Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Would you recommend your car?

thebassoonist

thebassoonist

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 25, 2007
500
1
Davis, CA
I'm looking to spend less than $10,000 on a car. Here are my priorities:

-Good gas mileage
-4 door
-Automatic transmission
-Reliable
-Newer than 1995

So, does anyone have a car that they love, is relatively cheap and would recommend? Let me know make, model, year, and the mileage that yours came with if you bought it used if you do! Thanks!
 
I know! I love manual, but since I drive quite a bit in rush hour, my foot starts to hurt, and it's lame. Also, I'll probably be sharing this car with my little sister who doesn't start driving for a while. But I've been looking at Hondas, Toyotas, and Subarus. I want to avoid an American car. Ha ha.
 
Come to the UK. £5000 will get you quite a bit of car if you can go back as far as 1995. My mum just bought a brand new car for £6050! BRAND NEW!
 
I would recommend a Toyota Corolla. It is a 4 door, gets about 36 MPG on the high way, and is very dependable. You are looking at a 2004 or 2005 model.

The Honda Civic is my second choice, but it will be a little more expensive.

Good luck.
 
I drive a Chevrolet Cobalt and yea I would recommend it. I got the base model (LS) and had aftermarket power windows, locks, and keyless entry with alarm installed for just a few hundred extra. I got it new last spring and it gets about 27 MPG (city/highyway driving). The only thing I do not like about it is the factory Continental tires suck, as they have horrible grip. I paid $14,913 after taxes.
 
Hard to beat Corollas. They're solid. Not fun, but then again, it's hard to find a truly reliable, affordable, and fun car. ;) (Note: I don't drive/ own a Corolla, but really, they're quite solid.)
 
iGav said:
You're cruel.
Click to expand...
Yet truthful. :p

You know I'm right.

Solid all-around commuter. Just not joyous. But again, you can't have it all. It's extremely reliable, safe, very affordable, nice gas economy, 4-door, automatic transmission, and can definitely be had for a great price new.
 
thebassoonist said:
I'd like 4wd (or awd? I don't really know the difference). Since I live in Utah, I need to be able to get around in the snow. I don't need a v6 engine, just something that can get up hills. Ha ha.
Click to expand...

i'd say a saab 9-2x. thx to badge engineering, i've seen a few of them (under 30k mi) going at $10-11k + tax. otherwise, try to get a 2000+ subaru w/ awd and < 40k mi.

(sorry i can't give any first hand experience cos i don't drive a subie.)
 
Anything Japanese. I tend to like Hondas more then Toyotas. Subuarus are also very good if you are looking for AWD and good gas milage. Hyundais are supposed to very good too. I've been in one and I must say they're pretty well built and ride nicely.

You could look at american cars too. Taurus, Malibu, etc. Very bland of course, but the cars and the parts cost absolutely nothing.

Stay away from VW or anything german or european if you are looking for something reliable. Many of my relatives have owned VW's. The old ones are good (old as in like early 90's), but anything of this day in age is unreliable, very expensive to fix in comparison to anything japanese or american.

I would look at the Civic, Accord, Corolla, Camry, Taurus, Malibu first. If you need AWD then look at the Forester and Outback too. Find what you personally like driving wise, price wise, reliability wise, and repair cost wise. Then track down a good deal. Find what you want and then find the specific car.

In terms of Subaru, I believe they have a few different AWD (full time) systems. They are all automatic though, there is no shifting into 4wd.
 
devilot said:
Solid all-around commuter. Just not joyous. But again, you can't have it all. It's extremely reliable, safe, very affordable, nice gas economy, 4-door, automatic transmission, and can definitely be had for a great price new.
Click to expand...

Can you find a new Corolla for under $10k? I thought they started like at $12k or something?

Either way, I agree with the Corolla idea. Even if a new one is too much, you can find plenty of 2005 or 2006 models for less than $10k, and they'll last for another 20 years.
 
So what is the difference between 4wd and awd? This is something I should know when I start getting uberserious.

And yes, I will not buy a VW or... AUDI! AGH! I used to have an Audi. They are...not my favorite.



Also... are there any cars that I should absolutely AVOID?
 
thebassoonist said:
So what is the difference between 4wd and awd? This is something I should know when I start getting uberserious.

And yes, I will not buy a VW or... AUDI! AGH! I used to have an Audi. They are...not my favorite.
Click to expand...

AWD is like what a subaru has, where it will move power around to the wheels that are not slipping, and 4WD is like what you get in a truck, where it will, when activated, send power to the front, but does not stop a wheel from slipping due to how a differential functions.
I would go for a subaru, late 90's. I have one, it has lots of miles, but if you live anywhere with snow like where i do, it is the best thing you will ever drive, ever.
That being said, i would not recommend something like my other car, a 77 MGB. It is definitely older than 95, is two door, not reliable in any form, an old school 4 speed manual, and does not get good gas milage. LOL
Hope this all helps
 
thebassoonist said:
So what is the difference between 4wd and awd? This is something I should know when I start getting uberserious.

And yes, I will not buy a VW or... AUDI! AGH! I used to have an Audi. They are...not my favorite.



