Used Cars- Would You Buy Your Car Again?

You can never go wrong with a FORD. Solid cars. They have really up'ed their game in the last 5 years.

2008 grand caravan: never! Had wheel bearing and brake problems, not to mention crazy electrical issues that I think would have required a new computer.

2008 Jeep Liberty, absolutely. Over 150k on it now and never needed anything but regular maintenance.

We've never had a problem with a Honda. If I were looking for something basic for two kids with good gas mileage, I'd go straight for a Civic. Not fancy, but reliable and a good value.

I think your pretty safe sticking to a Honda, Toyota or a Mazda. Get a basic model in one of those and you will get what your looking for. Look for low mileage for more bang for your buck.

We've only ever bought one new car. My first car are was a Nissan, but after that, I've only driven Hondas. My parents bought me a cheap Honda to drive back and forth to college in. I loved that it only ever needed an oil chang, and it had something like 120k on it! SInce then, I've had a few more Hondas, including my current minivan.

I've owned two civics (hubby is driving one right now), and one accord, and now my minivan. I highly recommend buying a Honda.

We have bought several used cars and the one I wouldn't buy again is a Saturn. Lots of trouble, in the shop frequently and the problems just don't seem to go away. We are going to go looking for my mother this spring and I am going to urge her to get a Toyota: very reliable, lasts a long time, minimal trouble and not that expensive to fix. By the way, we usually buy our used cars at CarMax and have been very satisfied. They give you a 30 day warranty and fix anything that comes up in that period of time.

been buying Ford for 30+ years now. They simply last forever.

1st mini-van had 150,000 on it when we sold it.
2nd mini-van had 250,000 on it.
We've gone thru several F150s...all lasted forever. Sold them simply to move forward (well, with the exception of the 2 our son totaled.)
My Explorer has 160,000 on it & going strong.
My husband's dream truck (his diesel F250) has over 200,000 on it & is in near-perfect condition.

This is just a small sampling of our Fords thru the years. With each vehicle, we've had....maybe one major repair...which I consider excellent for the miles/years. We've bought new/used, & honestly.....I prefer used.

& for full disclosure: currently, our sons own a Mitsubishi Montero (almost 200,000 miles - those engines last forever!) & a vintage Camaro with 150,000 miles on it.

Oh, & I use a couple of websites to help determine reliability. I like MSN auto, Consumer Guide, & a strange little site called carcomplaints.com. My next vehicle will be either another Explorer or (maybe) a Flex. Not sure the AWD Flex will provide the traction we need for the river. :)

I work in the car repair industry so I am answering this from the viewpoint of someone who has a lot of experience with seeing the lifetime repair costs of different makes and models. I have more experience with "foreign" makes (though the major "foreign " makes are actually made in the USA and many "domestic" makes use "foreign" engines so this designation isn't as clear as 20 years ago).

First of all, you need to sit in a lot of cars to see what is comfortable and feels right to you. People vary wildly in their preferences. Things to consider: comfort of the seats, ease of back seat access and car seat attachments, visibility through windows and mirrors, ease of learning the controls for radio, climate control, etc. Features like keyless entry are awesome when you have kids. Try out friends' cars, visit used car lots and try a bunch.

Second, consider your overall vehicle needs. Looking at what you have written above it sounds like you would really benefit from a super efficient car and one that needs very few repairs over the many miles you drive. With that in mind, I would seriously consider the Toyota Prius. Of all the cars we service, they have one of the lowest lifetime repair costs. If you have a shop like ours do a front brake service (I can explain this further) every 60-90K miles, you will likely never need to replace brake pads or rotors on the car (because of the regenerative braking system, the brake pads are hardly ever engaging in this car). The exhaust, suspension, transmission, and engine are nearly bomb proof. Everyone is afraid of the hybrid battery pack going out. I will be honest, they do sometimes wear out (though we have one with 330,000 miles and it has the original pack in it). We teach our customers to be very observant of their hybrid's performance and if it seems to be dropping in average mpg, then we should test the pack and rebalance it, if it is starting to have unequal cells/modules (total cost $440 and we have done it once on the Prius mentioned above as well as on some others with great success). Even if you do eventually have to replace the hybrid pack, the cost installed is about $3500 and considering that we regularly have VW and other cars that have to spend $1500 to have a timing belt/tensioner/waterpump replacement and regularly need $500 brake jobs, $1000 suspension part replacements, and the numerous cars we see with failed transmissions or head gaskets (talking $3000-5000) the costs of a hybrid pack should you even need one come into perspective since Priuses don't have those other issues.

