thinking of replacing my aging jeep , although it is in prime condition for an 01 model. tired of the bad gas mileage & i do not need the 4 wheel drive capability as i used to .
the choices i have looked at are :
subaru outback , saab ( not sure which model , but don't need an suv type )
& pontiac vibe .
had a used subaru once ...good ,tough car . the prices in my territory are not kind . and i have noticed a good many have had head gasket problems , like mine had , AND it seems like a lot of blown motors ! still haven't ruled them out .
the saab's in around model years 03, 06 are reasonably priced , in the $3000-$4000 range . AND most are in very good condition . i know they are quality cars . had a friend who bought saab's many times and swore by them . just wondering , are parts really expensive and are they hard to get ? do they run a long time without major problems ? advise me if u know .
pontiac vibe ... reasonably priced and have been told they have toyota motors & drive trains . they seem a bit on the small size but gas mileage should be good . have never driven one so i draw a blank here . need help on this one too.
the only other possibility is the pontiac torrent . good or bad ? not a bad lookin ride but again i draw a blank in knowledge about this model .
if there is some positives about the sabb , longivity , replacement parts price , not sky high labor costs , i might be leaning toward this one .
i have driven my friends saab's ( they were about 200-2003 models , before he moved away ) and they were fun to drive with the turbo and had a quality feel about them .
ok . in no hurry to buy . will consider your knowledge strongly . THANKS !

Saab is out of business, and the price of parts is going higher every day. My sister drove them for years, and they were very good, but she finally gave up and bought a Honda CRV. The Pontiac Vibe I borrowed for a week was an excellent vehicle, peppy, good on gas and fun to drive. My wife's Toyota Avalon is approaching 180.000 miles, is very reliable and comfortable, and repairs have been almost nil.

You can't go wrong with a Subaru Outback. It is highly rated
by Consumer Reports, and it holds its value.

My sister owns a Subaru with over 300,000 miles.

She spends about $1,200 each year for repairs/replacement parts.

My 2000 Toyota 4 runner has over 200,000 miles and has needed less than $2,000 in repairs: a fuel pump and a water pump.

Of course, it has needed new tires and oil changes.

My brother ran his own auto repair business for 35 years. He really liked fixing BMWs, which needed a bit of fixing, but were eminently fixable. He wasn't so fond of SAABs. His advice was, if you want a car that will go a lot of miles without costing a lot to repair, your best chance will be with a Toyota.

__________________
Not in jail.

It's hard to beat the reliability of a Toyota. They just keep going.

__________________
H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Give the Dodge Magnum a look, you might like it. Built from 2005-2008, available with V6 and V8 engines as well as 4WD.

I sure would like a SRT model.

Dodge Magnum - Wikipedia

__________________
Jorge

Please don't buy a Saab. We don't want to listen to your Saab stories.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

BOOOO HISSSS

__________________
SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

The Vibe was basically the same as the Toyota Matrix. They were jointly developed by GM and Toyota. The Matrix continued in production for a few years after Pontiac shut down, so you might find a larger selection of used Matrixes (Matrices?).

I own a 2013 Outback with 30,000 miles. No problems so far.

__________________
What, me worry?

I will not buy any car or truck that has a turbo. They will go bad and can cost a bunch when they do go bad.
I bought an 06 Impala with the 3.9 v6 with 191,000 miles on it. It just turned 200,000 and gets around 24 mpg just running around locally. The Chevy 3.5 and 3.9 v6 engines just keep on running and get very good gas mileage.

Please, do not buy a SAAB. As a professional mechanic, I am telling you...

Toyotas are fine cars, reliable as the day is long. I am told that any Toyota with a timing belt is a non interference engine. Pop on a new belt and go. Subaru is not like that. Nor is Honda. If you do not live in the mountains, the 4 cylinder version is more economical.

If you're seeing a lot of Subarus with blown engines, I'll bet they're all the WRX models and were driven by guys who all want to be Jeff Gordon. Subaru engines are very durable and certainly not prone to exploding.

I put 280,000 miles on my Subaru before I gave it away 7 years ago. They are still driving it.

Yes, Subarus bring a high price. They hold their value better than most cars I see.

__________________
Freedom isn't free.

A friend had a Pontiac Vibe. One of nastier, roughest engines I've had to listen to. Possibly 2nd to the Jeep Compass rental I had recently.

__________________
Common sense isn't so common.

Looking at your criteria...

10+ y/o small used car
Reliable
Good gas mileage

Sounds like a Toyota Corolla to me.

