Originally posted by Tony2005:
Any vehicle bought new and maintained well will give many years of good pleasurable trouble-free driving.



That's generally the case. However, there are exceptions. For instance, my grandma bought a 1986 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas in 1985. She had it maintained by the Jaguar dealer at the required intervals, but it was never a trouble free car. The electrical system was a nightmare, as was the HVAC system. Things always broke at the worst times. Probably the worst thing it ever did was when the heater failed in 1993. It failed in mid Feb, 2 days before my step grandfather died. We had to take it to the graveside service because her Toyota was in FL. That was the coldest, most miserable car ride I've ever had.

She couldn't keep the car after that. It had provided her with 7 years of one-way service, monthly flat bed towings, and expensive repairs. After it left us freezing when her husband died, that POS was gone.

My point is that there are some cars, that no matter how well maintained, are unreliable cars. If CheapestGL wants a reliable small car, a Corolla isn't a bad choice. I own a 2005 LE. Loaded they are nice cars. A Mazda3s isn't a bad choice either. I'm driving one of those this semester, and again, it's not a bad car with the right options. Civics are good small cars also, but they don't have the sporty nature of a 3 or the reliability of a Corolla. Stay far, far away from the new Cavalier/Sunfire, Cobalt, Neon, and earlier generation Foci if you're lookin at used cars.