Best used cars at 100k miles?

[descovy]

Im in the market for a used car for my teen, under $6k. This means a high mileage car, either close to or near 100k miles.

I know Honda and Toyota are always top favorites, but a Honda/Toyota in my budget comes with milage above 150k. While I, myself, have owned cars past 150k mi, those were MY miles. I knew how the car was maintained. And once past 175k even the Honda and Toyota we had needed babying (burn oil, leak oil, etc...)

So other than Honda & Toyota what would you suggest?

Couple options I’m considering... Subaru Impreza (08 or 09) with 80-90k miles.

Ford Focus (08-11) but not 2012+ due to transmission issues.

I’ve heard bad things about Nissan Versa, but what about Altima or Maxima?

Any other suggestions for a reliable sedan under $6k?

What all to look out for? I have a trusted mechanic who will do an inspection for me. I also will check CarFax, but I acknowledge it’s limitations in a car this cheap. (Accidents/damage aren’t reported to Carfax if the previous owner didnt have a comp/collision insurance claim)

Thanks all for your help!

 

[airsdaddy]

We owned an Altima that we bought used at around 36k miles in 2004. We finally got rid of it in 2015. It was over 250k miles by that point. It was still running, but was starting to finally have little things crop up on a regular basis.

My wife loved that car!

 

[DisneyMandC]

I have a Hyundai Sonata that just rolled over 105k, and my husband has a Hyundai Santa Fe that just hit 100k. They're our first Hyundais, but we've been very happy with them. Maybe look for something like a Hyundai Accent or Elantra and see what that looks like in your price range.

I know you said the 100k miles Toyota is a little out of your price range, but I took my last Toyota to 265k miles with no oil burning issues, leaks, etc. It was still running when I sold it.

I tend to stay away from domestic cars as I've found they often wear out much faster.

 

[Anthony1971]

Barring any cars with known transmission or like problems.
4cl cars with less options. less options less to go wrong.
Toyota V6 cars -- they have a timing chain Honda has a belt while both require maint. The belt has to be changed around that mileage. The Nissan V6's have a sensor in the engine that always goes and will cost around 1100-1200 for a genuine Nissan part any other is a crap shoot and you may pay the 700 in labor again shortly... but with any of these you will be paying for higher option cars. Pointless to say V8's but trucks in general have a long life as everything is heavy duty parts.

 

[cwoww]

VW Jetta. They are great cars and run forever

 

[Narnia_girl]

I understand your hesitancy to take on a car when you don't know how it was driven/taken care of. That being said, there are folks (like us) that keep cars well past 150,000 precisely because we maintain them and drive carefully . I can show you their files which include every oil change, repair, etc... and the last used Toyota we bought, came with a similar file from that owner.
I'd start by asking some reliable, conscientious people you know if they have a used car they would like to get rid of. Even if they don't, they might know someone who does. We've bought three teenagers cars this way (Nissan, Toyota, Honda).
Good luck!

 

[winnieofpooh]

I have a 2005 Mazda3 that's just about to hit 170,000 miles and still runs like a champ. I absolutely love it! A few expensive maintenance items, but that's to be expected with a car that old, and I'm up north so the salt causes so much rust as well. I would definitely advise, wherever you find the car, to check if the owner has all the service records. That will help ease your mind that the car is well-taken care of.

 

[Becky Mouse]

Im in the market for a used car for my teen, under $6k. This means a high mileage car, either close to or near 100k miles.

I know Honda and Toyota are always top favorites, but a Honda/Toyota in my budget comes with milage above 150k. While I, myself, have owned cars past 150k mi, those were MY miles. I knew how the car was maintained. And once past 175k even the Honda and Toyota we had needed babying (burn oil, leak oil, etc...)

So other than Honda & Toyota what would you suggest?

Couple options I’m considering... Subaru Impreza (08 or 09) with 80-90k miles.

Ford Focus (08-11) but not 2012+ due to transmission issues.

I’ve heard bad things about Nissan Versa, but what about Altima or Maxima?

Any other suggestions for a reliable sedan under $6k?

What all to look out for? I have a trusted mechanic who will do an inspection for me. I also will check CarFax, but I acknowledge it’s limitations in a car this cheap. (Accidents/damage aren’t reported to Carfax if the previous owner didnt have a comp/collision insurance claim)

Thanks all for your help!

Yes, go with Nissan. You can even talk to your mechanic. That's what we did. He said the cars that go the longest are Toyota and Nissan, but you'll generally pay less for Nissan.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

I encourage you to consult Consumer Reports. You may need to visit a public library to view the complete annual auto issue that comes out in the spring of each year.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

We also have a 2005 Mazda 3. 160,000 miles and runs great.

