Fail me all you like,

If I had 20K for a reliable sedan I'd find a mint..... (I don't really care about economy)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...E39_(Blue).jpg

E39 M5.

$20K for a pre-face lifted E39 - do not want.

buy 20 of these... breaks down.. get into another on! :D sounds reliable to me

http://www.bestongas.com/cars/3.1995-geo-metro-003.jpg

If she needs a reliable car, and she see's it as an appliance, she DOES NOT NEED TO SPEND 20K.

She should get a used corolla, civic or mazda 3. Spend $15K TOPS, find a good indy, and she'll be set.

We got into a good 07 Camry Hybrid for well under $15k last summer. The thing is a boat, but its comfortable, smooth, refined, and uses less gas than my old Yaris

How much to replace battery?
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People seem to always ask about how much it costs to replace the batteries in a hybrid.

I don't know the answer to the question, but I think a good example of a member who has owned a Prius for almost 10 years could chime in. Presto - your 2 cents?

dere be a few listed in autotrader :)

TSX, it does take premium and is not that good on gas but it's reliable. I had one and never really had any problems with it, just did regular maintenance.

2002 BMW 745I



edit: oh wait you said reliable :troll:

Prius.
Like most of them out there, mine has been solid. Maintenance is low cost, and it's good on gas! For a bit more fun, I braced up the chassis, and upgraded the suspension.


Depends on what you perceive are the economical benefits of a hybrid, like the Prius. Sure, a TDI can save money on fuel. However, hybrids have other benefits. Features, like regenerative braking, mean the brakes don't get used as much, and don't need to be maintained as often, and there's no brake dust. The ability to stop and start the engine reduces the wear and tear on the engine. Also, this means less usage on systems connected to the engine such as the exhaust system, and longer intervals between oil changes. I've only had to do required maintenance, replace tires, bulbs, and starter battery.

here, you're welcome :thumbs:

thanks for all the replies and input, i've mentioned most of these suggestions to her. Ya basically she's not a car person and just wants it to get from place to place. However, she apparently wanted something a bit fancier or upscale than a Corolla which is why she said shes willing to pay a bit more up to 20k ish. Some choices she had were like acura csx, tsx, lexus IS, however yes these will cost more than things such as a civic or corolla, and so I think she'd only get those if the price is much better.
Sorry kinda kept it vague but shes mostly looking at pre owned, around the 2000's and sedan as mentioned in the title. Drive doesn't matter too much since she won't be able to notice any difference

Not sure how much money your friend has.. but those cars (minus the CSX I believe) take premium, which will add up if she's driving 60km/day. Not to mention increased cost for insurance and repairs IF something happens. Not to mention all the electric shit that may fail, dunno about you but electric/computer issues are one thing I CAN'T fix in my own garage. That said, it likely won't as those cars are pretty damn reliable if properly taken care of, but we all know cars... they will only break when you're already low on $$

The most reliable cars are the models that taxi drivers drive.. ie the Prius.

Since there are so many out there, you can get economy of scale on the expensive parts like the batteries.. apparently they are only $500 a pop at the wreckers because there are a lot of accidents involving prius.

If your friend is "car as an appliance" person.. no point getting her into an Acura or Lexus.

I looked into this briefly, but is irrelevant in most common cases right now. Toyota hybrids have been run north of 200k MILES on original batteries. I recall early Prius hybrid batteries were something crazy like $8000. Then decreased to about $5000 as of 5-7 years ago. When I checked prior to buying the Camry, it was about $3500.