Car Talk

Ampersand

The facts are these...

I'm supposed to go car shopping with a relative tomorrow to (hopefully) get a new car, as my current one has seen better days. I (a humble student) know nothing of cars except that I think I would like a black one.. perhaps green. I'd also be happy if it had decent to good mileage so that I stop hurting the planet. I have a ~12k budget and really no idea where to begin. I did try nosing around on edmunds and found out that there are more makes/models out there than I ever thought possible.

Any suggestions would be incredibly helpful! Thanks.

tl,dr:

LF Used Car Suggestions/Testimonials

Sedan/Coupe
Budget: ~12k
+30 mpg
bells and whistles.

Robman

Going to need more info then that. Do you want a standard or an automatic? A gas or a diesel? Any preference on brand? What kind of roads are you going to be taking it on?

Wezoin

I'm going to start by recommending a Mazda 3 - a couple year old one should be in your budget. On the highway it gets 32mpg, 24mpg in city. It is a very fun car to drive, reliable, fairly stylish, and reasonably roomy (for a small car.) You will probably get a lot of recommendations for this car - it is kind of the star of the small car segment. At very least take one for a test drive.

If you'd like something a bit bigger maybe check out a Mitsubishi Lancer. It is a bit more aggressive looking, and a bit bigger, but gets slightly worse fuel economy. 28mpg highway, 22mpg city.

The Nissan Versa is also a decent option, and if you go for the smaller engine (1.6L) you can get 26mpg city, and 33mpg highway. The bigger engine (1.8L) gets 24mpg city, 32mpg highway - still not bad and would probably be nicer to drive.

If I were in your price range these are the three models I'd be checking out. A lot of people would recommend cars from Honda, Toyota, or Hyundai as well but their offerings in this price range with the fuel economy you want are fairly uninspiring cars if you ask me. That said, I'm sure they are reliable and would serve you fairly well if you are just looking for an A to B type vehicle.

Also, on fuel efficiency, a lot of it is effected by how you drive rather than what you drive. A good example of this is here:
Top Gear - Prius vs M3
Sure its an extreme situation, but it shows that you can buy a very fuel efficient car and get garbage fuel efficiency out of it if you drive it the wrong way. You may or may not meet the mpg I quoted above, or you may even beat them. All depends on how you drive as well as the driving situations you face (heavy traffic vs open road.)

Ampersand

Robman wrote: »

Going to need more info then that. Do you want a standard or an automatic? A gas or a diesel? Any preference on brand? What kind of roads are you going to be taking it on?

In short: Automatic, gas, and no. I travel around middle PA, so it'll mostly be highway driving as opposed to city.

Wezoin wrote: »

Great advice

Thanks! I'll definitely put those on my short list.

Any other suggestions, cautionary tales, and words of wisdom are welcome!

TexiKen

Just a simple used 2007 or newer Honda Civic LX-S or Hyundai Elantra would be your best bet to get the mileage you're asking for, while still having bells and whistles requested. Plus the road noise is minimal in these vehicles if you're going to be on the highway. You could find a used Nissan Altima for that price but probably with 50,000 miles.

A Bear

With wide-open specifications, here are some basic brand ideas:

Looking for a good used car value? Buy Asian. Specifically, Honda, Toyota, Scion, or (a newer) Hyundai. These are generally reliable and good on gas.

Ex: Honda Accord, Honda Civic, Honda Fit, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Scion TC, Scion xB, Hyundai Elantra.

Sportier value? Still, Asian. Honda, Acura, Toyota, Mazda, maybe Nissan all offer fun and inexpensive sport coupes or sedans. Avoid recent Mitsubishis, as their build quality is spotty.

Ex: Honda Civic Si, Acura RSX, Mazda 3, Mazda MX-5.

As a general rule, avoid most american small cars. Specifically ones from defunct brands. There can be some exceptions here, but trying to point out the good from the bad isn't really worth your time--specifically if the 30mpg requirement is firm, as few American used cars which get 30+ mpg are any good at all. When the Ford Fiesta comes stateside, this whole game will change.

