Tips on Buying Cars: Buying a used car, chevy lumina, mid size sedans

Question
Hey

I am a college graduate (as of this may) and am looking to buy a used car to replace my 84 Ford Tempo (I know, ridiculous, right).  I don't have a ton of cash to shell out what with student loans to repay and all but need to know what you think would be the best, most reliable, and most affordable car (4 door sedan - nothing special) that you would recommend.  I live in CT and am hoping to spend under 3 grand...any suggestions?

Thanks,
Bryce C.

Answer
Wow Bryce! An 84' Tempo?  Sounds like you know how to get your money's worth out of a car.  
Well congratulations on your graduation and I wish you luck in the job market.

In the under $3,000 catigory you may find some slim pickins as far as a good reliable sedan, but there are some choices.

First of all, you might as well focus on private owner vehicles as a dealer will sell a $3k car all day long for $5k, simply because people will pay it (and they will finance it).

Some cars that come to mind are late 90's Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable.  These are good bets as long as the only engine considered is the 3.0 "U" code V-6 and the transmission has already been replaced or rebuilt.  Make sure the cooling systems have been properly maintained and that the heat and air work.  

I'm also fond of the late 90's Chevy Lumina, Buick Regal and Century and Pontiac Grand Prix.  Again, if they are well maintained and everything works, they are good for 200,000 miles or more.  These GM cars also happen to get great gas mileage for their size,,better than the Taurus and close to what the 4 cyl Japanise brands deliver.  If I had to choose between all the GM, mid size sedans it would have to be one of the Buicks.  Not the most stylish things on the road but alot of car for the money.  
My daily driver is an '04 Impala which is simply an updated version of these other GM cars.  I get 21 in the city and 31 on the road.  At 68k miles, I have only had to replace the brake pads and tires.  

Of course, the old standbyes for reliability and gas mileage in a sedan are the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.  Yes, they will run forever, but you are unlikely to find a decent one in that price range that has less than 150k miles on it and to me, they've just never been very confortable.

Though I'm not a big SUV fan, the 90's Jeep Cherokee was a solid, reliable vehicle and they're not to bad on gas compared to most others. Just make sure that you only consider the 4.0 6 cyl.  The truck and the engine are very old designs, but do run forever and are plentiful in your price range.

There is one more suggestion that I will make that will sound odd, but I happen to own one.  The 1993-1995 Acura Legend was one of the best sedans ever built.  My wife's 94 has 180k and has has never experienced an unexpected failure.  If you can get one of these that has been well maintained, they will run for 300k plus.  They have alot of interior and trunk space, more style than a Honda or Toyota and every luxury feature that you could ever wish for.  The really neat thing is that they get about 17-20 mpg in town and will blow the doors off of every other car that I've mentioned.  You may have to spend another grand or two to get a decent one, but believe me, it is worth it.

Good luck and I sure would appreciate your feedback.
 Also, I'd love to know what you end up with!


PS: Bryce,  make sure that whatever you buy is checked out by someone who knows what they're doing.  It may cost you $100 but is most definately money well spent.  I cannot count the number of people who have failed to do this and then contact me wondering what to do about a bad deal.