What Car is Right For Me? Help Me Choose!

kdshapiro · July 2007

I would not recommend a 15 year old car as a first car. A few years old maybe, but not 15 years.

taxesquire · July 2007

You might also want to try a Hyundai. My sister has a late 90s Hyunda sonata (I think - it's the mid-level sedan) that she just beats up and does not take care of, but it just runs and runs. In general, I've heard Hyundai makes pretty reliable cars...

corkscrew · July 2007

We bought our 93 Integra new and except for routine maintanence we have had two issues. Replaced the brakes and the main relay (see acura integra engine questions post # 6 and 8). I know of three owners,two have 93s and one has a 92. We all agree that these cars are the most trouble free we've ever owned. The owner of the 92 had the timing belt replaced a month ago, he has 120k on the odometer and the manual says to replace at 90k. The mechanic told him that he could have waited another year.
In any case I strongly recomend a Carfax report before buying.

kdshapiro · July 2007

I understand you have had good fortune with you car. I wouldn't give a new driver a 15 year old car. To much at stake should some component break leaving them stranded, imo. Kids got a 5 year old car. But many parents like getting their kids luxury cars costing $40K or more. But that is another conversation.

circlew · July 2007

I agree...5 years should be tha limit and the less techno, the better. KISS! This will be the practice car!!

Regards,
OW

from_fl · July 2007

My first car was Ford Pinto(bold moves).
Second/Last Ford one was Ford Escort.

scottm123 · July 2007

LOL
I had a 1978 Ford Pinto... Green on Green.
What a POS! lol

corkscrew · July 2007

My daughters first car was a ten year old Pinto, My sons first car was a 12 year old Mercury Linx. Both cars were in the junk yard after one year. Bottom line: Get a vehicle that is as reliable as you can find.

skk480 · July 2007

I'm sorry to sidetrack a thread, but i'm new to the board and was uncertain where i could obtain an answer.
I have the choice of a 07' Lexus GS 350 AWD fully loaded and a 07' Mercedes E350 4 matic with a nice package (not premium package 1 and sports package that is free). The lexus is 50k (out the door) and the Mercedes is 52k (out the door). All things considered, which vehicle would you suggest to purchase. Thank you.

thegraduate · July 2007

I'd look at a 2004-2005 Hyundai Elantra. Low cost when bought used, not a problematic car, and well-equipped in most cases.

If you can swing more $, I'd look at a used Civic or Accord (if you like Hondas), or a used Corolla or Camry (although as a younger person myself, I'd pick a Honda over a Toyota anyday as the more fun car).

autiger_89 · July 2007

I'm in the market for a new sedan. I drive with my job, both city and highway, 30k miles per year. My mechanic says Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, I'd like to add Nissan Altima to the mix based on design alone. My big considerations are:
1. Great with high mileage .. I'll drive it past 150k.
2. Decent gas mileage.

Suggestions??

Thanks.

kdshapiro · July 2007

The Accord and Camry imo, are head and shoulders above the Altima. If you want good gas mileage the 4 cylinder is the ticket. Accord has firmest ride of the group. If you are adventerous check out the Camry Hybrid.

cj7375 · July 2007

I am not sure Accord and Camry are "head and sholders" above Altima. Although youadded "IMO" ...

I have currently Civic 2007 and Altima 1997, and I tell you the Altima was and is a bulletproof car for me.

I love the new Civic 2007, too. It is fast, quite and very economical in terms of gas mileage.

I expect the Civic to be very reliable as well.

I've driven Camry and Accord. They are nice cars, too. But head and sholders above ... hm ...

I am eyeing the Altima and won't be long before I get to the dealer for a spin.

I already tried the new Camry, it is not bad but I have the feeling that it lacks something. And I do not know what, yet.

Also, the newest Jeta 2.5 L is good and loaded with features, but reliability is an issue there.

pat · July 2007

Shopping? Check out dealer ratings in your area at this link: Dealer Rater. Also, stop by to rate your dealerships on shopping and/or service experiences, good or bad!

mxcarne · July 2007

I currently have a 2001 dodge durango with the 5.9 motor. I use it mainly for daily driving and towing my dirt bikes to the track or trails. I may be switching jobs soon and will be commuting about 3 times farther than I am right now. Right now I average about 14mpg.

