a "well dressed Ford",and the Cadillac Escalade, or Hummer H2
are both restyled Chevy's.
Dodge is trying, but the Durango is buggy with age, and, again, IMHO Chryslers have built- in obsolecence after the warranty runs out.
Jeeps are OK, worst problems with Grand Cherokee is overheating, and the lil' Cherokee is just that, LITTLE and underpowered

Foreign makes are too small for my taste, the Toyotas and Nissans tend to hold up well tho. I shy away from Mitsu ( due to their relationship
with Chrysler ) and I have never owned a reliable Isuzu SUV ( Honda falls into this category as well since they're one in the same )
Mazda's are rebadged Ford Explorers and they tend to deteriate after the warranty expires too ( specifically rings and valves )

Biggest Crap in this section is Land Rover, Range Rovers are electrical nightmares as they age ( Lucas electronics, hehe ) The trannys
are also questionable. Getting one fixed is either extremely difficult or expensive, or both.

Mini Vans;

Best on the market - Honda Oddessey - it cost too damn much tho
Best for the money - tie - between Chrysler Town and Country and Chevy Venture both of these have historical problems as well
the Chrysler transmission is gonna fail shortly after 100k miles and it cost $1500 to fix, and the Chevy will have heating and cooling
problems.
Ford Windstars are pieces of crap, with a host of common problems such as bad Power steering, tranny, tune and timing problems and
electrical system failure. The older Aerostar mirrored the exact same problems.
The Mercury Viilager ( aka Mazda MVP )is OK, but expect shock and strut replacement as well as CV joint failure
Nissan and Toyota Vans have NO resale and very few attributes
The new Kia seems OK ( I've only had 2 ) but the jury is still out on longevity and resell sux.

Big cars

Ford Crown Vic is the overall best buy for the money, and the best buy periodl. It's old school technology, V8, rear whl drive, solid
Grand Ma, Cop Car but if it ain't cool enough for you...
Caddy's are OK under 100k ( Northstar is a booger to work on )
Lexus is just too expensive
Buick Lesabre will have tranny problems after 90k
Lincoln Town cars are the same drivetrain as the Crown Vic, but the Continentals have crap for air ride suspension
Diesel Mercedes will go forever

Passenger cars

Best overall - Honda Accord - but again, way too expensive
Best for the money - tie between Ford Taurus and Dodge Intrepid ( after 100k miles all bets are off ) You can literally buy both of these
cars for the price of one comparable Honda Accord ( the Honda will last 200k miles plus, while the trans will go out of the Taurus
and the Intrepid shortly after 120k )
Toyota Camry is a mediumly high priced alternative, Nissan falls in right behind the Toyota ( both are very reliable past 100k miles)
Lexus is just too expensive and IMHO not worth it ( get a nice Benz for the same money )

Infinity - the Nissan copy is OK but too expensive and the flagship model is a maint nightmare

Small car

This is a category that I would not reccomend buying a used car out of. These are entry level cars, and not meant for multiple
ownership ( then again my lot is full of them )

Mitsubishi's all smoke once they hit 90k miles ( built in obsolecence again ) Nissan Sentras have CV joint failure, Toyotas have
tranny problems, Honda Civic's are over-priced and have valve train problems, Mazdas Protoge's have heat and cooling problems
BUT, they're all better than what comes out of GM, Ford, or Chrysler.
The only makers worse than those are the Koreans ( if it's out of warranty the car is also ready to expire )

It's not a complete list, I know, if you have a question about a particular vehicle just post to the comments and if I know something I'll
tell you, if I don't I'll find out.......

Happy Motoring...

Comments

Dynosoar

on May 12, 2005

Texas Wahine

on May 12, 2005

Thoughts on a used 2005 Chevy Malibu with 12,000 miles?

aeryck

on May 12, 2005

Dynosaur, do you have something against the Volkswagen Golf? Thanks for the vote of confidence. Peace to you to.

Dynosoar

on May 13, 2005

Tex,

I buy cars that are usually out of warranty ( 60k miles and up ) the experience I have had with Malibu's has been mixed, with problems
experienced in the electrical and heating and cooling.
I tend to believe that MOST domestic cars are dependable while the warranty last, and then go steadily down hill from there, and that is
basically because of the materials used. As an example, in your Malibu, the Heater Core is Plastic and subject to failure after years/miles, and the wiring utilized is 3 gauges thinner than that used on similar applications on Chev. trucks ?? My theory is a corporate strategy of
built-in obsolecence based on "thrifty" manufacturing........

aaryck,

VW has gone a long way since Scirrocos and Beetles, the Golf has an excellent dependability record, but terrible resale. I recently sold
a '99 Jetta that was also very expensive to maintain, comparing closer to a BMW or Mercedes, the Jetta was more of a Euro-Lux than the
utilitarian of the past. Features included a sealed transmission system that could only be checked by a dealers diagnostic computer! The
central locking system would not work if the battery in the expensive key thingy was weak unless activated by opening the trunk (?), and the AC worked only if the motor was at 3500 RPM's or more.........Thank heaven for Ebay, dumped that sucker cheap, and bought 2 high
mileage Oddessey vans ( already sold ) .

Thanks for the questions, I like having a "purpose" on JU, other than my usual two cents worth.....
So it goes...

joeKnowledge

on May 30, 2005

Wait.... what exactly is whong with the Nissan Quest (their new minivan)? What abou the Infiniti G35 (based off of the Nissan Z body)?

When I am finally rich (and famous) I wanted the Infiniti G35 and the Nissan Maxima (4 seater), but Frogboy got me convinced I need a Jaguar.

AnonymousNorth

on Jun 23, 2005

The Mercury Villager has nothing in common with the Mazda MPV. It is the Nissan Quest (previous generation) that is the same vehicle as the Villager!
Mid-size Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans are expensive used because they are good. Ford, Chevy and Chrysler cars are dirt cheap because you get what you pay for.

synjones

on Sep 29, 2008

Hi to every body who ever using this forums.I feel that the Toyotas and Nissans are expensive used because they are good. Ford, Chevy and Chrysler cars are some what cheap because you get what you pay for,and Lincoln Town cars are the same drivetrain as the Crown Vic, but the Continentals have crap for air ride suspension.Its great to have such forums were we can get lots of information on the vechicles.

synjones

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