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I'm buying my first car. I plan on doing it in late December of this year (to take advantage of sellers hitting their quotas), and I want to have everything checked and re-checked.
Here are my requirements:
-I want it to be reliable. this above all else
-Last 10 years
-good resale
-4 door. don't show me pictures of 2 door cars I'll drool over PLEASE
-Conservative on-my-own to help from parents estimate: $5000-$10,000 available for down-payment or purchase.
-Mileage doesn't matter so far as it doesn't affect above. As I narrow down I can give more info (carfax and more) to make informed decisions
-I don't care if its new or used. I will be calculating the total cost of insurance, maintenance, gas, and everything else over the 10-year span. If new is cheaper than used, I'm going with it.
-manual
Why I think I need a car:
-I'll be graduating college in spring 2012 with a major in communication minor in east asian studies. My parents have 2 cars which are in constant use. I'll need this to travel to interviews both in-state and out of state. Getting a job is my top priority. Unless I decide to go to overseas for something else, in which case its still a good idea to go through this process for when I do buy a car
-I go to college ~3-4 hours away and don't have a car there
-I've never had a car in my life. but this is a bad reason
What cars should I look at?
-I'm biased towards a toyota or a honda.
-kbb.com
-remember, 4-door and looks decent. for reference, if the toyota selita had four doors I would buy it
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Try a Chevy Cobalt. It's cheaper than an equivalent Toyota or Honda, replacement parts are cheaper, etc. etc. It's just as reliable, and the mileage difference isn't huge. In fact, they have a mileage gauge, such that if you watch your driving you can actually improve the mileage you get...it makes such a huge difference to know how your driving affects the mileage lol. I was surprised myself (I managed to get average 34 mpg when I was driving to/from school last year)
Last year I bought a 2005 model no frills Cobalt for $6900. With all the fees and everything it was $7200.
Alternatively you can look at Corollas, Chevy Prisms (they're old, 2001 is the newest year I believe), Accords. If you're okay with a bigger (more expensive) sedan you can look at Camrys and Civics as well.
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10 years for a car? Unless you are planning on retiring soon, expect to upgrade cars sooner than that. I have no clue about the used/new car market in USA so I'll leave that to someone else here however always check the fine print before you buy. If it's used ensure it hasn't been a insurance write off/stolen/mechanically unsound.
I know this all sounds like common sense checks but you'd be surprised how many people see a shiny looking car, buy it and find out it's been crashed previously and will require expensive repairs.
Toyota/Honda = Can't go wrong, they are great.
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$5000-$10000 for down payment on your first car What in The Fuck!
My first Car cost £200 and I swear it'd have took a tank shelling and kept going. I had the fuel line collapse, the engine actually drop out the bottom (getting me stuck in 3rd gear driving home... you ever tried pulling away from a junction in 3rd...not fun) and all manner of awful shit, but it never once failed to run.
I realise you said it's a 10 year purchase but holy crap kid, that's a chunk of change. Surely first year's driver insurance will be stupidly expensive in itself? I've always been advised that your first car should be a piece of shit, that way if you do something dumb like hedge it, it's no big loss. Maybe the insurance situation is a lot difference in the UK.
1990 Volkswagen Polo Can't top a German car for reliability. (and I've owned Japanese car's too.. they are reliable also.. just expensive on parts. )
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I surport your decision that the time is right for you to buy a car and also your effort to reaserch what you need and what is suitable rather than buying what you want. I don't live in American so prices and availabilty are probabbly different to the U.K and insurance is very different so I won't advise you on what to buy (I like japanesse cars myself)
Just good luck I hope you find something that fits your need and makes you feel good to drive, my first car was a pile of crap Volvo 340 but the freedom of been able to do what I want and also the excitment of going on adventures and road trips made having my first car one of my best memories.
Be aware that all cars are different. Two identical model cars built in the same factory at the same time can have had 2 entirely different lifes so just because a model of car is reliable doesn't mean the on you buy won't break down. You really need make sure you have a look over the car you are buying.
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@wherebugsgo: thats exactly the advice I'm looking for. I like cobalts, camrys and civics.