I will more than likely be trading the Durango in for something more economical due to gas prices and the longer commute. The problem is I still want to be able to haul 2 adult dirt bikes and occasionally my daughters little 50cc dirt bike.

Over all I dont think I will be pulling more than 1200lbs once a month on average. Any suggestions as to which car might best suit my needs.

Here is kind of what I'm looking for:
25-30mpg avg
Front-wheel Drive or all wheel drive
Around $12K used with under 40k miles
Manual trans. preffered but automatic is ok
maybe something kinda sporty

jenno2 · August 2007

I realize this may be very subjective, but I am trying to decide between the Space Gray metallic and the Sparkling Graphite Metallic with the saddle brown/black dakota leather interior. Any preferences. I haven't seen many of the space gray. I currently have the Sparkling Graphite on my 330i. Thanks.

kyfdx · August 2007

Gee... I was going to tell you that Sparkling Graphite sounds better than it looks, but if you already have one, maybe I won't..

I vote for Space Gray.. not a lot of them, and it's a nice color.. Sparkling Graphite really changes depending on the light, and not always in a good way... IMHO

britcrlvr · August 2007

Part of your problem is that it will be difficult but not impossible to find something for around 12 K and less than 40,000 miles. How reliable was your Durango? My biggest fear with American is that reliability is suspect. I guess the vehicles I can suggest, would be a Toyota RAV 4 or a Honda CR-V. My best advice forget about sporty, if you can hold on to the Dodge for a little bit longer it might be worth it. Your other option is to find a sedan, maybe a Subaru, wagon, and equip it with a trailer hitch. Hope I was some help.

possible sedans

honda civic
toyota corolla
i don't think this will satisfy your taste but it is an attempt.

shartson · August 2007

HELP ME CHOOSE! WHICH ONE TO BUY? BOTH ARE 2000, WITH 70K MILES. WHICH IS A BETTER CAR?

scottm123 · August 2007

I wouldn't buy a Plymouth with even YOUR money.

thegraduate · August 2007

Avoid the Chrysler product, especially from that time-frame (late 90s-early 00s).

I'd go with the Saturn (although neither of these would be on my list, the Saturn would be the lesser of two evils in my eyes).

helpmefindacar · August 2007

For those of you that have a Yaris....Do you like it and Have you had any problems with it?
Thanks

danellh · September 2007

I'm thinking of buying either an Accord or Civic and don't know whether to go with a 4 or 6 cylinder. I previously owned an Accord and a Civic, both got over 200,000 miles but both also were a bit sluggish going up hills and/or passing someone. My friend says go with a V6 but my mechanic said go with a 4 cylinder because V6's are twice as costly to maintain. What are your thoughts?

thegraduate · September 2007

I say drive the 4-cylinder and decide then.

What year was your previous Accord?

Where 4-cylinder's used to be 130 horsepower or so 10-15 years ago, now they have closer to 200 hp. I have a 4-cylinder Accord (166 hp) and it is dang quick. The V6 is just excessively fast to me.

scottm123 · September 2007

We had a VTec 4 cyl Accord EX and yes, it was quick enough, but wasn't a whole lot better on gas than the 6, and made one heck of a racket when the accelerator was floored.

It totally depends on your style of driving and what you prefer.

I'll say this though...
We had the car for 7 years and put 190,000 miles on it, and it never skipped a beat, and never gave us a problem of any kind.
Honda can show you scheduled maintenance costs ahead of time so you can compare these costs if you wish, but both are very dependable and I wouldn't worry much about out-of-warranty repairs.

aiwa112 · September 2007

Im stuck between the Honda Civic LX and Mazda 3 iTouring both are great cars and a little spaced out in reliability. I would like to know how much has everyone paid for maintence and repairs on the Civic and Mazda3, preferably 2003 models but all welcome.
P.S. dont include oil changes and normal maintence. Thanks

aiwa112 · September 2007

if you want a reliable car go for the Yaris. If you want a better looking car and safer car go for the Honda Fit or Nissan Versa. I have a Yaris and I like it but its small for me a 6'0" guy i barely have any headroom in it. Want anymore help just ask

pat · September 2007

Hi - welcome to CarSpace! It sounds like this discussion is just what you need: Honda Civic vs Mazda3. Have a look and join right in.

thegraduate · September 2007

You still didn't really answer my question (I'm assuming it's a Generation 6 model 1999-2001 or so if your Accord was bought new 7 years ago)

If so, that's 150 horsepower (about 145 if you go by the new SAE testing procedures for hp). The new Accord EX has 45 more horses (for a total of 190), an extra gear in the transmission, and i-Vtec (more flexible than the basic Vtec motor in the V6 cars). As for racket, well, that's not the 4-cyl talking, that's a lack of sound deadening on Accords in general. The V6 would've made noise too, just a different noise.

