A car dealer’s scientific guide to the 10 worst used vehicles

Yahoo ^ | 1/17/2014 | Yahoo

[cicero2k]

Quality is something we all want when it comes to cars, especially older used ones. But how do we get it?

I have been studying this question in one form or another for nearly 14 years now. I began my automotive career as a car dealer, buying and selling hundreds of vehicles a year. As time went on, I became an auto auctioneer, a remarketing manager and a part-owner of a wholesale auto auction.

[Finny]

I liked little stick four-bangers on narrow winding mountain roads (in the general neighborhood of Hearst Castle on the California Central Coast). Used to also drive them with the top down on 1967 and 1968 Mustang 3-speed V8s, the most wonderful, beautiful cars in the world. *sigh*

The Capri sounds like a gas. I still drive a stick. In the city, it's probably the best insurance against having the vehicle stolen!

[Finny]

Don't feel bad. My first car was a four-dour baby blue and white '64 Rambler three-speed stick with the gear shift on the steering column.

Ah, the indignities we suffered as teens! {^)

[GOPJ]

Now then, if the author had taken a list of 25 “top sellers” and rated them for how they rank as used cars, THAT would be some seriously helpful info.

Good idea...

[Vendome]

Camarillo baby!!!

Favorite restaurant is still Robins.

Road trip!!!

[Straight Vermonter]

...could take a beating like a female protagonist in a Lifetime made-for-tv movie...

You win post of the day.

[Slump Tester]

My girlfriend had a 88 she bought new. It was a total lemon that nickle and dimed her to death. The rotor was rubbing by 80,000. Total POS. You guys who like your RX’s got very lucky.

[Slump Tester]

"I’m guessing it’s been a while since anybody traded in a Vega, Pinto, or Gremlin, LOL."

Cash for clunkers probably finished them off.

[FXRP]

I bought a 98 Camry with 41,000 miles for $4K a couple years ago. No problems yet.

[nascarnation]

I checked the list but didn’t find any.
http://jalopnik.com/5369762/the-full-list-of-every-cash-for-clunkers-trade+in

[Wuli]

I am certainly not here to promote Chevrolet or Ford - preferring Toyota myself - $ value for the price point; BUT actually according to the graph you showed, Ford and Chevrolet were not as much “trash” as more than 20 other brands. In fact the graph places them in 8th and 9th spots in the top ten. Yes, being in the bottom of the top ten is not a “great” showing, but all things being relative, both would still appear to be “better” than any of the European makes, in how well they hold up.

[AppyPappy]

I got a 2002 Cavalier coupe (5 speed) for my son and he didn’t want it so I took it. He bought his own car. 1998 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe (5 sp).
Cavaliers run forever. The roads are full of them but they are useless in the snow.

[1010RD]

What do you pay usually?

[1010RD]

Those Park Avenues are sleepers. Nobody thinks twice about them and you got a bargain. Great car.

[1010RD]

Which colors? They’re being sold to China, from what I’ve heard.

[1010RD]

My first experience with a Toyota Hi-Lux 4 door was in El Salvador many moons ago. I feel in love with it. You could not stop it. Great vehicle. I wondered for a long time why this car wasn’t available in America.

[Focault's Pendulum]

Don’t forget Chevy Vegas!

What a piece of crap that was. Aluminum block which seized the engine if it over heated.

My brother had one. Brought it back to the dealer twice. Turned out the thermostat was defective.

[NorthMountain]

>> No matter what car/truck/SUV one drives, remember: maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. Fix the small, inexpensive stuff before it becomes big, expensive stuff.

Preach it, brother. That's the True Gospel of owning a car. Neglected maintenance will carve tens of thousands of miles of life off your vehicle.

[jjotto]

May be, but US sales and demand are at record and increasing levels.

[1010RD]

Apparently, the Chinese cannot get enough of them and they’re being exported from the West coast. A friend of mine has a buying club doing just that.

[jjotto]

Very interesting indeed.

Although I can tell you sales and demand are way up for locals in places like Des Moines and Omaha.