I need suggestions for a sedan with adequate rear seat room for legitimate adults (6 foot tall) that doesn't suck to drive, is reasonably reliable and can be bought used for about $5K. Decent gas mileage (20+mpg) would be nice.
Ideas?
I need suggestions for a sedan with adequate rear seat room for legitimate adults (6 foot tall) that doesn't suck to drive, is reasonably reliable and can be bought used for about $5K. Decent gas mileage (20+mpg) would be nice.
Ideas?
E39 with a manual?
More than just adequate rear seat room, enormous rear seat room in this choice...
2007 Ford Five Hundred 3.0L fwd sedan
The wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Five_Hundred
What should be noted:
Introduced for 2005. In that year and for 2006 the fwd and awd models got 3.0L and cvt trans. The cvt trans is CRAP. For 2007 the fwd got a 6 speed auto and awd stayed cvt.
For the 2008 model the name was changed to Taurus. The engine grew to 3.5L and fwd and awd got the 6 speed auto.
Sure, the 2008s are nice but as a savy shopper...everyone avoids the name Ford Five Hundred due to the cvt, but for one year, 2007 they solved the problem on just the fwd versions. Let the reputation of bad trans drive down the price of every Ford Five Hundred and know to only shop for a 2007 model year.
For the 2007 model with the small 3.0L the mpg rating is 19/21/26
For the 2008 model with the larger 3.5L the mpg rating is 18/22/28
Fun to drive...not as much. This one really shines in the rear seat dept which is the criteria you highlighted.
There's also a Mercury version, the Montego that no one knows about. 2007 w/ asking $1,500
I've posted this a bunch on here. 04-07 TSX's are amazing cars. Considered by many to be the last Acura with soul before Acura went more soft. Once they get @220k miles the timing chain tensioner teeth wear down & at cold startup the timing skips. We found ours for $1400 with skipped timing & it happened in the garage. Anyway 230k miles & it had a full $1500 Mugen suspension. Got a JDM K24A & an auto trans for $1,000 plus timing set. We have an amazing family sedan for @$3,000. Fun to drive? Definitely.
The best panther platform ford you can find for the price (crown vic, grand marquis, marauder, etc) Ive owned $500 ex cop crown vics, $2500 crown vic sports and a marauder and all were just tremendously enjoyable, easy to maintain and suitable for hauling adults. Prices of everything are stupid right now but your budget should get you something quite presentable and reliable.
Agreed, Panther chassis like this Grand Marque '04 w/106k asking $4,700 and the ad has been up for 4 weeks. This leads me to believe there could be room to drive the price down. If $5k is the new $3k in the used market then this car is already under $5k and might even be able to get closer to $4k (or less!)
How much Avalon can you get for that kind of money?
'03 and up Infiniti M45? Not sure what mpg they can attain but plenty of room and comfort and they're all north of 300 hp..
Any of the Buicks (Century, LeSabre, LaCrosse, etc.) worth a look?
Panthers obviously.
Caprices too, although 5k doesn't buy as much as you think there anymore
What about first gen CTS sedans with the V6? I'm looking for something similar in the next couple of weeks, but don't have the rear leg room or "fun" needs, just easy to work on and reliable. Infiniti G35's and Lexus IS's fall into that range, but may not cover your rear seat legroom needs.
-Rob
mdshaw said:I've posted this a bunch on here. 04-07 TSX's are amazing cars. Considered by many to be the last Acura with soul before Acura went more soft. Once they get @220k miles the timing chain tensioner teeth wear down & at cold startup the timing skips. We found ours for $1400 with skipped timing & it happened in the garage. Anyway 230k miles & it had a full $1500 Mugen suspension. Got a JDM K24A & an auto trans for $1,000 plus timing set. We have an amazing family sedan for @$3,000. Fun to drive? Definitely.
Not gonna have the rear seat room he's looking for.
This one will be tough. I'm imagining that your rear seat requirement is for more than just 10 minute trips.