The absolute best thing for you to do is to drive a new Accord yourself.The new V6 Accord already gets nearly identical mileage to the Gen VI 4-cyl (which gets 23/30 - the new Accord would get 22/32 under the old standard that your car is rated on).

Personally, I'm a 20 year old male car enthusiast, and the 166 hp coupled with the five speed Auto is plenty quick (puts a grin on my face when I punch it at 45 on the on-ramp).

scottm123 · September 2007

My brother-in-law just bought a new accord.
I'm very happy for him and I'm glad he likes it, but it does absolutely nothing for me at all.

christopher960 · October 2007

I'm looking for a new car and here are the finalists..... I just can't decide which 2008 car would be the best for me. I would appreciate if everyone would rate these following cars as far as quality, resale value, and reliability goes. Just list them in order from the best to the least best. Quality is very important to me before price.

Here they are:

- 2008 Honda Accord LX (4 door)
- 2008 Toyota Camry (4 door)
- 2008 Honda Civic EX (4 door)
- 2008 Nissa Altima (4 door)
- 2008 Mazda3 (4 door)
- 2008 Scion tC

scottm123 · October 2007

If quality and reliability are the most important factor, then start with:
- 2008 Honda Accord LX (4 door)
- 2008 Honda Civic EX (4 door)
- 2008 Toyota Camry (4 door)
And the 2008 Scion tC can take a close forth.

Reading the most recent reliability reports, you may even want to move the Scion to the number 3 slot, behind the two Hondas with the Camry taking forth place.

From there, you have to ask yourself what you want from the car.
What kind of driving do you do.
Do you want something edgy (ain't saying sporty with this lineup) or are you looking for a basic a-b car?
Do you want a full size car, or a compact?

Reliability, start with the Hondas... they'll never do you wrong.
The wife's 00 Accord had 190,000 miles when we traded it in, and that thing still looked and drove like a fairly new car. Never needed anything but oil changes and the timing belt/water pump preventative maintenance.

PF_Flyer · October 2007

Time again for our weekly gathering of enthusiasts! Maybe we should make tonight a costume chat! :P

The Mazda Club Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule

backy · October 2007

Here goes:

- 2008 Honda Civic EX (4 door)
- 2008 Honda Accord LX (4 door)
- 2008 Mazda3 (4 door)
- 2008 Scion tC
- 2008 Toyota Camry (4 door)
- 2008 Nissa Altima (4 door)

I put the Civic first because as gas soars higher and higher, I think it will have an edge over larger cars in resale value. Also it's been out 2 years while the Accord is a new design. And the EX is pretty loaded while the Accord LX is relatively stripped. The Mazda3 is holding its value very well, and like the Civic has an advantage in fuel economy (if you go with the 3i anyway). The tC is an aging model but seems to be high quality and a popular car. I put the Camry fairly low on this list because its quality, especially the interior and the V6's transmission, seems to be slipping. But it historically has held its value pretty well. The Altima is a fine car, IMO better than the Camry if not the Accord, but Nissan doesn't have quite the resale value history as Honda or Toyota.

These cars really are much different from each other. You have 3 mid-sized sedans, two compact sedans, and a 2-door. I am surprised that all of these cars meet your needs equally well and now it's just down to quality, reliability, and resale value.

scottm123 · November 2007

Exactly my point as well.
Oh, and be carefull... the Accord is no longer "Mid-sized"

It's now a "Full Size" sedan.

