What car should i get?

[phookat]

Originally posted by beet1e
Don't buy an American car - they're crap. Buy German or Japanese.

True of recent American cars.  Some of the American stuff from the 60's is pretty solid though.

[Wolfala]

As a guy who's fresh out of college and a limited budget - I have the following.

I had a Honda Civic for years - 2 of them actually. First was a 93 and I took it upto 250,000 miles and its still going strong. My brother uses it for local driving now. I had a 2001 civic and put 60,000 on that before selling it. I now have an Acura TSX, which of course is the same as a Honda with a different label.

Bottom line: I'm not much for brands, however they are reliable and the insurance premiums reflect that. For your first car, i'd recommend a Civic since it gets better then 35 MPG and can run on regular. And 7,000 if more then enough to get a decent Civic on the used market with ABS, Power everything and airbags. DO NOT compromise on safety.



Wolfala

[J_A_B]

"What car is that? Is your insurance rate low?"

It's probably not something you'd want.  My point was with 7K, you CAN find the car YOU want if you look hard enough.  

And it WILL take awhile....took me several weeks to find my my current ride--despite knowing specifically which year and model I wanted.  I ended up driving 180 miles to pick it up, too.  

http://www.cars.com is a pretty good place to start, although many of the vehicles they list are overpriced (not all, but a lot of them).  Like I said...take your time and look for a good deal.


I currently drive a '95 Buick Roadmaster sedan.  My pevious car was a '90 Cadillac Sedan DeVille.   I like full size cars that have more than adequate power (like the 'vette-derived LT1 V-8 under the hood of the Buick).  My wife drives an '00 Mercury Grand Marquis that I picked out for her.  She didn't like it at the time (she liked NEONs and such) but now she loves it.

But that's me....you need to be interested in YOU and what YOU want!   If you are a typical teen and you already have an idea of what kind of car you like....do a web search and look for one.



If you take any advice, listen to this:  Regardless of what you get, get something with a "bench" front seat--AVOID bucket seats!   A bench-style seat is MUCH nicer to have when you're going somewhere with your spouse/girlfiend (HINT, HINT).  You can figure it out.

And...please for the love of god don't put a fart-can muffler on it!


DO NOT buy ANY Ford with the 3.8 litre V-6 engine (The GM 3.8 is okay).  The head gasket on the Ford 3.8 V-6 doesn't last and if you buy a car with that engine, chances are you'll regret it.




The Cadillac's insurance was more expensive for me, despite the fact that the Buick is a superior car in every aspect--it had to be due to the name and nothing else.  My wife has a newer car and pays less still, and even has better coverage.  

Being a male and just getting your license, you will pay a lot for insurance no matter what you get.  Remember that.  Expect insurance to run over 100 bucks a month.  It is not uncommon for young men to spend more on insurance than they actually pay for the car they drive.


J_A_B

[J_A_B]

"Don't buy an American car - they're crap. Buy German or Japanese."     --Beet1e



Don't buy a Japanese or German car--they're nothing more than glorified go-karts.  Buy an American car.



"DO NOT compromise on safety. "    --Wolfala


You say this as you recommend a Civic.....that's an oxymoron I'm afraid.  Civics are unsafe by nature unless you live in a city and neve go more than 30 mph.



J_A_B

[Gunslinger]

get yourself a 78 monte carlo SS.


You can probably find something that runs but needs a paint job.

Its a big car so you're pretty safe in it.  Its a cool enough car for 16 cause its almost a classic.  Its old so insurence is going to be dirt cheap.

MPG I'm not sure of but it cant be as bad as an SUV or Truck.

Its a standard chevy so there are PLENTY of parts to buy dirt cheap.......AND YOU SHOULD LEARN TO WRENCH ON YOUR OWN CAR!

Seriously take a night class if you  have to.  Learning to do your own automotive mait. will save you THOUSANDS in Mait. costs.

Example.....a flush and fill at most shops costs 50-80$.  It is not hard to do at all and antifreeze + the kit will cost you less than $ 20.

A clutch otoh will cost you $500-900 depending on the car.  MOST of that is labor.  I've baught good clutches for $120 before wich saved me a ton of money.

