$20K Car

D

dfw75201

250+ Posts
My dad and I are buying a car for my sister. She is a teacher and is single (30), so she doesn't have much money and we would like to help her get rid of unreliable car. We want to spend around $20K. Any suggestions. I am thinking a CR-V. Is that too boring? Any other suggestions?
 
hybrid civic off ebay. Should be able to score a new or very low mileage '07 model for under $20k.
 
Toyota Yaris coupe. Great gas mileage, and will run forever. You'll have $2K left over, which will cover fuel costs for the first 13-14 months she owns it.
 
You can get a 2008 Honda Accord Sedan 4cyl LX-P for about $21,500 + ttl. That is the next tier above the base model, so it comes with a few nice features. It will get about 28 mpg and you can't find a more reliable car.

You can get a 1 or 2 year old model for just barely under $20K, but the full warranty for only $1500 more should be worth it.
 
If she doesn't care about gas mileage, a Toyota 4Runner or a Pathfinder that is a couple of years old would do the trick (if she likes SUVs). If she doesn't, she can get a new or slightly used Camry for that amount.
 
my wife had a mazda 3 that we got for less than $20k brand new. those are really nice cars for the money. they drive very well and they're good looking. get the hatchback version and it's got a lot of luggage space.
 
I had Honda Accord that I drove from 90k to 232k miles. I had a Lexus ES from 87k to 165k. Now I have a new Lexus ES up to 45k. The maintenance costs are really about the same. An oil change is an oil change. Tires are tires. Brakes are brakes, for the most part. Both cars are bulletproof mechanically. The biggest cost of vehicle ownership is depreciation, which is GREATLY dimished by going with an older car.

If you really want an Accord or Civic, there is no reason to spend $20k. You can get a perfectly good one for $10k or less. I was working from the assumption that the OP really wanted to spend $20k and selected the best combination of quality and reliabilty at that price.

I wouldn't recommend this for a school teacher, but a year ago I found my dad a 2001 Audi A8 L (300 HP, 4WD $65k MSRP) with 65k miles for $17k. It was a creampuff. Dark blue with a tan interior. There was an oil leak at purchase so he had the entire engine resealed for $3k. For $20k, he's into an incredible sedan for same price as a new Hyundai. So far, he is thrilled. Yes, there's some risk of big future repair bills. On the other hand, he's already so far ahead of the game depreciation-wise, that it's hard to go wrong.

Bernard
 
buy the extended warranty on a luxury pre-owned or get one certified to 100k miles. you can get great deals on BMW 325 05, and 05/06 Mercedes 230 because of the change of body style. get certified and wont even have to worry about oil cahnges, towing, etc... also put 4 new tires on there and she will be set.
 
The new Toyota's are getting worse reliability ratings than their American counterparts. Lexus most recently has some of the worst among luxury cars.

Toyota/Lexus are having major quality control issues as they've ramped up production and brought out new models.
 
In addition ot a scaled down Accord, or a civic, you can also look at Mazda 6 or a Mazda 3. A friend of mine just bought a Mazda 6 demo (had 2700 miles on it) for just under 20K with a trade-in
 
Ford Fusion is pretty good as well - built on the same frame as the Mazda 6 and has great safety ratings, and pretty decent gas mileage.
 
If you hate your sister, buy her a VW. If you like her, recommend the Mazda 3, the best value in that price range, hands down.
 
another thought. never had one or knew anyone with one, but hyundai, based on reviews i've read, has been building much better cars over the last 3 or 4 years and a brand spankin new sonata can be had for under 20K and it comes with a 10 yr 100K power train warranty along with a more modest bumper to bumper warranty.

same with kia's midsize sedan, whatever its called.

i'd still consider it a gamble, but its hedged with the warranty assuming it covers enough.
 
We have one of those 2006 Hyundai Sonatas, and after 24 months and 20K miles, the only problem has been a broken sun visor. It drives better than an Accord, definitely looks better than an Accord, and was $20.5K fully loaded (large motor, leather, sunroof, good stereo, etc.).

I realize it's a Hyundai, but it's actually a damn good car. We also have an '06 VW Passat that cost more, performs about the same, and has had all kinds of annoying little things go wrong (broken trunk latch, multiple intermittent warning lights that service has to repair, etc.). Fuel costs are about the same, with the VW getting better mileage but requiring premium gas.

Given its lower cost, far superior warranty, and general overall appeal, I'd say the Hyundai slaughters the VW.
 
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