OT Any Decent Used First Car Suggestions?

[cachoi]

My first car was a Volkswagen Passat. I HATED it. It was technically my dad's old car. It was constantly leaking random fluids and always needed work. One time my battery and alternator died at the same time.

My official all mine car was a Saturn Vue and it was all of my dreams come true. It was a small SUV and my whole family loved it. I could fit so much stuff in the back and road trips for competitions or vacations were much more comfortable. Everyone that drove it commented on how smooth the handling was. We got it from a sweet old man that was a janitor at the local college and never drove it anywhere far. It had low miles and never ever needed maintenance besides the typical oil change. Sadly, I got T boned in that car or else I would have kept it forever the one thing that was kind of a bummer was the small gas tank. Since we got it from a private seller, we were able to negotiate on the price and got it for about $2,000 less than the asking price because we brought all the money with us and offered him cash at that moment, rather than go to a bank, do paperwork and what not.

Now I'm driving my mom's old BMW and I'm having nothing but trouble. Like the last German car I had, it's constantly leaking some random fluid from some where. I'm also having trouble with my steering wheel shaking. I also don't feel as safe in it as I did in my SUV because I'm lower to the ground and if someone hits me, I feel like I'm more in the way of impact. My gas tank is huge compared to my Saturn but I do have to put more expensive gas in it.

My dad has a Mazda and actually loves it. He drives really far to work and always brags about the gas mileage.

I agree with people to get a Honda or a Toyota. My friend's family has a "kid's car" that is a Honda Accord and has been passed down through 4 siblings from 2005-2014 and is still in perfect condition. I'm planning on also getting a Japanese car after I graduate because of my personal testimonials.

 

[SmileCat]

In 2008, my parents got my at the time 18 year old sister a 2005 Toyota Corolla. She was supposed to be making payments on it but only made 3 before moving out so my parents kept the car to save for me when I started driving in 2010. Until then, my dad was based at an airport two hours away (highway miles) so the car ended up reaching 80,000 miles before I even was able to legally drive.. Once I began driving it, I had no problems at all. About a year ago the alignment was really off at a point but that's it. I reached 139,000 miles in July when I bought my current car (2013 Hyundai Sonata). It serves as my dads 'airport car' once again until my little sister begins driving in June! Again, the only problem we ever had was alignment, but what car doesn't have that problem? I highly recommend a Corolla as a first car!

 

[GForce]

Honda!!! I would suggest a civic (aka my car). I absolutely love mine!! Big enough to fit all my stuff when I got to and from school but small enough where I don't feel like I don't know exactly how long the car is in the back (if that makes sense). Also, I would recommend a Honda Accord or CRV! (Can you tell we are a Honda family). All the cars we have owned have always been reliable.

My parents decided to go to Honda after they got hit in a bad hit and run accident. Honda was their pick due to the great safety ratings and my parents wanted something with high safely after they had been hit and had their car totaled.

 

[cheernerd5678]

My parents just got a Nissan Altima. We all really like it - bought it from a rental place so it was used, but I'm not sure how long. My parents are super specific about safety so I'd assume it's safe. I like driving it, very easy to drive even for my brother who is just learning. Otherwise I'm not a car person so you'd have to look into it yourself.
I personally drive a PT cruiser. Not great on snow but when you slide on ice into a street sign and knock it down, your car will escape without a dent!


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[FlexyTumblerMom]

Hondas are very reliable and reasonably priced. I know many people who won't buy anything else and have had multiple Hondas that lasted for 10+ years even when driven constantly.

I've had/leased every domestic brand throughout my life, and personally I think the only one that's worth buying and keeping for the long term is Ford. They start to get a little run down after 80k miles (like you can tell the difference between how a brand new one and one w/o a lot of miles drives), but they don't seem to need a lot of repairs and when they do they are relatively cheap. They just seem to me a much higher quality of vehicle than their competitors.

The best way to tell how long cars last is by looking around on the road at how many older models of certain cars that you see - IMO you see an overwhelming amount of older Fords and Hondas still on the road compared to the other brands.

Older German cars seem to be pretty common too (those things can last for A LOT of miles), but they are very expensive to repair when things go wrong, so I'd never recommend one of those to anyone on a budget - and it would be very hard to get into one for only 8k.

 

[cheerKT]

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.

I drive a 2013 Tucson now! I've had some minor issues with it (having to replace the key cylinder twice, but it was a manufacturer's issue so it was all covered) but overall I like it.

First cars I would definitely recommend a Toyota. They go forever, so you're getting more for your money on a smaller budget. I previously had a '97 Rav4 that I drove from 2005-2013 with minimal issues. I loved the size of it.

