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Buying A New (Used) Car


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I got a used 2005 Nissan Altima in 2008. It had 28K-ish miles on it. 
It's currently running 127K-ish miles on it. Only had a couple issues which cost money.

OP: read reviews, decide what you want all the way down to the year/make/model. If you don't have the car in mind you want, you will be aimlessly looking forever. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thanks for the suggestions and advice everyone! This is such a long process to find the right car haha

Right now I have been looking into a 4-cylinder Jeep Liberty or Jeep Patriot. Has 4-wheel drive and good gas mileage.

Anyone have experience with either of these?

My friend has a Liberty that's probably 11 years old. It's pretty nice and dependable. It does have a crack in the engine block though. I don't know if that is a common symptom of the Libertys or if its just because his has been back and forth from Massachusetts to California a couple times. It seems like a good little car though, I know he loves it.

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I have a 2003 Liberty that has 140k or so miles(original owner). It's been pretty good, other than a new tranny about 3 years ago. Plenty of stupid minor recall issues is about my only complaint. 

 

That said, I'd agree with the person who said Honda or Toyotas. Miles better, even though U.S. makes are getting more reliable. 

 

Totally unrelated: mini coopers suck. Never buy one - only lease if you must. 

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I was going to recommend a Jeep Wrangler until you said decent mileage.  I got a 2012 Wrangler that will go anywhere in snow, sand, dirt, mud all while pulling down a terrible 14 mpg average.  Wouldn't trade it for anything though.  Come summer, drop the top and pop off the doors and you're one happy camper.  Been problem free even with the lift and larger tires and off roading abuse.

 

I will have to echo some above posters about avoiding GM, they have seemed to straight up shit the bed lately.  Fords have come a LONG way and putting awd in a good portion of their fleet is a smart move for them. 

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Are you really going for good mileage? Because any Jeep really isn't even close to the first thing that comes to mind in terms of decent mileage. Decent in terms of it being an SUV or do you want to fill the tank on $30 and get distance? 

 

I'd third the Toyota or Honda. I've had a corolla and currently drive a yaris. I chose both for many reasons. One being that $30 at the pump gets me 450KMS (about 300 Miles) and I bet I pay more for gas than you will if you're American. The other was the focus on availability of parts and how cheap the repairs can be. Living in Ontario there are Toyota parts everywhere. This may not be the case for you but it's something to consider. Honda parts are everywhere and the repairs are cheap. The Subaru recommendations on the other hand I think overlook this aspect. Not easy parts to get and not cheap to repair. Anything 4WD can also be big time money when it comes to repairs. Going Jeep you'd likely have the same problem, it's a simple numbers game. There are millions of Hondas on the road, Jeep represents a small fraction of the car industry thus, a small fraction of parts are out there when you need them. I'd stay away from the big North American companies if you're buying used, older vehicles. Buying new or leasing doesn't carry as much risk. 

 

I can also guarantee Civics, Corollas, all these vehicles you'll find used in better condition and with less miles than anything with the name Jeep on it. Buying cheap on brands like Jeep, BMW, Subaru etc. generally are cheap for a reason ie. owner is sick of paying high repair costs. 

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I'm definitely going for good gas mileage. I have to drive about 50 miles a day for work so it adds up. Also I live in New Hampshire on a poorly maintained dirt road so 4WD or AWD is pretty helpful, especially in winter

 

I'm really open to anything at this point. I feel like I've been looking forever haha. Thankfully I got my old car to pass inspection so I have it for another year which takes some pressure off

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Alright maybe I am being cheap/picky then

I'm trying to find something that's less than 10yrs old, less than 100,000 miles, and under $15k

Apples/Oranges. I'm looking at something much newer with far fewer miles. My current 2009 Civic has less than 50k on it. I'm just sick of sliding around.

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