# Used car advice



## Noobysnackz (May 11, 2019)

I don’t know what to get. I was thinking something 2016 or newer around 23k or lower. I like the accord and Camry looks but the mpg are not great and the hybrid versions aren’t really available.Prius not really a fan of how it looks but the mpg is almost to good to pass up. Other options Ford Fusion hybrid, sonata hybrid, ioniq, civic, carolla. Currently I’m leaning towards Prius but I haven’t driven one and I’m worried it’s not comfortable will test drive one soon. Any advice is appreciated.


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## rideshare2870 (Nov 23, 2017)

Don’t take a car loan for this gig. Get the cheapest car you can get. You make the same amount whether you got a paid off beater or a newer car that’s financed.


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## Wildgoose (Feb 11, 2019)

I don't think about too much on MPG (expect for SUV). I thought about maintenance fees which will be coming on my time and initial purchasing prices. As @rideshare2870 suggested, cheapest car (good brand name, reliable brand and cleanliness is necessary) will work. Odometer around 80K is good. You can drive another 80K and you would have already made around 80K with that car. 
Prius is small. I would consider Full Size Sedan, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissian Altima or Hyundai Sonata with leather seats.
....
Consider about the difference between yearly price dropping between newer model and older model. Price dropping of newer model is around $2000 each year and that of older model is around $700. If you want to do business in hailing, you might want to see how much profit you could make on how much you invested.


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## Seattle_my_beloved (Jan 12, 2019)

My friend, get a used 2015 Corolla with something like 80k miles on it. Thats the safest option you have. Get the simplest trim, the LE one. Trust me, you will thank me for it. I am speaking out of experience. Prius is good too, but you never know how the battery will do. With Corolla, you will have the ultimate peace of mind. It is pretty standard for Corollas to reach well over 400k miles, on original engine and transmission, and some minor and cheap surgeries here and there.
And don't sweat over MPG, the 1.8 Litre engine on Corolla is JUST FINE. Go for it, YOU WILL BE FINE!


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

If it has to be brand new, get new insight. Most handsome cheapest sedan gets 55 mpg in city. You can find as low as 19.500-20.000.


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## FLKeys (Dec 27, 2018)

Getting a used beater that qualifies might be the best may to make money, however it is not always the best car to choose.

Is this your only car or will it be used only for rideshare?
Are you mechanically inclined and can do repairs yourself?
Do you live in a city with plenty of repair shops available or do you live rural where repair shops are hard to come by?

Just some of the factors one must consider when looking at a car and doing rideshare.


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## Iann (Oct 17, 2017)

2starDriver said:


> If it has to be brand new, get new insight. Most handsome cheapest sedan gets 55 mpg in city. You can find as low as 19.500-20.000.


Insight is not allowed on lyft. 
It's considered a sub compact. 
Should REALLY do your research on what cars are accepted on each platform.


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## Christina Green (Jan 27, 2019)

Wildgoose said:


> I don't think about too much on MPG (expect for SUV). I thought about maintenance fees which will be coming on my time and initial purchasing prices. As @rideshare2870 suggested, cheapest car (good brand name, reliable brand and cleanliness is necessary) will work. Odometer around 80K is good. You can drive another 80K and you would have already made around 80K with that car.
> Prius is small. I would consider Full Size Sedan, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissian Altima or Hyundai Sonata with leather seats.
> ....
> Consider about the difference between yearly price dropping between newer model and older model. Price dropping of newer model is around $2000 each year and that of older model is around $700. If you want to do business in hailing, you might want to see how much profit you could make on how much you invested.


Nissan Altima is a great choice. I have a 2015 3.5 S version. I upgraded seats to leather when it was purchased. You can easily get 300k or more if you maintain - good car.


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## PaxiCab (Feb 14, 2019)

Wouldn’t go with a Honda....Toyota, especially if you’re looking for a car to continue this gig, is always the most reliable bet. Right behind it I would say a used Hyundai or Kia is also your best bet. Best of luck, hope you find one that suits you.


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## SurginGeneral (Aug 9, 2017)

PaxiCab said:


> Wouldn't go with a Honda....Toyota, especially if you're looking for a car to continue this gig, is always the most reliable bet. Right behind it I would say a used Hyundai or Kia is also your best bet. Best of luck, hope you find one that suits you.


No Honda? What's the reasoning, comfort?

Maybe not the new Turbo ones as I feel those engines are still unproven. But an older Civic or Accord with a 4banger shouldn't be too bad reliability wise, right?


