What is a good used car?

Personally, Neehai, I would go for a 2 year old VW Jetta 1.8T. The 1.8 turbo engine has been extremely reliable (I have it in my car) and gets good MPG. VW uses that engine in the Golf, GTI, Jetta, Passat, also in thier other brands: Audi, Seat, Skoda.

Plus, I've always been a sucker for the German road feel, which American and Japanese cars can't yet achieve for some reason.

If you buy one from a dealer, get an extended warranty and you won't have to worry about anything - if it breaks, it's covered.

I just traded in an extremely unreliable Jetta 1.8T for my Honda.

Volkswagens tend to have decent engines, with a myriad of electrical or other gremlins.

I wouldn't recommend a VW to anyone who is looking for a low cost of ownership and reliability. Even if you have an extended warranty, it may not cover bumper to bumper issues.

My '02 Jetta visited the dealership at least 6 times for mechanical or electrical problems in the three years I owned it. This may or may not be acceptable to you. The last straw for me was a coolant leak that stranded me an hour from home on the other side of town.

By contrast my wife's 95 Honda Accord has 130,000 miles on it and it's only been to the dealership for regular maintenance.

Maybe I've just had really good luck with VW's.

I've had:

- 1983 GTI
- 1985 Cabriolet (no jokes, f&ckers!)
- 1990 Corrado G60
- 2001 Passat 4-Motion Wagon
- 2002 Audi A4 1.8T (Audi is owned by VW)

The Cabrio was a piece of sh$t, and I got rid of it fast.. plus.. well, it was a little too stereotypical for me.

All of the rest were very reliable. I put 72,000 miles on my Corrado and only had to replace a relay switch (under warranty) and the usual wear/tear items: clutch, brakes.

I have a '94 Toyota and IT JUST WON'T DIE.
I want it to. But it won't. I want a new car but can hardly justify getting another until something significant goes wrong with it. 130K on it as well and it has endured the most unholy, freezing temperatures without problems. Regular maintenance only.

Okay, I guess I will buy a Toyota (which is a palindrome) or a Honda (which is not a palindrome).

Pardon, "Toyota" isn't a palindrome. Almost. "Toyot" is

I hope you find a car that works well for you.

I think he meant "a Toyota". Now get back to timespanningrecursoryhopping.

LOL. that's a good point. *misses the obvious again*

Hahaha...

If you're moving to Charlotte there are a ton of great used cars around right now. I just bought a single owner Park Avenue fully loaded with less than 100k for 2000 dollars. There are used cars everywhere here and because we don't use salt and slag much they are usually in good condition (body wise as in no cancer). IM me if you want the name of a mechanic who will look over any car you are considering over for free.

I have to agree with Juro. I love VW's. I had a black Jetta...absolutely loved it. I hope to get another one someday....*winks at Darko*

Hey Darko! Save those pennies man, here's the NEW Jetta coming out in'05.

OMFG...*fans self* that is SWEET!! I like the color too.

*edited bc I am illiterate...

It's the new Volkswagen Corolla.

No sir, I don't like it.

I miss the way my Jetta drove (had an upgraded sport suspension and everything) but I don't miss the breakdowns.

Okay, I try to buy American cars, too, and I am on my second Ford. I had an '89 T-Bird that I drove for almost 100,000 miles (and I bought it just before it turned over to 100,000 miles, so that's almost 200,000 miles total). My current car is a '99 Taurus, and my husband drives a 2001 Ford Ranger pickup. And, my husband had a '55 Ford pickup when I met him, along with a '69 Mercury Cougar, but we sold both before moving out of Seattle and driving across the state.

I've never had any problems with Fords, beyond the normal maintenance issues; of course, we also change the oil regularly and put good quality gas (Chevron or Shell/Texaco) in the tanks. These two things can go a long way toward making any car run better and last longer.

Bah! It may not outlast a Corolla, but it sure as hell will be more fun to drive! Maybe you'll like the NEW Passat?

I prefer the new Audis. The new Passat is nice, but doesn't really evoke any emotion from me at all.

I still read the Car Lounge forum at VWVortex. It's shared with several other car sites, so there's often fun information about what's going on in the auto industry.

I like cars

Why I *don't* buy American:

Noone, save for the Swedes, are more proactive on safety engineering than German auto makers. They are extremely safety concious and always looking for new ways to strengthen the cars and trying out new electronic aids to help you *avoid* an accident.

In addition, they are always looking for new ways to increase power and decrease consumption. They actually think about and build thier cars to be easier to recycle when the car is at the end of its useful life-cycle.

On top of all of this, they are extremely design-oriented. I'm very keen on excellent design and good ergonomics, and quite frankly, the U.S. makers are not up to snuff here. While they've been making great strides in the last decade or so, they still have a long way to go before reaching the level of any of the German makers, or even the Japanese. Of course, Chris Bangle (head of BMW design) is really making a mess of things. The latest BMW's all suffer from bad design.

Then there's reliability. I've owned many VW products, some Japanese, and my family has owned lots of American autos. Hands-down, the Japanese were/are the most reliable. Period. Our experience with American autos has been largely a let-down, except for grandma's Silverado - good truck! Every other American car has suffered from varying ailments and never hung around more than 2 years.

Until American makers can:

1. Show a more proactive approach to safety for *all* of thier cars, and not just the 'halo' models
   
2. Hire good designers and pay more attention to quality materials and proper ergonomics
   
3. Produce reliable, powerful, fuel-efficient engines
   
4. Have more pride in thier product vs. bottom line
   

I will not buy American

Have you seen the 'updated' A4? I'm not quite sold on it yet. But, I saw a new A6 in person.....oooooh baby, what a nice car.

I don't care for the way German cars handle, I think the best bang for your buck in the Honda Civic. I have a red one right now and love it, a 2001. I had a Nissan when I lived in Mexico, super little car.

But since you like American, we have had super luck with the Pontiac Skylark and the Pontiac Grand AM.

Hey dude check out this car. It is made in Spain but owned by Volkswagen. Their line of cars are not available in the states but very popular in Mexico. It is obvious that the Seat models draw their inspiration from their German counter part. Their line is very similar to that of Volkswagen. Check out in particular the Leon. Totally wicked!

http://www.seat.com/su/com/leon/site/gallery/leonFR/main.html

Oh yeah be sure at look at the interior. It is equipped with Recaro seats and aluminum pedals. Totally sweet performance as well.

I love Seat.. I wish they'd sell them here. German bones with latin blood... woooooooohoooo. Oh wait... we're talking about cars.. right. sorry.

You can get an awesome deal on a used Hyundai Elantra with a standard shift and they have a really good 5 year/70,000 mile extended warranty and a 100,000 mile roadside assistance plan.

So Nehai, what are your requirements? How do you drive? How often? What qualities do you look for in a car? Seating capacity? Everything out there is a compromise, and everything has strengths, so without all this I'd have a hard time recommending anything.



Ever try a 3-series BMW? That's one of the most magical chassis' I've ever tried, and the steering is to die for.