Consumer Reports calls anything with 3% or worse repair rate much worse than average. Average is about 2% repair rate, better than average is 1%, and much better than average is less than 1%. If that sounds like a small gap to you, it does to me, too. Any car with average or better rating in CR will be just fine. Find a car that is 2 to 4 years old and is less than $10,000. Much less is better, because you can reduce the loan period. You can get a 2008 Cobalt LS sedan at a dealer for the same price as the 2005 Subaru you mention. A 2007 will cost you about $8000 at a dealer. The 2007 is about 20% less, and that means the loan will be about 20% shorter. The 2005 Subaru may need a timing belt replacement very soon; the Cobalt has a timing chain and doesn’t have to be replaced every 100,000 miles or so. And a much younger car won’t require long lead time maintenance items like suspension parts nearly as soon as a car twice its age will. We have a 2009 Cobalt LT and are pleased with it.
Have you checked into bus service for people with special needs? Older folks or those with medical needs can get bus rides, even from their house in my area. Maybe your local government has that, too. If so, you could try it before you have to get a new car.
Thanks for that info. Good point about the timing belt. Based on yours and the others’ good advice, I’ve decided not to go with the Subaru. It’s just too old, even if the mileage is low.
Yeah, I’ve checked everything out. The problem is that most of my doctors are 50 miles away, in another county. No way to do public transportation there, or to several of the other places I need to go. Thanks for the idea, though.
JT, Most Late Chevrolets Have Timing Chains And ABS. My Wife’s Does. ABS Standard On That Cobalt ?
CSA
Nope. See my post in ChristieH1’s new thread. But ABS is an option for both the LS and LT.
JT, Like You, I Always Take CRs Car Reliability (Survey) Recommendations With More Than A Grain Of Salt.
I’ve had many very reliable, extremely economical to operate cars, that would be on their not-recommended list. It would have been a shame had I heeded their advice.
As a long time subscriber, I do go with recommendations of products that they actually lab test, coffee makers, treadmills, dishwasher detergent, etcetera. Also, the new car impressions are worth a look (not surveys).
CSA
But How Much Difference ? At What Cost For Purcahase, Cost And Availabiliy Of Service And Parts ?
I’ve owned American cars for years that couldn’t have been improved upon much, very satsfying.
CSA
“JT, Like You, I Always Take CRs Car Reliability (Survey) Recommendations With More Than A Grain Of Salt.”
Story time! After I bought my 1998 Regal, I continued to look at CR ratings for the car. Individual ratings for the various systems had more full or half red circles than comparable Toyota or Honda products. Yet overall reliability was less those cometitors. I suppose there might be a logical reason for this, but never saw it.
JT, I’ve Noticed Similar Findings. I Once Suspected A Bias ( Caught Up In The Asian Car Myth ). Nah, It Couldn’t Be Anything Like That. I Know, Right ?
Chrysler had a bad year or two of bad transmissions, once. Seemed like all the Chrysler cars were rated worse than average reliability for years after that. I took advantge and bought some fantastic cars at great used car prices, not a problem with one of them !
CSA
Check closely, I believe 08 has 5 yr/100k mile factory warranty… takes the chance of expensive repairs away, but does leave maintenance cost…