Feel free to use me as a resource if you have questions that come up on other specific makes/models you are considering.

Here are my top recommended makes (in order):
Toyota
Subaru
Honda

Other hints to keep lifetime repair/maintenance/operating costs down:
Buy a 4 cylinder
Unless you really, really need a 4 wheel drive for deep snow on country roads, stick with 2 wheel drive and invest in some really good tires.
Have the vehicle inspected before you buy it.

Feel free to PM me.

I bought a used but fully loaded Toyota Sienna. If it got smashed I'd turn around and buy the exact same vehicle. Its our family car and our travel car. I love the space, but not paying for the gas of an SUV takes. I'm aware of the stereotype and nerd factor of the minivan, but i just laugh. I've seen my SIL in the back of her $90,000 lexus SUV smashed between two car seats knowing that when i'm on back seat road travel duty, my feet are up on the console while I spaciously lounge in my captains chair.

Go with Honda or Toyota....good luck!!

ETA: I had a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan - loved EVERYTHING about it BUT the maintenance..

Purchased a Honda Odyssey - love the dependability of it. Hate two things about it - cup holder and DC adapter locations.

Cup holders - there are 16 cup holders in a vehicle that seats 7. They don't "ratchet" especially those in the front - and I have to hold my cup so it doesn't fall should I turn. URGH!!!

My Grand Caravan had two adapter/chargers in the front, one in the middle and one in the back...my Odyssey has two in the front and one in the VERY back...so if we are on a long trip - my kids need to string wires across the car to charge their devices...sucks.

Toyota Corolla--reliable, low maintenance, great gas mileage, and cute!

We have only purchased used cars for 30 years ...
Hondas, Volvos, Nissan.. Then we purchased a brand new Kia....we have loved all of them..

My husband and I both drive Fords (an Expedition and an F150) with 150,000+ miles on them (I'm getting close to 200K!). These things are built to last. We have had no major repairs to speak of on either vehicle, just regular maintenance (oil changes etc). I also like that Ford designs and builds them here in the USA. Why not check out the Ford Focus, seeing as how you'll be commuting in it, and probably would like good gas mileage as well as some bells and whistles. If I were in the market for a sedan, that's what I would buy.

As far as cars to avoid, I'd say BMWs. I used to drive them, and they ARE fun to drive - truly the ultimate driving machine. However, they have MAJOR maintenance issues that are very expensive to fix. For instance, in my last BMW 528, my transmission went out at 120K miles (cha-ching! That was $2500 to repair), and then shortly after that, my air conditioning compressor went out. That was another $1800. I traded it in for a 330i, and the second it was out of warranty, the radiator blew up. BMWs radiators are made of plastic. No joke. Apparently there was a recall on the radiator cap, which the dealership didn't catch when I brought it in for maintenance, and so I ended up paying $2500 for that. And then at 90K miles, the transmission went out. After that I said, screw it, and bought a Ford! I've had 11 happy years with my Expedition, and will continue to buy American!

The first car that I actually bought was a Toyota Tercell, then a Camry, and now a Sienna. LOVE Toyota's! The gas mileage is decent and the cars are comfy, with lots of storage space!!

We have the 2008 Ford Fusion, we bought it new when my son was 3 weeks old. I LOVE it. But I have loved Ford forever. It gets good gas mileage, but spaciouse enough for two car seats in the back.

We also have a 2003 Windstar that we bought used. Aside from the quirks, it has been a nice vehicle as well. It has space for 7 people which is nice when the need arises to cram a few more in the vehicle.

Get what ever you buy checked out by a mechanic before purchasing. You can get a lemon in any car, and some people keep up on the maint better than others.

Good luck.

Currently I am driving a VW Jetta and would easily buy another one. My second choice was the Ford Fusion and I would definitely purchase that car also!! Very quiet on the road--great cars!

If you have 2 kids I would highly recommend a VW passat wagon. I have a 2009 that I love: it is spacious, gets decent mileage, and has many family friendly details: I.e. easy to clean leather interior, window shades in the back seat windows, a center console to put games/toys/drinks. Check it out!

I have had a Ford Taurus since 2004 that I absolutely love. It has NEVER given me a problem. Has not cost us anything other than routine maintenance. It has about 140,000 miles on it!