My first pick is a SAAB 9-5. It will be reasonably reliable, but if it fails, it will be catastrophic. 30+MPG highway if you get the Arc, stickshift, and a car that everyone who has had one for any amount of time ends up loving to an inexplicable degree.
Second pick would be the Lexus LS400. It isn't going to be fun in the sense of a Miata, but that engine is one of the best ever made if not the best ever made, it is RWD, and it will be as reliable as anything as old as it is.
Ask John about the Infiniti options. G will probably be too small in the back.
Pontiac G8s may be getting down into that price range, at least for the 6 cylinder. I don't remember the back seat though.
A different approach, with bad gas mileage, would be a Trailblazer SS or 9-7x Aero. Not sure if they're in that price range, but it'd be worth a look.
The answer is still Passat. We just took mine on a 200 mile trip this weekend with 4 adults and allll of our stuff (the women-folk packed heavy and shopped all weekend in Asheville)
Big brakes, rowdy VR6, 26 mpg highway, AWD, and comfortable.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/373621904428276/
Or stretch the budget a bit and really enjoy the drive. These things are amazing machines.
KyAllroad said:https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/373621904428276/
Or stretch the budget a bit and really enjoy the drive. These things are amazing machines.
But what are they like to maintain ?
In reply to dannyp84 :
Interesting/cheap/reliable
pick 2
The given criteria are:
6ft rear seat
Fun
Reliable
$5k
20+ mpg
Does manual trans equal fun? If so... Scion xB Gen2 Samples out your way. Sample #1 and Sample #2
These have a reliable 2.4L shared with the Camry. The back seat is significant.
One of the only places to still find good deals in this new and crazy market is non-sporty cars with manual transmissions. So few buyer know how or are willing to drive a manual trans resulting in non-sporty, manual trans cars selling very slow. And, slow selling can often be turned into a lower price.
stroker said:Any of the Buicks (Century, LeSabre, LaCrosse, etc.) worth a look?
Yes - I was going to say GM W-body when I saw the list of requirements. They've depreciated down to almost nothing, have decent rear leg room, and are the epitome of the saying that a GM car will run badly longer than most cars will run at all. Used to have a Regal with the supercharged 3800, which was able to hold its own against the Mustang GTs in the same year range in a straight line. A naturally aspirated one would get better mileage; some will post low 30s on the highway. Worth noting that the Regal / Century is a shorter wheelbase than the Pontiac Grand Prix, and the Grand Prix's seats are about an inch or two thinner, meaning the Pontaic version will get you a bit more leg room. The LeSabre / Park Avenue is going to have even more back seat room at the expense of weight.
Although when my Regal was starting to wear out, I went with Kyle's suggestion and bought a Passat. Somewhat of a newer year range than what Kyle's thinking of, and with a TDI instead of a VR6, but they have some pretty good rear leg room.
Its Panther, Lexus LS/GS, or maybe the Infiniti M45 if you can find one in your range.
In reply to MadScientistMatt :
Head room in a Grand Prix (the one I am thinking of was a 99) is very poor, it would not work for 6 foot people in the back seat.
As far as what I would suggest, a W210 Mercedes would possibly work, I would say either a 98-99 E300 turbodiesel or a 2000-03 E430 sport.
BMW E60
Infinity M35, Lexus lx400 or GS
GM probably has some interesting stuff too from Cadillac
If you can get a mid 2000s Camry for that price, they have large back seats. I wouldn't say they are fun, but they are not as bad as I expected. Same for the Avalon. The 3.5 V6 rips. But prices are probably crazy now.
I think you could get a nice panther for that price. I've never driven one (!), so I can't comment on the fun factor, but at least you get RWD.
I would also be looking for a Mazda 6. The last gen is pretty big inside and is fun to drive. Not sure if the prices have gotten that low though.
+1 on the Ford Five Hundred idea.
Chevrolet Impala. Powerful V6, good fuel economy, plenty of room front and back.
Honorable mention to Passat and Grand Marquis.
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