[sdilley14]

I'm looking for some opinions here. Right now I have a 2002 Jeep Liberty, 28,000 miles, moonroof, power everything. It's actually pretty damn nice. However, the gas mileage leaves something to be desired, it's RWD which I'm not crazy about, especially in the Wisconsin winter, and overall I'm just not a huge fan of how it looks. I got it because I got a great deal on it and it had super low miles. Anyways, I'm considering trading it in. I reallllllly want an Accord coupe. However, any of them that I see with decent mileage seem to be out of my price range. I found one in town here that has everything I want, it's the color I want, and they have it listed for $11,995. BUT, it has 85,000 miles. I know Hondas are known for being extremely reliable, and I'm sure this car has a lot of mileage left in it, and I know they have great resale value, especially compared to my Jeep, but would it make sense to trade in my car now that only has 28,000 miles for this? I'd pretty much be looking to trade straight up for it. Also, I'd only be looking to keep it for 2-3 years, and I drive probably 25k miles per year.

[packet of krisps]

A car with higher mileage will not be as good about conserving gas, but the Honda will do better than the Jeep, because of the size.

[Paco500]

Is there no middle ground? I would dump the jeep, cuz it's fugly, and get something else. Don't limit yourself to one car. There are a lot of nice cars out there for under $12k with a lot less than 85k miles.

[ghporter]

The Accord won't get you the mileage that a Civic would. But Honda engines are really solid and reliable. You don't mention how old the Accord is—are we looking at 89k in 7 years or 10? That would make a big difference in what sort of mileage to expect, and what sort of stuff to expect to have to fix soon. On the other hand, the Civic coupe is a very nice car. I traded my 2002 coupe last August to get my 2007 sedan, and it was only because the sedan was perfect and what I'd wanted for a long time. The Civic coupe is quick, comfortable, and responsive, and is both easy on the gas and on your pocket.

I got the opportunity to drive a Liberty last weekend. I wasn't really happy with it. Compared to my Civic, it's top heavy and sluggish. I didn't do too badly mileage-wise between San Antonio and Austin (I drove about 80 miles), but it just wasn't comfortable... I can see wanting to get into something else from that point of view alone.

[besson3c]

I found it useful to calculate fuel economy and savings via the Fuel Economy site. It's amazing how much money you can save in a year by getting a car that gets good fuel economy!

[iranfromthezoo]

I have a 2007 Ford Fusion. I bought it new off the lot for $15,000 I average around 29 mpg. It's a great car and it has been both toyota and honda is quality and reliability.

[besson3c]

It has been a Toyota and Honda? I guess that's where the "Fusion" part of its name comes from?

[rickey939]

Originally Posted by iranfromthezoo 

I have a 2007 Ford Fusion. I bought it new off the lot for $15,000 I average around 29 mpg. It's a great car and it has been both toyota and honda is quality and reliability.

The Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln MKZ (all based on same platform) are pretty damn good cars.

[design219]

Honda makes reliable vehicles, that would be a good move. Personally, I always look for lower mileage and not worry too much about the year. I think you can do better than the one you are looking at. Here are a few links from a quick search for what you want from cars.com:

Cars.com: 2001 Honda Accord EX

Cars.com: 2001 Honda Accord LX

Cars.com: 2004 Honda Accord EX

Cars.com: 2002 Honda Accord SE

Cars.com: 2003 Honda Accord EX

Cars.com: 2002 Honda Accord EX V6

Cars.com: 2002 Honda Accord EX

Cars.com: 2002 Honda Accord SE

Cars.com: 2000 Honda Accord EX

Also, try negotiating the price down a bit. It's amazing what you can do if you are polite and sincere when negotiating.

Also, get a carfax report. If you are shopping, buy the one-month unlimited title search. Carfax is not perfect, but it sure helps make a more informed opinion.

[sek929]

Even with Honda reliability you are looking at a higher mileage vehicle that WILL need basic maintenance and some parts replaced.

Personally I hate the styling of the Liberty, so I'd keep looking for a lower mileage Accord.

