Need a "new" car.

[Maverick44]

I have to drive about 80 miles a day, 4-5 days a week for my new job, and the old 96' Silverado is killing me on gas. It's getting probably around 14-16 MPH on the highway. It's time for something new.

Here's what I'm looking for.

30+ MPG on the highway
Under $10,000
Less than 100,000 miles, preferably less than 50,000 if it's close to maxing out my budget
4 door sedan or hatchback
No older than 2010, preferably newer.
Reliable and low maintenance
Preferably something kind of sporty, or at least sporty looking.

I've looked at quite a few cars already, but very few are really getting me exited. One I keep coming back to is the 2017 Ford Focus SE Hatchback. The previous year models (IIRC, 2012-2016) had horrible tranny issues, but they seem to have fixed it in the 2017 model. There's a 2017 not to far from me with 46,000 miles for $9,000.

My first car was a 2003 Focus SE, and I loved that little thing. It might not of had much power, but man was that a nice handling car. Driving it for even long periods was stupidly easy and comfortable. I found myself in a no win situation and ended up rolling it down an embankment outside of Quitman Texas a few years back. I miss that car.

The Dodge Dart has also caught my eye, but I know very little about them.

Any suggestions?

 

[Charlie]

Do you know anything of the history on that vehicle? "Sounds" like just what you need.

 

[Bozz10mm]

Driving that many miles daily, you'll want something that won't fall apart after 100k. I'd stick with a Toyota or Honda. Avoid the Dodge Dart or any other Chrysler product like the plague.

 

[Dawico]

I have always preferred the Fusion over the Focus just for the fact they are a little bigger. The Fusion is a good looking car in my opinion.

I have had a few as rentals over the years and really liked them.

That being said, I have never been in the car market long enough to really have much of an opinion on any of them. We are generally Ford people so always lean towards them.

We do own an older Honda Accord that the kids used as a starter vehicle and have no complaints with it either. There is a reason they have the reputation that they do. Definitely worth a look.

 

[Dawico]

Driving that many miles daily, you'll want something that won't fall apart after 100k. I'd stick with a Toyota or Honda. Avoid the Dodge Dart or any other Chrysler product like a plague.

Glad I am not the only one that feels that way.

 

[dsgrey]

I've owned a lot of Focis when I did long commutes. The issue with the model you're at looking at is faulty transmissions. Buy the sister version - the Mazda 3 hatchback. It has the same frame and actually has FoMoCo stamped on the brakes but the engine, tranny and body are Mazda. I was commuting 125 miles per day until I move last summer and was getting 37-41mpg. I've owned several Mazdas and the wife still has a CX-5 with absolutely no issues.

Now that I no longer commute long distances and work from home most days, I bought a toy (Wrangler).

 

[pronstar]

Dodge Dart is a reskinned Fiat. It was a sales disaster, not just here but also globally, and for good reason: it’s a terrible car.

Focus is ok, stay away from the Powershift dual-clutch automatic. It was finally replaced with a conventional automatic around 2017-ish, so do yourself homework there.

I would go with a Civic or Corolla. These are cars that will run forever, with plenty of used supply to keep prices low.


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[Longhorn1986]

As I said in one of the other threads, I sold my 1996 F250 7.3 to buy a 2015 VW Passat TDI. 42 mpg hwy is really nice and that diesel has loads of torque! If you can find a Passat or Jetta TDI in your price range, you might take a good look at it.

 

[Lonesome Dove]

Toyota,Subaru,Honda,Nissan. Anything else is a total crapshoot in the used car market.

 

[studenygreg]

I currently have a Mazda 2 as my daily driver/work car. I'm almost at 100k and have had absolutely zero issues. The other nice thing is the maintenance is really easy and cheap to do yourself. I will probably keep it until it dies.

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[gshayd]

I would have to go with a Toyota or Honda they seem to last a while.

 

[Kar98]

Toyota,Subaru,Honda,Nissan. Anything else is a total crapshoot in the used car market.

Stick with a Toyota. Don't go for the tiny punishment boxes.

I'm driving a 2011 of this:

https://www.carmax.com/car/17712079

Added a decent stereo and GPS. Put on a new set of tires when I bought it with 60k miles, and another 40k miles down the road. Replaced shocks, brake pads and battery since they were still factory original (so were the tires it came with), and had to top off coolant fluid twice in 5 years.

 

[kbaxter60]

I've looked at quite a few cars already, but very few are really getting me exited. One I keep coming back to is the 2017 Ford Focus SE Hatchback. The previous year models (IIRC, 2012-2016) had horrible tranny issues, but they seem to have fixed it in the 2017 model. There's a 2017 not to far from me with 46,000 miles for $9,000.

