I'm thinking of buying a car. Any advice?

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spicypumpkin

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So, since I got my license, I've been toying with the idea of buying a car in the next couple of years. I don't know that much about cars, but I have a couple of cars in mind based on looks only. My first choice would be a Mustang (2000 or later). I really just like the way they look. I also like the looks of some Pontiac models.

But yeah, here are the traits I'm looking for in a car in order of importance:

1. Appearance/Looks

2. Performance

3. Dependability/Reliability/Repairability

4. Gas mileage

I also don't want to spend over $15,000 which means I would definitely be buying used.

So yeah, I figured some of you would have some experience with cars. Any tips or advice would be helpful. How would you rate different cars based on quality?

Thanks. :)
 
Well, for numbers 3 and 4, Toyotas and Hondas are the way I would go - even if the "domestics" have better gas mileage than before, they have yet to stand up to the reliability of the "imports" - or the typical resale value (an issue for later selling).

If looks are high on your list, then I'm guessing all the ugly little hatchback creatures aren't for you. lol Can't say I blame you hon.

Oh, and although parts can run quite expensive for the imports, labor can run a bit higher for Fords at times (some of their stuff has some funny engineering that make something more difficult than the same repair would be on a different kind of car).
 
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deschain said:
Well, for numbers 3 and 4, Toyotas and Hondas are the way I would go - even if the "domestics" have better gas mileage than before, they have yet to stand up to the reliability of the "imports" - or the typical resale value (an issue for later selling).

If looks are high on your list, then I'm guessing all the ugly little hatchback creatures aren't for you. lol Can't say I blame you hon.
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Yeah, gas mileage is sort of important. I don't want a car that gets 10 MPG. I'd get a Toyota Prius if they weren't so darn dorky...

I can't wait until they start making some affordable hybrid sports cars...

The thing about gas mileage though, is the cars with super high fuel economy tend to cost a lot. So the money you save on gas, you end up losing on the car payments... It's a tradeoff.
 
Derwyddon said:
Looks is your first priority? Honestly all you need is something that will get you around. If you spend too much money / get a car that looks better than it runs you'll be miserable after awhile. I think you're setting yourself up to be miserable a year into your car.
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I already have something that gets me around. Now, because I have a job and I'm making a decent amount of money, I want to be able to express myself a little. So yeah looks are important, but I certainly don't want an awesome looking car that runs terribly. I'm looking for a balance. That's why I came here for advice.
 
Derwyddon said:
Honestly I'm not sure why you want a car that you have to make payments on for your first car. Get a used car you have saved up for that will get you around. I didn't think you even had a job?
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Didn't I say I was going to buy a used car? Maybe I should recheck my first post. :)

In a couple of years, I could save up enough money to buy a decent used car with cash. That's what I planned to do. I definitely don't want to be in debt. I don't even have a credit card yet.
 
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spicypumpkin said:
The thing about gas mileage though, is the cars with super high fuel economy tend to cost a lot. So the money you save on gas, you end up losing on the car payments... It's a tradeoff.
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Actually, some of the cheapest cars are often the most fuel efficient. E.g. Toyota Echo / Yaris, Toyota Corolla, Honda Fit, Honda Civic, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, etc..

Don't overlook insurance costs. Many insurance companies have price quotation on their web sites, so you can try different cars to see what the insurance bill will be. For fuel economy, you can look at .

For $15,000, you can get a brand new Hyundai Elantra SE (note: current design started in 2007). The SE trim gives better handling and electronic stability control that the cheaper GLS lacks (i.e. better crash avoidance safety). The Elantra gets pretty good fuel economy, has lots of room inside, and has front and side airbags.

The Honda Fit is another good option that is within your price limit even when brand new.

It may look dull, but it will likely be a much nicer car to drive and own after the excitement of a 2000 Ford Mustang wears off in a few months and you realize that the latter's design dates from the 1970s (the current design from about 2004 is much better). Plus, buying a used Mustang probably carries a higher risk of previous owner abuse than most other cars, given the type of people who buy Mustangs.

A good bargain for an inexpensive used car is a 2002-2007 Ford Focus. Sporty handling, decent fuel economy, plenty of room inside, and a choice of body styles (hatchback, sedan, station wagon).
 
tjl said:
Actually, some of the cheapest cars are often the most fuel efficient. E.g. Toyota Echo / Yaris, Toyota Corolla, Honda Fit, Honda Civic, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, etc..

Don't overlook insurance costs. Many insurance companies have price quotation on their web sites, so you can try different cars to see what the insurance bill will be. For fuel economy, you can look at .

For $15,000, you can get a brand new Hyundai Elantra SE (note: current design started in 2007). The SE trim gives better handling and electronic stability control that the cheaper GLS lacks (i.e. better crash avoidance safety). The Elantra gets pretty good fuel economy, has lots of room inside, and has front and side airbags.

