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i need help picking out a car

T

thevessels

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 6, 2004
216
0
originally i reeeeeeally wanted an element , so bad , but its just out of my price range for now , so i gotta switch my brain onto something else .

im currently luggin around a 97 jetta , but so much stuff goes wrong with that car , and the repairs are soooo much for volkswagons , as much as i love em , im gonna have to say goodbye to VWs

so my price range is under 10 000 ( 8 000 would be great )
i want somethin with less than 75 000 miles ( 50ish would be nice )

i dont like domestics , and VW has pissed me off for the last time , so i guess that leaves the honda and co to step up to the plate

i really just need some dependable / low low maitenence wheels to get me through the next few years

any suggessssssstions ?

thanks gang
-chris
 
I think a Honda Civic would be a very good choice. I drive a 1995, and it has been awesome. I love that car. I just replaced the ORIGINAL battery last week! Of course that's a fluke.

From what I've read, Civics get most of the top ratings as far as reliability, economy, and resale value.

I'm also a little biased :)
 
I know you "dont like domestics", but my Oldsmobile Cutlass was incredibly resistant. My mother purchased it new, handed it to me, I gave it to my sister, my sister gave it back to me, then I gave it back to my sister. Overall, it lasted over 16 and nothing major every went wrong with it. We finally donated it to the Purple Heart just because it was time (even though it still ran fine). That being said, 5 months ago I purchased a brand new RSX, and I love it. I couldn't imagine driving anything else (except for a SUV, but my work commute it too long considering gas prices).
 
AMC Gremlin all the way. Mine still runs good to this day.

But if you cannot find one of those, a Civic sounds like a good choice for you, I have a teacher who drives 50 miles to work everyday and her civic has over 400 thousand miles and still runs good.
 
I think I'd rather opt for a Toyota Corolla than a Civic. That said, it's been awhile since I priced cars and I'm thinking a Corolla might be beyond your $8-$10K budget.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
I have to ask what is wrong with the domestics cars
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Actually these days? Not much. (Maybe aesthetics, though.) Their dependability have gotten better the last few years.

Actually, a Saturn would be pretty dependable, OP. Not particularly glamorous, but hey, that's not what you're after, right? :eek:
 
You might not "like domestics" but GM's recent new models are winning awards left and right, across all their brands. They've pretty much brought themselves to the same quality, in many cases exceeding quality of the Japanese brands. They're nothing like the nasty 1990s models with cheap interiors GM kept pushing out.

Although for less than 10 grand, new GMs really do much for you. However certified used GMs now feature a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. Yes, certified used GMs now feature a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/archives/2007/02/post_4.html

EDIT: I guess the used warranty starts March 5.

We announced that beginning March 5, GM will offer its limited powertrain warranty and 24-hour roadside assistance for 100,000 miles or five years (whichever comes first) on all 2002-2006 Certified Used Vehicles from Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac, Buick and Oldsmobile. This warranty is fully transferable, has no deductible and covers over 900 powertrain-related components. It also includes a limited bumper-to-bumper warranty for 3-months or 3,000 miles (whichever comes first)
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I would go for a Mitsubishi Lancer and since Mitsu will release an all new Lancer in March, you will be able to pick up the base "old" generation Lancer around $12,000 new with a better warranty than Toyota, Honda, And Nissan (Sentra is built in Mexico if I am not mistaking, not a reliable car of the bunch).
 
If you wanted a Honda Element, you probably want a bigger car, no? Would you consider a used Honda CRV or Toyota Rav4? I don't know how much used American cars go for, but search for those.

Or maybe you can even get a new-ish Hyundai. You may not be able to get a new one, but don't get an older one (they sucked before). Since they're normally cheap anyway, maybe you can get a 2-3 year old model for $8000 USD.
 
We've bought off lease cars from banks in the past couple of years. In 2003 we got a used Honda Accord EX with leather seats, moon roof, CD player and under 60,000 miles for $8,650 and in 2004 we bought a 2000 Nissan Maxima with ALL the whistles and bells again under 60,000 for $11,000.

Both cars were in mint condition and have hadn't had any problems except regular wear and tear, new tires, battery,etc.

The banks just want to get rid of them so there's no commission or bargaining. You have to look, however, we've been very happy with our purchases and I doubt we'll be anything new again. :)
 
Corolla is hard to beat for cheap, reliable transport. The Geo/Chevy Metro and Chevy Aveo are even more economical if you don't mind driving a small car.

Civic and Sentra are also reliable and plentiful.

