i’m looking for a car that is good on gas,mainly a wagon to put my dogs in the back when hiking or just big stuff like groceries.at the moment i’m looking into pontiac vibe,scion xb,toyota matrix or the malibu maxx.i’m 6’0 so it needs a little leg room.these cars are from criagslist just to give u an idea how much they are
Malibu Maxx LT 2005 - $6800<<<<<<<<<<116,000 miles
2005 Pontiac Vibe Clean title - $6995 <<<<<<<<<<<115,000 miles
2005 Scion XB CLEAN TITILE! - $6650<<<<<<<<<<<<<<139,000
The one that is in best maintained and is in the best condition.
While the first-gen xB has amazing interior room for the size, and good mpgs, it’s also a ‘tin can’ when it comes to crash protection, in my opinion. The Maxx or Vibe would probably be better, crash-wise.
I’d probably lean towards the Vibe. I was going to ask if the timing belt has been changed, but I looked it up and the Vibe doesn’t have a timing belt, it has a chain that doesn’t need to be replaced.
Personally, there is no way I’d buy a car (or choose a date) on Craigslist. Unless you’re buying a classic, there are just too many possible pitfalls, including the car not having been properly represented, the car having been in an accident and not properly repaired, the car having been flood damaged and then retitled (called “title washing”), and even the car having been stolen and having a bogus title.
Can’t you find something in that price range locally?
Take each for an extended drive, if possible, and use it the way you plan. Then decide which you enjoyed the most doing these tasks. I would not intellectualize your decision without some real hands on performance test…then rely on your gut after. If you can’t try out the cars directly, try out similar cars off dealer lots. You may find other good buys doing this.
thanks for the help guys,i sat in my sisters toyota matrix(same as vibe)and i felt like the seat(driver’s) needed to adjust a little more back.my brother said its possible that the rail can be modified to go back more.i’m on a budget of about $5,000-$6,000 so i doubt a dealer is going to have the cars i want at that price range.
I would not choose a date on craigslist either, but don’t have any problem with cars. They could be as good or as bad as the cars on the dealer lots. You should find a car being sold by its owner, who has owned the car for at least more than a year and has the clean title in his/her possession. Like any used car purchase you should inspect/test drive the car and then have your mechanic inspect it. The title and money transfer would ideally happen in the local DMV office so you know you are not buying a stolen car.
As far as the Matrix, I am 6 ft tall myself and have been pretty comfortable in Corolla’s, but that was not the case with the Matrix. Actually I stopped my test drive just about when I was trying to back out from the parking spot. I should add that my legs are disproportionally long.
Never, Never, Never buy a car on Craigslist unless as everyone mentioned it was a classic! Got to a used Car dealership! And dealerships do have cars in the 5-6k price range. Or check your local newspaper listings. If its local, you can at least see the car in person and talk to the owners. And check with local service shops, sometimes they’ll offer a free inspection on the vehicle you’re looking to buy.