Buying a used car

[Pat Barry]

Hi all,
My daughter is looking for a vehicle upgrade from a 1998 Nissan Altima. I was looking at possibilities : Mazda3, Chev Cruze, Chev Malibu, Nissan Sentra are a few that come to mind. Probably something in the 2009 thru 2011 range I suspect. I think the Altima's are a bit pricey for her. Anyone here have any bad experiences to share about any of these?
Thanks

[Jim Becker]

For where you live, check out Subaru, too.

[Wes Mitchell]

I had a 2008 Sentra that I loved. I only put 40,000 miles on it but never had any issues. I only got rid of it because I needed something to pull a boat/trailer with.

[Stan Calow]

Ive looked at some of these recently. If I had to choose, I'd go with the Mazda 3.

[Jim Matthews]

Mazda 3 is basically a Miata with four doors, and room for the dog.

Fun to drive, but likely pushed hard by the previous owner.
I would recommend a 4 cylinder Accord or Civic, first.

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story....e&subject=more

[Mike Null]

There are no Chevys that are an upgrade from a Nissan Altima.

[Rich Engelhardt]

2009 to 2011 - I'd look real hard at both the Kia and the Hyundai.
We just traded off my wife's 2011 Kia Forte on a 2015 Hyundai Elantra.

Both of those really take a blood bath on resale value because of the terrible reputation the Korean car companies built up for themselves 20 years ago.
Since you're looking at used, you might as well cash in on the lack of resale value.
We took a chance on the 2011 Forte and traded our 2008 Subaru (horrible car - we had 4 Subarus and the quality of that product is gone - just like Honda) on one and it ran flawlessly.
Having owned 2 Nissans, 11 Hondas, 4 Subarus and a mix of Ford, Chevy and Chrysler products since 1970 - I'd put the quality of the Korean cars today right up there with the Japanese products of the 80's and early 90's.

[Bob Rufener]

Our daughter bought a Prius and is very happy with it but she lives in San Diego. I don't know how well they would perform in snow. I have driven a Cruze and liked it. I don't know much about its longevity. Malibu is a good choice. I don't think you would go wrong looking at Toyota or Honda as well. People I know really like their Civics and Corollas. A step up is the Accord and Camry. All good cars. We are getting overall over 32 miles per gallon on our Camry 4 cyl.

[Lee Schierer]

I've owned 5 Mazdas and had at least 3 with over 100 K miles and never had one of them in the shop for anything other than oil changes and tune ups and occasionally for tires. There is a world of difference between a Miata and a Mazda 3. We also own a Miata and it has never been in the garage for repairs either. I currently own a 2004 Mazda 6 with 100K miles. The body is starting to show some rust, and we live in the snow belt of PA, but the engine and drive train are sound. We get 31 mpg on the highway at 65-70 mph.

[Larry Edgerton]

I've owned 5 Mazdas and had at least 3 with over 100 K miles and never had one of them in the shop for anything other than oil changes and tune ups and occasionally for tires. There is a world of difference between a Miata and a Mazda 3. We also own a Miata and it has never been in the garage for repairs either. I currently own a 2004 Mazda 6 with 100K miles. The body is starting to show some rust, and we live in the snow belt of PA, but the engine and drive train are sound. We get 31 mpg on the highway at 65-70 mph.

Ditto. I've owned 5 Miata's and my wifes car is currently a Mazda 3, has 140K on it and has never broken. Still runs just as strong as it ever did and averages 35mpg year round. I will say that the Mazda's handle better than any budget minded cars that I have ever driven, not a bad thing when someone pulls out in front of you.

Our next car will probably be another 3, but the Mazda 6 is in the running.

On the Suburu, they are not a good car to buy used. They are hard to work on, and so the bills are always high. They tend to have a problem with bolts snapping off in areas with salt when trying to take parts off. My brother has a repair facility and now refuses to work on them for these reasons. If they are going to be mad about the bill he would rather have it be the dealer.

Larry

[Pat Barry]

We looked briefly last night at the Mazda 3 and Nissan Sentra. It was a bit chilly though so we didn't take a test drive. My daughter did like the Mazda 3 however and we hope to try a test drive soon. We had not considered the Subaru or Kia or Hyundai however, I'll run those by my daughter and see what she thinks. To me I want her to get dependability and safety. She values gas mileage and style and some features such as heated seats (I wish I had them) and Bluetooth and auxiliary sound inputs. She liked the Mazda because it felt solid.... She isn't too high right now on either the Honda's or the Chev Cruze but she seems to like the Malibu. I'm happy that we are starting early so that she doesn't have to make a quick decision - its her first car purchase. Thanks to all for your thoughts

[David Weaver]

I would look at used Scion XBs 2008 and after. they're basically a puffed up corolla, and they're cheap (I don't know what they're like used, though - in terms of price) and they're simply made, so any mechanic can work on them.

[Chris Hachet]

Depending on budget, I would say Subaru....very safe and reliable.

[Chris Hachet]

There are no Chevys that are an upgrade from a Nissan Altima.

I liked the new Imapala much better than the Altima. never been much of a Nissan guy though.

[curtis rosche]

no matter what you pick, stay away from CarMax... I know a number of people who have had problems with them, including stupid things like they charge extra if you want the manual for the car