Price Used Cars

Q.keep in mind I know very little about cars. I want just a plain medium sized car that has a good safety rating. I heard in some cases smaller cars arent quite as safe? Also theres the decision on if I should buy new or used? I was told I could probly get a car 1-2 years old for a much better price. I have about 15,000 cash to buy a car but I really want to keep it under that if possible. A lot of people keep telling me the foreign cars are much better. I would prefer something american made but if a foreign car really is that much better then I will buy one. Im not a fan of any certain brand I just want something safe and that will last me a long time. a chevy malibu caught my eye and looked kind of nice but I dont know anything about them. I have also been suggested a honda civic by a friend. If I do get a new car should I trade in my truck or put a ad in the paper for it? I have one last question. I would like to get one of those ranged car starters but a mechanic told one of my friends that werent good on the cars or something. any advice on these?

A.I would recommend a Chevy Cavalier. I had mine for a LONG time. It cost very little to maintain and it drove very well in all kinds of weather. It was a nice size (4 door), and they are in your price range. I drove it for 4 years and then gave it to my (then) 16 year old daughter who drove it for another 6 years and 115K miles before selling it to buy a new car. That was 18 months ago and I hear the college guy she sold it to is still driving it. Japanese isn't really as different as some lead you to think. Plus Domestics cost less and parts cost less. Personally I like the Taurus. After 1 year the prices are through the floor because there are so many of them. You can get a reasonably equipped one for a good price, real good value. They have a high safety rating, no problem finding one with ABS, side airbags are available and they are front wheel drive. They are bigger than a Malibu or Civic so you would have more room to stretch out. I've been on long trip in ours alternating drivers and found no problem just sleeping in the back seat. I find they are quite comfortable. We picked one up a couple years back for $15K but that's CDN. It would be less in USD. They are also available in wagon for extra cargo capacity (this may be important as you have a truck)

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