Help! Looking at cars to buy - Need suggestions.

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Sirpopopop

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I'll keep this short and snappy since the parameters of my situation are easily explained. I have about $20,000 dollars to spend on a new car.

Here are the features I am looking for:

1. The car is safe.
2. The car stays within the price range.
3. The car's not a gas guzzler.

That's about it. I'm not someone who knows a lot about cars, so if there's anything I'm missing that I should be looking at, feel free to let me know.
 
How many people do you need to fit? Are you a large person? Do you need to carry a lot of stuff, like heavy groceries from Costco?

Or most importantly: what do you drive now?
 
Reliability isn't a desired feature?


I'd recommend a Honda Civic, if you did consider it a desired feature. Honda and Toyota don't need warranties because they'll typically last around 300,000 if you take care of them. They get excellent milage, they're within your price range, and I guess they're safe.
 
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Some more info:

Yeah reliability is an important feature, slipped my mind. I'm not looking for a high performance vehicle.

In terms of largeness: That's not a problem.
In terms of car size: A four-seater would be nice.
Trunk Space: Having trunk space would be nice for long trips but not at the expense of efficiency and reliability.

Present Vehicle: None at the moment. My last car got wrecked when an SUV smashed me from behind on the highway.
 
Sirpopopop said:
Present Vehicle: None at the moment. My last car got wrecked when an SUV smashed me from behind on the highway.
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What kind of car was that?

The recommendation of a Civic seems to be right on. It's the last year of the current model so you should be able to get a significant discount.
 
Sirpopopop said:
Some more info:

Yeah reliability is an important feature, slipped my mind. I'm not looking for a high performance vehicle.

In terms of largeness: That's not a problem.
In terms of car size: A four-seater would be nice.
Trunk Space: Having trunk space would be nice for long trips but not at the expense of efficiency and reliability.

Present Vehicle: None at the moment. My last car got wrecked when an SUV smashed me from behind on the highway.
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You sound like a perfect canidate for a Jetta. The TDI version gets great gas milage.
 
gigapower said:
You sound like a perfect canidate for a Jetta. The TDI version gets great gas milage.
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There are a couple of reasons why that might not work out, though.

- The supply of old-style '05 models is diminishing, and there were few TDI's in the first place
- The new Jetta is substantially more expensive, enough to be out of his price range
 
sonarrat said:
What kind of car was that?

The recommendation of a Civic seems to be right on. It's the last year of the current model so you should be able to get a significant discount.
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It was a 97 Kia Sephia. A hand-me-down, and safety was always a big issue with that car. Amazingly enough it held up for about 80,000 miles.

In any case, thanks guys.
 
Go to Borders and check out the Consumer Reports car purchasing guide. It's got plenty of good information in it about safety testing and things you seem to be concerned about.

Then buy a used car for $5,000 and send me the remaining $15,000 so I can pay for an education - or lots of booze and hookers. :P
 
>>>Amazingly enough it held up for about 80,000 miles.<<<

Amazing? My first car (Civic) went 295,000 on the original engine and transmission (no rebuilds) before the timing belt broke early and caused the valves to get smacked the hell up.
 
It's a Kia model from 1997. Not exactly the best kind of car, (more like one of the worst), and it would have held up for many more if it didn't get wrecked.
 
For 20Gs? Just stop your search here:

Lexus IS300
02.lexus.is300.action.500.jpg


Or if you're willing to sarcrifice some realibility with a shit load of fucking performance:

2002/03 Maxima
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The Lexus will run you pretty much an even 20. The Maxima will run about 15-17, with great mileage. The IS isn't what I'd call a "tall person's car", but it's still comfy. It's sleek, quick-enough, handles on rails and barely depreciates.

The Maxima is incredibly comfortable (backseat especially) for all kinds of people (I have one, and I'm 6'1), it's curvy looking, fast as f-ing hell, has mediocre handling and depcriates quicker than a Lex. I personally would go with the Maxima because of its performance and size, but you can't go wrong either way. The Lex will hold its price and give you less maintenance issues, since it's Toyota.
 
Lexus IS?
uh...that's a bit sporty and luxurious..
That thing GULPS premium gasoline :p
The Maxima isn't thrifty on the fuel either.

