I know this seems like a cliche question, but let me tell you why I'm asking it. I'm a caretaker for my elderly mother and we live together in the same house where I do about 90% of the driving for her. Currently, we have two vehicles. One is a 2008 Saturn Aura XE with only around 55k or so miles on it with no mechanical issues other than we had to replace the A/C condenser once because it developed a couple of pinhole leaks in it. That one is in her name and other than that and a couple of very minor things, it's fine. The other one is in my name and is a 2008 F150 XL V6 standard cab, manual tranny, and a couple of issues. I know I won't get that much out of the pickup because it has an idle problem and a slight oil pan gasket leak for its semi-major issues. If I went to an individual seller, I think I could get $5k for it or so. However, the reason I asked the question is because of my mother. Even though I'll be doing 90% or more of the driving and the Saturn is just fine, she wants to sell both and get a newer reliable car. Which is woman for, I'm tired of the Saturn, so I want something else. I'm trying to convince her to sell only the pickup and let me do it rather than sell both via a dealer. I'm also trying to convince her that if we sold the pickup to a dealer we'll only get pittance for it at best, but she's not listening. So, bringing me back to the question. In case, I can't talk sense into my mother, then what would be a good very solidly reliable used car that's only a few years old that we might get a good deal on of around $10K-$12K ish? A mid-sized four-door that's not electric or a hybrid that is rock solid and reliable that is fairly basic? I came to her first about selling the pickup because I'm not in construction anymore because I'm taking care of her all the time, so I'm not using the pickup that much anymore. So, that means the pickup is more of a money pit at this point and there's no real need to keep it anymore. Personally, I think my mother is using this to get rid of the Saturn simply because she's tired of it. Wish me luck in convincing her to keep it.
The only sedans that I would easily consider are most Civics, Corollas, Accords, and Camrys. Others I would have to do way more digging and research. I throw the Civics and Corollas into the mix, because they aren’t a small as they used to be, and they border or are actually midsized these days, even though the nameplate is for compact vehicles.
Well I would say Toyota Camry
Thank you, sir. I'm a subscriber to your channel, love your videos, and that was one of them that came to mind. Thank you for the time to answer my question.
Wait, what you are asking, I don't think exists, or you likely would not want it.
You say you want a very reliable car, only a few years old, that is 10-12K? I think this is one of those situations that you have to pick two of the three you want.
If it were me, I would let the age be older, and get a well taken care of Corolla, or as Scotty mentioned, a camry.
What would be the most reliable used mid size four door car for around 10k that is only a few years old?
Well you'll never gonna find a Camry or Accord at that price and few years old unless if it's decade old, maybe.
The key variable here is going to be what you consider "a few years old."
Finding a reliable car that's only 5 or 6 years old in the 12K or less price range is going to be a tall order. You might find some high mileage fleet/rental favorites around that price, but not much else. At least from a dealership.
If you're willing to look at 10-12 year old models, I'd suggest a Toyota Corolla. A well-maintained example with okay mileage should be doable in your price range. A Honda Civic would also be in that range, though I'd personally go with a manual transmission with a Honda.
