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Selecting and Buying My First Car

764 messages,  Last post on Aug 17, 2009 at 12:29 PM

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#3 of 764 Oh Dear... by steine13 Oct 31, 2003 (5:59 pm)
"I like cars that look good, that are spacious, have excellent interiors...." Whoo-Hoo! 1993 Audi 100 quattro   "...and are reliable." Dang. So close.   Dude, if it really is your "first car", maybe you should look for a pair of sensible shoes first... "excellent interiors" pretty much narrows it down to some nasties like anything German above VW and things like Jaguars. The Germans have longevity, but reliability is a different story... maybe something special and Japanese, such as a Supra or ....   I've got it! Howze about a nice early-to-mid nineties Acura? Dunno which one, I'm not really up on these, but they tend to be a lot cheaper than Lexus, they are reliable, and I think they're don up nicely.   Good luck, -Mathias [for the more frugal-minded: http://www.msu.edu/~steine13/auto.html ]
#4 of 764 Searching For My First Car by Partyboye1 .. by rroyce10 Nov 01, 2003 (3:40 am)
..... Let me just delete 3 off your long list, I will let the others fill in the blanks ..   No Kias   No Daewoo's   No Hyundai's                  Other than these three, the world is your Oyster .....                         Terry.
#5 of 764 Ah...pluto... by isellhondas Nov 01, 2003 (6:14 am)
I think he said "reliable"   A ten year old BMW ?
#6 of 764 I would add Mercedes by allhorizon Nov 01, 2003 (5:49 pm)
Lexus, Acura, Mercedes. Shoot for the lowest mileage you can find, mostly high-way miles, if possible (I'd stay well under 120,000). Only buy if it has a complete service record. Make sure timing belt and water pump have been replaced when called for. Battery, tires, shocks, springs, bushings, control arms, oil leaks? Leave ~$3000 in your bank account for repairs over the next 18 months or so.   - D.
#7 of 764 No Hyundai's? by themanx Nov 01, 2003 (10:03 pm)
Terry, why no Hyundai's?   Since they lose resale fast, wouldn't that mean you could get them at better than reasonable prices?   Curious...   ElantraStan
#8 of 764 Themanx .. by rroyce10 Nov 01, 2003 (10:22 pm)
....... Of course the horrible resale value comes into play .. but add that with the reliability of a plastic chainsaw and you have two losers ...                        Terry
#9 of 764 Get an Altima by bobst Nov 02, 2003 (4:25 am)
I think a Nissan Altima would be a good choice. Our 1994 Altima has been a great car, and our son still loves to drive it. I think Nissans depreciate faster than Toyotas and Hondas, so you may be able to get a good Altima for $8K.   Keep it for several years and save up enough money so you can pay cash for your next car.
#10 of 764 Re: Searching For My First Car by Car_man HOST Nov 02, 2003 (7:19 am)
Hi partyboye1. It's always exciting to purchase one's first vehicle. I remember when I bought my first ride many moons ago. In your post you mentioned that you are in the market for a used vehicle with a price tag of less than $8,000. Here is a small list of vehicles that I would personally consider if I was in the market for a a used car below $8K: a Chevrolet Prizm, a late-90's Honda Civic, a late-90's Acura Integra, a late-90's Nissan Altima, and a late-90's Nissan Sentra to name a few. These all should be less than $8,000 and prove to be very reliable. I personally would rather buy a vehicle that was originally less expensive and has lower mileage than an older more expensive vehicle with high mileage.   Edmunds.com has a couple of articles that I believe you will find very helpful in your search for a new vehicle. Definitely make sure to check out these: 10 Steps to Buying a Used Car and How to Get a Used Car Bargain - Part One: Identifying Your Target Cars & Arranging Financing, How to Get a Used Car Bargain Part Two - Part Two: Locating and Test-Driving Your Target Cars, and How to Get a Used Car Bargain - Part Three: Negotiating and Closing the Deal.   Car_man Host Smart Shoppers / FWI Message Boards
#11 of 764 Spacious, nice interior.... by prodigalsun Nov 02, 2003 (7:39 am)
Hmmm...I'd go with a mid 90's acura Vigor. Legend to, but you should find some bargains on the Vigor.
#12 of 764 chevy prizm, its the way I'm heading by mn_pat Nov 03, 2003 (2:54 pm)
As a replacement for my recently crashed Legacy, I'm looking at the Chevy Prizm. The Prizm is a rebadged Toyota Corolla. Is cheap buy, cheap to run, cheap maintain.   I've see several examples for with 35-45k priced from $6k to $7K

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