My wife wrecked her 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix, she wasn't hurt, and we had full coverage, so it was certainly a blessing. I hated that car with a passion. That car was a tank, and with a poorly running 3800 it was slow. It was supposed to have 190 HP.

So the hunt is on for a new (used) car. We have narrowed it down it these options.

2006-2009 Ford Fusion
OR
2003+ Mazda 6 (father to the fusion, but looks a little sportier.)
OR
2005+ VW Jetta

What do you all think?

 

I saw a Mazda 6 wagon the other day, and it was a pretty sweet looking car. The only downside I could see to it is that it's front wheel drive. Unfortunately, you have to go with a Benz or BMW to get a rear wheel drive sedan or wagon, and they are a touch pricey.
You ought to add a Subaru Legacy to the list, get a mid 90s one out of the northwest and run it for another 200k. AWD (not all are AWD, so double check that), good handling and plenty of power to get up and go.

 

In my mind, you can't go wrong with a Fusion or a Mazda. If your only looking at used cars then I would also consider a Camry or Accord. Neither of these are very stylish but are very well built.

 

Fusion all the way, just climb into one........they just feel right, and run like a scalded cat!

 

The wife and I are looking at fusions to replace the 99 Taurus. So far the ones we've looked at have been really nice and are very reasonably priced. She wants another Taurus, but there just a little bit out of our price range.

 

Stay away from the VW's. These cars are more maintenance sensitive and expensive to fix than the usual domestics. The current VW's are basically Audi's and carry their bad habits too. If you ignore my first comments, just look into how many of their motors are still interference engines.

I like the Fusion/Milan cars. That new body style Malibu looks sweet and that Pontiac G6 might be potential too.

 

Test drove a 2007 Ford Fusion SEL V6 this morning. It has 63,000 miles on it. They call the color "Alloy." It did indeed run like a scalded cat. We didn't care for the analog "luxury" clock on the dash. And my wife didn't like the two-tone interior, but I did. But since the car is for her we'll keep looking.

Everyone I know that has VW Jetta's love them. What are interference engines?
I don't like Honda's, and I'd rather not race full throttle into the rear of the car in front of me in a Toyota. WE just got done with the Pontiac and I'll never own one of those again. Just plan junk. Only 120k miles, but more trouble some than my quarter-million mile truck.

 

"Interference engines": Valves hit the pistons if you lose the cam drive. If it has a chain, not to worry. If it has a belt, change it a little early.

Hondas: Drove a 5 speed Civic a couple years ago, couldn't belive how it would rev to the moon yet still idle along in 3rd without complaint. Variable valve timing is a good thing for that.

Toyotas: If you are a dumbs&** and can't find neutral, you'll crash in any car. Most of those were driver error, so use the panic and slight reduction in resale to look for a bargain, if you find one you can otherwise stand.

The Fusion you drove earlier--thousands served, find another color???

 

Aw come on---just get her an old Ford truck---she'll love it!

 

I tried to rep you for that, but it says I need to spread it around some more.

 

Although I agree with the Toyota comment, my wife will be driving the car mostly.

We bought a 07 Fusion SE. 50k miles, Dark Blue, 2.3 I4. For some reason, i think the 5-speed auto tranny, she liked it better than the 3.0 V6. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

Good to see you bought American Iron.