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## PaxiCab (Feb 14, 2019)

SurginGeneral said:


> No Honda? What's the reasoning, comfort?
> 
> Maybe not the new Turbo ones as I feel those engines are still unproven. But an older Civic or Accord with a 4banger shouldn't be too bad reliability wise, right?


Number of things. Comfort, they all look the same, I used to be a mechanic and every other car I did was a Honda. They're easy to service like Toyota but god, couldn't stand the same style of car and the way the body looked. A lot of their turbo engines aren't jackdiggity anyway, and then they came out with Acura which to me are the sh**iest brand of "luxury" out of all luxury options..so that's why, in my opinion.


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## dauction (Sep 26, 2017)

Over a year now on 2014 Lincoln MKZ hybrid ...no issues at all . paid 18 a year ago with just 29K on it. Comfort, style, great MPG for a larger sedan (42)

2014s ..you can get some really great deals on them.. I would stay Under 16K on a 3 year note ..notice the one with 107k miles on it and listed at 10k.. so if you run it until 150k miles or so you should still be able to get 4-5 thousand on resell or use as down-payment on your next one

Hybrids..










Non Hybrids..


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## SurginGeneral (Aug 9, 2017)

PaxiCab said:


> Number of things. Comfort, they all look the same, I used to be a mechanic and every other car I did was a Honda. They're easy to service like Toyota but god, couldn't stand the same style of car and the way the body looked. A lot of their turbo engines aren't jackdiggity anyway, and then they came out with Acura which to me are the sh**iest brand of "luxury" out of all luxury options..so that's why, in my opinion.


I agree with you on Acura! They're barely luxury, and they still all have that terrible buck tooth/chipmunk faced grille. Not to mention the glass transmissions

Also, I know my stepmother's Accord makes you remove the front bumper cover to replace headlight housings. A really bad design by Honda!


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## amazinghl (Oct 31, 2018)

*Noobysnackz, *have you done any ride? The $$$ they pay isn't worth it after you factor in payment, insurance, registration, depreication, and etc.


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## PaxiCab (Feb 14, 2019)

SurginGeneral said:


> I agree with you on Acura! They're barely luxury, and they still all have that terrible buck tooth/chipmunk faced grille. Not to mention the glass transmissions
> 
> Also, I know my stepmother's Accord makes you remove the front bumper cover to replace headlight housings. A really bad design by Honda!


Don't even get me started with the trans...Chrysler has better trans than Acura and theirs is also sh**?. Also cars that make you go 47 extra miles to do a simple service are an automatic walk-away for me. Honda could of been equally as good as Toyota if they really tried


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## TXqwi3812 (Oct 31, 2018)

I am a mystery shopper and have been assigned to look at a Subaru. I have never given thought to one. Does anyone have any experience with them? They are never mentioned.


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## Seattle_my_beloved (Jan 12, 2019)

Speaking of Quality Luxury brand ?


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## SurginGeneral (Aug 9, 2017)

TXqwi3812 said:


> I am a mystery shopper and have been assigned to look at a Subaru. I have never given thought to one. Does anyone have any experience with them? They are never mentioned.


It's what I currently drive. 04 Forester.

When they're working, they're rock solid. But they're highly strung for Japanese cars. Gotta be up on oil, transmission and differential fluid changes and coolant flushes (with added Subaru coolant conditioner because they like to eat head gaskets if not taken care of).

I've had to replace the valve gaskets on mine. But just replaced the typical 100k service of timing belt, pulleys and water pump.

Has never gotten stuck in winter, ever. Best AWD out there. Comfortable for me. Extremely safe in crash testing. A little bad on gas for a 4 cylinder. Can fit a crap ton of stuff, especially with a big roof basket (moved my apartment mostly with it, and most of my GF's apartment twice).

Would probably buy one again, but I'm also eyeing a Camry next as they're just more comfortable and simple. Depends on how bad I want Subaru'a AWD.


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## islanddriver (Apr 6, 2018)

I have a Mazda 6 2012 great car and big back seat


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## SurginGeneral (Aug 9, 2017)

islanddriver said:


> I have a Mazda 6 2012 great car and big back seat


How comfy after a long day of driving? I love the way Mazdas look, and their philosophy on making good, fun to drive vehicles. Plus their Skyactive systems are impressive, especially the new "spark control" system they're rolling out. Diesel MPG with gasoline engine. Freakin' cool stuff


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

A friend of mine just bought a ten year old Prius with 150k miles for $2k. Best deal I’ve heard of in a long time.


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## Wildgoose (Feb 11, 2019)

Christina Green said:


> Nissan Altima is a great choice. I have a 2015 3.5 S version. I upgraded seats to leather when it was purchased. You can easily get 300k or more if you maintain - good car.


