quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
09 or 2010 Pontiac Vibe, check it out.

Excellent suggestion. It's a Toyota Corolla without the high resale value.

Vibe/Matrix are great. Another sleeper is the Toyota Solara, based on Camry but 2 doors. Discontinued in 08 I think. Something to consider and they are sporty looking.

We had 2 Vibes a handful of years back, brother had one years ago. I think the last year made was 2010, see a lot on the road still.

The smaller Vibe engine is 1.8 liter, same as a Corolla. We had a GT Vibe also, with the 2.4 Liter ’Camry’ engine.

I gave the 2009 Vibe to a relative. It had 130k & would of lasted years longer, but was totaled when a guy in a Dodge truck ran a red light on a snowy MI intersection.

The smaller Vibe recently went to a sister, 217k miles, going strong.

If I were looking for a safe and reliable “beater” car, I would look for a used Honda Odyssey or Toyota Siena.
You know those cars will have been driven by an adult; and you can find the CarFax report to check on recorded maintenance.
I did that for my wife in 2015, bought a 2006 Odyssey, had 85,000 miles now has 115,000.
However, it would cost you (per Cars.com) maybe $5-6,000 for an 05-07 Odyssey with 150K miles. Timing belt will have been done.
Driving 5K miles a year, you don’t worry about gas mileage.
And per Insurance Institute for HIghway Safety Highway Loss Data, hardly anyone ever dies in a minivan.
My wife likes hers because she can carry anything in it.
Just a “think inside the box” approach.

Probably try one of the on-line car sellers...Car Guru, Car Fax, etc. Enter your budget and proximity and see what comes up.

The nod would probably go to Honda or Toyota as with decent maintenance, they tend to run for a long time.

If you want to get perhaps a little more for your $$, you could look at the lesser name brands. If she's going to be driving it that little and takes good care of it, she'll get more for the $$ out of brands like Hyundai, Mazda, Dodge, and Buick. If there's no rush, you have time to shop...be patient and get that 1 adult owner, never-wrecked 'cream puff' that was always garaged and well maintained.

$.02 worth.

Boss

Corolla with around 120K miles. Find one with maintenance records. Plenty of them out there. It will easily get to 200k.

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:

quote:

Originally posted by hudr:

quote:

Originally posted by celticwolf:
Crown Vic.

Even better, a Mercury Gran Marquis. Bought one (2008) for my daughter. Everything works. Leather interior. Been driven to church, the grocery store and the quilting circle it’s whole life.

I bought a used Crown Vic with 80k on it, owned by a retired dentist who obviously had trouble seeing in his old age. Lots of dents and rings but a great car. Comfortable seats, roomy interior, massive trunk, plenty of power and a proven and reliable drivetrain. Water pump went out and didn’t even have to remove fan or drain radiator, removed the belt, removed a few bolts and swapped it out. My mechanic friend told me not to sell because it would last for years but I did. The guy is still driving it three years later and takes road trips in it.

Well maintained they easily go 300k miles. Junk yards are full of cheap replacement parts. Last Full Frame car ever made. Cheap, Safe, easy to fix, a no brainer for a beater car.

Ask yourself, if a truck were to hit you, would you rather be in a Crown Vic or a Corolla?