Whats the Best You Moms Have Had??

You can't go wrong with a Honda or Toyota....they will last forever. I had a car accident a few years ago and my little Corolla was totaled so I decided I needed a big SUV to keep me safe, so I bought a Ford Expedition. DO NOT BUY THIS CAR!!! Type in "spark plug ejection" in google, and you will see why. I sold the car and ended up getting a Nissan Xterra, which is what I drive now. I have never had a problem with it and was lucky enough to find it on Craigslist from the original owner (I couldn't afford to get a car with a monthly payment either). Happy hunting!

I just got a toyota carolla. on some article it was ranked #2 in one the cheapest cars to maintain. Everyone who I told I got that car said it was a great choice and that the car will last forever. I've only had it 5 months and I bought brand new, but I LOVE it! I'm pretty sure I will stick w/toyota when I need another one!

Hondas really are the best because they will run forever. You can get between 200,000 and 300,000 miles on an engine. That means you can get a Honda that is a little bit older and a lot less expensive and it's still a really good deal.

After reading your previous post I would recommend that, no matter what car you are settling on, ask to take it to have it looked at by an independent mechanic. Take it to a station and have them look it over thoroughly and hook it up to a diagnostic computer to catch any potential glitches. It might cost you a couple of hundred bucks, but with a used car especially one coming from a place that self finances, it will save you a world of heartache and a ton of money in the long run.

Hope this helps,

L.

I will never buy anything but a Honda for the rest of my life. I currently have a Honda Pilot with 175,000 miles on it and not one single problem, ever.

I am in love with my Subaru Forester..Subaru's are the best cars in the world!

the best car we ever had was a mazda at 350k it was still going strong and bearly ever had to do repairs.... the only reason it died when it did was because we hit a deer with it.

the second best was a cavalier. I loved that car!! It was good on gas, didn't need alot of repairs. I bought is used at 12 yrs old and i kept it for another 8 years.

We have a 2000 GMC van with 200+K and still going strong.
We also have a Prius that we just got and we love.
My hubby is pining for another GMC Sierra, in time. His other one died after 250K and only because the transmission went out. It was a '95.

The best vehicles in my opinion are foreign made. I have owned American made and have always gone back to the foreign made, ALWAYS! American made vehicles IMO are just not made the same. I would try and find a Honda or Toyota as they will last the longest. I have a 98 Toyota, it has 120K+ miles on it and it is still going strong. It is 14 years old! Foreign vehicles also hold their value a lot longer. VW are good too (I've owned 3 with no problems) but they will cost you more for repairs in the event of a needed repair. Hope this helps!

Honda's...

we have a CR-V right now and love it.
we had a Prelude and gave it to my nephew - it's not almost 20 years old and still running like a champ.
my parents are on their 3rd CRV - won't think of owning anything else.

It depends on how much cash you have now and how much room you have in the budget for payments.
If you have $1000 now, but no wiggle room in the budget, I would go with a cash car. Take a mechanic and go to a car auction. You can get great deals, but it's important you have a mechanic check the car out 1st.
If you finance, you also have to factor in full coverage insurance. If you only have $500 today, but think you could swing $400 a month pretty easily, then you could get a newer car. With bad credit you will usually need a big downpayment or a co-signer.
I have a Mazda and couldn't be happier.

Honda's no question.

I see lots of people recommending cars that are probably not in your budget.
I totally understand that frustration.
We bought a 2004 Nissan Quest (van) for cash.
I don't know if we were just blessed w/ a great deal or if what we paid is the going rate...but it has been a good vehicle for us.
Dig around on the internet. That is how we found ours.
We could not have taken on a payment-there are decent cars out there that will allow you to avoid that situation.
HTH!

We love our Jeep Grand Cherokee. But how many kids do you need to seat? I can get 3 car seats in the back but as the kids get older/bigger it wont fit 3 kids as comfortable. But we love it, and its the 2nd one weve owned. We did also have a Durango for a long time. I loved the size, and the room in back with the 3 seat, but it was a real pain to have to fold up the middle seat to get in and out of the back. Rarely had to do that but still,, It sucked up gas something terrible. We did have some trouble ith it after a few years and it needed some repair at least once a year costing about $500, but that was just once a year as where a payment would be that much every month. We traded it in for something else that my husband loves and I hate and I still get misty when I pass a Durango on the road, and wish we still had it,,but not the gas bill.

We loved our Hyundai Tuscon. We always pay cash for our cars but I know not everyone is able to. I say, if you can, do cash versus payments.

I looked on your profile to learn something about you. How many kids do you have? How old are they?

If you have three or fewer kids, then the corolla or honda are good deals. The Haundai (sp?) is a good deal and very in expensive. But it depends on how many you need to seat.

My son has a Mazda mini-van (FWD, 7 passenger) and loves it. He gets great fuel economy (27). He bought it used and paid less than $5000 for a 2002 or 3 model last year.

Good luck to you and yours.