Seriously....if there's a class at your school or local community college take an automotive class.

[Staga]

AND YOU SHOULD LEARN TO WRENCH ON YOUR OWN CAR

Gotta agree with this, you haven't lived before you've changed cylinder head at minus 25dgr C or burnt your arm in hot exhaust manifold or got plenty of nice scratches to your hands when trying to open the bolts from some narrow place under the car...  

[SaburoS]

Originally posted by 1K3
I just got my drivers' licence today, and i have $7,000 somewhere in my room

My question is what car should i get? used Hondas, Toyotas, or Ford?

1) Toyota 2) Honda

1) Make sure you check the compression on the engine.

2) Complete service record

3) Most modern cars have a timing belt as opposed to a timing chain. Make sure it isn't due for a timing belt service - expensive repair. 60-70k life expectancy for a fiberglass reinforced timing belt - 100k life expectancy for a kevlar reinforced timing belt.

4) Check the boots on the CV Axles (halfshafts). Pay particular attention to the outer boots. If cracked, probably needs a new shaft.

5) Check the fluids! If the brake fluid is dirty, probably too contaminated with moisture which in turn attacked the steel/iron linings of the master cylinder, caliper and/or wheel cylinder sleeves. If it is a Honda or Acura, chances that if a master cylinder fails and has brake fluid dripping into the power booster, the booster has to be changed as well. Expensive repair.

6) Have the transmission checked as that is a "common" neglected component as far as routine maintenance is concerned. Very expensive repair!

7) Check the hoses, vacuum lines, and belts.

8) Check the tires for unusual wear.

Well that's off the top of my head. Good luck!

[Silat]

to insure success with the dating ritual

[Kev367th]

Got a 96 Eclipse myself, 95,000 miles, serviced regularly - still going strong.

FORD - Found On Roadside Dead

[blkmgc]

Screw Jap and German cars.They still suck left hind tit where horsepower is concerned.

 Get yourself an older muscle car. You should be able to find a decent  70's Trans AM, Z28, Firebird or Camaro in the Vegas area for a couple grand.You may need to spend another couple grand on paint and cleaning it up, decent exaust, wheels ect. Young fella like you should have a real mans *** machine....not some tin can with a bolt on muffler as big as the motor that generally gets caught in a GM V8's air cleaner hehe.

blkmgc

[Sikboy]

I bought a Plymouth Brees for $1600 on Ebay. I love that car lol. I figure for 7k, you can just buy a new one ever other year or so.

Just keep in mind what you want the car to do. I mean, when I was 18 I bought a Triumph Spitfire, because my only concern was driving up and down PCH with the top down. That was good then. But when I needed a car at 31, I needed something a bit more practical.

If you just got your license... buy something irresponsible. But don't take my advice, I'm lacking in charactor

-Sik

[phookat]

Originally posted by blkmgc
70's Trans AM, Z28, Firebird or Camaro in the Vegas area for a couple grand.

70's American cars suck.  What with the gas crises etc....low compression, low power, anemic motors.  If you want an old American car, you need to remember a couple things:

(1) Make sure it is older than 1971

(2) Don't expect it to be as fast as the displacement promises.  New cars have a lot of tech that makes them a lot more powerful, liter for liter...without all that extra weight.

(3) Expect poor handling.

(4) Expect to pay out the bellybutton for gas.  Premium gas, plus lead substitute additives, plus MMT octane boosters.

[lazs2]

what do you want out of a car?

lazs

[GRUNHERZ]

I really dont understand all these reccomendations for 1970s old American cars.. They are big, heavy, handle bad, have poor safety features, use lots of gas, are pretty slow, will require more reapair etc etc.. These are more like hobby cars imo, not a first car to spend all your money on..

[phookat]

Originally posted by J_A_B
"DO NOT compromise on safety. "    --Wolfala


You say this as you recommend a Civic.....that's an oxymoron I'm afraid.  Civics are unsafe by nature unless you live in a city and neve go more than 30 mph.

Take a look at this:

http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/insure/basics/8121.asp