Suggestions for sub 20k sedans

[Lonnie]

House of Wax:
This IS going to be your wife`s car, correct?? My wife and I went though this process to replace my 2003 Subaru Outback with 183,000 miles on it and in dire need of a lot (read expensive) repairs. So rather than sticking that money into the Subaru and having a vehicle that would need who-knows-what down the road, not to mention the rust that was starting (happens to ALL vehicles driven for 15 years in the Upper Midwest winter salt. Sorry, it`s unavoidable, unless its a stainless-steel bodied DeLorean), we decided to look for a used vehicle for $17,000 or less.
After test driving over 16 different used vehicles, we (she!) settled on a low-mileage certified 2015 Ford Taurus SEL with AWD. Why THAT vehicle? It was Mica Metallic Ruby (AKA blood red metallic), was easy to get in and out of (an important consideration for us "young senior citizens"), has a great ride and interior room, has All-Wheel Drive, a HUGE trunk, Bluetooth-supported technology, driver-assistance safety features, was a certified vehicle with low miles and NO accidents, and the price was right, although "slightly" more than we budgeted. My choice was a used Subaru Outback, but those of lease-return of that same year with 10,000 miles more them were $5,000 to $7,000 more (A LOT more than we budgeted!!). Yes, I give up considerable gas mileage on the Taurus compared to the Subaru, but I can buy A LOT of gas for $5,000, even at $3.00 per gallon.

Personally, I liked a used 2014 Honda CR-V with 60,000 miles we test drove in our budget range, but I REALLY liked a used Honda Accord Sport with a four-cylinder and automatic, but it was "cumbersome" to get in-and-out of for my wife and it was a little over our budget. I think you and your wife would be most pleased with this quiet, fuel-efficient, and well-handling vehicle if you can find one for under your budgeted $20,000. Another upside to this vehicle is the how it retains its resale value and its large appeal to used car buyers if you decide to sell it down the road. SOMEONE always wants a used Honda. The downside? Paying for the (higher) cost of maintenance and repairs, and having a vehicle that is the MOST-LIKEY TO BE STOLEN VEHICLE in the USA ("according" to police data and insurance companies, no pun intended).

Keep us posted on what vehicle you and your wife decide to purchase. She WILL miss her Expedition because with vehicles, as in life, size matters.

[House of Wax]

House of Wax:
This IS going to be your wife`s car, correct?? My wife and I went though this process to replace my 2003 Subaru Outback with 183,000 miles on it and in dire need of a lot (read expensive) repairs. So rather than sticking that money into the Subaru and having a vehicle that would need who-knows-what down the road, not to mention the rust that was starting (happens to ALL vehicles driven for 15 years in the Upper Midwest winter salt. Sorry, it`s unavoidable, unless its a stainless-steel bodied DeLorean), we decided to look for a used vehicle for $17,000 or less.
After test driving over 16 different used vehicles, we (she!) settled on a low-mileage certified 2015 Ford Taurus SEL with AWD. Why THAT vehicle? It was Mica Metallic Ruby (AKA blood red metallic), was easy to get in and out of (an important consideration for us "young senior citizens"), has a great ride and interior room, has All-Wheel Drive, a HUGE trunk, Bluetooth-supported technology, driver-assistance safety features, was a certified vehicle with low miles and NO accidents, and the price was right, although "slightly" more than we budgeted. My choice was a used Subaru Outback, but those of lease-return of that same year with 10,000 miles more them were $5,000 to $7,000 more (A LOT more than we budgeted!!). Yes, I give up considerable gas mileage on the Taurus compared to the Subaru, but I can buy A LOT of gas for $5,000, even at $3.00 per gallon.

Personally, I liked a used 2014 Honda CR-V with 60,000 miles we test drove in our budget range, but I REALLY liked a used Honda Accord Sport with a four-cylinder and automatic, but it was "cumbersome" to get in-and-out of for my wife and it was a little over our budget. I think you and your wife would be most pleased with this quiet, fuel-efficient, and well-handling vehicle if you can find one for under your budgeted $20,000. Another upside to this vehicle is the how it retains its resale value and its large appeal to used car buyers if you decide to sell it down the road. SOMEONE always wants a used Honda. The downside? Paying for the (higher) cost of maintenance and repairs, and having a vehicle that is the MOST-LIKEY TO BE STOLEN VEHICLE in the USA ("according" to police data and insurance companies, no pun intended).

Keep us posted on what vehicle you and your wife decide to purchase. She WILL miss her Expedition because with vehicles, as in life, size matters.

Yes it will be my wife`s daily driver. We`ve both driven the Taurus before and really liked them. Gas mileage looks pretty disappointing for moving down to a car, but it`s still on our radar for sure. Tons of roof and looks great.

We`re going to absolutely miss parts of the Expy. It`s been a great truck. Unfortunately we`ve racked up a lot of miles and it`s gonna take a good chunk of money to keep it rolling. Plus with the amount of driving my wife does, we won`t miss the fill ups. We found out for sure my duaghter is going to miss it. We were driving around some dealer lots last sunday and she asked what we were doing. We told her, and after about the second lot I noticed she was real quiet, so I asked her what was wrong. She started bawling and said she didn`t want to sell the truck because of all the good memories we`ve had in it haha.