New "Used' car time

So, my folks told me to start looking for a "new" used car since it seems the time for my truck to die is soon. They told me they would help me get a new car when that time comes.

Simply put, my truck has a slipping transmission, periodic oil leak, frequently failing ball joints, leaking rack and pinion, and a slew of other issues as it approaches 200k miles.

I am looking in the $0-6k range and need fuel economy, reliability, storage capacity, and covered storage.

I have looked at the VW Passat Wagon, and the Scion type vehicles. Any suggestions?

A motorcycle with a side car. Cover the side car with a tarp for covered.

(I'm joking by the way)

Obviously you want to haul around some stuff, but may I ask what you are carrying around?

Are you moving 12 foot boards around or are you moving some tools around?

Also is all wheel drive a must for where you live or not?

I need to be able to move from my apartment to a new one. I currently drive a shitty 2002 Ford Ranger.
AWD is nice to have but not required. So long as it aint RWD. I live in Mississippi but may end up moving to someplace like Texas.

I basically have boxes and my computer. that kinda thing.

Subaru, Honda, Toyota. Those brands will pretty much last you forever. The idea is to buy a car and make it last as long as possible and you'll leave debt free essentially. Those brands will last you quite some time.

Subaru is rated as the best cars to buy on KBB last time I checked.

I've packed up all of my belongings in a 2012 ford fusion before and still had a little room to spare so you should be fine with any 4 door car.

My girlfriend just bought an oldsmobile for 1.5k with 100k miles on it in amazing condition from a 97 year old women. We found the car through our mechanic. If you have a mechanic or a good community old people always have cars in amazing condition. That's always the first place I look.

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I would argue ford is also really good. Do not get Subaru automatic transmission variants. They do not hold up. The manuals are great. Toyota's are great. I think for more creature Ford has you covered more than Toyota. Depends on what your looking for. The AWD ford fusion is an extremely nice car. I personally drive a 09 Ford Focus SEL (limited) its definitely a work horse in this northern environment. Has not failed me once and I am well past 200k miles. 2009 Was a good year for ford cars. The 2015 and 2014 models are good with the latest PCM and TCM updates.

Honestly though it depends what you want. I provide more recommendations based on your needs.

I currently drive a POS Ford Ranger. I have spent more repairing it than I spent buying it. As it stands, I can not change the transmission fluid or filter for fear of the transmission failing. I am looking at Wagons and Minivans. I like the storage capacity of a truck but want it to be covered from the elements. I am 6'5" tall so being able to see properly is important.
With my current truck, the rear view mirror takes up 1/3 of my view as I am so tall that the mirror is literally eye level. It blocks most of my view to the right side of the windshield.

I was going to come in really excited to say "You can get a Nissan Silvia and save a lot of money" but you need to move stuff..... I mean you could in a Silvia it would just take a little longer.

I dunno, get a daihatsu van. Hell get a Kei-type van and you have good mileage, ability to haul.....

Also old Dodge trucks that some guy in the city is selling through a dealer are good buys. For some reason lots of inner city big folks around where I live get these trucks, pay the most of them off, notice they've lost more money in gas than anything, and with like 8000 left on car payments sell them through a dealer.

Nissan is also good.

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Love my VW GTI i use it to transport my amp/music equipment so it has space and if you can find a used golf, they're pretty awesome. passat and jetta sportwagons also kick ass. If you can drive with a manual transmission, i'd go for that.

can it haul all your belongings? I rent my apartment. When I move i use my truck.

Clean flood does not usually hurt a transmission unless you have never changed the fluid in which case the fluid is making up for the larger clearance. Sometimes though if you just havent changed it in a while a good set of clean fluid and filter with some lucas transfix will get the job done

The fluid has never been changed AFAIK. I bought it used from a mail truck guy in Mississippi and there is no record of it being changed. My mechanic advised me NOT to change it. Especially with the transmission slipping.

Ahh man I hate it when they dont take care of those things. They can last forever if people bother with simple maintenance. Yup dont change it. If shes slippin there aint a thing in the world you can do to stop it

Im back in the search for a replacement vehicle. I have a max budget of around $12k currently and im aiming to buy it by January. I just landed a new job that pays $16/hr starting. Im doing what I love, IT. I just have to drive ~80 miles round trip per day in a truck that gets ~12-15/gal on a good day. I just had to resurface the brake rotors and re-shoe it. ~$250.

Im going to lay out what I like in cars/vehicles and maybe some of you can suggest something.

I like windshields like what was in the original Scion xB 2005/6 model where the windshield felt wide and the rearview mirror was not in my eyes (eyelevel) I am 6'5" tall and most rearview mirrors are blocking my line of sight for the right side of the vehicle.
I like seats that can adjust vertically and horizontally. all that extra seat crap ( you know what I mean.....heated, etc) is superficial.
I like storage capacity
I love fuel economy (minimum +20mpg city)
I like being able to see the front of the vehicle easily so I know where it is in relation to other vehicles when parking or driving.
I like front-wheel drive or all-wheel
I like automatic
I like information displays (pedometer/tachometer/oil/etc) that are easier to read
I like modern stereo systems (Mp3/BT/etc)
I love affordable cars
I love reliable cars
I like power windows and steering

That is all I can think of ATM feel free to ask further probing questions.

Honestly? They're a little hard to find, but get yourself a Comanche.

Basically a Cherokee with a truck bed. Will last forever. MPG maybe not quite as good as you were looking for, but it's a rock solid machine with an amazing straight six engine.

If you get one in good shape, or you do the work, you'll have a great dashboard display that includes RPM, battery, oil, and engine temperature. Older Jeeps, as amazing as they are, also don't sell for any amount of money that reflects their quality. Weirdly. We only paid like 2.5K for the Cherokee, for example.

And I'm tall. Not as tall as you, but over six foot. I find the Cherokee comfortable and easy to drive. As far as stereo, that's easy to do yourself.

I've had the Cherokee for years. [Insert only slightly sarcastic Rickroll here]. Love it. Won't replace it, it's just that good.

I don't have a suggestion as to what car/truck to get, but here is advice on inspecting used cars. Please watch all 5 parts of the series and download the .pdf

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Honestly, I didn't watch this. Why?

Well, because I have one simple rule instead a 5 part series.

GET A TRUSTED MECHANIC TO INSPECT IT PRE-PURCHASE PLEASE. FUCKING PLEASE.

You'll thank me later.

Sure, if the mechanic you "trust" is really good, and you want to give him $40 for his/her time, that's great.

If you're in a situation where you can't get the seller to bring the car to your family mechanic, it helps you make an informed decision. And if you watched it @the_DM_Barlow (all 5 videos), the videos cover literally everything a mechanic would look for, besides tearing the engine apart, and shows you how to do your inspection throughly, without special tools. So if you have a mechanic you trust look at a vehicle, then by all means, go for it. But if you cant, these videos will help you a shit ton. Don't listen to people on their high horse.

Hey fellow Mississippi neighbor. Your mechanic is right any of the clutch material that has worn off will be flushed if you change it making the slipping worse.

I would find an 2003 to 2007 Ford Focus. They have drop down seats, FWD and are easy on gas. My Mom owns a Focus and it sips the gas.