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since I got a new job as an insurance salesman (if anyone has basic insurance related questions do feel free to ask, I'm your licensed insurance professional now!) that pays 20 an hour I can now afford a car.
so, I have no license, I'm working on that, but when I get my license I'ma buy my first car.
I dunno shit about cars, but I live in Virginia where shit is 100 miles away from everything else because its the U S of fucking A and thats just how we roll here, dont build up, build 20 miles away.
So like, I care that the car does not look terrible, has a tolerable amount of mileage (varying based on how old the model is) and has good gas mileage.
I'm thinkin' like, hybrid? Compact?
I want a Chevy Volt 2011 - 2012 since they look really nice, get solid mileage, and seem to be reliable.
That whole reliability thing is where I really just dont know shit. Is a hybrid gonna require more work? Is a particular manufacturer gonna make shittier cars that require more work?
To my knowledge japanese cars are the easiest to fix and get parts for, but I dunno if cars have gotten to a point where the myth of the God Tier Japanese car has faded and if a Ford is gonna be just as fine if it has comparable specs.
Rough limitations I had in mind were,
2010+ model, any make, 60K max mileage for a non-hybrid, up to like, 90Kish for a hybrid? Would prefer to spend sub-10K but I'll go up to 12K for something that'll hold up for longer.
Teach me car shit, I'm a fuckin car idiot.
GG, thanks.
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i strongly prefer Toyota. Extremely reliable cars.
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United States24800 Posts
I'll make a few suggestions based on your sub-10k goal. The following used cars are expected to be reliable and under 10k:
Subcompact: Honda Fit 2007-2011
Compact: Pontiac Vibe 2007-2010 or Toyota Matrix (2007-2008, 2010)
Other good choices: Toyota Corolla 2007-2011 or Toyota Prius 2007-2009
For under 12k you can probably go slightly newer but the same general list of recommended cars would apply.
I don't know much about the Chevy Volt but I looked up the 2012 model and the car has a 3 out of 5 reliability rating and 5 out of 5 owner satisfaction rating with good crash and rollover test results.
I don't know much about plugin hybrids but make sure you will have a good place to plug the car in when it's parked. I also live in Virginia, but up near DC so I don't have your 'everything is far apart' problem 
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Ah a blessed NoVa resident, aren't you lucky :p I spent like an hour and a half walking through Reston once and God help me it felt like I had reentered civilization, lol.
But yeah my only hybrid/ plug in hybrid worries revolve around the nature of potentially not using the gas enough which may do something negative to the engine? I'm not 100% sure if that's a grounded concern but I think I've heard it's an issue before.
Oh, and I'm kinda trying to look outside the traditional Japanese Toyota/Honda brands cause I know I can always fall back on them if I need to  I know brands like Ford and Hyundai haven't always had stellar reps but I hear cars are getting to a point where they're generally starting to get made really well and the non Japanese brands might be a better deal since they don't have the Legendary Reliability branding to work from
But I'd hop all over a good Prius though, the mileage on those things is so good, I've got a friend who commutes to work, a second job, and school and spends 40 a month on gas so I'm pretty into the idea of that
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i'm sure you know but just in case, insurance licenses are state specific, so the knowledge you've gained won't be applicable everywhere. and virginia is actually semi unique, but most of it should apply to any less unique states.
sorry i can't actually help car wise. i just bought a barely used corolla straight from Toyota and have no complaints.
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I'm licensed in 41 states ATM, and in a few weeks it'll be all 50 :p
We do have some weird stuff here, like not requiring auto insurance, but I specialize in homeowners so Iunno lol.
But yeah, my mom's had a 2011 Corolla for like 6 years and it's been reliable, I just want to try not to be brand loyal for a first car since I hear that cars are being made really well the last half decade
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United States24800 Posts
Lucky, yeah. If you don't mind spending a million dollars for a decent house. Reston would be better than here, though. I am closer to DC.
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Life is too short to be driving a Prius. Go for a GT Mustang!
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My friend just got a Fit, seems to love it, has way more room than it appears to. (He had a matrix before, didn't care for it). I've owned a camry, beetle (new style), infinity g37x, and am now driving a Juke SL. I'm really in love with it, but it's one of those "love or hate" type of cars, being the design and body is so unique and odd. You can get a juke sl (can select awdv/awd/2wd with a switch by steering wheel; has computerized sport, normal, eco drive modes depending on your mood or remaining gas..lol, sport mode is so fun now and then though; leather heated seats, Rockford fosgate speaker system with woofer, nav, xmamfm, moonroof, usb port for mp3 flash sticks, etc.) Looks like a 2door, but is 4.
I'm sure the newer ones have more stuff, but mine is an original 2011. The SLs go for around 10 to 14k if less than 40k miles. Mileage is not bad, is 4 cylinder, but has big power and turbo, eco mode reduces this quite a bit, improving mileage a lot. It's just a lot of great and eclectic features, and nothing looks quite like it (you may hate it's weird transformer-frog look, is very polarizing). Funnest car I've ever driven though, definitely not a boring ride.
/end juke fanboy rant
Mazda 3's and most Subaru's could be worth looking into, if you want to go a bit different than the camry/corolla tame conservative route.
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Just moved to Herndon from seattle for work in Reston lol. Need to get that Va license soonish but also looking for a used car as well
Probably getting in on that toyota camry/carolla life.