King Kong

Hyundai's are garbage, I've owned one myself, my mother has owned two, and I've worked on numerous ones. They are cheaply made and are crap and they have a horrible horrible resale value.

Of all the suggestions I'd back the Mazda 3. They are pretty rock solid and I have worked on tons of them.

Pheezer

You'll get better from a recent used Hyundai than anything else in that price range.

King Kong

Better how?

TexiKen

A current generation Elantra is just as good as a Corolla, but a quieter ride and nicer looking interior. The exterior is bland, but it is a very good car that can be a steal when buying used because the resale isn't as strong as a Honda or Toyota.

King Kong

There's a reason the have a low resale value. They are cheaply made and their parts are inferior in quality to just about every other car manufacturer bar a few. For his 12k budget there is so many better options I can't even believe this is even being floated as an option.

TexiKen

The quality has much improved since 2004 and on, and their resale value has increased accordingly.

Hyundai built themselves a hole 20 years ago and are just recently digging out of that perception in the public's mind.

I'd buy a Hyundai over a Chevy or Dodge any day.

VeritasVR

I got my 07 Honda Accord EX with 35k miles on it for $11k. The EX is most bells and whistles except leather, V6, or navi.

If you drive a lot of highway with the windows up and constant speed, you might get as much as 38 MPG.

It's not the sleek new model, but it's mostly the same car for much less of the price.

MushroomStick

I have a Mazda 3 and love it.

Whatever you do, don't get a Chevy Aveo. A dealer might try to push one on you because they're cheap. But they may very well be the single worst car on the market today.

Wezoin

It should be mentioned that Hyundai has really upped their game in recent years. That said, their Accent and Elantra have hopelessly bland interiors so if having something interesting to look at while you drive is important to you that may be a dealbreaker (basically everything is grey.) Their waranty (10year/100,000mile) guarantees you'll get a pretty good life out of the vehicle.

On Mitsubishi's build quality: they also offer the 10year/100,000mile powertrain warranty. Again, guarantees you'll get a long life out of the vehicle. I haven't really read up too much on the break down stats, but I think with a warranty like that you don't have too much to worry about.

You should also try out a Honda Civic - quite alot of people swear by them so I guess they must be decent.

I agree with the "avoid American" sentiment expressed above - while there is nothing wrong with some American cars, alot of the cheaper smaller ones tend to be awful. Chevy Aveo and Dodge Caliber/Neon are among the worst cars money can buy - in terms of build quality, looks, and performance. Their only redeeming quality is their price tag. The new Ford Focus (2008 and newer) is supposed to be decent, but you'd have to like the way it looks. Personally I think it's pretty ugly.

Topia

Honda Civics generally pay fairly high insurance because they are often "suped" up and have an extremely high theft rate in comparison to other vehicles. Just sayin'. I don't know if this is in the states, but definitely is the case in Canada.

A Bear

Wezoin wrote: »

On Mitsubishi's build quality: they also offer the 10year/100,000mile powertrain warranty. Again, guarantees you'll get a long life out of the vehicle. I haven't really read up too much on the break down stats, but I think with a warranty like that you don't have too much to worry about.

If you can get a Mitsubishi with a 10y/100k, it might be worth your wile, but both the recent Eclipses and Lancers have been sort of hit or miss. Cheap paint, rattles, nothing huge--but not things you really want in a car. If you google Mitsubishi Eclipse, you find this, which I think is a little extreme. On the other hand, the Lancer looks quite handsome, and gets 31mpg highway.

Wezoin

A Bear wrote: »

Wezoin wrote: »

On Mitsubishi's build quality: they also offer the 10year/100,000mile powertrain warranty. Again, guarantees you'll get a long life out of the vehicle. I haven't really read up too much on the break down stats, but I think with a warranty like that you don't have too much to worry about.

If you can get a Mitsubishi with a 10y/100k, it might be worth your wile, but both the recent Eclipses and Lancers have been sort of hit or miss. Cheap paint, rattles, nothing huge--but not things you really want in a car. If you google Mitsubishi Eclipse, you find this, which I think is a little extreme. On the other hand, the Lancer looks quite handsome, and gets 31mpg highway.

