Which car is better

[eastont]

We have decided to buy our youngest daughter a used car. She works shifts and dealing with taking a bus and child care issues is taking a toll on our granddaughter. Having to get up and go home by bus after her mom's shift that ends at 11pm and then it's 1 1/2 hour at best on the bus. She lives a 15 minute drive from the woman who looks after her daughter.

Wow, this has become windy....
Anyway here's my dilemma, after weeding out about 10, I'm down to 2 cars.
Here's the ad for one :
$2500

142000 Km E-tested in Aug 2010 and Safetied. Automatic, Anti-theft , Keyless Entry, Spoiler, Cruise Control, Power Brakes, Locks, Mirrors, Steering, Windows and Trunk, Tilt Steering, Dual Air Bag, AM/FM Stereo/CD, Split Folding Rear Seats, Lady Driven, HWY miles, Non Smoker, Extra clean, New Alternator 2007, Summer & Winter Tires Provided.

The other one is this:
For some reason I can't copy/paste it....But it's a 2000 Chev Cavalier 4dr automatic. A/C Power brakes/steering etc. 155,000km -E-tested and Safetied
Smoke free, new brakes all round.

What do you think is a better car, I know nothing about cars, when I asked my mechanic he shrugged and said "They're used cars, so they're chancy"

You thoughts and comments please.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Which car is better

What is the make of the first car listed?

Bells and whistles (power this, power that) are irrelevant to buying a dependable used car. The best advice anybody can give you is to have any car you're considering to buy, checked over by a non-biased repair shop you trust. I can tell you allot about a cars maintenance history and potential issues if I have half an hour to look it over. You really don't know anything about the condition of any vehicle just by the sugar coated listing the seller makes. Unless they are honest and know everything wrong with the vehicle; both quality's are rare.

 

[jkust]

Re: Which car is better

What is Etested and Saftied?

 

[eastont]

Re: Which car is better

What is the make of the first car listed?

Bells and whistles (power this, power that) are irrelevant to buying a dependable used car. The best advice anybody can give you is to have any car you're considering to buy, checked over by a non-biased repair shop you trust. I can tell you allot about a cars maintenance history and potential issues if I have half an hour to look it over. You really don't know anything about the condition of any vehicle just by the sugar coated listing the seller makes. Unless they are honest and know everything wrong with the vehicle; both quality's are rare.

OOPS...The first car is a 2001 Ford Focus.

Saftied & E-tested are government regulations on any used car sale. Must be mechanically sound and cannot put out a certain amount of stuff through the exhaust.

 

[jkust]

Re: Which car is better

Honestly where kids driving is concerned, I'd choose the one with the best safety stats. I presume dual airbags and ABS are standard in those years so take a look at the crash tests. It would also be nice to have functioning heat and AC. I think every car I had from my teens through my 20's and even into my early 30's didn't have working AC and the heat was always iffy as well. AC repair is generally expensive since there are so many things that can go bad.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Which car is better

Either car really isn't too bad as long as regular maintenance was done on them.

Again, I would have a independent repair shop check the vehicle over before you buy. You can't rely on a basic emissions/safety inspection to tell you if the car will need something or has had some neglect.

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Which car is better

Either car really isn't too bad as long as regular maintenance was done on them.

Again, I would have a independent repair shop check the vehicle over before you buy. You can't rely on a basic emissions/safety inspection to tell you if the car will need something or has had some neglect.

^^^+1

You didn't say how much the cavalier is.

Either one could have quite a bit of life left. And as mentioned how they were maintained. A inspection will be $$$ well spent.
Good luck

 

[ehenry]

Re: Which car is better

One thing I never really thought about when buying a ride was the crash test rating. After my son had his wreck and wasn't hurt nearly as bad as the car made it look that he was thats something I will think about from now on. I'd look in to how those two hold up in the event of a collision.

 

[BF]

Re: Which car is better

#1 looks like a winner to me. Winter tires (maybe on a second set of rims?) are a big improvement and a huge safety feature. The willingness to spend $$ on winter tires shows that the previous owner had a enough cash to maintain the vehicle.

My BIL has a focus of that vintage.. has been a good car.

Oh, IMHO all small cars should have rear seats that split and fold down... greatly increases the functionality... especially if it's the only vehicle.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Which car is better

One thing I never really thought about when buying a ride was the crash test rating. After my son had his wreck and wasn't hurt nearly as bad as the car made it look that he was thats something I will think about from now on. I'd look in to how those two hold up in the event of a collision.

The car looked as bad as it did because it protected your son during the collision. Modern cars are designed to absorb the impact of a crash rather than transmit it to the passengers.

