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Looking to buy my daughter a safe, reliable first car under $6000? Suggestions

Honda, then Toyota, then, I have to say for longevity, an older Volvo station wagon, they seem to last forever. (As a dad, you might want to avoid the station wagon dilemma with a teen ager.)

And +1 on timing chains vs. belts if at all possible.
 
TOYOTA , preferably a 4 cylinder with a timing chain and a manual transmission.
My mom has owned at least 5 Camry LE 4 cylinder models. I wound up with two of them over the years. First was a 94 LE and the last was an 04 LE. Point is that there is zero reason to buy the V6 models. Mom has gotten plenty of speeding tickets in the 4 bangers. And I would say they run plenty fast enough for me. I drove her 15 LE to Dawsonville and back last week on less than half a tank of 87 octane. On top of that I prefer not to own front drive V6 cars just from a maintenance/repair standpoint.
 
I agree timing chain engines are generally better but you still need to have them checked. I had a 2003 Mazda 6 V6 with a timing chain and the tensioner broke at 111,000 miles causing engine meltdown.
Current 2013 Honda accord 4 cylinder has over 180,000 miles and is still going strong so my vote is honda.
 
Two years ago I picked up a used Mazda 3 for my daughter that is one year older than she is. It only had 100,000 miles on it. That car has been great. Not a single repair yet. Except for a tire that busted when a curb jumped out in front of her.
 
Early 90's Volvo 240 or a early 90's SAAB 900, not much safer than those two icons.
If I could find 240 wagon AKA the Brick Volvo that I could afford I would tell my wife to bury me in it. The 240s and 740s were legendary for reliability. But most Volvo models after that were shall we say questionable.
 
I almost bought a 240 wagon, sadly it was spoken for by the time I found the Craigslist posting. Would have been a fun old school family wagon.

Although I doubt a young teen girl would be thrilled to be driving that kind of car around.
 
mazda 3 would be my first choice .
Mazda is one of those brands I hardly ever remember. Although my landlord put his daughter in a white 06 Mazda 3 as her first car and she was pleased. See she wanted something different and all her friends had Civics and Integras. So the Mazda worked out well. And it was still running like a Jap sewing machine when they sold it after graduation.
I kinda dig the original style MPV since they were available in 4WD. And in recent years they have a model that basically looks like a downsized minivan. I think it was the Mazda 5, maybe?
 
I almost bought a 240 wagon, sadly it was spoken for by the time I found the Craigslist posting. Would have been a fun old school family wagon.

Although I doubt a young teen girl would be thrilled to be driving that kind of car around.
Oh yeah, you bring me any 240 or 740 in decent shape and I can get all the money for it especially a wagon. Back around 2013 I found a DL sedan which was the base model rith manual windows locks and 5 speed here in Perry. The owner had it parked in the back yard after buying a new car. Then she busted the back glass with a rock from the lawn mower. She asked if we would give her what she paid Discount Tire for 4 new tires on it. Hell yeah! So $360.00 and a good battery later it was at my house in Ft Valley getting a new back window which was shockingly quick and easily installed by the glass guy.
Anyway we listed it for $2K and the first guy that showed up bought it for his son that lived in Seattle or Portland or one of them left coast hippie cities where the Bricks are in demand.
 
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