Should I buy an older car?
I currently drive a 2000 Ford Taurus. The car has served me well, but it's too big, does not have A/C, and gets terrible gas mileage. It has low miles - only 129,000 - and it was my first car. It has recently been to the mechanic A LOT and I think I bought a car from an era of bad American cars. I'm getting tired of it and really want something smaller and more fuel efficient.
My friend owns a 1997 Corolla. He loves the car, gets excellent gas mileage, and it rarely breaks. I found one selling on Craigslist that only has 115,000 miles on it and is in excellent condition selling for $3,500.
I'm wondering if anyone has had experiences with old corollas. Would it be a mistake to trade a 2000 Ford Taurus for a 1997 Corolla? Or does it really matter?
Toyotas and Hondas are uber-reliable in my experience (I've owned both), but there are undoubtedly people who have had bad experiences with them. Nevertheless, I recommend either make. You're right that the 2000 Taurus is from the era of bad American cars. I'd go with the Corolla over the Taurus.
Toyota or Honda all the way best buy.
- Why would people buy older foreign cars instead of brand new American cars? I see it all the time, people driving 7-8 year old Mercedes or BMWs that they paid probably paid around $20,000. They could of easily gone out and bought a brand new Ford or Dodge, but they didn't. They bought a Mercedes with over 100k miles. All worn and torn on the inside. But aslong as they're shining on the outside I guess.
- What's a good car 2010 or older for the money? I've spent over $2,000 since spring keeping this 2005 ford five hundred with 90k on the road. $3,000 to keep my 2005 ford freestar with 80k on the road. I just can't aford a ford anymore. What could I expect with a Toyota or Honda?
- Is it possible to get a new transmission for an older car, if so, how much would it cost? I'm looking at buying a 2003 Ford Taurus with 85,000 miles on it. No, there are no transmission problems. I'm just thinking that if it were done now, that could add a lot of life onto the vehicle. And it would make sense because my estimate is that a new transmission is less that what this car is worth. The car is 5K.
- Can I drive an older car long distance? I'm planning on buying an older car, either a 1984 Monte Carlo, 1999 Cadillac Eldorado, or a 2000 Ford Ranger and drive either one to Fort Polk from Miami since I'm PCSing there in a month. I was wondering is it a good idea to drive an older vehicle that far even if it is well maintained? Also how hard would it be to find parts and fix a classic car like the Monte Carlo?