How much did upgraded seats cost to you?


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## Christina Green (Jan 27, 2019)

Wildgoose said:


> How much did upgraded seats cost to you?


Not 100% sure the actual cost - What happened is the dealer had car listed for sale in the local paper. The advertisement said it had leather heated seats and it had cloth so I argued/negotiated the price from $1200 To $400 (for materials). That was in 2015.


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## Anne Leslie (May 22, 2019)

Noobysnackz said:


> I don't know what to get. I was thinking something 2016 or newer around 23k or lower. I like the accord and Camry looks but the mpg are not great and the hybrid versions aren't really available.Prius not really a fan of how it looks but the mpg is almost to good to pass up. Other options Ford Fusion hybrid, sonata hybrid, ioniq, civic, carolla. Currently I'm leaning towards Prius but I haven't driven one and I'm worried it's not comfortable will test drive one soon. Any advice is appreciated.


Hi 
I just bought a 2018 Hyundai Elantra SE with about 30 000 on the clock. It has the 7" screen with ApplePlay but cloth seats, you have to go up a trim to the Limited for Leather. I paid 
$ 12 000 exc tax and dealer fees. I put down
$ 4 000 and my installments are $250 a month. I want to bump up my payments and have it paid off in a year. 
It's Certified from Hyundai, so I have the balance of 5 year/60 000 warranty and this dealership also of balance of power train 10/ 100 000. Unlimited roadside assistance during that time. 
For me it's a no brainer. I maybe would have paid $ 15 000ish for the 2017 Limited, leather seats, dual Aircon and sunroof but this was the option that was most affordable for me right now. The leather does take it up a notch and I might change the seats to leather if they start looking tatty. 
To buy a car for $ 22 000 - $28 000 when they depreciate so much and the general wear and tear just doesn't make sense to me. 
Even buy 2! You can rent one out or just alternate so you don't wrack up the mileage!



Anne Leslie said:


> Hi
> I just bought a 2018 Hyundai Elantra SE with about 30 000 on the clock. It has the 7" screen with ApplePlay but cloth seats, you have to go up a trim to the Limited for Leather. I paid
> $ 12 000 exc tax and dealer fees. I put down
> $ 4 000 and my installments are $250 a month. I want to bump up my payments and have it paid off in a year.
> ...


Sorry I see you did say spending about
$23 000. Go take a look it's a gorgeous car. 
Also I bought mine from a dealer after seeing an ad on Car Gurus. You must just really read the dealer review. Also when you call them ask what the cost will be out the door. It should be the advertised price plus tax and $400/$500 dealer fees. A lot load the price with hidden fees. Also a favorite is to get you to the dealership, when you get there the car "has just been sold" they want you there so they can sell you something else which is usually a more expensive option. Also it's with paying for the Carfax report. Some dealers might send it to you for free, but otherwise you can pay $40 for 3 reports. You put in the VIN and get every detail from date of when it was registered, was it a fleet car, does the mileage correspond with advert and has it been in an accident. 
Sorry about all the information but I've been researching and learnt the hard way!



Anne Leslie said:


> Hi
> I just bought a 2018 Hyundai Elantra SE with about 30 000 on the clock. It has the 7" screen with ApplePlay but cloth seats, you have to go up a trim to the Limited for Leather. I paid
> $ 12 000 exc tax and dealer fees. I put down
> $ 4 000 and my installments are $250 a month. I want to bump up my payments and have it paid off in a year.
> ...


Sorry lol I am sounding like a Hyundai salesman but the consumption is brilliant something like 28mpg city / 37mpg highway 33
combined. I think it's second only to the Civic in gas engines. Also it has a rear backup camera and voice commands.


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## Kevin.G (May 10, 2019)

I live near Toronto Ontario and I drive a 2014 Dodge Charger 5.7 AWD decommissioned police car. I average 21mpg. Yep it's not the best - nor the worst - on fuel economy, but I am not remotely concerned about that because I had propane installed (the avg above is on propane which is only 1.7 mpg short of what my avg using gas). Cost of 87 (regular) gas is, on average, 1.25/ltr or 5.41/gal.... however.... the cost for propane is, on average, $0.56/ltr or $2.42/gal...I avg $38/fill and avg 310 miles (500 km) per tank which means it is the same fuel cost as a small car. 
(*trigger warning*...tree hugger coming through... propane is far less harmful than gasoline to the ONLY air the Earth has... ask anyone that works or worked in a warehouse that uses or used propane powered lift trucks indoors, you *could not* run gas powered lift trucks indoors because people would get seriously ill or die... and of course electric vehicles are far and away better than propane vehicles on this point)

I know this car is not for everyone... but... I have to be in this car every day so I wanted something that not only looks pretty damn good but will handle all driving conditions, blizzards, heavy rainfall, high winds as well as nicely paved, crushed stone, dirt, icy or slick roads and those damn pot holes that try to swallow your car... and the most important reason of all... 