The Honda Fit is another good option that is within your price limit even when brand new.

It may look dull, but it will likely be a much nicer car to drive and own after the excitement of a 2000 Ford Mustang wears off in a few months and you realize that the latter's design dates from the 1970s (the current design from about 2004 is much better). Plus, buying a used Mustang probably carries a higher risk of previous owner abuse than most other cars, given the type of people who buy Mustangs.

A good bargain for an inexpensive used car is a 2002-2007 Ford Focus. Sporty handling, decent fuel economy, plenty of room inside, and a choice of body styles (hatchback, sedan, station wagon).
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Yeah I actually like the looks of the 2005 and later mustangs, but like you said there are risks to buying used cars.

I do like the looks of the Ford Focus as well, so that's an option. I don't know what it is, but I can never see myself driving a Honda or Toyota. Maybe I'll have to get over that. I've been driving my mom's Buick. I think of it as a dorky, middle aged man car. Maybe I'm just desperate for the exact opposite of that....

I actually do have a pretty cool looking car. It's a 1965 Studebaker Daytona. But it has some issues, and it isn't exactly reliable. What can you expect from a 43 year old car? It has a habit of stalling in the middle of the road. I have to get under the car and bang on the starter. I really only take it out for special occasions. Hopefully we should get it fixed soon. But the point is, I know what it's like to have a cool looking, unreliable car. It's not fun... But hey, it's so cool looking that when it stalls, lots of people are willing to help me push it off the road. :D
 
IMO look at the newer corollas. They look great with the sport package (which you can find used), come hybrid, and are very reliable.
 
spicypumpkin said:
Hmm, I'll have to look into them. I know they're a pretty popular car. I see them all the time...
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Corollas are not particularly sporty, compared to the 2000-2007 Focus and Mazda 3 (and perhaps even the reportedly less sporty 2008 Focus). They do, however, get good fuel economy (with the regular engine). The Matrix and Pontiac Vibe are hatchback / station wagon versions of the Corolla and are worth a look if you need more cargo room.

The redesigned 2009 Corolla is just going on sale. The previous generation ran from 2003-2008. The 1998-2002 generation before that was not particularly great, due to poor handling and the common 3-speed automatic transmission that made fuel economy significantly worse than the 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmissions.
 
Well my first car was one of these beasts



It was ugly but it was extrememly economical easily repairable and yeah.

Basically what I am raving on about spicy is dont waste money on a first car, I first car is meant to be driven and bumped into things etc. Have some fun with the money left over. That money could be put to use elsewhere.

Just my opinion, good luck finding one.
 
The 2009 is the model I'm speaking of.. after a little time they'll begin to be sold by private parties and leases.
 
spicypumpkin said:
Didn't I say I was going to buy a used car? Maybe I should recheck my first post. :)

In a couple of years, I could save up enough money to buy a decent used car with cash. That's what I planned to do. I definitely don't want to be in debt. I don't even have a credit card yet.
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Used is the way to go IMO.

If you buy a new domestic car, it's resale value can drop by as much as 50% within the first 3 years of owning it - for imports I think it might be around 4 years.

And since most cars these days can easily last 10 years or more, you still might have around 75% of a car's useful life by buying used - and you only have to pay 50% of it's original cost to get that.
 
Do you know how much a month you want to spend on a car? Just remember that even if you get used, you'll have to have full coverage insurance. Are your parents going to put you on their insurance? If they don't, you're already looking at spending already $200-$300 on insurance. Add that to a $150-$350 car payment and you're looking at in the near 4-6 hundreds.
 
wow reading this thread has given me lots of insight as to why the economy of SE Michigan is in the sewer. But I agree anything domestic is junk. Whatever you do don't buy a Chrysler product. I've had nothing but problems with all of mine.

If you want to go with a Mustang get one thats the newer body style. You should be able to get one for around 15k used.
 
evolution said:
Do you know how much a month you want to spend on a car? Just remember that even if you get used, you'll have to have full coverage insurance. Are your parents going to put you on their insurance? If they don't, you're already looking at spending already $200-$300 on insurance. Add that to a $150-$350 car payment and you're looking at in the near 4-6 hundreds.
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Yeah I want to spend $0 a month on car payments. I'm already on my parents insurance. The only thing would be adding another car, which I could pay for. My goal is to have enough money to pay cash for a car. I don't want to go into debt for something as simple as a car. It's easier to put away money each month and gain interest on it than it is to take out a loan and pay interest on it. It just makes more sense to me especially since we already have a car that gets me around.
 
I dont know in $, but in £'s its around £80,000 brand new :)
 
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