What kind of car should I buy?

With a budget of about 2,500 for my first car, I'm deciding between a 2002 Mazda Protege with about 150,000 miles, a 2004 Suzuki Forenze with about 135,000 miles, a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix with about 140,000 miles, a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer with about 160,000 miles and a 2001 Ford Taurus with about 130,000 miles. I want a car that is fuel efficient yet stylish, so please leave any suggestions from the cars listed above.

I would choose the 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix with 140,000 miles. My father and grandfather ran a pontiac dealership together for 25 years up until 2009 when the brand was discontinued. Pontiacs are reliable and last forever. I have a 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe with less than 1,000 miles. I'm definitely a Pontiac man for sure.

My first car cost 1600 and was a 2004 peugeot 206 with 56,000 miles
i can tell youre the type of person who will get ripped off at garages

The Mazda and the Suzuki look like your best bets. By the early 2000s the Taurus was no longer a good car, because Ford hadn't bothered to spend some money to update the model, which is why it died in 2005.

I'd give the Protege, Forenze, and Lancer a green light. The Taurus is one of the worst cars Ford ever built. And the only pontiac worth buying in the same vintage is a Firebird.

Well I guess for $2,500 you can't expect too much. Lotsa miles on those cars. I guess I'd play the odds and go with the Mazda.

Of the cars listed, only the mazda is worth taking to your mechanic.

The grand prixs 3.8 engine will run forever and replacement parts are cheap and plentiful.

Try to get a gtp, they're surprising quick.

From all the cars you've listed I think Lancer would be the best option. Its fuel efficient, reliable and really stylish, you would be able to do a lot of great mods with it! Mitsubishi Lancer handles the highway with confidence and vigor. Fashionable high-tech amenities highlight the interior, providing both comfort and convenience. The Lancer has it all, and is well on its way to becoming a dominant force in its class.

PONTIAC and other GM models are GOEN FOREVER! Parts will not be easy to find and the newest GM cars use PAPER THIN SHEET METAL to save on wieeight1 The PO(NTIAC is really a HOLDEN CAR from AUSTRAILIA sold with the PONTIAC nameplate! The LANCE is JAPANESE and a GREAT performer but tends to have ISSEUS s is AGES! SUZUKI was DUMPED from there American marketplace for whatever reasons! MAZDA is going to be around a LONG LONG TIME and never experienced a BANKRUPTCY ISSUE like GM did! I have ZERO coincidence in ANY THING GM does as they have the LARGEST number of recalls, and LAWSUITS imaginable! They make the SAM E IDENTICAL MISTAKES over and over again for DECADES even before they get things STRAIGHT again! GM engines are TESTY at best; I WOUDL GET A TAURUS in a HEARTBEAT! SAFE and reliable with BENZ technology in the ENGINE BAY, GOOD ratings for about 30 MPG and the BEST domestic V^ found ANYWHERE from the BIG AMERICAN THREE!