My first car was a 2003 Focus SE, and I loved that little thing. It might not of had much power, but man was that a nice handling car. Driving it for even long periods was stupidly easy and comfortable. I found myself in a no win situation and ended up rolling it down an embankment outside of Quitman Texas a few years back. I miss that car.

I like the Focus line, too. I had a 2005 5-speed that had almost 140k on it when our kid got t-boned in it. He loved that car like it was family. I bought my daughter a 2008 (auto) and she has been very happy with it. I'd say that if you like the car and are confident they have fixed the tranny issues, then go for it (I also had a coworker who bought a NEW one that did have transmission glitches (don't recall year; maybe 2016?). I'd want to be darn sure they are fixed. Do they still make a manual?

 

[avvidclif]

My wife has a 2015 Equinox with over 100k on it. Oil changes and 2nd set of tires is it for maintenance. I was pleasantly surprised how well it has lasted. Probably bigger than you want.

 

[txinvestigator]

My boss bought a Focus for his kid, and he likes it so much that he drives it often. I have ridden in it and it is comfortable.

Seems to be solid

 

[Sam Colt]

Maintenance aside, driving 80 miles a day in a car that gets twice the gas mileage of your truck would save you $40 a week at $3/gal. It would take 250 weeks or 4.8 years for that to equal $10,000.

Put another way, losing the truck saves you $160/mo for a car payment, if you believe in financing. Anything over that is costing you money, not saving. (Depreciation aside.)

 

[Fishkiller]

Maintenance aside, driving 80 miles a day in a car that gets twice the gas mileage of your truck would save you $40 a week at $3/gal. It would take 250 weeks or 4.8 years for that to equal $10,000.

Put another way, losing the truck saves you $160/mo for a car payment, if you believe in financing. Anything over that is costing you money, not saving. (Depreciation aside.)

You may want to look at the economic side of things. As Mr. Colt says you will only save $40 per week on gas. And insurance on a newer car is going to be more than a 1996 vintage vehicle. If you are trading in the '96 it may save you some.


That being said, I would stay away from the Focus, only bad news from those I know that own one. Same goes for the small GM and Chrysler stuff. Go with Toyota or Honda. When I was employed, prior to retirement, they provided me with a Toyota Camry. It averaged 31 mpg over a 4 year period. Plenty of room and power. Corolla is smaller and has less get up and go.

Just my $.02

 

[pronstar]

Maintenance aside, driving 80 miles a day in a car that gets twice the gas mileage of your truck would save you $40 a week at $3/gal. It would take 250 weeks or 4.8 years for that to equal $10,000.

Put another way, losing the truck saves you $160/mo for a car payment, if you believe in financing. Anything over that is costing you money, not saving. (Depreciation aside.)

For sure

We can go deeper down that path...other costs to consider:
Value of the truck, and depreciation when racking up miles.
Then compare this math to value & depreciation for the car.
(I don’t think we should set depreciation aside because it can be the most expensive part of vehicle ownership).

Cost of truck vs car maintenance, including cost of consumables like brake pads, tires.

Insurance costs.
Not just truck vs car, but adding the additional vehicle to the policy.


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[Bozz10mm]

Maintenance aside, driving 80 miles a day in a car that gets twice the gas mileage of your truck would save you $40 a week at $3/gal. It would take 250 weeks or 4.8 years for that to equal $10,000.

Put another way, losing the truck saves you $160/mo for a car payment, if you believe in financing. Anything over that is costing you money, not saving. (Depreciation aside.)

You may want to look at the economic side of things. As Mr. Colt says you will only save $40 per week on gas. And insurance on a newer car is going to be more than a 1996 vintage vehicle. If you are trading in the '96 it may save you some.


That being said, I would stay away from the Focus, only bad news from those I know that own one. Same goes for the small GM and Chrysler stuff. Go with Toyota or Honda. When I was employed, prior to retirement, they provided me with a Toyota Camry. It averaged 31 mpg over a 4 year period. Plenty of room and power. Corolla is smaller and has less get up and go.

Just my $.02

Or, in another 5 years you will have a 28 year old pickup with another 92k on it. If it lasts that long.

 

[TexasRedneck]

My last truck - a Ram 2500 CC 4x4 cost me $4k over 4 years - bought for $14k, sold for $10k. Sold it to upsize to a Ram 3500 CC 4x4. 9-13 mpg, but it's got a utility bed and lift gate on it, and for my business purposes, does the job perfectly. That 5.7 liter engine is a solid worker - I'll likely be driving it until my final retirement. The toughest part was finding the truck w/a gas engine - I don't do diesel because I just don't tow anything.