I bought a 2005 Vibe for my kids first car. It has 280,000 miles on it and ran like a top while averaging 30mpg. Sold it last year when we upgraded her with a better car for college. It had 330,000 on it and running strong. That thing wasn't burning a drop of oil and the drive train still had lots left in it. Kind of wish I would have kept it.

In 1990, I bought a new VW Jetta. I loved that car. It had splendid road manners, and was a rapier in traffic. I took road trips, pulled dirt bikes with it, and commuted to work. With the right tires and wheels, it was brilliant in snow. In ten years, I put 250,000 miles on it. Without a brother in the business, I could not have done that. It needed a lot of attention, and a replacement transmission at about 150K.

A Corolla could outrun it in a straight line.

__________________
Not in jail.

I retired as a mechanic, I only worked at dealerships and racing teams during my "tenure" I'm now retired and my Wife drives a 2010 Toyota FJ cruiser and I drive a 2014 Subaru Forester. I've seen the good and bad of a lot of different brands, my choices in vehicles should give you an idea of what I think will be reliable. I'm retired (said that already) and even though I have a hoist in my shop, I don't work on cars except the occasional oil change.

Keep in mind Motor Trend and Car and Driver say Jeeps bring 81% of sticker 5 years out. You may get back all or most of your money for your Jeep. You probably won't be that lucky on any of the vehicles you mentioned. Nothing manufactured came within 20% of the Jeep. I bought a 14,15,and a 16 and only paid the difference in sticker prices.

I think they are boring, but I have had three toyotas in a row and all have been 100% reliable. None ever burned oil (a real pet peeve of mine), the previous two were both well over 100k when disposed of (the truck (pre-tacoma) was hit and not worth repairing so I traded it in and got a corolla, and the corolla I gave to my mom, who then totaled it when she hit a 5-point buck). My current camery is only at 80k.

Now, for handling and thrills, the toyotas have all been meh. But I'm not a car guy, all I want is dependable, utilitarian, and reasonably safe and reasonably comfortable.

I'm a glutton for punishment. I've had a 2005 Saab 9-3 for 6 months now. It craves my attention. Very demanding vehicle to maintain. But it was dirt cheap, there's online support for all the quirky bugs, and most important I love driving it. Just my 2¢

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

I bought a used Saab 9000 back in the mid 1990s and it was a black 5 speed with the pull-open sun roof and was really fun to drive. I only had a few simple problems with it but when I visited my mechanic he said "I hate it when I see you pulling up in that car!" I had it a few years with no big problems but my mechanic scared me enough to get rid of it. He said it is REALLY weird how they are put together.

Our little 2009 Toyota Yaris is a dependable, zippy little car that has gotten up to 40mpg on the highway.

__________________
Keep on Chooglin'

Until four years ago I had a 2002 Honda CR-V which I bought used in 2004. I put 120K miles on it with no mechanical problems whatsoever. I sold it ONLY because my wife got tired of it, and she also wanted a car that was closer to the ground and would be easier for her very elderly mother (106 at present) to get into and out of than the Honda. A new 2012 Mazda 5 fit the bill. No problems with it so far.

If you don't like Honda's, buy a Toyota. If you don't like Toyota's, buy a Honda.

Can't go wrong with any well maintained Toyota. I have 2 Subaru's non-turbo, that needed head gaskets at 80K. Have an '03 Ford Ranger that I bought 2 years ago for $3k. I have put 20K on it and so far so good. Here they are bullet proof. Love the thing. Simple vehicle, nothing to break on it...

Sent from my XT1034 using Tapatalk

Forgot to add, the Subaru's are a blast to drive...

Sent from my XT1034 using Tapatalk

Subaru's engines were completely redesigned for the 2011 model year eliminating two of their three biggest issues; head gasket failures and timing belts. The new engines use a timing chain and the entire head and gasket system has changed. The one issue all Subaru engines share is higher than industry standard oil consumption.

The two Subaru's I owned in the 2000's both used a quart of oil in about 1,800- 2500 miles, which is not a problem if you do what every good car owner should do, check you oil level. Problem is, many new Subaru owner came from Honda, Toyota or GM cars which rarely need any oil additions, even after 5,000 miles or more. I traded my last Subaru, a 2009 Forester, in on a Chevy Pick-up. I told the dealer to make sure they told the buyer to check the oil on a regular basis if they'd never owned a Subie before. If you go 5,000 between oil changes the sump would be two quarts low. Drive that way for too long and the bottom end of the engine suffers greatly!

__________________
Virtue,Liberty & Independence