I'm thinking that I should start looking around myself, although I'm trying to avoid a car payment as long as possible. I am going to look at Fords, though, because they really do last!

We have a 2000 Honda Accord and a 2010 Subaru Outback. I would absolutely buy either one again. I used to drive an older Outback, so this is my second one (no problems with the older one, just wanted a newer model), and I love my car. It has AWD, which is nice for Montana winters, plenty of room (the 2010 and newer models are much roomier than their predecessors) gets good gas mileage and can easily transport my German Shepherds when necessary.

I have a 2005 chevy malibu and I would absolutely buy it again. I love it. great gas mileage.

We're on to minivans now and I would but my Odyssey again and again. My other favorite car, which I actually did buy more than once, was the Honda Accord.

We have a Dodge Caliber and a Dodge Grand Caravan right now and I like them both. Before that we had a Potiac Sunfire and a Ford Windstar, and those were both good vehicles. I bought the Sunfire brand new, but all the others were used, about a year old.

I have a Mercury Mariner (same exact car as a Ford Escape) and I love it. Have had it almost 7 years, it has 100,000 miles and is an awsome little SUV. It is pretty good with gas mileage (I travel about 35 miles each way to work) and it's awesome in the snow. I'd highly recommend one (Ford or Mercury). If you are looking to go bigger, the Mountaineer is awesome as well.

I bought a Ford Freestar van and would not buy one again. It's clunky, has crappy mileage, and the road noise is terrible. Oh, and we had to put new wheel bearings in after only 60k miles. Then again at 80k miles.

Also bought a used Toyota Prius from the dealer (paid $10k for a car that had 90k miles on it.) BEST CAR I'VE EVER HAD. We've put 90K of miles on it in the 3 years we've had it without a single issue. Rides like it did the day it was made. And it's sturdy. I got rear ended by a Ram 2500 that was travelling at 90 MPH - I was going 45 - and not only did DS and I walk away from the accident unscathed, I was able to chase the creep down when he left the scene of the accident. I also hit a monser buck at 65 MPH this fall and after he bounced off my hood and I recovered from my mini-heart attack I was able to drive the 60 miles home without an issue.

We also have a Toyota 4Runner (again, bought used with a ton of miles on it) and I'd seriously consider a 4 Runner to replace my crappy van in a few years. Nice ride, solid vehicle, no issues.

Toyotas may cost a litle more, but it's a better value in the long run because it'll last longer, fewer maintenance issues, and they hold their value better.

My whole family love Jeeps. Mine has over 150k miles and engine is strong. My husband has a Subaru forester and his family likes them. I do NOT, Sooooo uncomfortable in both the driver and passenger seat and no get up and go and nasty blind spot. Yuck! Also, American made. Seems not too many on here are. Growing up we only had American made. Up to my husband what he wants to drive, but I will try to by American.

We bought a used Chevy Trailblazer. We have had it 7 years and NOT ONCE has it had a problem. It is very comfortable to drive, 4 doors, lots of cargo room. I do wish it had better gas mileage, but I do love that car and would buy it again. I won't buy another car until this one is run into the ground and I will not be surprised if it lasts for a very long time.

Toyota Corrola I'd buy it again.

Absolutely. I have a Saturn SL1 and the only thing I'd reconsider is I don't have power locks or windows and I would like them on my next car. My car has 127K miles on it, it was bought fall of 01 (though it's considered an 02) and it's taken me through any kind of weather, around town, on road trips and has never left me stranded. It also gets pretty good gas mileage. I've had to do some work on it here and there, of course, but the biggest problem I ever had with it was when the radiator had a leak, oh, about 5 years ago. It's not a fancy car. It could have more bells and whistles or more comfy seats (that you'd get in the SL2) but it's done all I asked of it and still runs great.

I would definitely by a Honda again. I had a civic and my mom loves her CRV. I also would by a hyundai again. I have a Tucson but want to trade for a Santa Fe (a bit bigger)

I loved my honda. Honda civics are great on gas and very affordable. I love my car now but it is Lexus RX. Love it because it is comfy, roomy and has heated seats.

We have had a buick for 6 years, before that we had a buick park avenue, before that we had a buick le saber. Never had any trouble with any of them.
My husband drives a 23 year old mercury (ford) grand marquis, never have any trouble with that either!
My SIL has a suburban, she has spent over a $1000 on it every year she has had it, it is a 2006. Horrible, huge barge of a money pit.