3 women in my life are in need, or close to needing replacement vehicles.
Mom - Has a 1998 Toyota Camry 4 cylinder with 235,000 miles. Runs well.
Friend - Has a 1999 Mazda Protege with 120,000 miles and a bad transmission. It's parked and would cost $1500 to repair.
Fiance - Has a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. Don't remember mileage but the car sucks (electrical gremlins and 19mpg
).
It's up to me to purchase replacements since I tout myself as car savvy and a relentless haggler. Here's what I'm looking at:
Mom - $3,000-$8,000 - Corolla, Camry, Civic, Sentra, Elantra, Mazda 3, Golf TDI
Automatic transmission preferred. 50/50 highway/city driving.
Friend - $2,000-$3,000 - Sentra, Corolla, ?
I just taught her how to drive a manual, so this is an option. She doesn't make much money, so she needs a cheap, reliable, efficient vehicle.
Fiance/me - $5,000-???? - Corolla, Mazda 3, Golf TDI, Prius, Leaf
I already have a TSX, but we will need a second vehicle so she can commute to work, get groceries, etc. There is a good chance I can charge at work for free, but my utility rate is $0.076/KWh if not.
I'm considering the Leaf since there is a $7,500 federal tax credit which knocks the price of the one I want down to $25,000. Still a heck of a lot of money even if I get electricity for free. I'm not sure a Leaf could save money in the long run over a $5,000 Corolla, even if you include maintenance/repairs, which I perform myself.
I'm really looking for something reliable that will save money over the course of 150,000+ miles. What do you recommend for each person?