I am in the market for another car, preferably one that is coming off lease at about a year old. I’m presently driving an 04 Chrysler Concord with 100K on the clock. This Car Talk site has a wealth of experts that I have the absolute admiration for. So based upon your experiences with various vehicles, what car would you buy using the following criteria listed in descending order of importance?:
1. Reliability. No hanger queens.
2. Comfort. Large 4-door car, no SUV’s.
3. Price. Something in the $15-20K range.
Obviously I expect to make my own decision, but I will apperciate your collective experiences with the darker side of owning a car.
Thanks.
I would give the recent Ford Five Hundred/Taurus a test drive. Another car that will fit your criteria is a Toyota Avalon. happy hunting
I would have to go with a Crown Vic/Marquis, but only because the Caprice is out of production.
Ed B.
I would test drive the Accord. I would consider both the V6 and the I4, especially if the difference in fuel economy is small.
Nissan Altima, Acura RL / TL / TSX, Chevy Malibu, Accord, Toyota Avalon / Camry, Infiniti G35, Mazda 6, Nissan Maxima, Hyundai Sonata / Genesis, Lexus IS 10 for starters.
Try a car issue (April) of Consumer Reports and browse the list of “good bets”
There are some good choices outlined here, which I agree with. In short, avoid any Chrysler product, and any European car and be very picky which Korean car you look at.
My personal pick would be a 4cylinder Toyota Camry or Ford Fusion. Both will be reliable and be not too expensive to service.
Thanks, Folks. I’ll let you know where I go from here.
Brand new Sonata cost me $16K out the door (2006). Today would be ~18K (in your range). 2010 Forte ran me $17K, but that is a little small for you.
There are no one year leases…Any more, there are few leases period…Most used one year old cars are dealer demonstrators or repo’s…