Best mid-size car for under 25K? New or used?

Highly suggest looking at the Kia optima

 

I'll check it out, but when you think about it, for 20k, you don't really want to be rolling around in a Kia or Hyundai for the $. its ultimately his decision, but I think value of toyotas and hondas will hold stronger because of the nameplate.

hyundai genesis. Sounds perfect for your friend.

hyundai genesis. Sounds perfect for your friend.

 

And they don't look half bad either. I've seen a couple on the road and I was like:

 

AUDI A3

AUDI A3

 

 

 

 

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/2786832021.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/ctd/2818121688.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/ctd/2827323025.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ctd/2786832021.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/ctd/2818121688.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/ctd/2827323025.html

 

 

Awww yea. Good looking out Jason!

I know its a roll of the dice. The people I know with VW/Audis have had really good luck with them. I love their cars too. So much so that Im looking for one of my own. Im sure with my luck mine will be a POS.

 

 

The norm should be treated as the norm and you should never BANK on you being the lucky one. That's just a life lesson, and not just relegated to fancy European cars.

 

Can have a bunch of lucky guys own these timebombs with no problems (and I know some as well), but when you're left holding the bag, it's gonna suckkkkkk.

 

Now maybe you can swing it, or do some preventative stuff to make sure it doesn't happen (i.e. PPI)....but the blanket statement some people make because their experience was "perfect", can be pretty annoying to say the least.

 

 

 

The norm should be treated as the norm and you should never BANK on you being the lucky one. That's just a life lesson, and not just relegated to fancy European cars.

 

Can have a bunch of lucky guys own these timebombs with no problems (and I know some as well), but when you're left holding the bag, it's gonna suckkkkkk.

 

Now maybe you can swing it, or do some preventative stuff to make sure it doesn't happen (i.e. PPI)....but the blanket statement some people make because their experience was "perfect", can be pretty annoying to say the least.

 

 

 

 

Check out the Chevy Malibu this evening...very nice car IMO!

 

Still going down the list..

I wouldn't recommend the Accord. Bland looks. Bland everything. It's still a "good" choice, but all of it's competitors (Sonata, Optima, Taurus) have moved well past "good."

I wouldn't recommend the Accord. Bland looks. Bland everything. It's still a "good" choice, but all of it's competitors (Sonata, Optima, Taurus) have moved well past "good."

 

I agree. Never been a fan of Accords.

Before you buy a Kia or hyundai remember that the warranty is not a warranty.

 

These two companies realize if a car has a common issue they will not honour the coverage even if it is supposedly covered by the warranty.

AUDI A3

 

I got an Audi A3 2.0 TDI DSG [4 door] that I use for my daily in Spain. Couldn't think of a better car for the money.

Benz E-class TDI.

If he's driving them with no servicing, I'm going to throw Acura again. I've got an 04 EL with 210k km on it (120+ miles), and it sat around for a year and a half, and was back on the road without service...it goes in for it's regular service and costs pretty much nothing.

 

My TL on the hand...I'm not even sure how it survived. The 02 TL had 330k km on it (It just died actually), and regardless of mileage, it only went in for servicing once a year, if that. Every weekend it was doing 1000km for a trip to Toronto and back again to Ottawa, and that was with their horrible transmissions. That car should never have made it, but the thing was absolutely reliable regardless. It even went to New York City. This car also sat around for 9 months not moving and was back on the road as if it never stopped going around.

 

The TL was driven hard constantly, I don't remember it actually seeing a "light" drive at any point. A lot of good options have been thrown out, but with the RL, TL, EL and MDX, I can say that these cars are pretty bulletproof....I'll definitely be going back to Acura even though I just went with Audi for now.

 

For the record, the 05 RL and 07 MDX went for servicing once every six to nine months as well.

Before you buy a Kia or hyundai remember that the warranty is not a warranty.

 

These two companies realize if a car has a common issue they will not honour the coverage even if it is supposedly covered by the warranty.

Please elaborate on this claim

I rented a Ford Focus hatchback for a couple weeks, loved the car so much I'm considering buying one. You can get a nice new one decked out for under 20K.

I would ordinarily second the vote for an Acura, but I too recently drove the new Ford Focus hatchback for about a week. In some travels about a month ago, I must have driven every common brand of mid-size and econo-box rental out there...dismayed and annoyed with all of them to the point of sheer hatred.

