Need "new" car.

[CapLock]

Ford Taurus SHO has some pep. Big, comfortable, AWD, and the resale is garbage. Can get a pretty low mileage car for your budget.
They didn't put this engine in the mustang because it would have been too close to the v8.

[Great-Kazoo]

get him beater for a first vehicle. We gave our daughter the 72 gmc farm truck as 1st vehicl, which she didn't want to drive. Till she was sitting at a light during the snow. Got rear ended exited the truck to see what damage was there, only to see the car that hit her was crushed back to the radiator . The 72, some paint off the bumper.
With a beater there's no serious issues if there's a fender bender, or it lunches a piston.

[ray1970]

So, just to clarify, the “new” vehicle is for you and the Yaris will be handed down to the kid?

[BushMasterBoy]

I bought a gently used white 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis for $4000 last month. Still has new car smell. Has 53K miles. Interior nearly perfect, leather seats. Dark tinted windows. Added a 40'000 BTU trans cooler and coil springs. New tires shocks etc. Now I'm nearly $6K into it,insurance is 240 bucks a year. Looks like a cop car. Gas mileage sucks, 19 city/25 hiway. Power everything...even power adjust brake and gas pedal. 4.6L V8 with overhead cams and fuel injection is easy to service and plenty of parts available. I wish I could have found a Crown Victoria Police Interceptor with low mileage...but you can't always get what you want. The alloy wheels are made in Italy. It sold for $27'000 in 2001. I have the original window sticker. I see a few low mileage on Craigs for twice what I paid, the newer ones are flex fuel. Not sure if I made the right choice, but I really like driving it. Now if I can just find some body armor plates for it...and maybe a rack for an AR!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Panther_platform

[Zundfolge]

W123 Mercedes Diesel. No its not quick, nor fast but its comfortable and borderline indestructible (and can run on waste oil if the SHTF).

[Erni]

Sorry for late reply, been on my roof all day spackling, caulking, priming and painting.
Car is for me, not the boy.

Zund, I had a 123 before in brick burnt orange, kind of over that car.

I will have to look at a subaru. Smaller turbo engine might be the way to get pep and milage.

[BushMasterBoy]

I drove a 2015 VW Jetta TDI diesel last week. Friend of mine bought it from a dealer. I changed the oil on it, which was kind of a bitch. You have to remove 11 screws to remove a cover. But it drove really nice. Performance was on par with a gas powered car. 6 speed manual w/ 2 liter turbo charged diesel. They paid just under 12K with 51k miles on it. 100,000 mile warranty on engine only. I guess VW is desperate to sell these reprogrammed diesels. This Jetta is loaded and comes with Sirius satellite radio.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksw...ssions_scandal

[Jer]

Crazy coincidence; I just posted up my beloved 2011 Kia Optima SX turbo the other day to Craigslist for $5.00 under your target budget. It matches all of your parameters save for AWD which I would personally say is unnecessary & adds more maintenance & cost when get into higher mileage plus lowers MPG.

I bought it new & for 100k miles now we've never had a single problem. It's got features & options you still don't find on cars today. I already miss the vented/cooled seats and heated front and rear seats will be awesome in the coming months. For under $15k you won't find a better car & I firmly believe that. We hate selling it & know we're going to miss it. It's been the best car we've owned in a long list.

I'm not too far away & have title in-hand.

[hurley842002]

Crazy coincidence; I just posted up my beloved 2011 Kia Optima SX turbo the other day to Craigslist for $5.00 under your target budget. It matches all of your parameters save for AWD which I would personally say is unnecessary & adds more maintenance & cost when get into higher mileage plus lowers MPG.

I bought it new & for 100k miles now we've never had a single problem. It's got features & options you still don't find on cars today. I already miss the vented/cooled seats and heated front and rear seats will be awesome in the coming months. For under $15k you won't find a better car & I firmly believe that. We hate selling it & know we're going to miss it. It's been the best car we've owned in a long list.

I'm not too far away & have title in-hand.

Those cars are pretty slick, my wife looked at one a few years back, but she ended up with a VW Jetta (she has a thing for Jetta's).

[Jer]

Those cars are pretty slick, my wife looked at one a few years back, but she ended up with a VW Jetta (she has a thing for Jetta's).

If you would've told me before driving one that I'd trade my 2-year-old Audi for a Kia I would've told you you were crazy. It seriously made my German-made A4 feel like a rattle trap though. Man I love this car. Come drive it & you'll be amazed by how much car $15k can buy you.