It's just fun to drive... 

It's pretty quick, 5 seconds to 60 mph... 14 seconds on the 1320, not too shabby for a car with 136k miles weighing in close to 4600lbs.... oh yeah it's also got some serious stopping power with 13.1 inch front and 12 inch rear rotors being pressed against with rather large severe duty brake pads all the way around (required police equipment in these cars regardless of their engine)

IF anyone does consider a ex-cop Charger.... they do come with the rather powerful but better on fuel Pentastar V6 if you're not interested in the 5.7.... anyway, get it at the auction you will save a crap ton of money on purchase... you might have to so minor stuff, bushings, water pump, maybe brakes. I recommend that interested parties look at 2016/2017 ex-cop Chargers, they have more 'bells and whistles'.

just my 2 cents... enjoy which ever car you choose :smiling:


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

Iann said:


> Insight is not allowed on lyft.
> It's considered a sub compact.
> Should REALLY do your research on what cars are accepted on each platform.


Seems like op accepts ANY IDEA
Insight has same size of civic that means non-sense and its accepted by uber in socal who cares lyft?



Noobysnackz said:


> I don't know what to get. I was thinking something 2016 or newer around 23k or lower. I like the accord and Camry looks but the mpg are not great and the hybrid versions aren't really available.Prius not really a fan of how it looks but the mpg is almost to good to pass up. Other options Ford Fusion hybrid, sonata hybrid, ioniq, civic, carolla. Currently I'm leaning towards Prius but I haven't driven one and I'm worried it's not comfortable will test drive one soon. Any advice is appreciated.


Are you buying cash or finance? How much downpayment?


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## Syn (Jun 30, 2017)

Stay away from Nissan Altima. Really crappy CVT transmissions. 

Same with Honda Accord. Too much strict maintenance (transmission oil needs to be flushed every 30,000 miles or so, brake pads needs to be replaced even more often, etc).


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## Rich2nyce (Jan 25, 2016)

20k? I wouldn't buy an eco car at that price point for rideshare. Buy something that can handle more tiers and still good on gas. If you wanna stay eco, get the cheapest one you can find.


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## Merc49 (Apr 30, 2019)

I would by the car you can pay for in cash because your not going to get a lot of cash driving. Figure on clearing 5 or 6 dollars an hour full time after putting aside 20 % for taxes,and 50 cents a mile for gas, repairs,insurance. You really dont want to be a slave to a car payment. Unless you are going uber black and then its still tough and you would have to be in your car 8 to 10 hours a day and the car has to be 2 years old or newer.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

People are really suggesting Lincolns or Chargers over Honda? That's kinda crazy, Honda is right there with Toyota at the top of the list with regards to reliability and longevity. I am using a '12 Civic, with 173,000 miles and the only maintenance I have done is tires/breaks/oil changes and transmission fluid flush. That's it, that's the list. Never once had to pay to fix something that was actually broken. It gets better MPG than a Corolla.


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## Kevin.G (May 10, 2019)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> People are really suggesting Lincolns or Chargers over Honda? That's kinda crazy, Honda is right there with Toyota at the top of the list with regards to reliability and longevity.


hhhmmm... perhaps I am a bit crazy.... but the pax's tend to give me plenty of compliments about my ex cop Charger.... 5.7 AWD and I get an avg of 350 miles from a 17 gallon tank of propane or 21mpg and it is 30 - 36 dollars to fill. Just puttin' out there is all.

And yes I agree that Civics are pretty damn good indeed, a great choice for sure. ?



Darrell Green Fan said:


> I am using a '12 Civic, with 173,000 miles and the only maintenance I have done is tires/breaks/oil changes and transmission fluid flush. That's it, that's the list. Never once had to pay to fix something that was actually broken. It gets better MPG than a Corolla.


Yep same here... it's a 2014 at 125,000 miles so far.... repairs = waterpump.... maintenance = regular oil changes, tires, breaks, transmission / differentials / transfer case and break fluid change/flush.... saved a whack of cash by doing everything, but the tires, myself.

