What car should i get?

["Hedge"]

hey every1 :D, my mom and i are looking to get our first car, so we were talking to my dad, he said he doesnt want us getting a used car because there are no guarentee's if they are reliable or not, so my dad said we can get a car for under 20k new, i was looking at the scion tc, honda civic, mitsubishi lancer, all of them seem great.

 

oooo almost forgot, have to get this in auto since i am going to be sharing with my mom :(, not to sad because i appreciate my dad getting me a car, will get stick later on but for now, car must me auto.

 

soo

what car should i get? i would appreciate all your suggestions :D

[blackhole522]

Not a Scion, that's for sure.

 

A Nissan or a Honda would be good imo.

["Hedge"]

why not a scion?

[gingervette]

I actually love the Scion Tc's, they are pretty great for the money. The Chevrolet Malibu's are great. The new Ford Fusions are to, but I am not sure if they fall under 20k. Don't buy a Toyota, those cars try to kill you ;)

 

That is a tough segment to buy a car in because of all the options.

[T1M]

I was going to suggest Ford Focus ST, but they've gone up since I last checked, I could have sworn they were like £18k a few years ago. :eek:

 

How about a Civic?

[Camel]

I was going to suggest Ford Focus ST, but they've gone up since I last checked, I could have sworn they were like £18k a few years ago. :eek:

 

How about a Civic?

 

He's American too so it will be more in $ than in £. :p

["Hedge"]

yes it will be $ lol, i am trying to go with japanese cars :D

["Hedge"]

I actually love the Scion Tc's, they are pretty great for the money. The Chevrolet Malibu's are great. The new Ford Fusions are to, but I am not sure if they fall under 20k. Don't buy a Toyota, those cars try to kill you ;)

 

That is a tough segment to buy a car in because of all the options.

 

 

toyota owns scion, and the scion has a toyota engine under the hood, i am going to check if people had serious problems with scion's ;)

[Leadfoot[YT]]

hey every1 :D, my mom and i are looking to get our first car, so we were talking to my dad, he said he doesnt want us getting a used car because there are no guarentee's if they are reliable or not, so my dad said we can get a car for under 20k new, i was looking at the scion tc, honda civic, mitsubishi lancer, all of them seem great.

 

oooo almost forgot, have to get this in auto since i am going to be sharing with my mom :(, not to sad because i appreciate my dad getting me a car, will get stick later on but for now, car must me auto.

 

soo

what car should i get? i would appreciate all your suggestions :D

 

20K? Shame about no used cars. You can pick up a 2000-2003 E39 M5's (that's 7-10 years old, 400 horsepower, rear-wheel-drive, BMW reliability and build quality, practical saloon, 80,000 or less miles) for $12,000-$15,000.

 

Plus tons of other cars (car-show quality C4 Corvettes for $14K or so, normal ones for $9K or prestine, classic, E24-era M6s that'll be worth a fortune in ten years or so, to name just two) can be found for less than $20K used. Shame. Huge, huge shame.... Just check out autos.yahoo.com if you want to have your mind changed.

 

As for new cars, hmm. I would say wait until we get some hot Fiesta of some kind, but that could be from three to never years.

 

How 'bout a one-two year old Honda Civic Si? My parents have kept some Honda's for 12 years and 250,000 miles, and we only got rid of it when it got a hole in the muffler and it cost more to fix it than the car was worth. :cheeky: Solid as rocks. Same goes for a two to three year old Honda S2000, which has a manual (shame about that rule, too. Glad you're enthusiastic about manuals later, though :) ) gearbox widely regarded to be the best ever.

 

Jeez, there's nothing interesting for under $20K new (don't say anything, Europeans - we're jealous already :cheeky: ).

 

Everything decent is $22,000 (2011 Mustang V6, which is as powerful as the 2010 GT.) Oh, new idea - take a look at your local Ford dealer, they'll be desperate to get 2010 Mustangs off the lot (at least once production of the 2011 ramps up), because no one will buy them next to the 2011s. So you could pick up a new 2010 V6 with a glass roof or something cool like that for a few grand under $20K.

 

-Leadfoot [is out of breath and done]

[cis4care]

Listen to the guy above me, he speaks the truth.

