Author Topic: Need help with a car for my daughter for college (Read 581 times)

Frazzy · « **on:** May 20, 2005, 12:06:32 AM »

My daughter needs a car for college. We need one that will be used and will need to be economical and not really that sporty or fancy, it just needs to run good. I've heard the Japanese cars are very good for reliability and good gas mileage. What should I look for? My oldest daughter had a grand am that was literally a piece of crap on 4 wheels. Like I said, we are looking for reliability and economy. Thanks.

rpm · « **Reply #1 on:** May 20, 2005, 12:11:16 AM »

Can't believe I'm gonna say this...Honda Accord. They are almost indestructable.

Geary420 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 20, 2005, 12:11:28 AM »

As much as it pains me to say this.... Honda, all day, I have had 2 hondas for winter beaters, total piles of junk but no matter how hard i tried I couldnt kill either one, and the mileage is excellent. Stay away from Mitsubishis, they are junk and the parts cost an arm and a leg.

Chairboy · « **Reply #3 on:** May 20, 2005, 12:14:51 AM »

Honda. Toyotas are also very good.

Vudak · « **Reply #4 on:** May 20, 2005, 12:57:02 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by rpm
Can't believe I'm gonna say this...Honda Accord. They are almost indestructable.

Yep. Ladyfriend had a good half-dozen accidents involving stationary objects this past year and the car keeps on going. Just make sure you get your daughter a good spare tire and a roll of duct tape.

zmeg · « **Reply #5 on:** May 20, 2005, 01:13:19 AM »

The older Toyotas are very dependable and easy to maintain, the W & H class GM cars are very dependable too, totaly different design from Grand Am. Don't beleve what people tell you about Hondas being dependable, they're crap and very expensive to repair.

mora · « **Reply #6 on:** May 20, 2005, 02:33:30 AM »

Hyundai is comparable to Toyota in reliability and much cheaper. I'd keep away from Honda. Way overrated and expensive cars especially the low end models. Stay away from anything made in the US or Europe.

GRUNHERZ · « **Reply #7 on:** May 20, 2005, 02:46:18 AM »

Get her a newer model Honda Accord or Honda Civic.

NUKE · « **Reply #8 on:** May 20, 2005, 02:54:45 AM »

get her a 1968 El Camino or a 1965 Chevy stepside pickup.

Holden McGroin · « **Reply #9 on:** May 20, 2005, 03:19:29 AM »

Get her a Cannondale. College was made for bicycles.

eagl · « **Reply #10 on:** May 20, 2005, 08:01:22 PM »

My wife had a civic. It died one day, engine light and it wouldn't start, before we got married. Damned redneck mechanics tried to sell her $2500 new engine, so she abandoned it in place. A year later, we saw the car driving around.

So Civics rule as long as racist ultra melon mechanics don't trick you into junking your car.

JB73 · « **Reply #11 on:** May 20, 2005, 08:06:35 PM »

honda

i worked at a dealership back in the day, and we had cars comming in for oil changes every week with 300,000 miles on them, and you'd never know.

they are vertible tanks in reliability. body isn't the strongest, and will crumple when hitting a solid object like say, a butterfly, but they will still run after being run over by a dump truck.

Eagler · « **Reply #12 on:** May 20, 2005, 08:07:58 PM »

had a 94 civic I put over 200,000 in 3.5 years and it gave me zero trouble over it's 10 years of dependable service

my youngest son totaled it his first year driving

spitfiremkv · « **Reply #13 on:** May 20, 2005, 08:20:15 PM »

if she's hot she can ride in my Corvette while I go through my mid-life crisis.

eskimo2 · « **Reply #14 on:** May 20, 2005, 08:32:28 PM »

I agree on the Hondas and Toyotas, in that order. Hyundai is junk though; they lose 90% of their value in about 4 years. If safety is a priority, you can’t beat Volvo (Saab is a close second) but maintenance costs are much higher.

I’ve always bought my used cars at auctions and paid about 20% of their retail list. Even if you buy a car that needs a minor repair you’re still way ahead of the game. Look into local actions.

eskimo