<p>OK, D1’s 2001 with 115,000 miles is getting a little unreliable. Broke down tonight. She was coming back from a meeting with two other students. Some loud noise like something was falling out of it, power went out, and it died. Flashing lights could be turned on but lights in the dash seemed dim. It has a relatively new battery. It gets oil changes MORE OFTEN then my car, tune-up and look-over was not that long ago. This is not the first time it has “failed” and she gets upset. I worry that it will happen at a bad time. Tonight was not the end of the world and she will not need it for the next few days. She has a BF that can help out, lives where taxi’s are not hard to come by.</p>
<p>Anyway, a new car is not in the budget. We tend to drive cars more than 115,000. I was hoping to get to graduation in a year and maybe buy one them. But I am sensing this could be a big repair, one that may not be cost effective. There are A/C issues now. It drips water at times when the A/C is run during a long trip, and that repair would be $2100+ as they have to take off the dash to get to the tube that leaks before it drains the condensate out of the car. But around town no water so we have been dealing with it. </p>
<p>In case I need to buy a new car for her, I am looking for recommendations for a economy car with a decent safety record and decent mileage. She is my cautious and safe driver. She is turning 21, no tickets, no accidents, no fender benders. </p>
<p>What is out there for under $15,000. Anyone bought a small Kia or Hyundai recently?</p>
<p>The newly redesigned 2011 Hyundai Elantra is Consumer Reports’ top scoring small car. However, a base model with no options is probably around $15,000.</p>
<p>The old design 2010 Hyundai Elantra may be available at deep discount if you see any new ones remaining at Hyundai dealers. You may be able to find some new ones for around $11,000.</p>
<p>Even cheaper, a new base model Hyundai Accent may be available for around $9,000. But it is an older design that is soon to be replaced; its reviews are not that great, nor are its crash test ratings.</p>
<p>A base model Kia Soul may be around $14,000 with a fairly large cargo space for its footprint.</p>
<p>[New</a> Cars Pricing and Comparisons Local, Regional and National Car Price Reports at TrueCar](<a href=“http://www.truecar.com%5DNew”>http://www.truecar.com) may give you estimates of what kind of prices for various cars are available in your area.</p>
<p>There are lots of very good used cars that fit what you’re looking for - most of them with lower mileage that get decent mileage would fit your needs since most will be reliable. You can check the safety ratings at the gov webste -
[Home</a> | Safercar – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)](<a href=“Safer Car Vehicle Safety, Ratings and Recalls | NHTSA”>http://www.safercar.gov/)</p>
<p>A family member has a 2005 Hyundai Tucson and not a single thing has gone wrong with it. It’d be somewhat more than $15K new and your D might not want an SUV but the point is that the Hyundais of the last 5-7 years are generally safe and reliable vehicles and you get a lot for your money and in addition, have the best warranty out there.</p>
<p>Honda Civic. They run forever, they get great mileage, they are cheap to fix when needed, and they have been around for a long time.
No complaints yet on our D’s 2006.
I am looking forward to her studying in Washington DC in the fall—then I get to drive her car while she is away and save some money on gas!</p>
<p>2005 Toyota Corolla. Last week, my S, his fiance, and their newborn baby were hit directly in the side rear at an intersection–the person ran a red light, hit our son’s car right where the baby was sitting in his car seat. The car was totaled. All the airbags went off. Everybody was shaken up, but NO INJURIES. His fiance is sore from getting hit with the air bag, but she’s fine, and S and the baby are perfect. He found out today that he will receive a huge sum for the value of the car–quite a bit more than he paid for it. So I say, Toyota Corolla is a very safe car, and it certainly holds its value.</p>
<p>Thank God for airbags, and government regulations regarding auto safety.</p>
<p>I’ll also put in a good word for a 2010 Jetta. Fortunately, I have not been in an accident, but I’ve avoided two very close calls by quick reactions, once by steering very suddenly out of the way of a car merging into me on the freeway, another time by changing lanes quickly when the car in front of me came to a sudden stop. I truly believe my car would have flipped on that fwy if it weren’t for the excellent handling of the Jetta. One of those big suv’s might have had a very different outcome. My Jetta is a turbo-diesel, gas mileage 35 to 45 mpg. But you won’t find one for under $15K.</p>
