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Need a New Car

E

ErikCLDR

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 14, 2007
1,795
0
Hi Everyone,
After totaling my Land Rover Discovery thanks to a deer I am looking for a new car. My price range is under $10,000 with under 100,000 miles.

I am looking into another Rover, either a Discovery Series II or possibly a P38 Range Rover but I am leery over the air suspension and severe electrical problems in the Range Rover.

I am not sure what I want. I live in a rural town in Connecticut so 4wd or AWD is preferable with all the snow and ice we get. FWD is better than RWD. Gas is over $3.00 a gallon so a car might be better than an SUV. I am partial to foreign cars just because American cars have such poor fit and finish. They run for ever and are cheep but I can't stand their cheap manufacturing.

Other cars I am interested in
- Toyota 4Runner
- Nissan Pathfinder/Infinti QX4
- BMW 3-series
- Audi A4
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Nissan Maxima
- Old Land Cruiser (not really worth it though cause a 1995 costs like $10k with 200,000 miles)

Any Advice? Recommendations? Reviews?
 
You can't go wrong with a BMW 3-series except they are RWD, but the engine's are bulletproof and a nice set of snow tires for the winter will set you up real good.

I have a 01 A4 quattro. I love it, but unfortunately I wouldn't recommended it. The quattro AWD system kicks ass as does most of the car but stuff breaks on it and when it does its a lot of money to repair. If you can find one in your price range with a warrantee they you might want to go for it, but in the 14 months I've had my car the reliability has been a little disappointing.

Go Subaru. Japanese reliability, AWD, safe. Good quality cars.
 
You can't go wrong with a 4runner. fantastic vehicle. If you're looking at a japanese car, though (especially honda or toyota) you really shouldn't worry if it has between 100,000 and 150,000 miles on it because their vehicles just last forever.
 
I wouldn't get an Audi. The newer ones have improved significantly quality-wise, but if you're looking for a $10,000 Audi it's going to be like 10 years old and parts/maintenance will be expensive. Same with a Land Rover. Jeep kind of has poor quality too (from what I've seen/heard), but I don't know about parts/maintenance costs.

I've heard the new Nissan Pathfinder's aren't very safe compared to other models, have no idea what that means for older models but you might want to be aware of that.

I have a 1999 Rav4 that's very stable and reliable. Parts and upkeep are generally not expensive, and the car has given me no trouble. Imo, you couldn't go wrong with a Toyota 4Runner, RAV4 or Highlander, or a Honda Pilot or Element (not sure if the Element comes in 4WD though). Plus most of their SUV's get decent mileage.
 
hey bud, its me again.

I'm SHOCKED to see two toyota's on your list!

really, the only three vehicles that I think could be procured for under 10k in good shape and with decent miles are the jeep, the pathfinder and possibly the maxima.

its pretty tough to get the others for under 10k, especially if you want to stay in the 2000's and dont want somebody elses problem.

www.shultsauto.com

=)
 
Well, I know you mentioned that you're looking at an SUV, but as you mentioned... a car gets much better gas milage. I personally drive a Pontiac Vibe (I traded in a Mountaineer for it) and I love it. I have an '04 AWD model, which works great up here in Northern Michigan... handles well in this winter weather we're starting to hit. I've found that it's much roomier than a sedan (almost as roomy as my old Mountaineer, in fact!) Plus, you can't beat the gas milage -- I usually get between 25-32 miles to the gallon.

I know it wasn't on your list, but it's a thought.... I paid under $10,000 out the door. It had 83,000 miles on it.
 
true777 said:
I would go for the Audi A4 or the BMW, and definitely stay away from the LandCruiser.
Click to expand...

Why stay away from the Land Cruiser, other then the fact they are ridiculously expensive.