I always got a hoot out of the old timers that would say the new cars are unsafe/junk because they crumple up when they get hit. Just the opposite is true. Back in there day when someone hit something with an old car, the car looked allot better, but you were usually scraping the occupants off the interior.

In all the crash testing results I could find, it looks like the Focus may have a slight edge over the Cavalier

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Which car is better

Personally, I wouldn't go with either one. I would look for something bigger, Intrepid, Impala, Gran Prix etc. Just incase something were to happen. A bigger car would give a better chance for the occupants. My daughter turned 14 this year and we're already talking about what to do. High on my list is no car until she's 18! Don't think that's going to happen tho. Especially since we have to drive to everything and usually 20 miles one way.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Which car is better

Bad day to ask about this.. Slippery road this morning and my daughter banged up the front end of the 2000 626 again. Gets it home and it dumps all the coolant in my driveway. Looks like I will be doing autobody this weekend. This is the second trauma to the front end of this car. Last year it was rebuilding all the headlight and side marker lights, hood and grill after a rear end on the freeway.

My pick would be a Subaru with AWD. These are pretty safe reliable autos.

 

[eastont]

Re: Which car is better

Personally, I wouldn't go with either one. I would look for something bigger, Intrepid, Impala, Gran Prix etc. Just incase something were to happen. A bigger car would give a better chance for the occupants. My daughter turned 14 this year and we're already talking about what to do. High on my list is no car until she's 18! Don't think that's going to happen tho. Especially since we have to drive to everything and usually 20 miles one way.

The cost of gas is a concern. I spoke with my mechanic and he said that as long as the Cavalier has the 2.2 rather than the 2.4, it's a toss up. He said bring em in and we'll have a look.

What I didn't tell him was that I've got about 3 other cars to look at.........lol

I don't mind paying him for looking, but I know he'll turn it down and maybe feel a bit insulted, because he likes to do little things for his regular customers......customer service is his big thing. He replaced a battery that I couldn't get the strap off, and said "See ya, Merry Christmas"

 

[Go Aweigh2452]

Re: Which car is better

I second the subaru 4WD. Awesome car in the snow, ice or mud. We had one in Maine and went skiing with it constantly. Very dependable and inexpensive to maintain compared to other foreign cars and some domestic as well. We had one in Colorado and one here in the Pacific NW and again, was great for skiing and handled snow and ice great for the price... Resale was good too.

 

[ehenry]

Re: Which car is better

I'd look for as late a model Honda as I could afford. Thats what my son was driving when the accident occured. Like I said he walked away beat up and cut up some but lived to tell it. The little car did its job.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Which car is better

From Go Aweigh2452 "I second the subaru 4WD. Awesome car in the snow, ice or mud. We had one in Maine and went skiing with it constantly. Very dependable and inexpensive to maintain compared to other foreign cars and some domestic as well. We had one in Colorado and one here in the Pacific NW and again, was great for skiing and handled snow and ice great for the price... Resale was good too. "

You went skiing with your Subaru? I hope this isn't what you mean!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR9WsUM9VH4

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Which car is better

If you google up 'PROBLEMS WITH 2001 FOCUS" I believe you may think about NOT getting one.( fords all time number 1 leader in the amount of recalls and complaints) The chevy has a better reputation. Japanese cars are known to go the high mileages with fewer issues than most american cars if that helps. Ehenry would you tell us how the accident happened....or was he on the cell phone and speeding?

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Which car is better

What I didn't tell him was that I've got about 3 other cars to look at.........lol

I have a friend who sells cars....
he says people can easily "shop themselves stupid" by looking at too many cars

Narrow it down to 1 or 2 - get the mechanic to check timing belt - see if you are in for another $300 right off the bat if it wasn't done at 100K
have him check head gasket (exhaust in coolant)

Focus has better brakes and is a nicer car in the snow, imo

You won't come within a mile of a decent Subaru, Honda or Toyota for $2500

can she drive standard?
http://ottawa.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...iac-Sunfire-Sedan-SAFETIED-W0QQAdIdZ244835677

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Which car is better

I would agree, I'd avoid all domestic used cars completely.

Your best bet is a used Civic, Corolla or Subaru if one can be had cheap. Those cars are the best on the road, hands down. And have been for many years. Avoid the Ford Focus or Chevy anything, they're plastic junk.

The going price for a brand new 2011 Toyota Camry is $15,995. That isn't with the fancy pancy wheels or anything, but DAYUM, that's a hell of a car for the price of a Corolla.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Which car is better

The going price for a brand new 2011 Toyota Camry is $15,995. .

he lives in Canada

$15k will get you a 3 year old Camry

his budget is 1/6th of that