Best used Car $5,000......Go!

[broski499]

My Camry is going to hit 200,000 soon so I'm starting to look around the market for a new car, and by new I mean used.

Lets say I have $5,000

I've been checking out the following, 2005 Civic, 2005 Camry, I don't care about how fancy a car is, I just love reliability and decent milage. I love how the Camry has a huge gas tank and how it seats 4 super comfortably.

My bro has a 09 Honda Fit and loves it, looking at those as well.

4 Door Sedan or Hatchback would be great.

Thanks for any help!

[mcrews]

Any civic......

I also like the older Jettas

[LeanBurn]

Corolla

[chopperman]

I picked up a 02 Jetta 1.8t 5SPD for $4500 with Hypermiling I get 36 Combined. But if I were going to do it again I would go with the Jetta TDI.

[Ryland]

To me a $5,000 budget would allow me to buy almost any car on my wish list outside of something that is brand new, that list includes first generation Honda Insight, Civic HX, Honda VX, a handful of older electric cars.
But for you I'd look at the Toyota Yaris Hatchback with a 5 speed, the sedans suck and the automatics suck in them but the 5 speed hatch back is solid.

[War_Wagon]

A Fit, a Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe, or a Suzuki SX4 if you want something with AWD capability would be my suggestions. The SX4 is selectable AWD, so you aren't constantly in AWD mode. Civics are always good too, but small wagons always seem to hold their value well, plus they are really handy to have.

[redpoint5]

Since you mention reliability as a criteria, I would think that eliminates most anything VW.

What else is important to you, and what does your typical drive entail? It's very difficult to recommend the right vehicle without knowing every little detail. That said, buying something based on how well it holds value isn't important, since it will cost more up front due the held value.

My recommendation based entirely on education and not on experience would be a Corolla or Camry. There is a reason Camry is so popular and receives awards, and it is because it strikes such a great balance of economy, handling, safety, price, performance, and utility. Well you already know this.

The Corolla will be even more fuel efficient and agile, at the expense of a little comfort and utility.

If you have a problem settling on just 1 model, narrow it down to 3 or 4 and just buy the first one that can be had at an amazing deal.

[MTXA]

Since you mention that you don't care how fancy your car is, I'll tell you how to increase your buying power. When I shop for a car for myself, I look for cars that have a blue book suggested price a couple thousand $$ above my budget that have cosmetic damage. I bought the car that I'm driving now @ $2200 under book because it has a couple of small dents and scratches. Just keep an eye on the ads for the right one to show up and negotiate it hard. Don't be afraid to walk away from a car but always leave your contact information with the seller so when they decide to move down on the price, they have an interested buyer to call.

[Sven7]

HX/VX/HF

You're in California so you don't really have to worry about rust. Lucky.

[Frank Lee]

'59 Impala FTW!