my car is a lemon, trading in and want something reliable, professional

brainfrz · 03-23-2007, 10:36 AM

within the past 3 months, my car has been rapidly having problem after problem. within the past 3 days, my heat/ac vents stopped working and the check engine light went on. i brought it to.......bah, who cares, enough of that sad story- i need a new vehicle that is professional (perhaps luxury), cheap to maintain (or doesn't need maintanence because of the next thing i'd like), and reliable.

my folks finally said they would help me a little bit financially because i'm in a rut.. so they are going to drop 2.5k, and i'm selling my yz125, so hopefully i should have a down payment of 5k. my car will probably be worth 5k on trade, so i am looking at cars no mroe than 13k.

i have been looking at nissan altimas, audio a4, and toyota camry. anyone have other suggestions, or out of what i picked, which would be the best?

private1i · 03-23-2007, 10:46 AM

you will never find something that "doesnt need maintenance". that is the quickest way to get warranty claims denied. That is by far the most denied claim that I process. People decide that when they buy a car they can get away with not doing any maintenance and then when it gets sludged all to hell get pissed at me because I denied their engine claim. In short, spend $15 and get an oil change

modette · 03-23-2007, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brainfrz

within the past 3 months, my car has been rapidly having problem after problem. within the past 3 days, my heat/ac vents stopped working and the check engine light went on. i brought it to.......bah, who cares, enough of that sad story- i need a new vehicle that is professional (perhaps luxury), cheap to maintain (or doesn't need maintanence because of the next thing i'd like), and reliable.

my folks finally said they would help me a little bit financially because i'm in a rut.. so they are going to drop 2.5k, and i'm selling my yz125, so hopefully i should have a down payment of 5k. my car will probably be worth 5k on trade, so i am looking at cars no mroe than 13k.

i have been looking at nissan altimas, audio a4, and toyota camry. anyone have other suggestions, or out of what i picked, which would be the best?

So you are looking at USED cars? I bought a 2005 Ford Focus ST used and I am happy with it. Fun to drive, does 120mph on the GPS with ease and handles great. The whole key is to get the ST witht he 152HP and 153lbs of torque...the car is so light. Anyways it is a blast to drive and seeing as I got it used it runs great and no problems (the car was certified Ford and came with an extended power train warranty for 75K miles and 7 years).

I also like the wifes 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP loaded with the headsup display and stuff. Not sure how much they go for used, but might be worth checking into.

brainfrz · 03-23-2007, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by private1i

you will never find something that "doesnt need maintenance". that is the quickest way to get warranty claims denied. That is by far the most denied claim that I process. People decide that when they buy a car they can get away with not doing any maintenance and then when it gets sludged all to hell get pissed at me because I denied their engine claim. In short, spend $15 and get an oil change

i think you are taking this a bit to serious.. i'm no fool, a car will need maintanence, some mroe than others though.. i am looking for something reliable. so getting back on topic, any oppinions?

EEfz6 · 03-23-2007, 10:55 AM

I do not know what the used prices are, but I would add Honda Accord to that list. You can get a new one for under 20k, so you could prob swing a 3-4 year old one for around 13k.

thirdgenlxi · 03-23-2007, 10:56 AM

If reliability is what you're looking for, you can't go wrong with pretty much any Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, or Nissan/Infinity. I'm a Honda nut myself but would feel confident driving any. European cars, like the Audi tend to be a bit less reliable than the Japanese. Though my friend does have a sweet 2004 A4 that I don't believe he's had any problems with.

FWIW my Accord has 376,700 miles, all original and still runs and drives absolutely perfect, cold a/c and all. Dead nuts reliable!!

Just my $0.02

brainfrz · 03-23-2007, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EEfz6

I do not know what the used prices are, but I would add Honda Accord to that list. You can get a new one for under 20k, so you could prob swing a 3-4 year old one for around 13k.

i've owned american all my life, but comparitively speaking, whats better, honda or toyota?

thirdgenlxi · 03-23-2007, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brainfrz

i've owned american all my life, but comparitively speaking, whats better, honda or toyota?

That's splitting hairs there... they're both top notch, just pick what you like

fishnride · 03-23-2007, 11:01 AM

I'll jump in here and recommend the Scion tC. I've had mine for 40k miles with nothing more than usual maintenance.

The car is comfortable, has a good sound system, is sporty (has 160hp with z-rated rubber). Mileage is right at 30mpg while driving highway speeds.

I think I paid 16k for it new?

BTW - the Scion cars are built by Toyota using off the shelf Toyota parts where possible. For example, the tC engine is a tuned Camry engine.

bzbatl · 03-23-2007, 11:10 AM

I'm going to jump in with a brand new 2007 BMW 3-series. Professional, check. Reliable, check. Fun to drive, check.

Maintenance-free for 4 years or 50,000 miles.

http://www.bmwusa.com/owners/bmwultimateservice

My buddy just paid cash for a BMW 335i. It's awesome. He, on the other hand, is the tightest tightwad I know - his last car was his 1990 Mazda 626 that had a billion friggin miles on it. The reason he got the 335 instead of the other cars he was looking at was because of the zero maintenance.

Of course, that's more than your 13k budget

brainfrz · 03-23-2007, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bzbatl

I'm going to jump in with a brand new 2007 BMW 3-series. Professional, check. Reliable, check. Fun to drive, check.

Of course, that's more than your 13k budget

just by a couple thousand...

MAD_CAT · 03-23-2007, 12:48 PM

My 99TL has been bullet proof. However there has been alot of them that had failed trannies. I would suggest going with Accord, Acura TSX,.

bassholic · 03-23-2007, 01:26 PM

you said professional go with the accord.....i guess if you looked high and low and forever you might find an infiniti g35..

private1i · 03-23-2007, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by modette

So you are looking at USED cars? I bought a 2005 Ford Focus ST used and I am happy with it. Fun to drive, does 120mph on the GPS with ease and handles great. The whole key is to get the ST witht he 152HP and 153lbs of torque...the car is so light. Anyways it is a blast to drive and seeing as I got it used it runs great and no problems (the car was certified Ford and came with an extended power train warranty for 75K miles and 7 years).

I also like the wifes 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP loaded with the headsup display and stuff. Not sure how much they go for used, but might be worth checking into.

Just to let you know, it is the Ford extended service plans that I work for, the Focus should come with a 5 year 100,000mi powertrain contract. We are currently having issues with them in that the dealer doesnt tell the customer or doesnt know that it must be transferred into the current owners name. The transfer fee is minimal $50.00, and your selling dealer would be able to process it for you if they havent. Just something you may want to check on.

R1Elvis · 03-23-2007, 01:35 PM

Honda/Toyota/Acura/Lexus.

These 4 are the best car brands out there. Stay away from American cars, they are unreliable, and deprecate like a MOFO.