On February 21 2011 14:28 ibutoss wrote:
10 years for a car? Unless you are planning on retiring soon, expect to upgrade cars sooner than that.
no. ten years. my dad's irked 19 years out of an old mazda and I've inherited his habits.
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On February 21 2011 14:37 KurtistheTurtle wrote:@wherebugsgo: thats exactly the advice I'm looking for. I like cobalts, camrys and civics. Show nested quote +On February 21 2011 14:28 ibutoss wrote:
10 years for a car? Unless you are planning on retiring soon, expect to upgrade cars sooner than that. no. ten years. my dad's irked 19 years out of an old mazda and I've inherited his habits.
I have a mercury tracer. We got it for 3k. It's a 1998 model, but only 60k miles. Sure it won't last 10 years, but it's damn cheap ^^
I know you wouldn't get good resale, but it's cheap enough...
Honestly, get a used car. It's fine going new and all, but it'd be better to get a cheap car now, put all the money down, spend very little, have it last a long time, and but a car later.
I can suggest hyundais though. Super reliable, and super warranty (10 year, 100k miles)
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i cant give you solid facts, but my dad's been driving a 93 camry, and it didn't have any problems until about 4 years ago when the breaks started getting a little worn and old. as long as you maintain it well, oil change when it needs it, don't strain it too much, it'll last you a long time. camry ftw!
edit - also my mom drives a honda accord, and that's also really nice. good mileage, in great condition even after 8 years, not too expensive. you might wanna look around on this too
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Lol my frist car cost 8k was a semi used suzuki with only 700 miles on it(i still have it), payed with one check all at once was able to lop quite a few thousand off the price. Here is a tip buy a somewhat popular car i've had to order so much crap online just to find the right parts for the dam car.
On February 21 2011 14:37 KurtistheTurtle wrote:@wherebugsgo: thats exactly the advice I'm looking for. I like cobalts, camrys and civics. Show nested quote +On February 21 2011 14:28 ibutoss wrote:
10 years for a car? Unless you are planning on retiring soon, expect to upgrade cars sooner than that. no. ten years. my dad's irked 19 years out of an old mazda and I've inherited his habits.
It's not too hard just do regular maintenance it's all listed in the car manual what you need to change and when if you do that you should get very little trouble from a car till at least 100k miles on it, my dads old van push 11 years with minimal maintenance and 500k ish miles on it, gave up on it when the engine ate it it would cost too much to repair vs the worth of the car.
For insurance i suggest you look at this
http://www.iihs.org/research/hldi/composite_cls.aspx?y=2007-2009&cls=2
that's the 2007-09 models
you can use the iihs site to look at safety rating and crap having a good one is great for lowering insurance, also features like a car alarm and daytime running lights and abs etc. Also how often a car is stolen not sure where to look that up though. But paying off a car quickly is nice without a monthly bill it's a lot easier to live imo. I'd try to find a semi used 2009 2010 car or new car.
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500k miles? holy shittt thats insane.
I'm buying a hyundai genesis like next week and I'm totally pumped. 
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On February 21 2011 15:07 LuckyFool wrote:500k miles? holy shittt thats insane. I'm buying a hyundai genesis like next week and I'm totally pumped.
I'm JEALOUS.
BLOG AND GIVE PICS PLEASE
What color? So pumped. My realistic dream car lol.
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My dad's (bought new!) 1988 Jeep Cherokee finally "died" around Christmas because we didn't have a garage to do maitenance on it in, and the whole point of keeping an old vehicle in as best condition as you can is so that you DONT have to pay mechanics for huge repairs.
No doubt in my mind it would have kept on chugging. For reference, it got hit by a backho
+ Show Spoiler +
once and the bucket tore off the entire passenger side front door , put a giant hole in the front of the thing, and it still drove home just fine. Pretty epic watching my dad pull up in this burgundy jeep that looks like it just took a hit from a small mortar shell and he's all like...frat boy college student "WOOHOO THIS THING IS AWWWEEEESOOOOOOME"
Not the SAFEST vehicle around, but if you actually put forth any effort into keeping a vehicle alive (which it sounds like you will  ) that thing was great.