Actually, I said all this about the warranties and whatnot, but you should really call Mitsubishi/whatever car manufacturer built the car you're planning to buy to ask if the warranty would be transfered when you buy it or if its just for the original owner. I'd assume with most companies it would be transfered but better safe than sorry.

MushroomStick

When I got my Mazda 3, I also test drove a Lancer. On paper they look almost identical, but when you actually sit in and drive them, the Lancer feels like its made out tinfoil and toothpicks held together with gum. The Mazda just felt like it had a better build quality.

Pheezer

King Kong wrote: »

There's a reason the have a low resale value. They are cheaply made and their parts are inferior in quality to just about every other car manufacturer bar a few. For his 12k budget there is so many better options I can't even believe this is even being floated as an option.

Actually, no, they're not. What's your practical experience here, a 1999 Tiburon? They're the only car manufacturer that Toyota considers a threat. And that's because they're doing the same work Toyota is, the same quality, but cheaper and with better warranty support.

They still have a stigma attached to the name though, so resale sucks on them, which is great if you're buying used because you'll get way better value.

Beltaine

I bought an Elantra new in '05, changed the oil regularly and did all the recommended maintenance for 75k miles and never had one problem with it.

Resale value when I went to trade it in '08 was poo though.

If you're buying a car and plan on trading up in 2-3 years, don't get a Hyundai. If you want a reliable transportation on a budget, don't care about putting on airs, and don't plan to trade later, a Hyundai is solid.

Resale value has more to do with public perception than actual quality.

badpoet

I would take a Nissan Sentra over a Versa. The Sentra's 2.0 is pretty bulletproof and they're a pretty nice car. It's comfortable with a surprising amount of room and I average 30+ in mixed highway/city driving.

Both the Versa and Sentra have timing chains, which means less maintenance. You should be able to get a low mileage 07 in your price range.

Donovan Puppyfucker

King Kong wrote: »

Hyundai's are garbage, I've owned one myself, my mother has owned two, and I've worked on numerous ones. They are cheaply made and are crap and they have a horrible horrible resale value.

Of all the suggestions I'd back the Mazda 3. They are pretty rock solid and I have worked on tons of them.

Hyundais are good cars. 20 years ago they were shit, these days they are high on my list of 'brands to be trusted'. It's basically buying a Japanese car for Korean prices.

I with you on the Mazda 3 suggestion though. Much nicer to drive than the Elantra. If you guys got the i30 I'd definitely give that a plug however.

3drage

Unless you trust where you buy it from, I'd recommend having a mechanic go over the car before you buy it just to make sure there aren't any repair surprises.

Wezoin

3drage wrote: »

Unless you trust where you buy it from, I'd recommend having a mechanic go over the car before you buy it just to make sure there aren't any repair surprises.

Pretty much you should get a mechanic you trust to look it over anyway - they won't be offended if you don't 'trust' them. It's a used car and used car salesmen are used to not being trusted.

amateurhour

If you can afford it, go with an accord over the civic.

I'm not sure if it's still the case, but insurance is generally higher on the civic, and personally, I think the road noise in them is pretty noticeable, compared to an accord or even a Toyota corolla.

Mr Blonde

I get 24 miles to the gallon in my 06 Altima S. Love my car, only wish it had an auxiliary output that was standard as I don't want to remove my deck.

Ampersand

After a day of driving, I'm the proud new owner of a '07 Mazda6.

Thanks to everyone for their help!

Wicked Uncle Ernie

Ampersand wrote: »

After a day of driving, I'm the proud new owner of a '07 Mazda6.

Thanks to everyone for their help!

I typed out a whole reply, then decided to check the rest of the thread, lol. Nice pick, though I'd advise taking longer than one day to buy your next car Shoulda test driven the Mazdaspeed 6........yum.

Dhalphir

An 07 Mazda 3 is probably the best car you could have gotten for the price you were going to pay. Decently fast and fun, reliable, well-built, acceptable resale value, cheap parts, there's millions of them around so everyone knows how to service them, and they look pretty nice too.

Fagatron

Wait a little bit, get a Ford Fiesta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krrWeyJFsoY

EDIT: Clearly I should read the whole thread before posting. Video is still great.