Drive Drive Drive

Second Hand Cars: Frod & GM or Toyota & Honda?

Second Hand Cars: Frod & GM or Toyota & Honda? hai dudes & Girls. i intend buy a secondhand car, preferably 4 door(2 door will also do) , slightly sportlooking, and have a budget of $3000 CAD. ($2600 us). Should i go for a ford or GM (american cars) or should i go for Japanis cars(toyota and honda). I heard that japanis cars and more fulel efficient and parts are easily avilable. But i also hard that american cars are stronger and last long. Please give me your opinion. And lets just say one more think if i had the money i would have bought the Mustand GT. Now you know what type of cars i like. So what car you think i sould go for (plese give the car name too)?

Public Comments

1. Buy Japanese. You will find they are designed better, built better, drive better, and hold their value better.
2. Japanese. Seriously. There's a reason Ford and GM are struggling right now, and it's not because they build a quality product.
3. Ford Taurus, easy to get parts for, or come to Winnipeg and go to Automart.
4. Realy to each his own, go out and look around. Online classifieds are a great place to look ie Castanet or kiggiggi are good ones. Find a car that you like and then find that car with a price you can live with. The best tip I can give though is go to the library and bone up on buying a second hand car. Knowing what to look for when buying your car could save you $$$. A well maintained second hand car is worth its wieght in cash. Have fun, get excited but be careful.
5. In your price range, you shouldn't rule things in or out so broadly. Condition is more important than model in this case. And regardless, there are Japanese cars that suck, and American cars that are terrific. It just isn't fair to paint them with such a broad brush. Anyhow, good American cars in your price range: Ford/Lincoln/Mercury: Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, and Towncar Thunderbird, Cougar, Mark VII, Mark VIII (V8 only, the V6s in your range all suck) Mustang (V8 or I4 only, the V6s in your price range all suck) Escort early Focus might be coming down into your price range. Contour, minivans, and Taurus are all pretty marginal. General Motors: A, B, G, F, and W platform cars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:GM_platforms Minivans are pretty marginal, almost everything else other than trucks is crap. (Well, except the Corvette, I guess) Chrysler: Plymouth/Dodge Neon (particularly manual transmission, particularly 1999 and later) Most 4 cylinder manual transmission cars Captive imports (Colt, Colt Vista) FWD naturally aspirated DSMs (Laser, Talon, Mitsubishi Eclipse) NOTHING ELSE. Japanese cars to avoid (assuming you're just looking for transportation and not a project): Any turbo Mitsubishi 2.5 liter Subarus. (In your price range, all of them) Mazda RX-7, 626, MX-6 Nissan 300ZX Also you have to look out for rust on older (mid 90s and earlier) Japanese cars more than you do on American cars. That's the only element of inferiority they retained past about 1980. For good performance (or at least handling) and reliability in your price range: CRX Many versions of the Honda Civic and Acura Integra Miata T-bird/Cougar/Mark VII/Mark VII F-body Honda Prelude/Accord Toyota MR-2 And yes, you ought to be able to afford a decent early 90s Mustang.
6. I would strongly advise you to stick with Honda or Toyota. American cars are not what they used to be and they simply will not hold up as well in those Canadian Winters. If you are going to get the Toyota, keep away from a certain V6 engine that has engine sludge problems and you'll be fine. If you are going to get a Honda, stay away from the Accord with a certain automatic transmission that has a bad track record of premature total failure. You'll need to do your homework on this one. I know it looks bad, but it's nothing compared to the garbage that Ford, GM and Chrysler has been producing for years. Make sure that the car was built in Japan and NOT North America by checking the VIN number. This is one of the most important steps in finding a reliable car. Look at the CARFAX report and make sure it hadn't been in an accident. Make sure the previous owner performed regular maintenance. (which is on that same report) If you can follow all of the above steps you'll do fine. The best way to buy a used car with your budget is by Private Party. You can use all sorts of online used car sites. If you buy private party, you eliminate the middle man and so you end up spending less and the seller ends up selling for more. A win-win situation. Just make sure to check for maintenance records, the VIN number and the CARFAX report. Make sure transmission fluid, anti-freeze, air-filter and motor oil has all been changed regularly at the specified interval according to the owners manual in the cars glove box. If not, walk away and don't look back.