WoW, thank you for clicking on this thread! uh, anyway. I've begun to car hunt. First time Im ever going to buy a car. Im looking for a New or Damn near new car. Must have Good gas mileage, reliable, and be relatively cheap. Havent really begun to look around in person, but Ive looked on the net and some of the best cars to fit that category so far it seems are Honda Civic, Ford Escort, Ford Focus. Fellow BBSers, you have helped many before, any advice for me?(just waiting for punchline followed by some hopefully good serious advice) BTW, the car I have now, a 94 Grand Am, I sort of "inherited", and it blew chunks. Too much money on repairs, which iss why I am leaning more towards reliablity now.
Don't get either Ford - those are both bad cars... The Civic is nothing fancy, but it is a solid car and will last you forever (probably longer than you could possibly want it). I prefer Toyotas, but the Corolla is a little more expensive and the Tercel is cheaper than the Civic. From what I know of it, it is really solid for being that small and cheap. ------------------ rimbaud post-a-thon 2000
Here are a couple of options: 1. Move to Japan or China (they all ride bikes) 2. Move to New York (everyone takes taxi's) ------------------ You just want to be on the side thats winning.
CriscoKidd, I agree with rimbaud. Look into Corollas and Civics. One note, the Corollas usually don't have great suspensions. I've had a 1985 Honda Civic Wagon since 1988 and never had to get new shocks or struts and it still rides like new. My wife has a 1991 Toyota Corolla, and we just had to get new struts because we were doing more bouncing than driving. As soon as I can graduate from U of H and get a different car, I plan to go with the Civic again until I can afford something bigger and better. [This message has been edited by DREAMer (edited May 17, 2000).]
I have a Saturn SE and I absolutely love it. Great gas milage (35 highway). Pretty quick for a 4 banger, but not too fast (thank God, im a manic on the road) Looks pretty good if its clean. Ive had a mustang, which i absolutely detested and a RX7 (fun car, but expensive to fix) ------------------
relatively cheap great gas mileage reliable I'd probably have to go with a civic, corolla, or maybe a jetta For tops in all of those requirements along with the best resale, I'd have to go with a toyota truck. ------------------ stop posting my damn signature
I've got a 93 Civic and it has 106,000+ miles on it. The only thing that I have changed is the clutch. I am still getting 28+ miles/gallon! The car is not very quick off the line, but it makes up for it by the time you get to the 3rd gear. I got the 1.6 liter one (125hp, I think it's at 127hp now), so I am not sure how much slower the 1.5 version (115hp?) is. Honda have put out an SE verion that has 160hp. I know you are on a limited budget, but if you can afford it, I would say go for that one. I believe it's only about $700 to $1000 more. I totally agree that Honda & Toyota (My brother owns one) are your best bet. IMHO, I prefer Honda because of it's looks (although I don't like the Civics since the 93 model, but they still look better than the Toyota's) and ergonomics. One thing that Toyota's have Honda beaten is their AC. I have never sat in a Toyota that isn't cold (very quickly). Most Honda that I've sat in took a little while for the AC to cool you down. If you live in Texas, this may be something you should consider. Although now I can afford a nicer car, I may still consider buying a Honda Civic SE as my next car because of it's reliablility. Another thing, if you want a fun ride and to save gas, PLEASE GET ONE WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. If you don't know how to drive a stick, LEARN! You won't regret it. I have driven my wife's MX-6 (which is automatic) and it blows chunks. I much rather drive my 7 year old Civic than her 3 year old sports car. What a waste for a sports car and my money. Oh yeah, don't buy a MX-6. It's elegant and comfy, but I've already heard some rattling in it's 2nd year.
heyschweetie just bought a Civic. She loves it. Toyota's will be same price, no? Nissan Sentra is cheaper. We test drove some Saturns, too. They are great. But don't believe them when they say they can't negotiate price. THAT'S A CROCK. They can definitely negotiate something that effect the bottom line. Saturns and Civics retain highest resell values, by the way. So, when you buy this car...ROAD TRIP!!!! Come see us in Clutch City! [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited May 18, 2000).]
thx for the input guys. rimmy, I will be wary of the Fords. *, I aint moving for quite a while rite now Dreamer, my car bounces too makes me grit my teeth sometimes SGhost, so when Im on the freeway, i guess I need to drive cautious around cartoon guys in dirty Saturns. MoonBus, thx for the info, you seem very knowledgeable. One thing though, I do not like the stick. Ive been driving with one for a few years now, and though I am glad I learned how, I do not like them. Plus I need to teach my wife, and it would be sooooo much easier to show her how to drive if it was automatic. heysweetchiepassenger, something I have been thinking about, the road trip thingie. I like road trips, and I havent traveled much. But I plan to. I am leaning now more towards Civic. looking into Saturn and Toyota. Need to shop around. When deal has been done, I'll let yall kknow. ---------------------- Can i get a Toyota 7 feet tall? i want high resale value! No 6 foot 10 imitations!
DUKE has two cars! I am a big rich LAWYER so I can afford that type LUXERY. You would not like ONE of DUKE's cars, it is a CLASSIC. Impala!!! Whooo hooo. DUKE likes it. BUT my other car is a HUNDAY. It gets good gas milage and it was VERY reliable until DUKE drove it into a tree at 50 miles a hour. NOW it makes some weird noises and the headlights andhorn don't work and STEAM comes out of the car when it runs for more than five minutes, also there are several trails of green and black GOO coming from the car. Also the brakes only work if you STOMP them. ASIDE from that HUNDAY is the wway to go! ------------------ Robble robble robble HAMBURGLER in the HOUSE!!
Like mentioned, the Civic and Corrolla will give you the best value. My sister owns a Corolla, and its as reliable as Shandon Anderson. There's a reason its the best selling car of all-time. Nissan's also tend to be very solid. Maxima's are good, as are Sentra's, which are a littler cheaper. Don't rule out North American cars either, they've caught up to their asian counterparts during the past decade. GM automobiles especially. Chevy Malibu - great car. Azim da Dream ------------------ True champions do not take their failures to heart and never let success go to their heads. [This message has been edited by Azim da Dream (edited May 18, 2000).]
Maxima's are awesome! I have one; 72000+ miles on it and no un-scheduled repairs yet. But they don't fit into the category of the other cars he's talking about. If you're able to get a Corrolla or a Civic, get either. They are both solid, reliable transportation and should last you for quite some time. In that car segment, I wouldn't buy anything else (but then I value reliability above anything else). ------------------ ?
What about a more-than-reliable German car? Volkswagen rules! ------------------ What do you expect from someone who beats up his fiancee?
Cheap Reliable Economic. Best buy for your money??? Hyundai Accent. Go ahead and laugh, but I bought one as a second car 4 years ago and have yet to put a dime into NON My Fault repairs. Not one red cent, short of plugs, lights, and batteries. Nothing else. I get about 35 miles per gallon. And one tank is only about 11 gallons and on the Highway those 11 gallons will get me at least 400 miles. Also, I bangged into an embankment doing about 30, head on (although it was earth and not concrete)...and the car was completely salvageable and noone was hurt at all. Short of a torn up axle, tie rods, tire, and some body work, the car remained in great shape for such a hard collision. Plus...brand new off the show room floor with a couple of luxuries like tape deck, and air, it cost me 8,500 dollars. Actually I drive it more than my brand New Ford Contour SE which Im paying almost 20,000 for...if that says anything for you. [This message has been edited by Dreamshake (edited May 19, 2000).]
Oh, one more thing... if you're looking at Corolla's, you may also want to look at the Chevy Prizm -- it's a Corolla in disguise (so much for buy American, eh? ). ------------------ ?