 

[InfinitiElite]

I agree with everyone suggesting if you have a friend of the family who is a mechanic to try and get them to go with you to look at the car. My husband is a mechanic, and it is a gift from god when he negotiates with used car dealers.

One thing that I never ever thought of that he brought up when we helped my younger brother purchase a car is try to get a car with a timing chain instead of a timing belt. Something about it not having to be changed as often, or its easier to change. I don't remember the specifics just that we got my brother a Altima because it has a timing chain. Jeeps definitely run into problems, we have one right now that a customer turned in. I have been driving it around and my husband is itching to get rid of it because it has 199, 250 miles on it and he is convinced that we are on borrowed time since it hasn't given any major problems yet. I agree with the previous poster who said German cars are very expensive to fix. Toyotas and hondas run forever! Be careful if you look at a Nissan trucks because they burn oil. We have a 2006 Pathfinder that my husband got brand new, and it has been passed through the family, it has 250,000 miles on it and runs like a new car. (I drove it for a few weeks when I was in between cars as well) The only downside is that it burns oil, so he has to check it more frequently. A customer of his didn't listen to him when he said that and she seized her motor with 25,000 miles on it because it ran out of oil. Same with some Infiniti's since they are the same make. One of our work cars is a Pontiac Vibe (which is also the Toyota Matrix) and my husband loves it, its a hatchback so you can fit a ton of stuff in it, but it drives like a small car. Does pretty well in the snow, just so long as you drive careful. Usually he would be against having a car that isn't in production anymore, but Toyota parts are interchangeable so its easy to work on.

One more thing that I learned when looking at cars is to widen your search. I live on the CT, NY border, but if I widen my car search to include parts of NJ or PA which are as far from me as some parts of CT, I find that cars are cheaper. So if you are willing to go a little farther to take a look at the car, making your search area larger may pay off. But it all depends on where you live.

 

[SL&AM]

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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Age and gender matter; it made my husband's skyrocket until we officially got married when it went down again. The insurance guy specifically told him it was because red makes it easier to ticket.

 

[glitterandbows]

I would absolutely recommend a Honda. They are super reliable and will last a very long time!

 

[seein_starz]

I would check Craig's list for vehicles in your area, my family rides dirt bikes and almost every bike we've boughten was off of craigslist (I know a car and a dirt bike are different but this is just an example) im currently searching for my first car too, and today I found a very nice used truck in my price range down the street from my house that I'm going to look at tomorrow. Craigslist has a lot of great options.

 

[Ems]

I'm not a huge car person but, I do love my car! I have a 2001 Toyota Camry. Not the most attractive car, but it's run really well for how long it's been on the road. It has about 130,000 miles on it, and I haven't had any big expenses with it, besides getting new tires. I change the oil myself every 3000-5000 miles, and I bring it to a mechanic every once in a while for a check-up (like once a year maybe?) and there's usually nothing wrong with it, just tightening things and making sure everything is clean and running well. It usually costs me about $60 for that. I'm just paranoid about being without a car, I'm super dependent on it, so my yearly check-up probably isn't necessary. The radio kinda died on me, but I switched that out by myself so I only paid for the stereo.
It gets good gas milage, has four doors and good-sized backseat so it can fit friends comfortably. The trunk is also big enough to hold a folded up futon. I also have friends/relatives that have Camry's of various years, and they've all really liked them. And for the record, my family has had a lot of Toyotas (my Camry, a '04 Tacoma truck, and a '11 Prius) and we haven't had any big problems with them! We just do our regular oil changes and everything has run great!

 

[SmileyRyleigh]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Kias. Kia's are actually great, reliable cars. (in my experiences.) My mom drove a kia for 6+ years and all she had to do was fix the air conditioning once. She traded it in for a Mercedes SUV and has had nothing but (extremely expensive) problems- and its like a 2012, I think? My dad and step-mom just bought a new Kia Sorento and a Volvo SUV, and hasn't had any problems with those (but, they are new.) They had an accord before that which is being passed to my step sister, and it's about a 2006 and has literally had no problems.
I don't want to go into my other cars' history but I'm currently driving a ford taurus and it is probably the worst car ever with the most ridiculous random repairs, and I'm 3 hours away at college- its so unreliable. Yesterday my 4 month old battery died. It won't hold a charge. This will be my 3rd battery in the three-ish years I've had this car. I just recently bought new tires because I've only ever bought used ones, and I've had 13 flat tires on the used ones (which were actually fairly new and had a lot of tread left) and one blowout at midnight on the interstate on the way back to college, in the middle of nowhere... so I told my dad I wasn't going to the used tire places anymore and I needed new ones. Haven't had a problem since (probably mostly my fault on the tires). We've replaced the water pump twice, had the entire front end redone, last semester it broke down and my engine was cracked, We've bought at least 8 different 02 sensors because they keep blowing out (or whatever they do to stop working), new spark plugs 4 times (i think thats normal but i don't know a lot about cars), it shakes when I drive, BUT, for some reason since the last time it was in the shop, my gas mileage has gotten ALOT better. I get about 25 mpg right now, and I was getting 17, on a good day. My oil light also comes on when I'm stopped too long (they didn't find anything wrong with that) and my check engine light NEVER TURNS OFF. I think the longest it's ever been off was 3 days, and that was after it was being fixed for a week. My car dislikes me and I will NEVER buy a ford again. I'm unlucky

