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I have about $7000 to buy a car in august...what should I expect from the houston area?

It will be my first car, so im not looking for anything fancy. What brands are best? I've always heard that Honda's are amazing. Ive been looking on auto trader and craigslist and it seems to be that ill be able to get a 2002-2005, depending on mileage and make and stuff like that. Is 80,000 (mostly highway) miles too much for a $7000 2004 car? I'm really just looking for advice. Also, can someone explain to me how highway miles are "so much better" for your car than just city miles in general? is it because the car isnt stopping and starting constantly? Thanks for the advice!!

Public Comments

1. You should always try to buy locally and in cash to a private seller if u have the money it's better not to get in debt. U should determined the mileage for any car by the year. For example, that 2004 should have between 40 to 60 thousand miles for it to have low miles. Every year a car averages 10-15 thousand miles runned that is how you can determined if it has low miles. But 80k mi. is still very good. The engine has plenty of life. If it says highway miles really makes no difference the car was runned for 80 thousand miles anyway, but as long as it has low miles it's all good. You should always think about how long you will own the car and how many miles you will add during that period. So any car you buy you will still be able to sell it with good miles and not excessive amount of miles that you will not be able to sell for a good amount of money. Also, if buying a economical car on gas always go with imports such as:Honda, mitsubishi, nissan, and toyota. These are low maintenance vehicles. One good tip craigslist.org is a good source to search for cheap local vehicles, but lookout for the ads who are to listing not that old cars for a very cheap and want to you to pay through ebay those sound to me like scams. Hope this helps!!
2. I'll start with an easy one. The expectation is that a car will be driven between 12,000 - 15,000 miles per year. If the mileage is higher, the price of the car should be reduced by $.03-$.05 cents per mile. For 2004, 80,000 miles is high. As an example, a 2004 Honda Civic DX 4-dr sedan with manual transmission would have a mileage adjustment of around -$1300 because of the excess mileage. You should be able to buy this vehicle for just over $7000 from an individual or about $8000 from a dealer. Taxes & tages would be added to the purchase price. You are close on your assessment of highway vs city. City driving adds additional wear on brakes and transmissions but I wouldn't call them "so much better." Better yes, but not by a hugh amount. Best brands depends on what your needs are. Fuel efficiency, safety, reliability, appearance are factors that determine "best" for an individual but "best" for me is likely different from "best" for you. Here are two excellent resources to help you answer the question about which is best for you. Consumer Reports publishes a Used Car buying guide that is full of info on cars, buying tips, etc. If your library does not have a copy, you can order it for about $12 from Consumer Reports including shipping. I think you can access this same info if you are an online subscriber but there is so much info I find the printed version easy to use. You can probably identify 4 or more alternative choices from the Consumer Reports all of which would be excellent choices based on your needs. Once you identify the make, model, and year use the edmunds.com "cost of ownership" model to compare all the choices. This will provide an estimate of the cost to own considering depreciation, insurance, taxes, finance cost, repairs, maintenance. With this background info, test drive a model of each vehicle and rate them for comfort, performance, etc. Based on the "appeal" of each to you and knowing the relative cost to own, you can make a wise choice. You are on the right approach but it is impossible to provide all the info you should have in an answer here. Good luck and happy shopping!