You could also find a 1998-2001 Nissan Altima in your price range. It is almost exactly the same siza as the Jetta (bigger than the Civic/Sentra/Corolla), has a lot more horsepower than the base Jetta engine(150 vs 115ish), is cheaper and more reliable than the Jetta. I have a 1999 Altima GXE with 120k miles on it and it has been very reliable. With a manual transmission I've observed 32mpg combined, with highway mileage of 35+, quite a bit higher than it's EPA-rated mileage. I'm very happy with it and paid just $7300 for it 3 years ago.

Another candidate would be a late model Ford Contour(Mondeo in Europe). Like the Altima, it is the same size as the Jetta but cheaper. The V6 version is pretty nice, if you don't mind buying domestic.
 
devilot said:
I think I'd rather opt for a Toyota Corolla than a Civic. That said, it's been awhile since I priced cars and I'm thinking a Corolla might be beyond your $8-$10K budget.
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Sun Baked said:
Corolla, Civic, or Sentra
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Chaszmyr said:
I'd try to find an '03 Corolla under $10k.
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While a Corolla is a reliable (appliance) car, it is one of the least comfortable and worst driving experiences you can still buy (this point can't even be argued :eek: ). Just about any compact car on the market today is miles ahead of the Corolla. You can't go wrong with a Honda Civic or a Mazda 3 as far as a decent driving experience (the class leaders). My recommendation for a good cheap car would be a certified used Chevy Cobalt when that 100,000 mile warranty hits in march. The Cobalt is a very nice car (much better driving than a Corolla -I know because I have one) and you can't go wrong with that 100,000 mile warranty.

Edit: I'd also recommend a used Subaru Impreza. Very reliable and a very very nice drive (even without the WRX/STI turbo).
 
ambience said:
While a Corolla is a reliable (appliance) car, it is one of the least comfortable and worst driving experiences you can still buy (this point can't even be argued :eek: ). Just about any compact car on the market today is miles ahead of the Corolla. You can't go wrong with a Honda Civic or a Mazda 3 as far as a decent driving experience (the class leaders). My recommendation for a good cheap car would be a certified used Chevy Cobalt when that 100,000 mile warranty hits in march. The Cobalt is a very nice car (much better driving than a Corolla -I know because I have one) and you can't go wrong with that 100,000 mile warranty.

Edit: I'd also recommend a used Subaru Impreza. Very reliable and a very very nice drive (even without the WRX/STI turbo).
Click to expand...

yeah depending on how big you are I would recommend AGAIST the cobalt. A sentra has a lot more room in it. How do I know this, well my sister drives a 2 door cobalt and I do not exactly fit in it. my head hit the roof and there is just not that much room in it. I drive a 2004 Sentra and it has quite a bit of room in the front. I have plenty of head room and more cargo room.

Oh yeah and I am 6'4"

Another good car to look at is the Ford Focus. They are pretty nice to ride in and not half bad to drive and you can get a pretty new one in your price range.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
yeah depending on how big you are I would recommend AGAIST the cobalt. A sentra has a lot more room in it. How do I know this, well my sister drives a 2 door cobalt and I do not exactly fit in it. my head hit the roof and there is just not that much room in it. I drive a 2004 Sentra and it has quite a bit of room in the front. I have plenty of head room and more cargo room.

Oh yeah and I am 6'4"

Another good car to look at is the Ford Focus. They are pretty nice to ride in and not half bad to drive and you can get a pretty new one in your price range.
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I'm only 5' 7". My friend who is a bit taller than you (6' 5") drives a Cobalt Sedan and he fits just fine. The Cobalt Coupe probably has a lot less headroom I would assume, especially in the back seats. If you are driving the car I'd recommend lowering the seat which should give you more head room.
 
thevessels said:
i really just need some dependable / low low maitenence wheels to get me through the next few years
Click to expand...

In all honesty, you could have put the following...

thevessels said:
I have filthy wads of cash, i really just need something exciting, edgy, life reaffirming to drive, I don't care if it costs more than an average house, and has a similar MPG figure either
Click to expand...

And the average response on here would be... Get a Honda Civic. ;) But don't of course. ;)
 
hey thanks the the replies .
since my post i actually found a :

03 civic coupe
44k miles
$5,900

cant go wrong there , so im headin over to check it out this afternoon , make sure it actually runs for that price .
 
I'm going to be in the market for a new car in the next year or so. I drive a 95' Camry, runs perfect with a 150K miles. I've always had Hand-me-down cars, the camry was originally my dads. Now that I am working full time, making decent money, I'm trying to save for something a little nicer. I don't want anything crazy, probably looking to spend $12k-14K, and I don't plan on buying brand new as they loose value too fast. I'm looking at a Mazda 3 hatchback. It's in my price range, I can get one with around 40k, and I really like the styling and features they offer. I still have a while to wait, I'll probably just drive my car until it dies, so who knows how long that will be and what will be out at that point.
 
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