Yet Another "Friend needs a car" thread

BimmerM3 · March 27, 2010, 02:01:35 AM

That's the gist of it.

Requirements:
Under $9K
Automatic

Priorities
Reliability/Low Miles
MPGs

ifcar · March 27, 2010, 06:30:11 AM

A 2007 or even 2008 Focus is fairly easy to come by in that price range with low miles, as is a 2008 or 2009 Spectra (which includes half the original factory warranty.) I've been theoretical-shopping the same cars with manuals, and those two always show up in my searches from dealers who list the wrong transmissions. The 2008 Elantra may also be a possibility, and they've gotten top reliability ratings.

They're not great cars -- not terrible, but not great for $9,000 -- but the Accent/Rio are serviceable basic transportation with good reliability ratings and which can be found at that price point. The best Accent deals are for the 3-door model; does your friend need four doors?

Also, when your friend shops, s/he'll want to ask for Carfax reports -- not just for potential accident damage but to see how many owners the cars have had and when they were first registered. For $9,000 they will (or should) be getting something with remaining factory warranty, so a 2008-model car that was bought in 12/08 has more warranty than a 2009 model bought the month before.

Jon? · March 27, 2010, 10:41:31 AM

There are 800 million previous gen Malibus hardly driven and cheap as hell on the used car market.

Not a great car but decent room and cheap to keep up.