Help me Find a Commuter Car

[Mossimo142]

Backstory:
I traded in my 09 Malibu for a 2012 F-150 SCREW. I semi regret trading it in, but I was given a fair trade in price and qualified for an extra rebate plus tax savings. I also enjoy purchasing/selling cars rather frequently, but I never lose much in the trades other than taxes etc. I traded it in with the notion of looking for a cheap commuter car as I drive 60 miles round trip to work a day.

I have 3 kids part of the time, so that's a factor but not a necessity to consider for my commuter car, as we easily fit into the truck.

Given the choices below what do you think is the best considering price/gas/quality etc: (prices are what the sales lady emailed me)

2002 Celica GTS, 118k Miles, $5893
www.auffenbergusedcars.com/used-cars-st-louis/2002-toyota-celica-gts-2dr-car-3221t

2002 Saturn SC2, 118k Miles, $4273
www.auffenbergusedcars.com/used-cars-st-louis/2002-saturn-sc-3dr-2dr-car-3240t

2002 Hyundai Elantra, 86k Miles, $4916
www.auffenbergusedcars.com/used-cars-st-louis/2002-hyundai-elantra-gls-4dr-car-3184t

1998 Oldsmobile Regency, 121k Miles, $3347
www.auffenbergusedcars.com/used-cars-st-louis/1998-oldsmobile-regency-base-4dr-car-1-3618t

2003 Chevy Cavalier, 93.3k Miles, $5500
www.auffenbergusedcars.com/used-cars-st-louis/2003-chevrolet-cavalier-base-4dr-car-1-3680e

Looks wise I like the Celica and Saturn, but practical wise I'm leaning more towards the cavalier/Regency. THe Saturn or the Cavalier should get the best mileage but all should be within 5 MPGs of each other.

Thanks for any help!

 

[HarryLui]

4 door saturn would be a better deal. Their prices are $1000-2000 too high for a Saturn.

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/3007210317.html

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ctd/2971261657.html

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/2969380472.html

Have a mechanic look at it before buying, of course.

 

[IGemini]

Of those, I agree going with the Regency for practical reasons. The 3.8L engines are reliable and pretty good on the highway. It has the most room which you'll like should you need to move all three kids. Doesn't hurt that it's the least expensive of the lineup. 121k miles is high, but not a huge amount should it be maintained well enough.

I'm sure arguments could be made for the others, but the only one I wouldn't go for is the Celica. Not only is it the most expensive, but I believe it also uses premium gas.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

4 door saturn would be a better deal. Their prices are $1000-2000 too high for a Saturn.

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/3007210317.html

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/ctd/2971261657.html

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/2969380472.html

Have a mechanic look at it before buying, of course.

Yeah, over $4k for an S-series with over 100k miles is out of line.

Here's the one I would buy:

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/3005699072.html

 

[NutBucket]

Definitely a Saturn.

 

[mafia]

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detai...pp=50&feedSegId=28705&aff=national&listType=1

2002 Buick Regal GS - 110k miles - $5.7k

http://www.chicagomotors.info/1609/2008-Chevrolet-Impala-Police

2008 Impala (Police Version) - 92k miles $6.7k or best offer

 

[ApexBoost]

Just make sure to regularly top off the oil in the saturn and you are good to go. They are very good cars and very cheap to maintain.

 

[Mossimo142]

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input/help. As it turns out I don't think I'll be purchasing any of those vehicles. I forgot a while back I put a bid on a car that was sold through my bank.
It's a 2012 Sonic LS w/13k miles. I think the only option other than automatic transmission was upgraded sound system. They had a price of 14,250 and I bid 10,500 and won. It was more than I was looking to spend but think it's a relative steal after seeing what dealerships wanted for the used market.

 

[CraigRT]

I'd go for the SC2 but the asking price is too high.

The only real issue with the 00-02 DOHC engine is the coolant line coming from the intake manifold likes to crack and puke coolant. A fix can be purchased on eBay and it solves the problem forever.

Other than that, the car has really very few flaws. Check the engine cradle for rust if StL is in the rust belt.