Used Cars: USED CARS/RECOMMEND BRANDS, buick park avenue, wheel drive cars

Question
LET ME JUST SAY THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!
HELLO, YOU HAVE BEEN GREAT AT ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS THUS FAR AND WONDERED IF I COULD PESTER YOU AGAIN? MY USED CAR SEARCH IS FINALLY STARTING TO GET UNDER WAY NOW...I MANAGED TO GET SOME MONEY TOGETHER TO JUST BUY A USED ONE FOR CASH. I HAVE HAD GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH HYUNDAI AND HAVE BEEN VERY RELIABLE. I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO BE ABLE TO BUY SOMETHING WITH NEWER AND LESS MILES BUT I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY FOR THAT. I WONDER IF BUYING A HIGH MILEAGE CAR IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO? BUT IF AFTER GETTING A MECHANIC TO CHECK IT AND THE CARFAX IS CLEAR...I WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO. BUT, I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD RECOMMEND ANY OTHER CARS THAT PERFORM/RELIABLE (BESIDES NORMAL WEAR TEAR OFCOURSE) THAT ARE HIGH MILES. 60K-85K MILES. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BUICKS? I SEE A DECENT 97 USED BUICK PARK AVENUE. KIND OF A BIG CAR FOR ME...BUT LOOKS ALRIGHT. ANY IDEAS/THOUGHTS?

Answer
Hello V. Its funny you mentioned a buick. That is (in my opinion)one of the best vehicles to buy with higher mileage. For a couple different reasons. They are very dependable even with over 150k miles.Also when they do need repairs you can buy used parts and save a lot of money. General Motors uses the same engine and transmission set-up in the Park Ave's, Grand Prix, Lesabre, Regal,and even some minivans. So getting parts is simple. The engine is a 3.8 liter v6 some refer to it as the "3800". The only problem you make run into with this motor is the "Intake Manifold Gaskets" can wear out and start to leak, about a $400 repair if it should happen. Always ask if the gaskets have been replaced on these engines. If it has thats good it is a one time fix most generally. I like the GM front wheel drive cars built after 2003.  The Ford Taurus is also a fine car but only after 2002. Before that they had a lot of transmission troubles. As you can see i like the domestic vehicles in your situation. If you had more $$ to work with there are a lot of very nice and dependable cars out there but with high price tags.  I think you would like a Buick and you'll get more for your money with a domestic.
Good Luck and Take Care, Shane