Looking for a Car, Suggestions Welcome

reply to post by phishyblankwaters


I've also heard here in Australia they ARE good little cars and very economical to run

i have always bought used cars cheap and they work a long time.

what do you prefer suv, coupe, sedan, pickup?
price range?
how many miles per week do you perceive driving?
are you a road tripper?
what terrain/local do you reside in?
how long do yuo need the vehicle?



most of my uncles and cousins are mechanics and ive learned very valuable info into specific models to buy and certain ones to avoid. people in the past have used me to test drive and negociate selling price.

Small car (nimble, easier to park, less unweildy), automatic (no killing the engine with the clutch or panicking when stopping on hills), powerful enough to make way through traffic - but not overpowered, cheap to run.

Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Kia Optima... I could probably keep going on and on. You get the idea. (Larger compacts, but not quite midsize.) Just remember that some other small cars may offer more novelty - but then they can cost more during service too. And if you go VW for some reason, make sure to watch your oil level closely - for all that "german engineering", I've heard they go through it a lot faster than most other brands.

It really takes a bit of test driving to find out what you like personally. But new cars usually have few things wrong with them, the competition is often tight enough that crap-cars get weeded out of the market fairly quickly. I'd advise to get one with the engine at least one step up from the base level (Economy is nice, but honestly the car should be able to scoot. There's nothing worse than having the accelerator to the floor and not going.) and the rest really depends on what the driver prefers. (Seat comfort, how the car handles, ergonomics and being able to make out controls on tactile placement - so you can keep looking outside while working them.)

For an urban environment, I'd recommend buying something reliable and used. Good on gas, cheap to insure and easy to park....that blends in and doesn't stand out.

If it suffers minor scrapes and dings, as it most likely will in the city, it won't be as much of a concern. There's Nothing worse than worrying about a car.

Go to your local Library and look at Consumer Reports recommendations for used cars. They have them in all types of monetary categories. P. 82 of the April 2011 (Automotive) edition has the recommended cars listed by Price.

The list of Less than $4000. RELIABLE cars are :

Acura CL 01
Chevy Prizm 01-02
Ford Crown Vic 01-02
Honda Civic 01
Hyundai Sonata V6 03-04
Infiniti G20 02
Lincoln Continental 01
Mazda Protege 01-02
Mercury Grand Marquis 01
Toyota Corolla 01-02

The have $4k-$6K, $6K-$8K, $8K-10K, 10K-12K, and so on ....up to $30K and Up.

JEEP = Just Empty Every Pocket -----> 1998 Cherokee...only 75K miles I am performing my 4th brake job myself !!!

BMW = Break My Window -----> I am a former BMW owner....Great car but Thieves luv em too !!

I happen to have a car for sale it's a 1995 Nissan 240sx. But the problem is that it's a full blown race car.

JK but it really is for sale



Go with anything Honda, they last forever/good quality

Someone mentioned a Rio. I just bought a brand new rio5 to use as a DD while my sister's bf and I do some engine work on my 87 civic. No I didn't blow the engine lol, but the 1.5L is prone to munching head gaskets and one night coming home from work I had a vacuum locking issue in the fuel system. Well suffice to say the engine was running so bad it started to run hot. I pulled over when I knew the temp wasn't coming down but it's too late. It isn't a major blowout, but I have oil and stuff in the coolant. Going to have the head redone and do some various fixes on it and should be all good.

The car is 25 years old, if that isn't a testament to reliability I don't know what is.