 

The older Fusion was still ok, but then the new Ford Focus blew me away. I thought they only made horrible cars, and I'm not impressed at all with the latest Mustangs...but wow did that car shock me. Not that it's the best car in the universe or anything, but they remade the cockpit and got creative with the dual clutch transmission. It was comfortable, very quiet, and was a smart "little" steer-er. Somehow they pulled it together and engineered a great vehicle. I never would have thunk. At least check it out.

 

I owned a 2005 TL for 3 years, and the car was a pretty big POS.

 

-Clear coat on the paint ended up peeling on the front end at about 50k miles

-Wheel bearing on the front went bad, and the stealership wanted to charge me near $2000 to fix

-guage cluster lit up like a christmas tree all the time.

-was slow

-brakes were horrible

-Dashboard ended up getting a 30 inch crack that went through it at some point that they (Thank God) replaced under warranty (this was at 60k miles)

-stealership wanted to rape me on service every chance they had.

You can get a 2007-2008 335i for that price.

 

Will likely be out of warranty, and it will have issues, but its a fun car.

 

I am considering trading my car and my wifes car in, and getting a few hondas (Accord 4 banger for me, and CRV for my wife) as I spend all f$$%%cking day in traffic anyways-whats the point of having a fast DD that is expensive to maintain.

 

Then getting 1-2 toys for the weekend where I can actually enjoy spirited driving- (Z-0H-6)

How about Volvo S60 D5. I am driving one for 6-7 months a year and there are not much to complain...

I had the new Sonata for a month and I must say I actually enjoyed it. I couldn't get past the Hyundai badge but I actually wouldn't rule it out as a DD.

 

I bought a Malibu LTZ and you get a lot for you money. All around I'm happy with it and it serves its purpose but the MPG is nowhere near the advertised rating but that could be because I have a heavy foot. It's rated at 33MPG and I get 22MPG. Oh and if you think egears are slow, you've never tried the paddle shifters in a Malibu LOL

Used I agree that Acura may be the way to go. Bulletproof like everyone has said. If he wants a bullet then I would go with something German and used, but the maintenance there will be more costly.

 

My family, extended and immediate, has had a slew of Acuras. Very reliable and very safe. If I was going to get used I would suggest that 07 (or that body style) TL. Great looking car. FWD, but eh; one of the better FWD cars out there that I've been around.

 

I do LOVE the newer MDX though. My favorite crossover when I had a loaner.

 

Mom's on her 2nd RL. The first one saved her life. Some asshat in a Tahoe hit her at 55+ mph while she was stopped at a light. He was texting. Car was destroyed in the rear, but it kept her save and sound. The AWD on them is not bad on the highway at speed (I've had it up to 130 in adverse weather on highway - Michelin rubber) but they do not respond well to drifting or any attempt to purposely kick the ass out. Not an Audi system, but it will do for your average driver.

 

RL is slightly more expensive to maintain - that's why I recommend TL.

 

I'm not sure how high mileage reliable the new ones are (family hasn't gotten their with theirs yet) but the early-mid 90s ones were all exceeding 300,000 miles with no problems.

 

Premium Fuel can get pricey though if he's worried about that.

 

Kia and Hyundai have really gotten their shit together too. Haven't driven them, but I had an uncle that just ordered the Optima and that Genesis wouldn't be a bad bet if they can be found used.

Thanks for the post.

 

Checking out a couple of Lexus ES 350s later on. I'm a fan of Lexus, personally. 2 certified preowned ones to look at with 60k miles, 2008, one owner, can be had for no more than 23K. Not too bad, all the bells and whistles too.

 

Checking out all the Altimas, Camry's, Malbus, etc. sucks! They are just so cheap to me! I just wonder if he can handle the responsibility of a lexus, lol.

 

On a side note, I just got in a new issue of consumer reports, and the camry and altima are the top 2 recommended in the price segment .

 

Also saw a couple Audi A3 drive by, will convince him to take a look at one.

have always had Acuras as my "airport shuttle" due to reliability and minimal maintenance; having a really good local independent Acura tech helped too.

 

Just oil and filter changes...in fact, the air cabin filters are so easy to change a caveman can do it (5 min DIY) vs the #@!TR%$#@ to get to Gallardo cabin filter.

 

dealership gave me this V6 TSX loaner this week when the MDX went in for "before warranty expires - anything to be fixed" service. It was surprisingly fun to drive; rated second only to the BMW 335 in its class.