I'd buy a hybrid electric car. Not only do you save money on gas, you are making a statement that you care about the future enough to buy a car that pollutes less. Of course no car and walking or riding a bike makes a bigger statement, but I'm not that motivated at this time in my life. A year ago I walked to work everyday, but now I live too far away from work. B
I think you can buy a fully loaded Mustang GT under 25K. You get the V8 power, leather, good sound system, and an all around pretty good car. The only problem is that everyone else has figured this out and owns one.
Volkswagen Jetta or Golf/GTI, depending on your hatchback vs. notchback preference. BTW, I just traded my Golf for a GTI with the 1.8L Turbo engine!
Why over the NewBeetle, which has better resale than about anything (including those cars) this side of BMW, Mercedes and Lexus. The Turbo is quick, the TDI meets B's enviro goals.
I'd buy a decent car for $12,500 - like a Cavalier - and put the other $12,500 away for the future. Money's always better to have later in life so you can enjoy it when you're retired.
mfclark, thats not a bad idea but most likely he doesnt have 25K just sitting around, he's gonna have to finance it and make payments... Buuuuut, If you do want a cheaper car, a Cavalier Z24 wouldn't be a bad choice. Personally, I'd go for the Mustang GT like mentioned above or a Camaro Z28.
Supermac had a good idea with the Mustang GT: V8, 260 hp, for like $21.5K. This is the last year to buy a Trans AM/Camaro Z28 if you want pure muscle. If you're into SUV's you could pimp an Explorer XLT or Nissan Xterra for like $24.5K. If you like trucks you could opt for an F-150 XLT, or a Dodge Ram. If all you're looking for is a sedan, I'm sure you could find like a nicely equipped Camry, Altima, or Accord for under $25K. Or you could go with the more sports coupe versions.
Actually, we're still waiting on my GTI to come in from the Port of Houston, so in the meantime they have me in a turbo Beetle. It's a whole lot of fun to drive, but the lack of cargo room is a severe limitation to me. Plus the Beetles kinda have a stigma as a chick car.
Nikos, If you want a dependable, good looking car that will have a great warranty and will also get service done at the dealership free for two years, hold its resale value AND get good gas mileage get a 1 year old BMW 325ci with less than 15,000 miles on it. The car will look great, BMW warranty's are 4 year 50,000 miles and even then you will not have problems with the car. PLUS they do free service (Oil, Brakes etc) for two years, so one year that you own the car. Forget the Mustang and Cavalier, and get some taste. Its a car you will appreciate in a few years more when you get a little older and want a little more elegance, but its still got a quick start and handles incredible for a car of that price. I got the Need for Speed when in college and bought a Mustang Cobra, I bought it new and kept it for less than two years. It depreciated like no other, it was uncomfortable and not extremely reliable ( I Prefer Mercedes/BMW/Lexus ). You may have to spend a little over the 25K, but the depreciation costs, longevity and lack of problems should more than take care of that.
Thanks for laughing at my expense. Is my wanting a hybrid car so bad that I need to turn in my man card? I know power and speed is the way most of us want to go, but at what cost? When will we realize that these powerful engines and souped up cars really aren't worth it? (Maybe I'm just digging my own grave with this crowd.) If I could have a car with 60 MPG and a top speed of 100 vs a car with 17 MPG and a top speed of 220, I'll take the car with 60 MPG. In the US, when is it ever reasonable to go above 80-85 MPH? I'm 25 and if there was a reasonably price hybrid car out in the US when I bought my car 2 years ago I would have done so. I think our values of what a man is /what he should be can be destructive at times. B
I could never stand to have a car I couldn't take road trips in... I don't want my freedom compromised like that. Unless something has changed, are these hybrids really suitable for long distances?
My friend told me in California if you have a hybrid car you can use the HOV lane by yourself. That would be cool. I like the Honda Civic Hybrid.
The new hybrids do NOT need to be plugged in. You can treat it just like a regular car. They are just as suitable for long distances as any other car on the road. B
And think of the $$$ you would save on gas if you used them on road trips. You could get to Austin from Houston on like $3 or $4.
