I have decided to buy a used car. My criteria are conflicting. My doctors say I may only have a few years left to live so I want it to drive a car that is fun and tight without a lot of road noise so I can listen to great music and enjoy the time I spend in the car…which is a lot. I drive alot of city miles and then back and forth to another state for medical treatments. I also want the mpg to be at least 25 in the city because I would feel guilty driving a guzzler. I have tried the Prius and was so hopeful but the visibility is limited - blind spot on back drivers side and small back window and there is a good amount of road noise. Then I looked at older Jaguars for the fun of it, and they fit the bill for fun and luxurious but have less than stellar gas mpg. My budget is $10,000.00. I am flexible on body type except I do not want a truck or a convertible. Does anyone have any ideas or am I delusional that I can find a car that fits this puzzle?
Oh and I do not work on cars but have a great mechanic.
Get out there and start driving different makes and models that appeal to you. The answer is locked inside your brain. Don’t buy the first vehicle you see and make sure it’s inspected by a good independent mechanic before you even make an offer.
You might find a Mazda Miata with an aftermarket hard top (it’s a convertible). Your 25 city mileage will be extremely difficult to find. VW diesels will make it, and the MINI is close at 24 MPG city. Other cars won’t exactly be fun, but that’s my opinion. You might find a Scion xA or Toyota Corolla to be fun cars. Go here to see what the EPA mileage is for any car sold in recent memory.
Tough challenge. How old are you willing to consider? Five years? Ten years? The first wheel?
Your mpg limit rules out almost all six cylinders. Most fours that are fun to drive are not very quiet. Fours that are quiet aren’t very sporty. Mostly. I can think of some recent models that might fit, but they aren’t cheap. Have to sleep on this one.
Luxurious, Sporty, Cheap + good gas mileage. That’s a tough combination. I think you will have to bend a little on at least one of those requirements.
It sounds like you are looking for a sport sedan. I’m not recommending anything specific but the BMW 3 Series comes to mind. Also Cadillac CTS or Infinity I35.
Try Edmunds.com they have a search function for used cars. It will allow you to experiment with a lot of your requirements. You might get lucky.
Thank you to everyone for your helpful comments. Onward with my search!
Oh and I am willing to go to a ten year old car. My current Toyota 4Runner is a '98 with 260,000 miles and has been amazing with no major mechanical issues to date. Knocking on wood as I speak.