 

[tvguy]

VW Jetta. They are great cars and run forever

Lord don't buy a VW. They routinely make the list of least reliable cars. My son and and daughter in law have a Jetta, and it is neat, nice driving car, but the repair bills are killing them.
There is a reason VW had to come up with the People's Warranty.
http://newsroom.vw.com/vehicles/vol...eople-first-warranty-the-new-industry-leader/

 

[im4pacers1]

We had a 1999 Nissan Payhfinder that we drove and drove and drove waiting for it to stop working but it never did. We ended up trading it in with over 200,000 miles. I would not hesitate to buy a Nissan again.

 

[georgina]

My 2011 Subaru Outback has 100,000 miles. If you found an Impreza that should work. We had a used Impreza our kids all drove.

 

[Maniacmous]

When you're looking at that mileage - condition/maintenance records matter. Be willing to expand your net a bit as well - you wouldn't think it, but you can occasionally find near luxury brands that because of depreciation are far more affordable (I myself owned a Lincoln that had Ford maintenance costs with lower mileage and better maintenance at sub-Ford prices). Also, consider looking for sisters - my favorite example being the Pontiac Vibe (everything but the badge really was a Toyota Matrix underneath - all of the reliability at a massive savings).

 

[StacyStrong]

I had a Nissan Sentra until about 210k miles. Then my younger cousin bought it off me and she still drives it. That was 5 years ago lol.

 

[Klayfish]

When looking at cars, mileage is far less important than how the car was cared for. I'd much rather have a car with 120,000 miles that's been well cared for than a car with 50,000 miles that's only had one oil change its' entire life. If you can get service records, that's certainly awesome. If not, have someone you trust look at it. Signs of deferred maintenance, or conversely well done maintenance, can be pretty obvious. But generally speaking...

Do NOT, NOT, NOT...buy VW or pretty much any German brand...unless you want your teen riding in a tow truck. They're unreliable, especially VW, and expensive to maintain.

"Domestic" brands are so-so...Ford, GM, Chrysler. Chrysler would be at the bottom of the barrel there.

With the Asian vehicles, bottom of the list is probably Nissan. Reliability is so-so, and the cars themselves are not class competitive, especially in the cars you'd be looking at. Sure you can pick up a Versa or Sentra cheap, but they're not great cars. The CVTs they use are trouble prone as well. Subaru is also so-so, I wouldn't bother with them.

The top things you should be looking at are Honda, Toyota, Hyundai/Kia, Mazda. Their cars are dead nuts reliable and usually at the top or near the top of their class. For the best bang for your back, I'd suggest something like a Hyundai Elantra or Kia Forte. You can get them for a song and they'll run forever. However, Civic, Accord, Camry, Corolla, Mazda3 are all also outstanding choices.

 

[tvguy]

My 2011 Subaru Outback has 100,000 miles. If you found an Impreza that should work. We had a used Impreza our kids all drove.

My mechanic speaks highly of Subarus with just one exception. There is some sort of sensor above the fuel tank that is made of plastic and frequently cracks or fails for other reasons. You have to drop the rear differential and fuel tank to get to it and that involves 2 to 3 hours labor to replace a $50 part that other automakers put in a much easier to access location. My mechanic charges $90 an hour, I think the local Subaru dealer charges $150 an hour. That gets pricey real quick.

 

[kymom99]

My mechanic speaks highly of Subarus with just one exception. There is some sort of sensor above the fuel tank that is made of plastic and frequently cracks or fails for other reasons. You have to drop the rear differential and fuel tank to get to it and that involves 2 to 3 hours labor to replace a $50 part that other automakers put in a much easier to access location. My mechanic charges $90 an hour, I think the local Subaru dealer charges $150 an hour. That gets pricey real quick.

Can you tell me what the sensor does? My friend just traded a 2012 impreza for a new honda crv because the folks at Subaru couldn't figure out what was wrong with her car. It was losing power on the highway but they couldn't duplicate that problem in the garage. So she got rid of it. Should have lasted her several more years.

 

[tvguy]

Can you tell me what the sensor does? My friend just traded a 2012 impreza for a new honda crv because the folks at Subaru couldn't figure out what was wrong with her car. It was losing power on the highway but they couldn't duplicate that problem in the garage. So she got rid of it. Should have lasted her several more years.

Fuel pressure sensor. It should have lasted her at least another 10 years. I am shocked that a dealer couldn't find it since it is a known (or maybe more correctly, common) issue.

 

[kymom99]

Fuel pressure sensor. It should have lasted her at least another 10 years. I am shocked that a dealer couldn't find it since it is a known (or maybe more correctly, common) issue.

That sounds like it could have been the problem based on her issues.