The new re-designed Altima would be a good choice although I doubt you could get a fully loaded V-6 one for under $25k. Damn....where is mrpaige when you need him?? He can tell you all about the new Altima. Personally, my next car will be (hopefully) a brand new Maxima with 255 (or even more) hp. But alas, it is more than $25k and I'm older than 25.
I think if you shopped around you could get a totally loaded V6 Altima or Maxima for right around 25, maybe 27 with TTL--with some really fine financing options if have above average credit. You could get a Maxima with a few less bells and whistles (cloth, no SR, stick) for 25 with TTL. You can get a top of the line Accord for about what you would pay for a Maxima GXE, but the Accord isn't quite the performer (thought it isn't that far off) but would have leather and SR. Deepellurocket, your theory would explain why it was my wife's choice, but the turbo is pretty fun to drive I have to admit. The Turbo S would be really, really fun to drive. BMWs hold their value, but unless you want spend in the 30s you probably could find a new one, and I would have a problem financing 20-25 on a used car because the warranty would be gone well before you likely paid it off and you can't get the juicy finance deals out there. I looked at Passats but loaded ones are even more than the loaded Altima/Maxima and though refined it wasn't quite the performer I expected. The Celica isn't a bad car at all for under 25 if you sort of want to go in between the sports car/economical route if you don't need the room. The new Integra is a thief magnet and probably isn't as sporty. B, don't let those guys get to you. Female friends of mine have a saying that the cubic inch displacement of your engine is inversely proportional to your.....
That's what they sticker for, but Sewell Lexus was asking $26K for not-loaded, non-S model. They wouldn't even let me test drive it, unless I was serious about making an offer on it. There are no authorized dealers in Texas, so dealers here have to buy them from authorized dealers out of state. Then they have to jack up the asking price to make a profit. The two closest dealers are in New Orleans and Kansas City. At this point, I don't think supply has caught up to demand, so you probably can't get one for sticker price at either of those places. It was pretty sweet. Only, marginally more cargo space than a New Beetle, though.
I'll bet you could get pretty close to a loaded V6 one for around $25K as long as you were sure of the stuff you wanted. I went with the 2.5SL (4 cyl) and paid less than $22K. Really, leather is the big expense on the V6. Get the 5sp and sip the leather and you could probably negotiate one down to right around $25K. The MSRP for the V6 with BOSE, real spoiler, ABS, sunroof, Zenon HID headlights and floormats is $26,713. But I like the 4 cyl engine just fine. It's pretty peppy. Certainly peppier than the Audi I got rid of.
Get a Toyota Corolla. The 4 Cyl engine is durable. This car costs about 13 to 14K - or 15 to 16 K drive out with TTL and dealer prep. This car will run forever with oil changed, air filter-simple maintenance. I do not know if you are in Houston, but pick a dealer you like-feel comfortable with. I've been driving one for 10 years, except for 2 years in '96 and '97 when my son drove it. I still drive it to work every day to save my pickup. Save the rest of the money budgeted for the car purchase....
I'd get a new Hyundai Elantra. 10 year warranty is nothing to cough at, and if you go with manual trans, you can get one for 10-12K. They are very peppy too, with 140 hp, and you would be surprised at how nice they look inside compared to other models in the class. I've been driving the 99 Elantra for 3 years and couldn't be happier with it. If you want something sportier, the Elantra hatchback or Tiburon is a nice choice too - the new Tiburons are hot (but will be a target for theives and ins. agents) Don't let your ego drive your car purchase habits, or you will throw away unbelievable amounts of money for the rest of your life. Think about what $2-250 extra per month for the rest of your life could do for you. Oh, and take $300 of the money you will saye and get yourself an MP3 player for your car. Check out all the models at www.highwaymp3.com. I got the Blaupunkt MP41 and it has great sound.
My mom's got a Corolla. I like it. And it was only 14K. Don't buy American. My brother got a Jeep Cherokee (I think that's what he has; I could be mistaken), took pristine care of it; got it serviced punctually, and the other day, the engine just cut off at a street light. It's only two or three years old. I know everyone has a Camry, but they sell for a reason. I recommend the Corolla. Save your cash. It's still a nice car. And I can testify, unfortunately, that the Geo Prism (which comes off the same assembly line as the Corolla) will keep you intact in a high-impact accident. Last year, I lost control on Hwy 59, downtown, going south, bounced off a wall headfirst at 60mph and rear-ended a truck whose driver was also stupid enough to be on the highway during heavy rain. The car was totaled (the trunk was flattened like a pancake), but I walked away without a scratch. Naturally, I had my seatbelt on. Safety's important. Don't forget to consider that. Especially if you're a young, brainless 20-something like me.
well i bought my first car out of college for under 25K... it was a brand new convertible ford mustang... the v6 ran for $24,500... i wanted the GT, but those were going for nearly $30K and if i was going to spend that much, i would have gone with a Beamer...
If someone actually wanted to save money by getting a fuel economical car, they would get this. Look at the fuel economy of the 5 speed engines.
Buy a new or used Geo Metro($2,000-10,000), get a new frame to fit some 20's ($2,000-5,000), a nice sound system ($500), tinted windows($200), some new rims ($1,500), and ride that mother alllllll across your town. I myself have a 90' metro. Going on 300,000 miles. But i tell it it needs 20 bucks a month for gas. 55 Miles to the gallon on the freeway. Like 40 in town. It's one hell of a bargain.
