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[trilobyte]

I'm not a car guy. I'm pretty much clueless about anything when it comes to cars.

I've been driving a shitty Grand Am for 5 years now...4-cylinder ug

Anyway, I have only a few reqs

NO FORD
> 4-cylinder
Safe
Doesn't have to be new (for my price it'll most likely be used)

People tell me Camry but that seems like a old lady's car to me.

Any thoughts?

 

[DCX]

I was going to mention a Focus but...i would say Cavalier..., or a Neon. Honda Civic, the base model but Hondas are good vehicles.

DCX

 

[SlickWilly223]

I assume you can get a 1998 - 2000 Nissan Maxima for that price. Those things look pretty nice, too.

Hell, might as well get a 2002 Nissan Maxima. You can easily find one in your price range

 

[trilobyte]

Nissan pretty good eh?

 

[Tarazet]

If you want more than 4 cylinders, then you should go Toyota. They've been making V-6es for much longer than either Honda or Nissan, and they hold up better.

 

[Wellington]

Autotrader.com has a pretty powerful search engine.

You could get a new Mazda 3i for a little under $15k. It's 4 cylinders though.

 

[trilobyte]

*sigh*

looks like it's either a heavily used v6 or a really nice new 4-cylinder at my price range.

I guess I'll bite and get a 4-cylinder. opens myself to better possibilities

 

[DCX]

Why the 4-cylinder hate? What's the big deal.

DCX

 

[Hitman]

Just don't get American. Japanese cars are the way to go.

 

[galeninjapan]

I need a large 6 cylinder to show off how manly I am.

 

[Tarazet]

*sigh*

looks like it's either a heavily used v6 or a really nice new 4-cylinder at my price range.

I guess I'll bite and get a 4-cylinder. opens myself to better possibilities

You should know that used-car list prices are typically $3000-5000 more than you should actually pay for them. Go on Autotrader.com, look up the model you're interested in, and set the search area within any number of miles of your zip code. Then look at the lowest prices.

For example, my sister's in the market for a car. I looked on a local dealer's website and found that they were offering a 2003 Mazda Protege5 for $12,995. I went on Autotrader, and found this was a very competitive price. Some dealers were charging as much as $17,995 for a car just like it. However, there are several listings of Protege5s of similar vintage and mileage which put the price as low as $8,995.

That gives you an idea of how far prices can range based on nothing other than level of greed. If you can find out things like that, then you have a lot of leverage when you go shopping. I fully intend to grind the salesman down below the $10K barrier.

 

[Maxwell House]

I'd go with the Scion TC. I think the price is $16,995 or so. Great build quality, great safety features (driver and passenger air bags and knee air bags), nice look, etc. Just a great all around value.

 

[trilobyte]

I need a large 6 cylinder to show off how manly I am.

Or I live in Texas where 80% of the vehicles i gotta deal with my 2hour commute on the road are oversized/overpowered trucks and suv's

also realize i don't know shit about cars

 

[mashoutposse]

Look for these if you don't mind 50k+ miles:

http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/car/74639503.html

 

[Tarazet]

Or I live in Texas where 80% of the vehicles i gotta deal with my 2hour commute on the road are oversized/overpowered trucks and suv's

also realize i don't know shit about cars

Well, here are some of the models that you should consider based on your original post.

2002+ Nissan Altima V6 - Exciting to drive, but attractive to thieves for the headlights.
2003+ Honda Accord V6 - Not as exciting, but durable and invisible to cops.
2002+ Toyota Camry V6 - Even less exciting than the Honda, but the ride is exceptionally smooth, which might make a big difference on a 2-hour commute. It's Lexus quality.
2003+ Mazda 6 - Just as good as any of the above, but weak resale value means they will be less expensive.
2001-3 Mitsubishi Galant V6 - Same as above, bu even more so. They're practically giving away used Galants.

 

[Wellington]

*sigh*

looks like it's either a heavily used v6 or a really nice new 4-cylinder at my price range.

I guess I'll bite and get a 4-cylinder. opens myself to better possibilities

It still leaves you with a good choice of cars. I really don't understand your need for a V6. If your commute is indeed 2 hours, wouldn't you value fuel economy in this day and age more than being able to deal with overpowered trucks and SUVs (wtf kind of reason is that...).

My one piece of advice is that if you can get a car you want and it's slightly out of your price range, just go for it. The difference in monthly payment will be negligible.

Anyway, new cars in your price range:

Corolla
Matrix (the base model)
Cobalt
Ford Focus
Civic
Accord (base it's 17K for a sedan)
Mazda 3
Sentra
Scion xA
Scion xB
Scion tC (17K base)
VW Golf
VW Jetta (Again, 17K)
Accent
Elantra
Tiburon (16K)
Kia Spectra
Kia Rio
Lancer
Dodge Neon

Based on that list, I'd look most at the Jetta, the Mazda 3, the tC (if you actually fit in it, unlike me , the Cobalt, Corolla, and Accord. Disregard all Kias and Hyundais I just listed them for completeness. Personally, I think that's an awesome list to choose from.