First, I'll explain a little about my situation. I'm a graduate student in the midwest who will be interning in the West Coast this summer. Because of some time constraints in the weeks leading up to the internship, it's hard to afford the time to make the ~2k miles road trip it will take for me to drive to my internship, so I'm looking into buying a car online at the location flying there to pick it up, and then drive it back home when the summer is over. I've been looking for a used car between $5-8k that's reliable, and won't have to worry about major repairs every few months. I've been doing as much research as I can, but this is my first time purchasing my own vehicle so I'm relatively inexperienced with this process. I'm wondering if some of the vehicles I've found are a good deal, or if I can bargain for lower? FYI, these are all from dealers, as I didn't feel too comfortable about buying from a private seller without being able to see the car in person.
Ford Fusion Sport 2010, 55k mi, $8k
- Front WD
- 3.5L V6 263hp 249ft.lbs.
- (Carfax) Been in 3 accidents - minor damage to front, moderate sideswipe damage, moderate damage from being rear ended
- Seems all accidents have been repaired, as pictures don't show any visible dents, scratches, etc, only some light scuffing on the panel around the front right tire.
Toyota Camry LE 2007, 78k mi, $8k
- Front WD
- 2.4L 4cyl 5A
- (Autocheck) No reported accidents, clean title
Mazda 6 i Sport 2011, 98kmi, $7k
- Front WD
- 2.5L 4cyl engine
- (Carfax) No accidents or damage reported. Served as a rental for first 30k mi, then owned by 2 other people
FYI, I'm a 6'3" 180lb male so having a car that would fit me comfortable is also desirable, especially since I anticipate taking at least a few cross-country trips with my vehicle. I'm also looking to buy with cash, not financing a vehicle.
Any advice or other models to look for would be greatly appreciated!
Hello!
I, personally, would advise against the Mazda 6 i, only if it has an automatic transmission.
I own one myself, currently sitting at 109k, and the automatic transmission is beginning to shift hard. I flushed the fluid for the first time at 105k, and I am going to do it again soon, but it is absolutely on its way out. I have heard decent things about the 2.5L engines in those, but I am hearing a slight ticking sound coming from the engine (as evidenced by my other posts), which is concerning.
Also, $7k is way over market value for that, I've seen some with similar mileage go for $4k-$5k.
However, if you find one with a decent engine and manual transmission, I, as a 6'6", 160 pound guy, can safely say you'll fit great in it!
I would take Kerem's advice and look for corollas, but really any toyota sedan or v6 lexus should be fine, but be sure to have a mechanic inspect it **before** you pay!
@thequarterpounder please copy & paste your reply below, as an ‘Answer’. Thanks.
None of those are good options. The Fusion is overpriced by a lot and the 3.5 V6 has a bad design where it costs thousands of dollars to replace the water pump. Also, no way would I buy any car which has 3 accidents on it.
The 2007 Camry is the worst year of the Camry you can buy, with an engine design defect that causes oil burning and other cosmetic problems. It also is way overpriced.
The Mazda is also overpriced and not the best vehicle with a Ford engine and transmission. Its basically similar to the Fusion, with a somewhat weak transmission and questionable long term reliability in that generation.
I personally would save the money and look for a 2004-2006 Camry on the private party market. You can generally find good deals on those $3000-$6000 on craigslist.
Your $5k-$8k also fits a 2010-2013 Toyota Corolla, which I would also recommend.
@kerem
Thanks for the advice! I appreciate the insight.
How many miles do you think is realistic for a 2010-13 toyota camry/avalon in this price range? I think I wouldn't fit too comfortably in compact like a corolla.
The maintenance done is more important than how many miles, but generally speaking no more than 120-130k miles would be good. Also, don't pay a premium for low miles. The prices you listed are all almost double what the actual real world private party value is. I would recommend the Avalon they are well made as long as a mechanic says its in good shape and it doesn't have an oil leak. The Camry, I would avoid 2012-2014 model years as those had a transmission shudder and torque converter issue. You might find a sweet deal on a 2003-2006 Camry and I would recommend those as long as they have been taken care of.
You might also want to consider the Lexus ES350, which is based on the same platform as both the Camry and Avalon, but just more luxurious, but a bit less practical.
Hello!
I, personally, would advise against the Mazda 6 i, only if it has an automatic transmission.
I own one myself, currently sitting at 109k, and the automatic transmission is beginning to shift hard. I flushed the fluid for the first time at 105k, and I am going to do it again soon, but it is absolutely on its way out. I have heard decent things about the 2.5L engines in those, but I am hearing a slight ticking sound coming from the engine (as evidenced by my other posts), which is concerning.
Also, $7k is way over market value for that, I've seen some with similar mileage go for $4k-$5k.
However, if you find one with a decent engine and manual transmission, I, as a 6'6", 160 pound guy, can safely say you'll fit great in it!
I would take Kerem's advice and look for corollas, but really any toyota sedan or v6 lexus should be fine, but be sure to have a mechanic inspect it **before** you pay!
The 2010 Ford Fusion has had a lot of recent recalls, including for this year, for the airbags: See the recalls here: https://www.cars.com/research/ford-fusion-2010/recalls/
The transmissions problems have been serious enough to engender class-action lawsuits: http://www.yourlegaljustice.com/2010-2016-ford-fusion-transmission-cases/ford-fusion-transmission-problems/
Unless the 2007 has had the pistons and valves replaced (as some were, due to oil burning, because of bad design), stay away from those.
The Mazda 6 is largely a rebranded Fusion, with the problems mentioned above.
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I agree with Kerem (above). Get a 2005-06 Camry, if it checks out mechanically and electrically, or a pre-2007 Solara (if you like two door vehicles). A Corolla is OK if you're small enough (it's not for taller or wider folks, IMHO).
Those are all decent choices. Of the three I would go with the Camry. One thing that I will say is that like Police cars and taxis, rental cars live a hard life.
Sorry for butting in... but really $8k for a 14 year old Camry with a known defective engine?
It is a lot, but of those three choices that is the one I would go with. The Fusion has it's own defective engine and the Mazda 6 is a former rental car. Plus while burning oil is disappointing it isn't the end of the world. As long as you keep adding oil you can keep driving.
Plus COVID as put used car values through the roof.
I greatly appreciate everyone's advice here. I've been searching quite extensively, online for now, for used car options, but honestly I can't find anything that I would consider a good deal. Like @billybob is saying, used car values seem to be going through the roof. I'm searching around the Portland, OR area specifically. I've called at least 7-8 dealers in the area by now, and it's surprising that NONE of them will budge from their listing price. I'm used to car salesmen who could negotiate at least a little, which is kind of disappointing.
07-09 camry are oil burners
fusion is decent 3.5L got toyota trans but skip due to accdients
the mazda is just a poorly made ford sedan plus rental are abused
keep looking: preferably accord or camry 2010 and up or 2006 and below
Never buy a used rental car.
