First Car 2009 Charger vs. 2015 Veloster

jonbonesjones

I am looking for my first car. I want something sporty but it also needs to be around my $10k budget and less than 80k miles. Also, i want it to be a car I can work on and play around with, since its my first. I found two cars after extensive looking that seem to fit. One is a 2015 Silver Hyundai Veloster 3 door hatchback it has about 45k miles, is in great condition, and the asking price at the dealer, about an hour away, is $12,000. The warranty is 3year/36000 miles for the bumper to bumper coverage, and 5year/60000 miles for the power train. Also, I found a 2009 Silver Dodge Charger 4 door sedan at a very reputable local dealer that has 69k miles, is in great condition as well, and the price is about $9,500. The warranty is 6 month, 6k miles, bumper to bumper. Both prices can be negotiated lower.

Things to keep in mind :
-I want to work on the car.
-I want something that can easily be worked on, by a beginner, and has parts available for a good price.
-I also would like some money left over to do these things.
-The car will be outside, through all seasons.
-Both are Base Versions.
-Prices and warranties are negotiable.
-The Veloster has been driven about 40k miles a year, while the Charger has been driven about 10k a year, and my insurance company pays a lot of attention to mileage per year.

Please let me know what you guys think.

Thanks

stickguy

Depends what you mean by work on it. You can on either one, but they are both complicated and full of electronics. My guess, the dodge will give you more opportunities to hone your skills. Also vastly different in style, and size. You want a small sporty car, or a big kahuna sedan?

The Hyundai should also return better mileage, but dodge is better long haul highway cruiser.

If you are not going to pile on miles, the Hyundai will average out over time to normal miles.

From what you presented (and of course, my own bias) the Hyundai is probably a better option, especially with more warranty coverage, and probably will cost you less to run, with fewer expensive surprises.

But, try them both, and see what you prefer since they are vastly different cars.

roadburner

Like stick said, drive them both and go with the one you enjoy driving. That said, a Charger with a V6 is kind of dull...

andres3

stickguy said:

Depends what you mean by work on it. You can on either one, but they are both complicated and full of electronics. My guess, the dodge will give you more opportunities to hone your skills.
.

Is that your nice way of saying that the Dodge will require a lot more repair time than the Hyundai?

I would put it this way:

If you want to spend time keeping the car functional; buy the Dodge.

If you want to spend your time making go-faster/look better mods then buy the Hyundai.

texases

Dodges have pretty poor repair histories, I'd go with the Veloster if it's otherwise in good shape.

Like the other have said, there's not a lot to work on these days. Doing oil changes, fluid changes, and filters is about it.