Cobalts...eh, I'm not so sold on. I have two friends with the new cobalt and one of them hates the thing (he had an old cobalt and upgraded to a new one) and the other one is alright with his. I did see one at my office parking lot getting towed out the other day, a brand spankin new one. Doesn't mean something dumb didn't happen like leaving a dash light on, no gas, that sort of thing. Just read up on that first.
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On February 21 2011 15:12 Froadac wrote:Show nested quote +On February 21 2011 15:07 LuckyFool wrote:500k miles? holy shittt thats insane. I'm buying a hyundai genesis like next week and I'm totally pumped. I'm JEALOUS. BLOG AND GIVE PICS PLEASE What color? So pumped. My realistic dream car lol.
I still haven't decided yet tbh, what color would u get? I like 3-4... haha. I haven't decided on trim either, probably gonna go with the 2.0t though,
I will def pics/blog as soon as I get home with it.
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You Really should take into account how much the car will cost to maintain its quite a big deal down the line and hows the AutoService for each Brand. My dad bought a car (which I will be using this last year of college) and had that in mind.
The car is a Nissan which is a brand with great autoservice and very trustworthy around here. He always reminded me that the Minivan we had about 6 years ago worked like a charm and we had that thing for over 6 years with a hefty mileage. If the New car is anything like it (in terms of endurance) then Im set for 5 years of a good car with little to no problems.
Ask around for those things and know that if its your car then you have to maintain it with your money.
Its always good to have a lot of information about what to buy and why you should buy it but remember that the use you will be giving it will determine how much the car will be efficient and not a way to lose money.
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Well if you were Australian, I would tell you to buy a 4-5 y.o. Toyota or Honda (or Nissan as third option) and stay away from American and Korean brands (as they are notoriously unreliable and break down often), and European brands (as servicing and maintenance costs so much for them in Australia).
Generally speaking of course :p
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On February 21 2011 15:07 LuckyFool wrote:500k miles? holy shittt thats insane. I'm buying a hyundai genesis like next week and I'm totally pumped.
please do blog about this, it's on my short list of cars and i wanna go test drive it this week
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If you are looking for something reliable, Toyota and Honda are the way to go. I would suggest looking into a Honda Civic or Accord, somewhere around 2005-2007 should be in your price range, be in good shape, and pretty much guaranteed for 10 years. I drive a 1995 Honda Civic Coupe, so 16 years old, and it still runs perfectly, so something from 2005 should be good till 2021, essentially.
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As you first car, don't go new, there are plenty of used cars for good prices. Some people hear "Used Car" and they think of something horrible that has rusted out floors and no rear window, but there are great cars you can get pre-owned. Gives you more flexibility financially. Another tip is to look for dealer cars that have been used as a test driving car, good dealers take care of those cars since they want to sell them later, and they have a really good discount from the full price.
Also look at Auto salvages, some people throw away perfectly good cars just cause the door is dented in and all you need is a little bit of time, parts, and an alignment. That's how I got my first car (Saturn Ion Quad coup) which I am currently driving.
Buying a car new is a social symbol when it really shouldn't be, there is nothing wrong with buying a used car, as it is usually better to do. Do what financially makes sense in long term plans, not what you think will make you more respected by people around you.
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On February 22 2011 01:37 Body_Shield wrote:
As you first car, don't go new, there are plenty of used cars for good prices.
I question the assumption that used = always cheaper. The true cost of a car for me is: price, total cost of maintenance, insurance, gas and upkeep over 10 years - resale value (if applicable). If the total cost of a newer car is substantially less than a used car it would make more sense to buy the new car even if its initially more than the used.
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If it's not certified pre-owned and coming with a partial warranty, the difference in price is more than likely not worth it if you're talking about bang for the buck. Like you can get it checked out on your own and all, but there's shit you can't detect and then your own driving comes into play.
Don't forget, if you need a loan (likely if you want a car that's of decent quality and with under 40k on it) you will get a much better rate with a new car than a used. Depending on the size of the loan, this may not matter a ton, but it factors in.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://imgur.com/LpBz1.jpg)