Also... are there any cars that I should absolutely AVOID?
Click to expand...

Tell you the truth there is not any real difference between the 2 of them. I would think of AWD as always on. 4wd you can it on and off.

But for what you are looking for it does not really matter. Your car is more than likely going to be front wheel drive.

Civic is good. You could look at the ford focus. Everyone I know who has a Focus has only said good things about it. I drive a sentra and it is doing great. Just if you get the Sentra do not get the 2.5L engine since it has known problems. The 1.8 is cheaper, gets better mileage but does have less power.
 
silbeej said:
AWD is like what a subaru has, where it will move power around to the wheels that are not slipping, and 4WD is like what you get in a truck, where it will, when activated, send power to the front, but does not stop a wheel from slipping due to how a differential functions.
I would go for a subaru, late 90's. I have one, it has lots of miles, but if you live anywhere with snow like where i do, it is the best thing you will ever drive, ever.
That being said, i would not recommend something like my other car, a 77 MGB. It is definitely older than 95, is two door, not reliable in any form, an old school 4 speed manual, and does not get good gas milage. LOL
Hope this all helps
Click to expand...

I've seen a few Imprezas and Legacies in the paper. Maybe that's what I should go for. How many miles is too many for a Subaru? The ones I see all have over 100K. I'd like to spend as little as possible, so what do you think is a good trade off between miles and money?
 
thebassoonist said:
So what is the difference between 4wd and awd? This is something I should know when I start getting uberserious.

And yes, I will not buy a VW or... AUDI! AGH! I used to have an Audi. They are...not my favorite.



Also... are there any cars that I should absolutely AVOID?
Click to expand...

The difference between AWD and 4wd...
Both systems supply both the front and rear wheels with power. The first thing you have to understand that the power of the car always goes to the wheel of least resistance unless "locking differentials" are used.

4WD: A system in which the car is always in 2wd (rear wheel drive) until you shift the transfer case into 4wd (front and rear axels now both get power). When you do this the center differential is locked so the power is distributed 50% to the front and 50% to the rear. The problem with this system is that the 4wd cannot be used on dry roads. 4wd is usually found in trucks and truck based SUVs.

AWD: (sometimes known as full time 4wd)- These systems are in many SUVs and all cars There are a few different types here.
1) The power is distributed to the front and rear but there is no center locking differential so the power goes to the wheel of least resistance. Sometimes these cars are equipped with traction control to help reroute power away from the wheel of least resistance (the slipping wheel)
2) (Rare on most cars) The power is distributed to the front and rear but the the center differential must be locked to have the power be distributed 50% front 50% rear. Traction control can be on these models too.
3) The power goes to the rear wheels unless the car senses slippage and automatically locks the center differential to provide power to the front wheels. The ratio isn't always 50%, 50% in this case. Traction control can be equipped with these cars too.

To summarize, AWD is more automatic in most cases.

I might also add traction control uses the braking system to apply braking power to the slipping wheel. This in turn makes the power go to the other wheel.

Hopefully I explained that well.
 
ErikCLDR said:
The difference between AWD and 4wd...
Both systems supply both the front and rear wheels with power. The first thing you have to understand that the power of the car always goes to the wheel of least resistance unless "locking differentials" are used.

4WD: A system in which the car is always in 2wd (rear wheel drive) until you shift the transfer case into 4wd (front and rear axels now both get power). When you do this the center differential is locked so the power is distributed 50% to the front and 50% to the rear. The problem with this system is that the 4wd cannot be used on dry roads. 4wd is usually found in trucks and truck based SUVs.

AWD: (sometimes known as full time 4wd)- These systems are in many SUVs and all cars There are a few different types here.
1) The power is distributed to the front and rear but there is no center locking differential so the power goes to the wheel of least resistance. Sometimes these cars are equipped with traction control to help reroute power away from the wheel of least resistance (the slipping wheel)
2) (Rare on most cars) The power is distributed to the front and rear but the the center differential must be locked to have the power be distributed 50% front 50% rear. Traction control can be on these models too.
3) The power goes to the rear wheels unless the car senses slippage and automatically locks the center differential to provide power to the front wheels. The ratio isn't always 50%, 50% in this case. Traction control can be equipped with these cars too.

To summarize, AWD is more automatic in most cases.

I might also add traction control uses the braking system to apply braking power to the slipping wheel. This in turn makes the power go to the other wheel.

Hopefully I explained that well.
Click to expand...

Yes! Thank you. I am looking for AWD then. :-D
 
Well its a 99 Subaru Forester 5 Speed, but you can get it in an auto, and it came with 88k miles on it for around $7,200. As of this moment it has a little over 110k, so in the past 2 or 3 years, i forget, it has some serious milage, and hasn't gone wrong. The belts squeak when it first starts up and it has rained/is damp out, the exhaust clunks when you don't have a perfect shift (not a problem you would have with an auto) and i get 26 - 28 mpg and i have snow tires on year round, so i think it's fairly good. Not sure how much longer it will be with me, but as a student, who lives where we get snow, it works fine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back