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OT: Time for a new car

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wartknight

Well-Known Member
Mar 24, 2006
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My transmission went out on my Taurus at 175,000 miles this weekend. Time for a new car.
Looking for a good second family car for under 8k. Anyone have any ideas where some good places to look are?
I've seen an '02 Taurus and an '03 Focus for pretty much the same price and same mileage. One at Stivers and one at Dewey.
Not partial to any particular brand. Anyone out there to help?
 
Buick makes a pretty comfortable, dependable, and affordable family car. Try looking for a Le Sabre, Century, or Park Avenue. You should find plenty in your price range.
 
I didnt realize this until recently but they are still making the Taurus in 06 and I think 07 model year too. It appears the price on these are very low for what you get in a car. I would think if you could find a year old 06 or something, program car, you could get the dealer down to very close to 8k, particularly this time of year with the new 08s coming in.
 
Well if you were looking for a 2 door you might have been in luck as I'll have a 99 Grand Am for sale here in a little over a month but I wouldn't consider that a very good family car probably if you already drive a 4 door. I actually went to test drive a new car this weekend myself and wound up having to commit to factory order exactly what I wanted this morning else have to settle for something on the lot with more options than I wanted for over $2000 more.

There are some free classifieds on Craigslist: craigslist | cars & trucks where people have some decent deals sometimes.
 
HGPuck said:
I didnt realize this until recently but they are still making the Taurus in 06 and I think 07 model year too. It appears the price on these are very low for what you get in a car. I would think if you could find a year old 06 or something, program car, you could get the dealer down to very close to 8k, particularly this time of year with the new 08s coming in.
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They stopped making the Taurus for a couple years and are back at it again. I work here in MI so if you want to know about new cars I would have some feedback. I am in an assembly plant at least twice a week.

The Pontiac G6 and Ford Fusion are hot sellers right now for domestics.
 
According to Consumer Reports (reliable vehicles in the $6-8K range), the following might fill your need:
'00 Buick Regal
'99 Honda Accord
'99 Honda CR-V
'98 Honda Odyssey (if you're into minivans)
'99 Lincoln Towncar
'99 Nissan Altima
'98 Nissan Maxima
'99 Toyota Avalon
'99 Toyota Camry
'99 Toyota RAV4
'99 Toyota Sienna (another minivan)

I'd agree with HGpuck on the Taurus too. You could get a practically brand new one under $10K and be set for several years...
 
Also, don't forget to try Auto Trader. There should be plenty of cars within 100 miles (if you live in Des Moines).
 
Don't buy an american car, buy a car made in america, like toyota, honda or nissan!
 
brianhos said:
Don't buy an american car, buy a car made in america, like toyota, honda or nissan!
Click to expand...

Yes, there are American cars made in other countries... but there are still plenty that are made here. And not to mention, most of the cars made by Ford, GM, etc overseas are also sold overseas.
 
I would look at 2 cars. A Honda Accord or a Toytoa Camry. Find one you like and run the wheels off it man. Oil changes and basic maintenance and those two will run forever!
 
Nedrick said:
According to Consumer Reports (reliable vehicles in the $6-8K range), the following might fill your need:
'00 Buick Regal
'99 Honda Accord
'99 Honda CR-V
'98 Honda Odyssey (if you're into minivans)
'99 Lincoln Towncar
'99 Nissan Altima
'98 Nissan Maxima
'99 Toyota Avalon
'99 Toyota Camry
'99 Toyota RAV4
'99 Toyota Sienna (another minivan)

I'd agree with HGpuck on the Taurus too. You could get a practically brand new one under $10K and be set for several years...
Click to expand...

I'd check out the models I put in bold. The accord/camry are uber reliable...enough so that I'd say you can go well into 200k if you keep up on maintenance. On top of that, if you go with a 4 cyl you'll get wicked gas mileage to boot.

On the fun to drive side of life, the accord and the Maxima would be your best bet. The 3.0 liter in that year of Maxima has consistently been rated among the best engines of all time. As for the accord, they are vtec, which while not lighting the world on fire, do provide an extra kick and will be a bit more fun to drive than a Taurus.

Oh, and in terms of year range for those generations...the 99 Accord ran basically unchanged from 98-02, the 99 Camry was new for 99, and the Maxima ran from I believe 95-99 (4th gen) and was partially redesigned for 00 and fully freshened for 01. Hope this helps.
 
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HGPuck said:
I didnt realize this until recently but they are still making the Taurus in 06 and I think 07 model year too. It appears the price on these are very low for what you get in a car. I would think if you could find a year old 06 or something, program car, you could get the dealer down to very close to 8k, particularly this time of year with the new 08s coming in.
Click to expand...

What exactly is a "program car"? I have heard the term before but don't really know what it means. And my vote is on anything Buick.
 
timc243 said:
What exactly is a "program car"? I have heard the term before but don't really know what it means. And my vote is on anything Buick.
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Program cars are vehicles that have been in some kind of "program", such as a "factory executive program", where cars are given to auto company executives to drive for a year. They can also be cars that have been used under various kinds of short term leases, cars that have been used by rental companies, etc. Most of the time, the cars go up for wholesale auction, and the dealers buy them and resell them as "program" cars.
 
I drove my 90' accord up to 160k before it was stolen from me out of the westbrook apt parking lot. Got it back but it wasnt the same after that. Up till that point, it was a champ. Have been into hondas ever since.
 
timc243 said:
What exactly is a "program car"? I have heard the term before but don't really know what it means. And my vote is on anything Buick.
Click to expand...

Rentals...AKA "hey let's beat the hell out of this car." And other favorites such as:
"Lets see if we can get this airborn!"
"I wonder what happends if you put this in reverse going 70 mph."
"Think we can do standing burns in this taurus?"
 
travman23 said:
That's why we have multiple GM plants in the US then huh? :rolleyes5cz:
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Check out the number of US parts in those cars...My Nissan is built in KY with 95% american made parts. My wifes Ford was built in mexico with 5% american made parts.
 
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