<p>I bought a 2011 Hyundai Elantra about a month ago. Love it. It replaced a much larger and more powerful old car but it is zippy and surprisingly roomy inside. I actually prefer driving it to my previous car. We did not get any bells or whistles but did go for an automatic which puts it over the $15k mark (you would be looking at a manual for that price). It gets pretty good mileage - we did a 3000 mile round trip to see my son and were averaging a little over 35mpg on a tank on mostly highway driving. I do a 100 mile commute 5 days a week and average around 33mpg with mixed highway/city. </p>
<p>If you can find a dealer with a 2010 you might get a good price. They are closer to the $15k mark. They also had a couple of good incentives last month on the 2010 models (I think a $1000 rebate plus another $1500 rebate if you finance through Hyundai)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the 2011 redesigned Jetta sedan is downgraded in many areas, including handling and braking. The 2011 Jetta SportWagen and 2011 Golf (hatchback version) remain with the better (but probably too expensive for the OP’s budget) previous design.</p>
<p>More worthy cars to look at (prices base model prices are after rebates and discounts, estimates from truecar.com):</p>
<p>Ford Fiesta ($13,000)
2011 Ford Focus (the old design; $14,000; the redesigned 2012 starts around $16,000)
Mazda 2 ($14,000)
Mazda 3 ($15,000)
Honda Fit ($15,000)
2011 Honda Civic (the old design; $14,000; the redesigned 2012 is probably too expensive)
Kia Forte ($14,000; $15,000 for the hatchback)</p>
<p>Not going to buy used. We bought her current car used, and I am just not going to do that again. She is driving a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclypse. Please, I can do without the criticism that will likely ensue.</p>
<p>That model car has an A/C drain tube leak problem, and the repair is huge due to the way the drain is placed in the car. We already have that issue. Now we have a new, yet undiagnosed issue. The two together may make me not want to sink money into this car when the next problem could be lurking. </p>
<p>UCB alumnus, want to buy a car for me? Thanks for your help and suggestions. I am trying to research just in case. I really need to get drive out price (not including any trade credit) at no more than $15,000. I am hoping for $2500 trade in value and a net loan of $12,5000. I need a payment close to $200. I can pay some down to get the payment to $200. Maybe I am dreaming but I can try.</p>
<p>So now that I have no trade-in, any chance of brokering a deal on the internet? I know my local dealers have internet reps. I am talking something more global. I put that I need a new car and let dealers bid for my business, etc.</p>
<p>Try [New</a> Cars Pricing and Comparisons Local, Regional and National Car Price Reports at TrueCar](<a href=“http://www.truecar.com%5DNew”>http://www.truecar.com) and [Cars</a> for Sale - Buy a New or Used Car Online - CarsDirect](<a href=“http://www.carsdirect.com%5DCars”>http://www.carsdirect.com) to see what cars are going for in your local area (they should give you actual prices from no-haggle offers, though it is possible that you can haggle a better price at some other dealer).</p>
<p>Also, check the friday car dealer ads in the newspaper. Sometimes, dealers will offer base model loss leaders for cheap prices to bring traffic into the showroom. But if you want one, be quick because some of them will be bought first thing in the morning by the first person who sees the ad.</p>
<p>The truecar sight was great last night, but when I clicked on good deals, and after I gave my contact info, I was referred to dealers well to the south of me, some as far away as Miami, that is 3-4 counties away. My D is north of me, and going further south not so easy. I will try the other site. </p>
<p>I just hate dealerships and walking on the lot… Trying to make it easy.</p>
<p>CarsDirect just refers me to a dealer and the sites are still foggy about pricing. I just want a base car, no bells and whistles no special color. Give me a bottom line. </p>
<p>I’m just venting. I need to go through this process right now like I need a whole in the head… ;).</p>
<p>I will be looking on Friday at ads, and I have several internet requests out to local dealers.</p>
<p>Last weekend we just helped D buy a new Ford Fiesta (39/40 MPG and great safety ratings) for $15045. after rebates. $500 standard rebate and $750 rebate for requesting a catalog. This was after her 10 yr old VW bug was giving her nothing but repair bills. We generally buy used from CARMAX and looked at KIAs, but the Fiesta came across as a better value. We bought the car through Costco fleet sales at the Ford dealer.</p>
<p>try carmax. they sometimes have new vehicles but have the newer “used” vehicles. Plus if you don’t like it, you can return it within 5 days- no questions asked.</p>
<p>I try not to buy new- for the most part, as soon as you dirve it off the lot, you’ve lost money.</p>