[sdilley14]

The Accord I'm considering is a 2004. The more I think about it the more apparent it is that it just doesn't make sense to trade what I have now for that Accord. I'm definitely going to keep looking around though.

[KeriVit]

Is the coupe the EX-V6?

You are not deep enuf to make any trade make sense.

I say, suck it up. Liberty is not so bad.

So many people are looking around right now, but realizing the dif in mpg just doesn't add up to the loss.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by iranfromthezoo 

It's a great car and it has been both toyota and honda is quality and reliability.

Could you please make more sense.

TIA.

-t

[iranfromthezoo]

Sorry, I've been away from my computer. I meant to say "it's a great car and has beat both toyota and honda in quality and reliability." My apologies.

I own the S model 2007 with 15,000 miles on it. I've had it for 9 months and I absolutely love the car. I drive the I4 mainly on the highway. I love the fact that Ford gives me a 2 years free maintenance package on my car, which means I pay nothing for oil changes, tire rotations or anything. Also when you buy the car it gives you a free MyFord website which tracks all of your vehicle information. You can pay your note, see how much you owe, see what you need on your next maintenance. The dealer also keeps track of everything done and what mileage it was done at on your car. That way it can help you on resale.

The ride is smooth and the road noise is very minimal. Much less than my F150 and explorer. I absolutely love this car. If I were you I'd recommend the SE or SEL models simply because they come with more stuff that you would want. Also as a firefighter I have seen this car wrecked and it hold very well...A GMC 2500 HD truck ran head on to a 2008 Ford Fusion and the people in the Fusion had to be cut out, but they walked away from the accident while the driver in the GMC truck died. The speed he hit them at was around 45 MPH.

This car is a great family car. I am not trying to be a salesman by all means and please don't take it as that. I believe you want something that is safe for you and your family, fun to drive, easy on the MPG's and most importantly, something you will like. I know you probably enjoy room with the liberty and I have a lot of crago/trunk space with my fusion as I did with my Explorer. I absolutely am pleased with my Fusion and can't see myself driving anything else. Just go test drive it at the dealer...for me please?

Also the new Focus' look really cool. I know weird to say that about the clown car but I do think they look good. Esp in the interior.

[stigmittens]

I'd say you were a dumbass for buying an SUV when you didn't need one in the first place. Considering resale value of SUVs have plummeted by 30-40% in the past few months, selling it would be a bad idea also.

[besson3c]

I don't know who in here was looking at an SUV, but I have to agree with Rob's sentiments. I really have a hard time seeing any wisdom in buying one especially right now...

[Eriamjh]

If you are thinking about buying a different car just to save money on gas, do your math. Your payback may not be for years.

I bought a '97 Honda del Sol 2-seater with 93K miles on it back in 2003 for $6,000. It gets 35-42MPG average (yes, I record it). It's as reliable as the sunrise, rides great, runs great, has a decent trunk, and is nice and small. The popable top is the bonus on nice days.

Mine is not dorked-out like all the pics on the web. No spoiler. No plastic trim. No crap. Just a simple, stock car that has decent power and gets fantastic mileage. Who needs a hybrid?

There was a story on CNN of a dumbass who paid $7300 for a Geo Metro that supposedly gets 40mpg. Since his other car got 28mpg, if he sold it for $3500, he just spent $3800 to save money on gas. To "save" $3800 in gas at 40mpg compared to 28mpg, he will have to drive 88667 miles at $4/gallon. At 15K miles per year, it will take him 6 years just to break even. Stupid!

Don't be stupid! Don't spend money to save money without knowing your break-even timeframe. It's probably cheaper to hold on to your SUV then spend more money to get a different car just to save on gas.

You gotta buy what you NEED, vehicle-wise. If you need a pickup, buy one. If you need an SUV, buy one. Most people don't NEED a four-wheel-drive full-size pickup every day, but they buy one because they think they need one. Then they are forced to drive it to work every day paying for 12mpg gas. Whatever you buy, be prepared to pay for the cost of owning it.