You've had good experience with Hyundais...maybe you should consider them. Even better, in the last few years, Hyundai has shot up to the very top of reliability ratings.

$20k isn't chump change though...and it can get you a lot of things. From a fairly loaded Mazda3/Scion tC to a base Impreza/Mustang..
 
sonarrat said:
Insurance, dude. Not a good idea.
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Well depending on where he lives with both insurance and gas. If he drives all highway, he can get 400 to a tank easily from each car. If he'll drive in congested city traffic often, it'll be closer to 300. Insurance on Maximas is only expensive in large cities like all of NYC, various places in Jersey, much of SoCal, Miami, etc.
 
TAJ said:
>>>Amazingly enough it held up for about 80,000 miles.<<<

Amazing? My first car (Civic) went 295,000 on the original engine and transmission (no rebuilds) before the timing belt broke early and caused the valves to get smacked the hell up.
Click to expand...

Ah, that sucks for everything else to last so well, only to have a timing belt break before it was scheduled to be repaired. For those who're unaware, you need to change those Civic timing belts every 100k kms.
 
Based on your price-range, I would look at:

Honda Accord (Sedan or Coupe)
VW Jetta
Scion tC
Mazda 6
Toyota Camry
Nissan Altima
Acura RSX (Slightly over $20k base)

Personally, I'd go for either the Accord (Coupe) or Jetta, though the RSX is tempting. Or you could jeust get like a Civic/Corolla and save $5000 and get crazy gas mileage. Your choice. :p Actually the Civic hybrid is within your price range (base).

Check out http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ to check out gas mileages, since they aren't readily available on each dealer's website.
 
I drive a Mazda 3 Sport.

It's probably my most favorite car that I've ever owned.

Lots of room. It's a hatchback and the backseats fold down for more trunck space.

The gas milage is pretty awesome too. I drive city mostly and I only have to fill up every 2 weeks or so and to fill up on empty is about 30 bucks.

Wasn't too terribly expensive as well. Base was about 19,500.

I added a bunch of stuff, so by the time I was done with all the additions it was about 22,000 and a bit.
 
AlphaSnake said:
Well depending on where he lives with both insurance and gas. If he drives all highway, he can get 400 to a tank easily from each car. If he'll drive in congested city traffic often, it'll be closer to 300. Insurance on Maximas is only expensive in large cities like all of NYC, various places in Jersey, much of SoCal, Miami, etc.
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Insurance is high on the IS300, because it is considered a high-performance car. The Maxima varies, depending on whether you live in a high-crime area. It wouldn't be expensive for me, living out in the boonies where there hasn't been a reported crime in about 10 years...
 
hey steakster,

in choosing a car, the only person you should listen to (ESPECIALLY ON THIS BOARD) is me (maybe sonarrat because he rocks too). NO ONE ELSE.

what you need is a civic/corolla/scion/etc. a grocery getter that will outlive you and get 35mpg

the question is whether you care (a) how fun it is (b) how it looks (c) how much crap it will carry (d) how many crappy people it will carry

the two cars i think you should go out and test drive right now (because i didn't and i'm constantly kicking myself for it) are a mazda 3 and a corolla XRS. go do this now and report back. we can move on from there.
 
fart said:
hey steakster,

in choosing a car, the only person you should listen to (ESPECIALLY ON THIS BOARD) is me (maybe sonarrat because he rocks too). NO ONE ELSE.

what you need is a civic/corolla/scion/etc. a grocery getter that will outlive you and get 35mpg

the question is whether you care (a) how fun it is (b) how it looks (c) how much crap it will carry (d) how many crappy people it will carry

the two cars i think you should go out and test drive right now (because i didn't and i'm constantly kicking myself for it) are a mazda 3 and a corolla XRS. go do this now and report back. we can move on from there.
Click to expand...

The hell with you and your practicality!
 
I agree with fart. A lot of cars being recommended do not adhere to your desired qualities. Luxury cars that eat up gas and whatnot and some arent' reliable.

Civic/Corolla are extremely reliable, have awesome milage, and are cheap brand new.

If you look up long term reliability tests, Honda and Toyota own all others. Nothing comes close. Hyundai recently is getting good initial reliability tests, but I don't trust them.

I own a 92 Accord with 130,000 with no problems at all.
 