[Mb]

Listen to the guy above me, he speaks the truth.

True. Especially this part is full of win: 20K? Shame about no used cars. You can pick up a 2000-2003 E39 M5's (that's 7-10 years old, 400 horsepower, rear-wheel-drive, BMW reliability and build quality, practical saloon, 80,000 or less miles) for $12,000-$15,000.

 

:D

[Ryzza5]

I took about 7 cars for a test drive about a month or two ago, although most of them were between $20-30k. You could get a good deal if you go shopping right near the end of June though (End of Financial Year Sales).

 

Mitsuibishi Lancer VR Sportback - Great car mechanically, looks nice, interior was very plain though

Subaru Imprezza - Nice interior but very slow

Honda City - Also pretty slow, quite roomy for what appears to be a small car from the outside

Toyata Corolla - steering was very light, nothing else was overly interesting

Ford Focus - pretty boring

Mazda 3 SP25 - very zippy, don't like the look of the front of the car, nor do I like the interior. Also very expensive

Volkswagen Golf 118 TSI - Great interior, looks alright, still accelerator pedal (not sure if that changes in Sport mode), but also very powerful. Also expensive, but a friend has got one cheap for me, which I might get in a month or two.

Ford Fiesta - not bad, but the Automatic version is underpowered.

 

If you can, try to get a car with ~110kilowatts or more. Those with only ~80 are a bit more sluggish, and since you're a member of this forum, I'm going to guess you want a bit more oomph than that :)

 

 

If I had to give you a shortlist to check out - I'd say:

- Volkswagen Golf Trendline (the cheaper model) or Polo (never looked into it, but VW make good cars, so check it out anyway)

- Mistubishi Lancer

- Ford Fiesta

 

 

Not all 2nd hand cars are unreliable, if you look around yourself to find a couple of good cars, you might be able to convince your Dad otherwise.

[kovi20003000]

Why not buying a german car? VW, Audi and the others got wonterfull quality and awsome performance for the money.

 

I know it, cause my brother got an A4 and my mom a Golf^^

[Ibn Rushd]

Even though you don't want used, I'd still recommend getting a car a year or two old, so you can save the original depreciation you're going to take a hit on.

 

Sometimes dealers have some left overs as well that they're willing to drop prices on!

 

That said: You can probably swing a used Audi (A3, A4), Acura (TSX) in those prices. And they're not too old that your dad would feel that they are unreliable. My TL (02), Civic (99) and EL (04) are bulletproof. They've done very well for us and combined they have ALMOST 3/4 of a million km on them. (This is about 60k miles shy of 500k miles). So, a year or two won't hurt you at all.

 

New: Honda, Toyota, Hyundai are the places to go. I hear good things about Ford now adays though, so might be worth it.

[H4milton]

If you really want to go for Japanese cars, then go for Toyota Allion. It's the perfect Falmily car, it's 1.8L and very much fuel efficient.

here's a tradecarview link:

http://www.tradecarview.com/used_car/japan%20car/toyota/allion/3845790/

[cis4care]

Oh, if you decide on a used car, you might also go for the Hyundai Coupe, it's Korean, I know, but don't listen to what some dumb people say about it. It's not like the rest, I assure you, it's reliable enough and is positively fabulous to drive, just ask anybody who's driven it.

Of course, if your mom's ok with a coupe. Mine isn't. xD

[Car Freak]

A Jetta seems like a pretty solid choice. Prices start at $17k, according to the VW USA website, so it means you ought to be able to get one for $15k if you haggle a bit

[Beav]

Not a Scion, that's for sure.

 

A Nissan or a Honda would be good imo.

 

Yes! :D

 

Omg, sounds like someone has tomuch money, you wont buy a second hand car? When you buy a car the second you drive it the car loses just over £2000 in value. Your dad would really throw away £2000? :oook:

[GTAMADDOG]

Avensis.

 

But seriously. I have no idea about the American car market. If you were getting a used vehicle I could probably suggest quite a few, but new car prices in America are something I have no idea about.

 

The suggestions above seem quite decent, though.