My cousin has a 1992 Civic... he is meticulous about maintenance.... he has 379000 miles and it's still going strong.... he replaced the automatic transmission with a 5 speed about 5 years ago. I did the work for him.

Great cars.... watch out for rust... Civics are known to rust very badly.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

Kevin.G said:


> hhhmmm... perhaps I am a bit crazy.... but the pax's tend to give me plenty of compliments about my ex cop Charger.... 5.7 AWD and I get an avg of 350 miles from a 17 gallon tank of propane or 21mpg and it is 30 - 36 dollars to fill. Just puttin' out there is all.
> 
> And yes I agree that Civics are pretty damn good indeed, a great choice for sure. ?
> 
> ...


Yeah the rust issues have appeared to have gone away. Besides with the miles we drive it will probably die before it rusts. But the negative comment about the Honda is kind of crazy, even from a mechanic. He sees a lot of them because there are a lot on the road, their reliability is pretty well documented and without debate.

I understand the appeal of the Charger, I just would never use a nice car to do this.


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## Kevin.G (May 10, 2019)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> Yeah the rust issues have appeared to have gone away. Besides with the miles we drive it will probably die before it rusts. But the negative comment about the Honda is kind of crazy, even from a mechanic. He sees a lot of them because there are a lot on the road, their reliability is pretty well documented and without debate.
> 
> I understand the appeal of the Charger, I just would never use a nice car to do this.


hhmm... it sounds like the mechanic you are referring to is rather bias and opinionated.... but hey, it doesn't matter if that wrench is giving you good work.

Thank you for the compliment ? ... I sought this car precisely because it is a nice car that has the heavy duty drive line that is mandatory on cop car.....

_....BUT... more importantly...._

_It's a fun car_.... I have taken it to the 'track" a couple of times... my best e.t. on the 1320 was 13.9 (not too shabby for an unmodified 4600lbs car with 125,000 miles on it running on very good street tires) .... and it does go from 0 -60 in 5 seconds. Yep there are occasions that I actually need to get it going to match highway speed as quickly as possible... specifically when merging back onto the highway from the shoulder.

Going to try it on one of the local road courses this summer.... I hope to get anything over 120 mph on the straight away, and hopefully get a high average track speed.

The car is supposed to be capable of reaching 159 mph. I would love to get it going that fast, but it would need way more than 1320 feet and it would need to be a closed course.


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## RideshareUSA (Feb 7, 2019)

Noobysnackz said:


> I don't know what to get. I was thinking something 2016 or newer around 23k or lower. I like the accord and Camry looks but the mpg are not great and the hybrid versions aren't really available.Prius not really a fan of how it looks but the mpg is almost to good to pass up. Other options Ford Fusion hybrid, sonata hybrid, ioniq, civic, carolla. Currently I'm leaning towards Prius but I haven't driven one and I'm worried it's not comfortable will test drive one soon. Any advice is appreciated.


Three words: Toy...o...ta!


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## TheDevilisaParttimer (Jan 2, 2019)

Christina Green said:


> Nissan Altima is a great choice. I have a 2015 3.5 S version. I upgraded seats to leather when it was purchased. You can easily get 300k or more if you maintain - good car.


Nissans have a lot of transmission problems.


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## rideshare2870 (Nov 23, 2017)

Darrell Green Fan said:


> People are really suggesting Lincolns or Chargers over Honda? That's kinda crazy, Honda is right there with Toyota at the top of the list with regards to reliability and longevity. I am using a '12 Civic, with 173,000 miles and the only maintenance I have done is tires/breaks/oil changes and transmission fluid flush. That's it, that's the list. Never once had to pay to fix something that was actually broken. It gets better MPG than a Corolla.


It may get better MPG but you never have to do transmission flushes on the Corolla. My first Corolla I got 269K miles out of it and the one I currently have has 192K miles on the dash. I would imagine my fluid is nasty but I've never had transmission problems at all on the Corollas and other Toyotas I've owned. I never do transmission flushes and I don't think I need to.


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## Darrell Green Fan (Feb 9, 2016)

rideshare2870 said:


> It may get better MPG but you never have to do transmission flushes on the Corolla. My first Corolla I got 269K miles out of it and the one I currently have has 192K miles on the dash. I would imagine my fluid is nasty but I've never had transmission problems at all on the Corollas and other Toyotas I've owned. I never do transmission flushes and I don't think I need to.


You really can't go wrong with either a Civic or a Corolla. I finally did a trans flush on my Civic at 174,000 miles, it costs like a hundred buck as it only hold 3 quarts or whatever. Not enough to worry about and the additional 2-3 MPG paid for it. But as I said both are great choices.


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