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On July 08 2017 21:55 MysteryMeat1 wrote:Just moved to Herndon from seattle for work in Reston lol. Need to get that Va license soonish but also looking for a used car as well Probably getting in on that toyota camry/carolla life.
Yeah I don't think you could go too wrong with a Toyota, I'd opt for a Camry over a Corolla atm, Corollas are good but I hear there are other compact sedans that are as good but push farther in like amenities and what not
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Definitely get a hybrid if you can, you will save an enormous amount of money in the long run. Granted that is from just a couple experiences driving my friends' priuses (prii?). I've been to NoVa to visit family and I didn't think everything was really far away like in TN or TX, but imo get something reliable with the best gas mileage you can. Looks are important, but having $$$ in your wallet is a better look haha.
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On July 10 2017 01:19 docvoc wrote:
Definitely get a hybrid if you can, you will save an enormous amount of money in the long run. Granted that is from just a couple experiences driving my friends' priuses (prii?). I've been to NoVa to visit family and I didn't think everything was really far away like in TN or TX, but imo get something reliable with the best gas mileage you can. Looks are important, but having $$$ in your wallet is a better look haha.
Yeah I super want a hybrid, I admit Im worried about battery longevity, but I mean if it conks out at 150K miles and I buy a used one at 50K miles thats like 100K in miles which I can hardly be salty about.
I'd get a Prius but the damn things hold their value too hard...
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My first car cost less than 2 grand (US$ est.) and was a used Japanese sedan that was 15 years old at the time I purchased it with 175k on the clock. I ended up driving it half the length of the country before I got my license. It was a reliable car, well everything broke except the engine, which I was fine with. Because it was so cheap it didn't matter when I scrapped it up a few times as I was learning to drive.
My second car cost about 4 grand, it is also a used Japanese model, this time it was only about 8 years old and it has been great so far.
I recommend following my example (except maybe don't drive unlicensed). Also, I would advise against buying a used hybrid as batteries can age out relatively quickly.
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On July 10 2017 08:05 Korakys wrote:
My first car cost less than 2 grand (US$ est.) and was a used Japanese sedan that was 15 years old at the time I purchased it with 175k on the clock. I ended up driving it half the length of the country before I got my license. It was a reliable car, well everything broke except the engine, which I was fine with. Because it was so cheap it didn't matter when I scrapped it up a few times as I was learning to drive.
My second car cost about 4 grand, it is also a used Japanese model, this time it was only about 8 years old and it has been great so far.
I recommend following my example (except maybe don't drive unlicensed). Also, I would advise against buying a used hybrid as batteries can age out relatively quickly.
Im wary of the buy a junker strat 'cause Im real scared of being stranded roadside and I have 0000 in the way of car knowledge. Plus I'm a vain piece of garbage with no regard for speed and the penchant to drive like a grandmother. Also don't worry, I've already done the illegal licenseless-driving thing. 
I was originally wary of the batteries in hybrids too, but the Volts Im looking at have an 8 year/100K mile warranty on the battery, so I'd either get like 2 - 3 years out of it at the minimum, or I'd get 50K miles, both sound pretty okay to me. I think repairing a battery doesnt run too astronomically high though, if my rough googling is anything to go by, I think I could squeeze at least an additional 80K miles out of a 2011/2012 Chevy Volt with like 50 - 60K miles on it.
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On July 10 2017 12:25 Zambrah wrote:Show nested quote +On July 10 2017 08:05 Korakys wrote:
My first car cost less than 2 grand (US$ est.) and was a used Japanese sedan that was 15 years old at the time I purchased it with 175k on the clock. I ended up driving it half the length of the country before I got my license. It was a reliable car, well everything broke except the engine, which I was fine with. Because it was so cheap it didn't matter when I scrapped it up a few times as I was learning to drive.
My second car cost about 4 grand, it is also a used Japanese model, this time it was only about 8 years old and it has been great so far.
I recommend following my example (except maybe don't drive unlicensed). Also, I would advise against buying a used hybrid as batteries can age out relatively quickly. Im wary of the buy a junker strat 'cause Im real scared of being stranded roadside and I have 0000 in the way of car knowledge. Plus I'm a vain piece of garbage with no regard for speed and the penchant to drive like a grandmother. Also don't worry, I've already done the illegal licenseless-driving thing. I was originally wary of the batteries in hybrids too, but the Volts Im looking at have an 8 year/100K mile warranty on the battery, so I'd either get like 2 - 3 years out of it at the minimum, or I'd get 50K miles, both sound pretty okay to me. I think repairing a battery doesnt run too astronomically high though, if my rough googling is anything to go by, I think I could squeeze at least an additional 80K miles out of a 2011/2012 Chevy Volt with like 50 - 60K miles on it.
Cars are probably cheaper in NZ than the US so you may have to adjust prices upwards. I would have been very surprised if my car's engine had failed before hitting 200k on the clock though, but other things that weren't that important like air-con, window sprayers, car radio, extra brake light leaking non-red light and door latch slipping were all things that I could easily fix myself or ignore (except the door latch, which I fixed myself but I had to find a part first and it was slightly difficult to replace). I also had no car knowledge, but I had lots of workmates who did.
I would at least advise you, for a first car, to buy something about 10 years old with between 100k and 150k on the odometer. There should be no engine reliability issues until 200k. I only know Japanese cars though as that is just about all there is in NZ due to both of us driving on the left.
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EPT
