MsPerky

The +1 is helping his son buy a new car in the $15-20K range. There are several possibilities out there. Any recommendations? Pre owned is OK, too, if you have bought a reliable one. His mother has a Chevy Cruze, which I think has worked well for her. Thanks.

crxb

Honda Fit

NNY S2k

http://www.motortrend.com/price/15-20k/

ralper

I'm a big fan of the Honda Civic. What is he looking for?

Conedodger

Same here! Should be able to get a low mileage Si lease turn in that fits his price range.

tof

He might like a Kia Soul, a favorite of hamsters everywhere.

Seriously, they have a reputation as good handling, fun vehicles. They are inexpensive, reliable, and you can't beat the warranty. I've never met an owner that didn't love their Soul. Find a lightly used one in that price range and you could still have longer power train coverage than you would get in other brand new cars.

Check out these ratings on the 2017 version from US News, for example. US News isn't known for its car reviews but their on line reviews of virtually every make and model of this century is comprehensive and seems pretty accurate when I look at those for cars I know well. Its also an excellent source for information on standard and optional equipment across various trim levels of every make and model it covers.
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/kia/soul/2017

dlq04

I am in complete agreement with Mike on both the Kia and using US News as solid reference. What ever he gets, avoid a Honda turbo engine. Believe it or not the latest Tech Bulletin (Feb 15th) for the CR-V can best be summed up by this poster on the financial site Vanguard. I know you know what that is.

This would be funny if it weren't so serious. "It now appears that there can be damage to the camshafts and rocker arms in this engine, which is related to the oil dilution issue. The "fix" has now been expanded to include inspection and possible replacement of cams and rocker arms. Anybody want to guess what could cause abnormal wear to the cams and rocker arms? Eh, I'm guessing it might have something to do with trying to lubricate an engine with a bunch of fuel thinning out the oil. Now we have some tangible evidence from Honda that engine damage can be occurring due to fuel dilution in this engine. Anyone feel like rolling the dice and owning one after it runs of warranty? This is getting even more ridiculous. In addition to the picture of the hapless CRV owner squinting at the orange camouflage oil dipstick to discern where the oil level is, sticking the dipstick to his nose to smell for fuel, we now have this poor sap lifting the hood to listen to see if he can discern "whirling" noises. Believe me, it''s not a quiet engine so picking up "whirling" noise will be about as slippery as figuring out where the oil line is on the crappy dipstick. It's more of a carnival act than owning a vehicle really ought to be." https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/vie...c793&start=900

Can you believe they are now telling the dealerships to listen to whirling noise in the engine compartment (all true) and to pull the valve covers to look for wear on one and two year old cars, while at the same time Honda is publicly saying everything is normal. There is no way I'd ever recommend to anyone to buy a Honda based on how they are handling the turbo engine flaw.

MsPerky

Thanks for the good recommendations so far. The +1 is also getting help from the USAA Car Buying Service. I think he will probably give his son two to choose from so he is not overwhelmed with options.

boltonblue

sorry Deb, unqualified to help here.

buckeyesue