Hello! I am new to the site and am having a dilemma… what is a good used car to buy for distance driving?
Until now, I have been driving a 2004 Volvo S80 sedan. I bought it in 2013 with 121k miles and have since added 24k miles to it. It now needs repairs costing more than the car is worth. I loved my Volvo but I am now in the market for something along the lines of a Toyota, Honda, or Subaru, 2011 or newer. I drive from Utah to California a few times a year, totaling about 1,414 miles round trip each time.
I am just looking for something reliable and was wondering if anyone could give me an opinion, as I don’t know a whole lot about cars!
The answer to your question depends far more on you than anything we can tell you. What is your highest priority? Comfort? Fuel economy? Reliability? How much do you want to spend? Why have you targeted 2011?
A Toyota, Honda or Subaru can be reliable enough to get you there and back. The smaller models, like Yaris or Fit. Subaru didn’t have a comparable model. These cars may not fit your desires if you want a bigger car. That would take a Corolla or Camry, Civic or Accord or Impreza.
Key to buying an over- 100,000 mile car is condition. Any car you are considering should be checked over by a mechanic NOT affiliated with the dealer you might buy from. At that kind of mileage, condition is more important than brand. Consider that cheaper models will get you a newer car within your budget and that can be a good thing given you only drive 6000 miles a year.
Yes!
Rather than focusing on a specific make and model, the OP should be searching for a vehicle that has been maintained flawlessly–or at least that has been maintained very well. Even a make and model that has a history of very good reliability can become a money-pit of very high repair expenses if the previous owner(s) were lax with maintenance.
A car that is being sold by an individual, rather than a dealership, has a decent chance of coming with maintenance records that can be compared to the vehicle mfr’s maintenance schedule. When people buy my cars, not only do they get every maintenance invoice, but they also get a chart that I compiled, which allows me (and future owners) to see exactly what services were done, as well as the date and the odometer mileage of each service.
But, as Mustangman mentioned, even a car that looks good to you will need to be vetted by a mechanic of your own choosing. You will likely pay ~$100 for that type of detailed pre-purchase inspection, so you will only want to take that extra step with a vehicle that you are sure that you want to buy. A mechanic can detect collision damage that you might not have been able to see, as well as incipient mechanical problems, and can steer you away from a vehicle that would be a monetary risk for you.
Good advice! In addition, I would add that you buy a vehicle that’s common so that any repairs in the boondocks are easy and cheap!
I have a friend in Houston, whose late father in law in Chicago left him a Jaguar XJS, 12 cylinder model. He took a one way ticket to Chicago and a week later and $2400 in repairs, finally got the car home. He should have trailered it to Houston and then have it inspected!
My choice would be a Hyundai, Mazda 3 or similarly reliable vehicle with 50,000 or so miles on it. Age will determine what you pay. And by all means have a mechanic inspect it; Do this well in advance!
Under no circumstances buy a Volvo or similar expensive and troublesome vehicle.!
To people used to long trips, 1400 miles is not much, for almost any properly maintained car, with a very few bad brands excepted.
My daughter learned to do long trips. Her husband is very protective. So, the first time after they married, she wanted to drive a 3000 mile round trip to the Quad-Cities to visit Grandma, he freaked out a bit. For him, the roughly 200 miles to San Antonio was nearly a polar expedition. To her San Antonio was just the first restroom break.
He finally realized she had done it a number of times before they married. So he let her go and she had the usual great time.
Thanks for the advice! I do believe I have learned my lesson by buying that Volvo. My budget is $10,000 or less, and I am looking for a 2011 or newer with lower than 100k miles based on my best financing option. I was looking for a Toyota, Honda, or Subaru because those cars are very common where I live (I always hear people say that Subarus are the state car of Utah, lol). True, 1400 miles is not that far, but I get the feeling that driving through the Mojave for hours takes a toll on a car, plus other random trips made to my in-laws’ place in middle-of-nowhere Nevada, 12 hours round trip. I also commute to neighboring cities every day, sometimes multiple times a day.
I am glad to hear that the specific make matters less than I thought and to have a car checked at a mechanic before buying! I will be sure to do thorough research on each specific car I check out. This is my first time buying a car all by myself, as well as dealing with auto financing, so everyone’s input is much appreciated.
I could recommend the car I use for long road trips, a 1998 Honda Civic with 280,000 miles on the odometer, but what I like probably isn’t the same thing you like.
I like having a small fuel-efficient vehicle that I can use to pile on the miles without having to spend a lot on fuel. I like the simplicity of a stick shift and roll-down windows. I like that I know this car from fender to fender and can tell when something is wrong before it becomes a problem.
Based on your last car, you probably value things like comfort, safety, and you probably wouldn’t be happy driving an 19-year-old economy car. Therefore, I recommend you not ask strangers for their opinions about what they like, and focus on finding a car that suits your needs by perusing the latest Consumer Reports car buying guide, test driving the models that appeal to you, and then deciding for yourself. If you don’t want to buy the latest Consumer Reports car buying guide, it might be available at your local library.
In this case, the decision is already made, but in general, spending more on a car than you could sell it for is not necessarily deal-breaker unless you plan on selling it immediately… When you buy a new car, you typically invest $5000 more in the car than you could sell it for if you decide to sell it next week. Why then, is it so scary to invest $1000 more in an old car than you could sell it for next week? This is particularly true if you are replacing it with a used car with no warranty. Even if the used car is late model and low miles, there is a reason why someone got rid of it, and you don’t know what that reason is.
In this particular case, if you have an S70 with the nicer, leather seats, there are no more comfortable seats anywhere, and lots of S70s ran beyond 300k miles. They need headlight upgrades, and they have chronic steering rack and ABS problems, but once you sort those out, an S70 makes a great long distance cruiser.
My vote would be for Honda or Toyota, personally I would shy away from Subaru. I’m not sure about the newer models but their older vehicles are plagued with head gasket issues. Which is a shame because I love the looks and concepts of subaru’s vehicles and they probably have the best all wheel drive system available.
My advice to the OP is to think Geezer. There may be a good Buick Lacrosse or a Mercury Grand Marquis out there for less than $10,000 that was owned by an older person who kept up the maintenance.
A Chevrolet Impala may also be a good bet.
I don’t think any of the combatants are around anymore. I was going to add my advice but then saw the whole thing was from 2017. No point. At least I guess it was in the same century.
Agree, @bing. The combatants aren’t here so it isn’t likely to start another fight. @whirled_peas_175852 welcome to the forum. We ask that the discussions stay broadly car-related. Thank you.