I drive a '98 Corolla, and let me tell you, it's absolutely perfect. I'm not saying it has extreme power or extreme anything for that matter, but there's nothing *wrong* with it. Perfect car, a pleasure to drive, and makes for easy parallel parking and such.

If I had the choice, I'd go with a Mazda 3 these days from what I've heard. You seem to get a lot of luxury out of them for the price. However, Corolla XRS now comes with the old Celica engine right? I think that'd make it the most powerful in its class.
 
Doth Togo said:
Ever owned or driven a VW, or are you regurgitating hearsay?
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VW consistently ranks near the bottom of consumer satisfaction surveys (IIRC, it was second to last in the previous year, beating out only Hummer on consumer satisfaction). Of course, that's not just straight-up "reliability", but I know plenty of VW horror stories that tend to agree with that assessment.

EDIT: The "bug" is the exception, not the rule, for VW cars.
 
Nerevar said:
VW consistently ranks near the bottom of consumer satisfaction surveys (IIRC, it was second to last in the previous year, beating out only Hummer on consumer satisfaction). Of course, that's not just straight-up "reliability", but I know plenty of VW horror stories that tend to agree with that assessment.

EDIT: The "bug" is the exception, not the rule, for VW cars.
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The problem over the past few years for VW is with the 1.8t and the coil pack. The Audi A4 with the same 1.8t engine has the same issue. It's been replaced and all is well.

My family and I own four V6 GLX Passats. We've never had any problems with them, whatsoever. I've got 53,000 miles on my 2002 and it's a gem.

I would go back to VW in a heartbeat. However, I would do my homework before returning. I would not get a Touareg, even though they're gorgeous, nor would I get a Jetta, even though I think they're great cars. I'm thinking about getting the new "Passat CLS" coming out in 2007, IIRC. 3.6litre turbocharged 375hp AWD sedan VW Passat R36.

VW%20Passat%20Coupe-1b.jpg


VW%20Passat%20Coupe-2b.jpg


67735.jpg
 
ballhog said:
Buy a Toyota. Don't buy a VW, unless you like standing around on the side of the road.
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My wife and I have owned four New Beetles since 1998, and while we have had our share of problems with them, not once has any of them left either of us stranded.
 
Sirpopopop said:
I'll keep this short and snappy since the parameters of my situation are easily explained. I have about $20,000 dollars to spend on a new car.

Here are the features I am looking for:

1. The car is safe.
2. The car stays within the price range.
3. The car's not a gas guzzler.

That's about it. I'm not someone who knows a lot about cars, so if there's anything I'm missing that I should be looking at, feel free to let me know.
Click to expand...

Honda Civic 4door LX Sedan 2005 (Auto trans)

Go to your dealer, and get a brand new Honda Civic 2005 with no financing. I can pretty much guarantee you 16,700-800 OTD (Out the door, that's all the fees). That should be about 500-700(?) under invoice so that should be a good deal. The price will vary depending on what state you are in (tax). Also when buying ask what fees that will be adding, if they add misc shit like, "Import Tariff" or "Rustproofing" immediately challenge it and refuse to pay for it.

Basically take about 15,000, multiply by 1.0xx (xx being the tax, in Tempe, AZ area it's 7.8 so put 78 in the xx) then add about 600-700 dollars for license fees and whatnot and that should put you around the 16,700-800 ballpark.

16,800 is everything but doesn't include serivce plans (which I do NOT recommend anyway). Stuff like Lojack (car location device), and dealership installed alarm systems are really expensive and just more extraneous costs. Just avoid these and buy your own alarm and install by yourself or just get a friend to do it. Civic has 31/38 mpg so that is pretty good, the car stays well within your price range and it's definitely safe (get the $218 side airbags if it gives you peace of mind)

Hope this helps,

Chen
 
Doth Togo said:
I would go back to VW in a heartbeat. However, I would do my homework before returning. I would not get a Touareg, even though they're gorgeous, nor would I get a Jetta, even though I think they're great cars.
Click to expand...

In all fairness, everyone I know who complains owns a Jetta. I know 1 guy with a Passat and he's never had a problem with it, so I guess that car model is better built. Then again, I think Jetta is their most popular car line, which would explain all the unhappy customers.
 
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