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Hello -- I've been searching for cars recently and I'm currently considering either getting a 2001 Toyota Celica or a 2005 Chevy Malibu.  While I would go with the Celica in a heartbeat if the two had an equal number of miles, the Celica has considerably more (110k).  I understand that Toyota produces overall well-built cars, but how high should the miles be before it's not worth considering?  Or should I completely ignore the miles on it and instead rely on its condition/test drive performance?

Here are the two cars:
2001 Toyota Celica - 161,000 miles - $5500
2005 Chevrolet Malibu - 55,000 miles - $6800

Which do you think is the better value -- spending $6800 on the more recent Malibu with lower miles or spending $5500 on the older Celica (while having the extra $1300 to spend on any necessary maintenance)?  

Well, nevermind -- I visited the Celica today and it was clearly not well-maintained.  Now, my only question is: do you think a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu at 55,000 for $6800 is worth it?  My understanding is that they are fairly cheap cars, but such a recent car at such a low mileage seems like a bargain to me.  

http://www.automotive.com/2005/09/chevrolet/malibu/index.html

According to the A.com page on the 2005 Malibu, value is betwen 36-9800 bucks.  At 6800 bucks it doesn't seem like that bad of a deal.  Personally I would probably get the celica since I trust Toyota over Chevy, I have a 2004 celica and that thing is great.  But you said it yourself that thing hasn't been taken care of that well.  Why buy someone else's problems?  

I agree -- I would have gotten the Celica if the owner convinced me that he had taken care of it (which he didn't).  I'm feeling pretty good about the Malibu though; after inspecting it and giving it a test drive, I found that it's more valuable than I thought initially.  It has a V6 engine over the standard V4 as well as cruise control, the body is in great condition, and mechanic who inspected the car found no problems.  According to KBB, this car is worth approximately $8300 for private party, so I feel like $6775 is a steal.  I've never driven a Chevy before, but I plan on getting it unless I hear lots of Chevy horror stories...any thoughts?  

Hands down the Malibu.  The toyota doesn't seem like it was taken care of.  I have a friend who owns a malibu with 156K miles on it and he loves it.  He said once this car shuts down, he is looking for another used one.  Again, its a tough decission becuase you never know, but if it was me I would go with the Malibu.  
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