[Ibn Rushd]

We don't get the Avensis here. We just have the Corolla, Matrix then Camry.

["Hedge"]

i think ill think about the 2000-2003's m3 :D, but aren't older bmw's expensive to maintain :( and aren't they manual?

 

EDIT: also going to look for infiniti g35's :D

[cis4care]

They are and not all of them xD

[DoMw94]

Suzuki Swift? Very good car, small boot though

[killalldude]

Used cars aren't always bad. My parents always buy used. You get a lot more for your money. Just don't buy something with more thak 35k miles, that's just too old. The bulletproof way to get a reliable used car is to get a used car from the dealer (even if it's not certified pre-owned, the dealer reconditions all of their used cars). The only downside to this is a used car from a dealer is that it could be anywhere from 2-5k more than getting it from a private owner. There's nothing wrong with getting a used car from a private owner, but if the person seems "car stupid" you definatly don't want a used car from them. Mileage and condition are the main factors when you buy a used car. The lower the miles, the newer the car will be (it has been used less, so there's less wear and tear on the car). A car in good condition means the owner cared about their car, and properly maintained it.

 

 

 

I don't know whether you want something sporty, reliable, or versatile, or what you are going to use this car for, but I'll make some suggestions. These are all used with less than 35k miles.

 

80-09 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable- This might not seem like a fun car, but considering you can get a sedan that's as big as a Crown Vic, loaded with leather and a decent interior for around 13-16k with around 20-30k miles, its a bargain. It's safe too!

 

05+ Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan- This too isn't a very fun car, but a fully loaded midsize sedan for around 14k (depending on year) is a bargain.

 

05+ Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Magnum- A fully loaded V6 with low miles of any of these LX platform cars can be had at less than 15k. A fully loaded V8 with decent miles can be found in the 17k-20k region.

 

05-07 Audi A4- One of these with decent miles will run you about 18k

 

BMW E46 3-Series- If you don't mind an older body style, e46's with low miles are in the upper teens.

 

06+ Cadillac CTS/STS- V6 versions of these cars can be had in the 16-18k range

 

05+ Ford Mustangs- V6's can be had for less than 14k with decent features, V8's can be found in the upper teens. This is a great car since it's so mod friendly (if you're into that kind of thing)

 

03+ Infinity G35- A midsize luxury priced in the upper teens

 

04+ Jaguar X-Type and S-Type- Compact luxury sedan in the upper teens

 

05+ Jeep Grand Cherokee- Midsize SUV, IMO the best SUV in it's class. It has a decent interior and can be had for less than 18k

 

06+ Jeep Commander- Midsize SUV, but unlike the GC it can seat 7. Looks nice, can be had for less than 20k

 

06+ Lexus IS250- Another compact sedan, can be had for just shy of 20k

 

06+ Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ- The 06 was named the Zephyr, 07+ were named MKZ, idk why. Anyways, these are just luxury versions of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan. With decent miles, you'll get one for around 16-18K

 

05+ Lincoln Town Car- Don't know if you're into Town Cars, but a boat on wheels for 16K, why not? :D

 

W209 Mercedes CLK-Class- If you're lucky, you may find one for just under 20k

 

03+ Mini Cooper- Depending on the year and features, a Mini with reasonable mileage can be found anywhere from 12-20k

 

06+ Mitsubishi Eclipse- With decent features, these can be picked up for as low as 16k, both coupe and convertible variants!

 

04+ Nissan 350z- Get one of these for around 15-18k

 

02+ Nissan Murano- With low miles, these crossovers run in the higher teens

 

04-06 Pontiac GTO- The LS1 versions can be picked up for 13k, but LS2's are closer to 19

 

06-09 Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky- Great roadster for 15-18k

 

99+ Porsche Boxter- This is an older car, and ones with less than 50k miles can be found under 20k. But hey, it's a Porsche!

 

06+ VW Passat- a midsize German sedan, for 15k!

 

 

Hope this list is helpful. I didn't include run of the mill cars like Civics, Accords, and Camrys because you can definatly find these anywhere. I just listed the cars you wouldn't think you could get under $20k with low miles ;)

 

Good luck!

["Hedge"]

thank you so much!, will def look into your list!