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jwormy

We are looking at upgrading our trusty but ugly 96 Toyota Ipsum (215K)and are now quite confused, so hopefully might get some help? I like the Ford Mondeos 2003 and up but have almost everyone telling us to stay clear. I have also spotted an ex police 2006 Holden Commodore Executive with 157K on it, for $6,200 but have been told to stay well clear, as they are thrashed. Also liked a 2006 Camry Sportivo with 193k with service history and cambelt changed at 178K for $5995 and a 2010 Mondeo with 185k for $8550 one owner and full history. They all have higher k's but with service histories? Do I stay well clear or is it a gamble worth considering? I can honestly say the more I look into what car might suit, the more confused I am!! Any advice would be great.

ABayliss

I guess, like all of us, you're looking to get a lot for your money. When buying a vehicle it's like a matrix between make & model, age, mileage, condition and price. Unfortunately, you need to slide some to the criteria down in order to meet others, unless there are no budgetry restraints.
Personally, I think all of the cars you're looking at have done too much mileage. So while you're looking at some late model cars at a lowish price, in this case, the compromise seems to be mileage.
Most of the cars you mention haven't done much less mileage than your current car, so from a longevity persppective, you're not gaining much as when you buy a car, you're buying the rest of its useful life. A high mileage car has already used up a lot of its useful life and is a much higher risk than a low mileage car.
I'd agree with the advice you've been given so far. Of the cars you mention, probably the Camry is the one with the best reputation for reliability, but not with almost 200ks on the clock.
My thougts are that you'd be better off lowering your expectation about the year of the car, sticking to your budget and getting a slightly earlier car with a lower mileage.

jwormy

Thanks for that, we did kind of think the k's were too high. I guess with that in mind, perhaps the 2001 Toyota Ipsum 240s with 123Ks isn't too bad then? I was just really wanting to get out of a "mummy" wagon. Would you suggest any other make/model similar to the ones I have mentioned?

ABayliss

This vehicle sounds like a much better bet.
As many of your suggestions have been medium/large cars, depending on the budget a Mazda6 or Atenza might be good options, or perhaps a Honda Accord Euro..

jwormy

Thanks for your advice, we have, after many false starts, finally bought our new car, a 2006 Toyota Camry Sportivo with 103 k on it.

ABayliss

That is an excellent choice, with not too many k's and a great reputation for reliability. Glad you found something suitable in the end.