My sister's BF has an A4 and my mom had an A4 and both agree they are very unreliable and very expensive to fix. I also hear BMWs are very expensive to fix. ... Then again I did own a rover, which is probably the same, but at least with the a Rover I know that I can at least change a headlight on it without having to take apart the 1/2 the car. German engineering... :rolleyes:

I have located a couple Land Rover Discovery Series II's in Massachusetts. I think it would be a good car for me in that I loved my old rover and they are more comfortable and ride better than what I had before. I think I am going to stay away from range rovers just because of their air suspensions, flaky and over-sophisticated alarm system, scarcity of parts, and unreliable HVAC systems.
 
We have an older Landcruiser from 2000 or so that has been extremely well taken care of, and it is basically horrible. The engine got weaker and weaker by the year, and the shop can't find anything wrong with it and claims everything is great, except for that you can barely get the thing up to 55mph at this point, hardly any acceleration left, etc. Also inside everything seems weak and flimsy and little things break... just not a positive experience at all (and we have 4 other cars we are extremely happy with -- LandCruiser has been the only disappointment in recent years).
 
true777 said:
We have an older Landcruiser from 2000 or so that has been extremely well taken care of, and it is basically horrible. The engine got weaker and weaker by the year, and the shop can't find anything wrong with it and claims everything is great, except for that you can barely get the thing up to 55mph at this point, hardly any acceleration left, etc. Also inside everything seems weak and flimsy and little things break... just not a positive experience at all (and we have 4 other cars we are extremely happy with -- LandCruiser has been the only disappointment in recent years).
Click to expand...

Bad head gasket? My friend has a Pathfinder that used to be his dads (2001 3.5 LE I believe) and they've noticed significant power loss and have had 2 mechanics look at it and they can't find anything wrong with it. I drove it and it felt like I was driving my 4600lb Rover with the engine from a corolla. I floored it and laughed as I slowly crusied up to 45mph with the engine shifting at high RPMS.

You see a lot of Land Cruisers around. I would suspect most are reliable because their resale prices are insane. I don't think I would buy an LC anyways though, they're so pricey.

mactastic said:
With the price of gas the way it is, I'm shopping for a diesel for our next car.
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I wish I could find a diesel car to buy. There are like 2 options. Old Mercedes, or Jetta. The US seriously needs to allow more diesel cars.
 
I went Diesel, and haven't looked back. Something about a car that can hold it's own on the highway, fit a full size washing machine in the back, while comfortably seating a 375lb adult male. And yet still manage to return 49-50mpg, even when being treated like (#*$. It's just nice.

Definitely not for all, but most of the general publics views on them are extremely dated and irrelevant. Never treated it special for cold weather - and starts every time (in NH). Smoke isn't even visible, and it's certainly not slow. It's quiet enough that most passengers aren't even aware it's a TDI.

Now Hexane pushing aside: Toyotas are SOLID vehicles, there are lemons here and there, but apart from some models being bland - they're borderline appliances.

Audi and BMW - can be expensive to fix, but you have to pay to play.

Scoobies are great New England vehicles, especially if you're venturing around a lot in the snow. Just keep an eye out for blown head gaskets - seem to plague quite a few of their H4s.

Voldos I have no current model knowledge of - except that the old Swedish Bricks seemed to NEVER die, seen a few in the 350,000 mile range on original engines.
 
ErikCLDR said:
I wish I could find a diesel car to buy. There are like 2 options. Old Mercedes, or Jetta. The US seriously needs to allow more diesel cars.
Click to expand...
Probably won't help your situation much, but I'm hearing rumblings that Honda will be adding a diesel engine option to several lines. The new VWs will be out in the spring with 50-state legal diesels.

And just for esses and gees, check this guy out. How much ass would it kick to have a Hummer that blew the doors off most cars, could outhaul most pickups, and got mileage comparable to a Prius???
 
This is just my opinion, but I really don't see the point of a 17 year old blowing so much money on a fancy car. Insurance would be even more expensive.

Just get a cheap decent small car for like 5 grand. Good on gas, lower insurance premiums. You don't need some big 4WD monstrosity just to drive in the snow.


I'm 19 (live in Mass) and I drive a stupid piece of **** oldsmobile. It's old and looks like ****, but it gets me around, is decent on gas, and my insurance is really low. I'm probably getting something like a 2000 saturn next summer.
 
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