Definitely a wide spectrum in the list of candidates.

backy · November 2007

By EPA interior room, the Accords w/o a moonroof do just edge into "full sized" territory, yes. But its generally considered a mid-sized sedan, just like some of its competitors that are also full-sized by EPA interior volume.

bv050506 · November 2007

I'm reading with interest the logic others are using in helping you with your decision. You REALLY need to read the Consumer Reports of about 3-4 months ago that compared many of these vehicles. The standout was the Nissan Altima in both the 4 and 6 cylinder formats. I must admit your selections were all different and represent entirely different kinds of vehicles. Personally I bought the V6 Altima, have owned an '07 Camry, I am not a Honda fan but I know they are great cars, just too mellow for me. The civic is too small anyway. The Mazda3 is a great car and can really run, but again the Consumer Reports was much higher with it's ratings on the Altimas. Have fun in your hunt, and remember resale on the Nissans aren't as bad as maybe some have lead you to believe.

marv6 · November 2007

I am considering trading in my 2004 Lexus ES 330 with about 50,000 miles on it for a 2005 or 2006 IS 250 AWD. My reasons are that I live in a city and would appreciated the IS's ability to get around in traffic, and easier parking. Also the AWD would be a plus in the winter. On the downside I would miss the large trunk of the ES and it's super comfortable ride (although I only take one long distance trip each year).
I would appreciate any suggestions, things to consider, and general advice.

lmacmil · November 2007

If you have to carry more than one passenger, check out the rear seat leg room. I've not been in one but the specs show it about 4" less than even a BMW 3-series.

prosource1 · November 2007

I noticed from the new Sonata info on Hyundai's domestic site that the new 2.0 engine is 163 horsepower. Will this be the engine in the new Elantra touring with the current 2.0 staying in the sedan for fuel mileage? What do you think? Either way, the 163 hp is a good bump to compete with Mazda

They could stick in the 2.4 from the new Sonata and that is reportedly cranking out 179 horsepower.

backy · January 2008

Hyundai already said the Elantra Touring would get the 138 hp engine from the current U.S.-spec Elantra, but maybe down the road they could put the 2.0L engine into the Elantra Touring or maybe bring back the "GT" trim with a more powerful engine, to better compete with the likes of the Mazda3s and the Corolla XRS.

pat · January 2008

Here's the link: cargirl2b, "Acura TSX" #5054, 5 Jan 2008 3:57 pm.

ajfinoak · January 2008

The IS is definitely more nimble and easier to park but if you regularly carry adults in the back of the 250 and you are tall, they will not be too comfortable.

popgalaxy · January 2008

I wrote off my 2002 Focus on Christmas Eve this year, and am now trying to decide on a new used car to purchase. It seems my options are between a 2004 Grand Am, or a 2004 Malibu................any thoughts? I've heard good and bad about both as far as reliability and safety, but haven't gotten any real definitive answers. Would love some input and any would be MUCH appreciated!!!!!!!!

autopaul · January 2008

GM admits that the earlier models built on a similar platform weren't that exciting.

http://www.instantwheels.com/youve-probably-seen-this-commercial/2008/01/12/

zdonut316 · January 2008

I'm currently looking at an Acura TSX, but figured I'd check out a Legacy GT 2.5 since they are the same price. Does anyone know what numbers I could expect to see from them? Can I go there with the numbers from Acura and expect them to work to a similar number? I'm looking to get one for about $300 a month with no more than 1,500 down. Is that unrealistic????

************UPDATE************ I went to Pine Belt Subaru in Lakeood and the salesman was really nice. Gave me numbers I wanted to hear, but the 2.5i is NOTHING compared to a TSX for performance. I took out the 2.5 GT Limited and was amazed. I got them down to $2,500 down and $339 (thats including ALL fee's and taxes) for a fully loaded 5-speed GT Limited. I don't know if I should consider this or now go back to Acura with these numbers for a TL. Problem is that this car is the same length etc. as the TSX. Just the engine is amazing compared. The Acura TSX would be $1499 and 320 a month. I want to make a decision soon.
Any info would be great!!!

jd10013 · January 2008

Any info would be great!!!

no offense, but this is the altima forum. you should probably ask in the accura forums.

pat · January 2008

Actually, it is not an Altima discussion, it's a "help me choose" topic that pretty much covers the gamut. It shows up on all the boards listed above in the category section. You'll see that both the Altima and TSX are listed with a number of other cars.

But there is an 2008 Acura TSX discussion that the poster may find helpful.

pat · January 2008

Here's the link: aramis885, "Nissan Altima Maintenance and Repair" #2163, 16 Jan 2008 3:43 pm.

zdonut316 · January 2008

Altima???????? what are you talking about. I was instructed to post this question on this exact section by one of the moderators after PM'ing him. I'm not looking to get an Altima.

What Car is Right For Me? Help Me Choose!

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles