Good morning! This week, we’ve been working our way up the price range, doubling the price cap each day. The idea was to find out what the cheapest car is that could still be considered a viable daily driver. Personally, I’d trust any of these, pending a close inspection, but as always, my opinion isn’t what counts. We’ll recap the week’s winners at each price range, and you can tell me how low you would go.
Yesterday was a surprise. From the comments, I expected the Toyota Avalon to win. But enough of you liked the looks of the Volvo C70 to give it the win. Several of you brought up the Avalon’s age as a negative, but in my experience it’s upkeep that impacts a car’s longevity more than its age or mileage.
I think I like the Volvo better, too. That Avalon is awfully nice, but I already have a big comfy black sedan. Convertibles have their downsides, but the retractable hardtop solves most of them. I’d prefer that car with a manual transmission, but they’re rare.
You could hop in any new car and expect it to run and drive flawlessly for a good long while. But that means making a big payment every month for years. The alternative is to buy used, for cash, but that means having the cash in the right place at the right time, and dealing with the unknown factors of a used car. Spending more usually means getting a newer and more reliable car. The trick is finding the price point at which you trust the car, but aren’t raiding the savings account too much. But where is that level for you? Let’s look back at our four winners and you can decide.
1998 Chevrolet Lumina – $700
When you scrape the bottom of the barrel, a car’s condition matters a lot more than its appearance. This Chevy Lumina is terrifying to look at, but its seller swears up and down that it runs and drives just fine. General Motors front-wheel-drive cars from the 1990s are reliable, and cheap to keep on the road, but when they get to this age they tend to be bare-minimum transportation. Whatever niceness it might have had was worn off long ago.
If you’re willing to put in a little elbow grease cleaning it up, though, it’s not terrible. And the seller says the air conditioning works, which is a nice little bonus on a car that costs less than a good sofa. But is it just too far gone for you?
2009 Pontiac Vibe – $2,000
If you can swing two grand, you can get this second-generation Pontiac Vibe. It’s a little rough around the edges, and it has nearly 200,000 miles on it, but it’s a good runner. And it’s a Toyota design, so reliability and durability are baked right in.
If you’re looking for a $2,000 car, chances are you’re looking for an only car, so practicality matters. A small wagon like this Vibe is a great choice. It’s economical and reliable, and it can wear a lot of hats. It won’t impress anyone, but it will get you where you need to go and do what you need it to do.
2012 Mazda 5 Sport – $3,999
The price jump from $2,000 to $4,000 is a big ask, especially if you’re paying it in cash, and at first glance, the quality of the vehicle seems only slightly better. But it’s the little things that make the difference. There’s no body damage here, no warning lights on the dash, and significantly fewer miles on the odometer compared to the Pontiac above. Does that mean it will last longer? Not necessarily, but it does mean life with it will be more pleasant.
This is still not a luxury car, but it has everything you need. The biggest issue might be the sound system; I don’t see an aux port anywhere, and Bluetooth hadn’t trickled down this far in 2012. Hope you kept your CDs. Technology in cars should be easy to update; the DIN standard stereo sizes were a good thing, for that very reason. Systems like these that are all integrated into the dash may look cool, but you’re stuck with them.
2012 Volvo C70 T5 – $7,950
At $8,000, the idea of paying cash for a car is even tougher. And if you have to take out a loan for it, you need to be sure it’s worth it, and will at least hold up for the length of the loan. Volvos of this era are not quite as anvil-tough as the old 240s were, but they’re still reliable and well-built cars. This one’s retractable top mechanism adds some unnecessary complexity, but it also gives you the opportunity for some open-air thrills. Is that worth a little extra money?
As nice as it is, though, it’s still a used car with over 100,000 miles on it, and no warranty. And I know that alone makes it unacceptable to a lot of people. If you’re already getting a car loan, it might make more sense to just go with something new, or certified used, that comes with some protection.
To some degree, your choice today isn’t between these cars in particular. They’re representatives of their respective price ranges. Can you trust a car that only cost a grand? Is even $8,000 not enough to buy you peace of mind? Or is your comfort level somewhere in the middle?
Vibe just because it won’t be much of problem. And a hatchback
I’m not convinced that the 5’s twice as much commuter, errand-runner, and small-family-car as the Vibe is, and the Pontiac plus last week’s Sebring aren’t that much more expensive than the Mazda.
Any of these actually works on a price vs risk basis. A couple of gallons of Case-IH White from the Tractor Supply store and the Lumina is good to go for another decade. The Vibe just needs some kind of brake sensor tweak, likely little more than a nuisance fix. The Mazda is a lot of utility for modest money, and the Volvo looks pretty damn good.
It doesn’t look $8k good, though. The Lumina is a bit of a pig in a poke – likely a pig I can make a decent sandwich out of, but still. And I have no experience whatsoever with Mazdas.
Toyotas, though? I know Toyotas okay. Nothing about that thing scares me at all, not the age, not the mileage, not the warning lights. It’s nearly comparable utility as the Mazda for half the price, leaving plenty of room in the budge to attend to issues and still have money left over.
Vibe.
The Vibe, for Nick of course.
Voted Volvo, but that’s assuming I have the fantasy money to spend. During the times in my life in which $8K would have been a problem, I’d have gone with the Vibe. For $2K, it’s not a bad choice at all.
If I am buying an automatic commuter car then the Vibe wins, the Mazda is a close 2nd, but my drive is only 8 miles each way, so I can get a few years out of the vibe I bet and only have to pay for gas, oil, and maybe tires.
I tend to agree with Marks assessment earlier this week that the Mazda isn’t big enough to replace my want for a large utility vehicle (van/pickup/SUV). For $8k I can get a still reliable but more interesting fun car than the Volvo. The Chevy is just a little rough for my taste, but I believe that it could be reliable enough for awhile.
Volvo – Easy Choice
I’d just need to bargain him down – and then do something about those awful wheels….
Definitely the 5 by a country mile. Reasonable miles and overall condition, likely to be reliable and cheap to run for a reasonably long time. The Volvo is cool in concept, but that generation of them sucks, both to drive and too often to own, and that folding top WILL give you heartburn eventually, and probably sooner than later. The Vibe is fine, but I think the 5 is more than twice as nice so worth twice the price. I would be embarrassed to be seen anywhere near the leprous Chevy. Not even for free.
Mazda for sure. We had 2 first gens in the family, bought for Lumina kind of money and refurbished. Aftermarket radios that fit that space nicely are readily available. Should you have significant engine problems down the road – the Ford Duratech 2.5 is practically free at salvage yards and a bolt-in proposition.
Mazda by a healthy margin. It’s practical, well-priced, and is generally a good vehicle. It’s also neither white nor black, which is also a win.
The C70 is a nice car, but with the black wheels I’d be curious what other questionable mods the owner did to it. I probably wouldn’t pay over $5K for it, personally, and maybe even less. It’s a touring car, not a sports car, and the wheels also seem a bit large with short-sidewall tires to boot. They may be an original size or plus-sized. The pale tan interior is lovely though.
The Lumina is good point A to B option. For all around usefulness I went with the Mazda.
Mazda5 in a rout. I never gave up my CD’s and I know and love Crutchfield so installing a new HU is no big deal.
I’m going to be a fancy boy and go with the C70. It’s one of the least shitbox cars we’ve had on SBSD, and I think that deserves some recognition.
The Pontiac + a set of original silver 5-spoke hubcaps is still the best Vibe this week.
What happened to the Avalon??? I’m taking my ball and going home!
Gotta win your bracket to advance to the Friday Four-way Final.
Mazda seems like the best value buy there.
I voted for the Mazda due to being in better shape, but the Vibe is good too 🙂
I went for the 5. The Volvo is nice, but it costs twice as much, and really, if I’m shopping for any of these, I’m looking for reliable transportation, and the 5 can just do more. Of course this assumes I have enogh money available for any of these. If I was constrained, I would pick the one I could afford, because they’re all good at their price points.
I’d rather have the most expensive one, of course, but if I only had $700 I’d be OK with the Lumina. I’d just have to park it where no one would see it, or rattle can it real good.
None of these quite meet what I’d want for a daily (the 5 is close) so it’s the Volvo for me. It’s a bit expensive for a fun alternate car for me, but it’s the only one that meets a want or need so that’s the one I’d go with. Also it’s in pretty great shape.
Oh also, I think the aux port is down low in the Mazda5, below the shifter, probably behind the plastic flap on the right.
I decided to spring for the 5. I’d prefer a first gen Vibe (or Voltz!!1!) anyway, but the 5 and Vibe are similar-ish in size, economy, and utility, with the 5 being just a bit more funky. And there’s a 5 around here all show-car’d up with a matching lifted truck. So microvan please.
The Vibe hits the sweet spot of being cheap, but in just good enough condition that driving it wouldn’t be embarrassing.
If you bought the Lumina and sunk the $1300 difference in it, it still wouldn’t be as nice, probably.
I’m not sure the Mazda5 would be a $2k improvement.
The Volvo us just too big a leap.
Vibe for me!
Are you sure you the audio deficiencies on the Mazda, though? My family’s 2012 Mazda Sport has Bluetooth, as well as an aux port. (I believe the latter is under the CD tray, next to the cigarette lighter. I think I can see it in the image)
You could buy a cheap adapter to plug into the cigarette lighter if you just had to. That’s what I do on my Lincoln LS.
Ah I didn’t see your comment. Yeah I’m pretty sure that’s where the aux port is.