OT Any Decent Used First Car Suggestions?

[nofearcheer!]

My parents are going to help me buy my first car in june. I have to begin paying half of it back to them when I start working for my aunt's office (doing filing/clerical work) this summer.

I've started to looked around my area, really nothing good at any dealers in my price range, And I kind of want to do this on my own without constantly asking my parents to do research, afterall they are helping me alot already. I'm not real good on car models and brands. Anyone have any good suggestions for a decent used car that will last? 8,000 is my budget.

Also, if you know of any specific model from experience, list the pro's and cons...Everyone always says "this is a perfect car" obviously no car is perfect! And I'd rather know of any common issues or repairs beforehand from ppl that have owned/driven such and such.

Really like the Mazda 3 or Toyota Corolla just based on the look of them BTW !

Thanks!

 

[Cheermom1969]

I would definitely pick a Toyota over a Mazda. Toyotas are historically more reliable.

You can also run the VIN number (vehicle identification number) in Car Fax. While they do miss things, it's helpful to see if the car you're interested in has been in an accident.

 

[CheerBank]

I would only go certified pre-owned. I know it is a little more expensive but then any problems that surface will be on the dealer, not on you.
As per my mechanic, the three best selling cars on the market today are Toyota, Honda and Hyundai.

 

[quitthedrama]

oye I have bought way too many cars over the years.
Mazda - don't walk but run away from any mazda product. I bought my very first brand new car 4 years ago and it was a 2010 Mazda. I had issues from day 1. The headlights would just blow on a regular basis - once both at the same time at night, but per the dealership there was no issue. The turbo blew at 66,000 miles. The dealership said too bad so sad and my mechanic told me he had fixed 5 already and none were covered under warranty. He fixed it cheap and told me to trade it in the next day. Which I did. I pity the poor person who is driving that car now.
I bought a 2015 Hyundai Tuscon and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. The service department has been awesome and it rides great and is super in the snow.
Between DH and I we have had a jetta and a passat - loved them both but they tend to have issues after 60,000 miles. We have had an F150 (I'm thinking you don't want a truck lol) and a GMC Envoy (loved it). I had a camry and it was "fine". My CP has a Ford Focus hatchback and it's a great little car but not that good in the snow if that happens to be a concern.

 

[SL&AM]

If your family has a family friend that is a mechanic see if he/she will go with you. My DH is a mechanic and it is astonishing the things even reliable dealers try getting past people---we once looked at a car that by all accounts looked awesome, but had DH not been a mechanic he wouldn't have known to check for the dry rot around the motor mounts. After seeing the horrible wear on those he said within six months we'd be paying thousands to have that replaced or he'd have to take a significant amount of time off to do a full replace of it.

As for vehicle's, stay away from red (higher insurance, no joke) and anything sporty (also insurance). I personally like foreign vehicles but they're pricer to repair---stay away from Volvo, BMW, Audi as examples. A Nissan is a good starting point. For domestic, we personally avoid Ford because of their track record and if buying a Toyota make sure you check out their recall sheet---after the run away ones, lots had tiny things fixed on them to make them safer. No experience with Dodge or GMC.

When considering repairs, check about work done on water pumps, fuel pumps, radiator, transmissions, and engines---all of those are several hundred to thousands of dollars worth of work to consider. Also if you plan on getting the tired or an alignment done be prepared for it to cause more problems if one hasn't been done recently...once you align property things that may have been tweaked to kinda work then become much bigger issues in areas of the car that are expensive to fix like rotor cuffs (Dh learned this the hard way in his very first car).

If you go through a dealer make sure it's certified with a warranty even if it's a short one. If you can buy a longer one, do it. If through a private person, find a mechanic period...you should bring a mechanic to a dealer too, but for a person to person, you need someone there with knowledge---and not just basic car knowledge, I'm talking under the hood, under the car...etc, knowledge. And make sure to google any issues the vehicle is already known for having issues with and see if that has been fixed or if it shows signs of having the same issue...if so, expect a repair.