 

[ErinS]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Kias. Kia's are actually great, reliable cars. (in my experiences.) My mom drove a kia for 6+ years and all she had to do was fix the air conditioning once. She traded it in for a Mercedes SUV and has had nothing but (extremely expensive) problems- and its like a 2012, I think? My dad and step-mom just bought a new Kia Sorento and a Volvo SUV, and hasn't had any problems with those (but, they are new.) They had an accord before that which is being passed to my step sister, and it's about a 2006 and has literally had no problems.
I don't want to go into my other cars' history but I'm currently driving a ford taurus and it is probably the worst car ever with the most ridiculous random repairs, and I'm 3 hours away at college- its so unreliable. Yesterday my 4 month old battery died. It won't hold a charge. This will be my 3rd battery in the three-ish years I've had this car. I just recently bought new tires because I've only ever bought used ones, and I've had 13 flat tires on the used ones (which were actually fairly new and had a lot of tread left) and one blowout at midnight on the interstate on the way back to college, in the middle of nowhere... so I told my dad I wasn't going to the used tire places anymore and I needed new ones. Haven't had a problem since (probably mostly my fault on the tires). We've replaced the water pump twice, had the entire front end redone, last semester it

I've recommended Kia's in other car threads.

I drive a 2014 Kia Forte. I love it. I get excellent gas mileage. I just wish I kept it clean..

My 19 year old sister.....wait she turns 20 tomorrow, anyway she drives a 2010 Kia Forte. She loves it

Pretty sure my mom will buy an Optima this year

 

[TinyBlondie15]

My first car was a 2005 Ford Focus ZX4.. I loved it and the only problems I had were a tire blowing on me on I-75 (though I think someone slashed them based on the way it came off..) and getting nails in the tire but that's only because I live in an area where they're doing a lot of construction.
I now drive a 2010 VW Jetta with lots of tire issues (aka my low tire pressure light is basically always on). I got a flat on my way home from a game last Saturday. I also had to replace a computer chip in it that was recalled.
My bf drives a 1997 Toyota Camry with almost 200k miles on it and he loves it. It's had some issues like the window motor breaking and a cylinder blowing but that's because it's almost as old as us (we're 20).

 

[xxashcheerxx]

I'm partial to Camrys (which I drive everyday) and the Toyota Highlander or Rav4 which I have at least driven once. We have 2 camrys in our family, a 99 and a 2006. Both are over 100k miles and run pretty good. My sister and I stay on top of the service for them, with regular oil changes and preventive care. The 99 is getting up there and starting to get a bit tired though. I think it has around 145k on it. My sister primarily drives that. Car still looks good though, but its getting worn out. The 2006 Camry runs great and only major repair was to the trunk lid which didn't close straight. It was fixed under dealer coverage. Both cars are about average in the snow. The 99 seems a bit bettter for some reason. Maybe the new tires. Both Camrys have their quirks though, as with any older high milage car. The 99 has a random issue of radio changing stations by itself. And a leaky door seal in heavy rain. No big deal. The 2006 runs great but ALWAYS takes 2-3 times to start it on winter mornings. First time it just cranks with no start, second or third time fires right up and runs STRONG. She just hates to wake up in the cold like her mommy lol!

Rav4- My step sister has one and it's a beast in the snow. She has an issue with a tire pressure sensor but its fixed. Basically its fully loaded with every option. GRRR!

The prices of used rav 4's seem high but i think you get alot for your money in the long run

Highlander- my mom has 2 for her business which is flower & catering table linen delivery. very good in snow and they are v6 which sound great and pretty powerful. She has a business lease on them and gets 2 new ones every 3 years, but I'm saving to buy one of them when she turns them in to the dealer. I figure I'll have enough $$ by then since they still have another year on them.


They are not fully loaded but have enough options in them which are practical, like backup camera and remote start. Plus they have the upgraded radio with nav. Great looking and dependable SUV for running back and forth to college.

Stay clear of the new Fiat cars by the way, A friend of mine got a new one and it's been in the shop for weeks at a time and shes been in a loaner car. Apparently there are not too many mechanics around that know them yet since they are fairly new to the US.