For what it's worth we've owned:
1988 Honda Accord (massive work done, thousands of dollars, but once it was done was amazing)---this was DH's first car that his grandma bought him
2004 Honda Civic---great car, BUT killer insurance; also red, Dh didn't consult me first but he bought it right out of basic training and AIT
2002 Chevy Blazer---ran like a champ, was the sports model with 2 doors
2006 VW Jetta---oh, how I miss this car. Ran great, put up with h*ll driving in Germany at fast speeds, but when it needed something done to the engine I almost passed out after seeing the price of parts
2010 Mitsubishi Lancer---I have put this car through hell and I have yet, knocking on some serious wood, to need to do anything substantial to keep it running. I bought it brand new.
DH's newest purchase is a 2002 Ford F150 (ugh, Ford) and it's getting some serious TLC and overhaul but since he's doing it all, it's not costing us much. It's a work and boat truck he can beat up.

 

[justdance14]

I'm not sure how tall you are, but I posted a thread a few summers ago when I was having trouble looking for a car. I ended up getting a 2013 Mazda3, and I love it. I personally haven't had any issues with it, but it barely has 4000 miles on it.

Cars For Short People | Fierce Board - The Voice Of Cheer

I do know that my Aunt has had her Toyota Camry for years and it's still going strong. They're known for their reliability.

 

[nofearcheer!]

great info everyone thanks so much!

I should also really be looking for something that runs good in snow/cold climate.

I'd love a nice used jeep of some sorts!

 

[SL&AM]

great info everyone thanks so much!

I should also really be looking for something that runs good in snow/cold climate.

I'd love a nice used jeep of some sorts!

No you don't. Every single Jeep owner we know regrets every buying it.

 

[shawtyyBHADDx3]

The red car causing your insurance to go up isn't really true. At least not on mine. I went from a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer ( so many problems) to a 2006 red Saturn ion (still on cloud 9 [emoji7] lol) and my insurance stayed the exact same.


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[OECtumbleina]

All I know is Honda civics last forever! ( I can't drive yet but my mom has had one as long as I can remember) horrible in snow though haha!

 

[catlady]

My daughter (18) has a 2007 Honda Civic, it was mine before we gave it to her. Insurance on her driving it is $1200/yr (we live in Atlanta so it's a little higher), for me it was around $350. It gets between 28-32 mpg. It has 130,000 miles on it and it has had no repairs other than a starter and regular maintenance. When we bought it the safety ratings were good, however, I recently saw something that listed the Civic as one of the top ten unsafest cars but, I did not notice if it was only certain years.


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[retiredl5cheer]

My first car was a Hyundai Accent.

Pros:
Great gas mileage
Inexpensive
Fantastic warranty
Hatchback was good for college
Didn't go super fast, so I drove safely as a teenager
Compact and easy to park
Repairs weren't crazy expensive

Cons:
Small
Smaller cars aren't necessarily as safe as a more durable, big car
Not the sexiest car, but definitely not the ugliest

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

Not sure of your situation but I am leasing a 2015 Toyota Corolla. Would leasing be an option for you? If you're in high school then probably not. But it would definitely get you in that 8,000 price range (I think mine is around 7,000 total for two years) and you wouldn't have to worry about maintenance or anything for the extent of the lease (except like brakes, tires, the more "consumable" parts). And Toyota is always running sales programs on their cars.

As far as good in snow and cold, the car is only as good as the driver in snow though, usually the heavier the car, the better it will handle. But it really depends on the driver.

Eta: but I love my Corolla. And that's saying a lot since I am an SUV/truck loving gal. Unfortunately my budget doesn't allow me to have one lol. My dad owns a Toyota Camry and he loves it. He used to always buy domestic cars and once he got his Camry he became a changed man. He said he'll never buy domestic again.

 

[Mamarazzi]

Honda Honda Honda.

I've had 2 Toyotas and a Honda and here's the deal: a Toyota will last forever if you keep up all the regular maintenance (even the big ones every 40-60K miles.) A Honda will last forever even if you don't maintain it.
Do some research too. Many "foreign" cars aren't.

 

[Twinklestars]

Honda Honda Honda.

I've had 2 Toyotas and a Honda and here's the deal: a Toyota will last forever if you keep up all the regular maintenance (even the big ones every 40-60K miles.) A Honda will last forever even if you don't maintain it.
Do some research too. Many "foreign" cars aren't.

That is good to know. We are looking at a Honda for our oldest cp for soon. She is 17, but not driving much yet.