[rockin_amigo14]

So, all-knowing head-fi community, as you may have guessed, I'm looking (sort of) into buying a car. My parents have decided to sell off the old van and my brother has my dad's '99 Avalon at school with him. I don't have the funds available right now, but I hope to have at least 2 jobs next semester (have one lined up already) and then continue to save up during the summer so I can have something to bring with me to school next fall.

I've done a little bit of looking but there seems to be a lot out of my budget (who knew). There's a lot of, sometimes contradicting, information out there and its hard to know where to start.

My commute would mostly be to and from home, which is a 3-hour commute one way. I don't know manual but would not be against learning if it means a substantially lower price. I don't have a general price range, but try to keep it as low as possible. New is completely out of the question and finances considered, I don't expect my parents to be able to contribute so this is all on me. I feel if I spend my money very very wisely, I should be able to make my budget (maybe) $5,000.

So far I've looked at used Hyundai Elantra's since people seem to say they're good. I personally like Honda Accord's, but I don't really know anything about cars either.

Any suggestions?

 

[fenixdown110]

The basic reliable commuter cars are the Corolla and Civic. You can find late 90s models for that amount.

 

[uraflit]

i dunno much about cars either, but if your commute is 3 hours and you expect traffic, stick with an automatic. it'll save you the headache later =D

 

[Armaegis]

6 hrs of driving each day? I'd find a place to rent close to school/work (walk or bus) and pick up a part time job to fill in those hours that you would have spent on the road. It'll be way cheaper in the long run.

 

[fenixdown110]

Well it depends on rent. How are the rents near school?

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenixdown110 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well it depends on rent.

Fair enough. It's also the time factor; I'd go crazy wasting 6 hours each day on the road (and I don't even want to think of how much gas that burns). Is the drive that long due to distance, or traffic? If it's traffic, maybe a bike would be faster?

 

[Foshizzle]

Commute as in daily,weekly or monthly? because honestly 6 hours a day travelling sounds like madness.

 

[oqvist]

Manual saves money on gasoline surely if you know what you are doing. I can´t see how it can bring headaches I get more headaches by the gasoline bills... Man that is some headache. Gasoline over here is 15$/litre with all the environment taxes and all

Honda Civic is a really fun car. Great engines though here in europe they are quite expensive on replacement parts. But on the other hand they hold together well. Also have reasonable fuel economy most models.

As for cars it´s just about cutting your losses as much as possible. You will save a lot of money if you can postpone your car purchase as much as possible

 

[appophylite]

3 hour commute each way? With the budget you've proposed and not knowing what the cost of gas is in your area, I'd say go Japanese. I see Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla were already recommended above. In my experience, the Subaru Leone GL and Suzuki Sidekick are also older cars that continue to do very well. My dad kept a Subaru GL (1979 model) that he bought in 1988 for an additional 11 years (20 years on that car) and had very few problems, and I had a 95 Sidekick that I just passed onto my sister that's still going strong coming up on 15 years.

 

[MD1032]

My 1998 Civic DX was only $3700, although it does have a manual and almost no features at all (doesn't even have an armrest in the center, although we just added one we bought on ebay for $20). Believe it or not, your best bet is probably to look for a 1996-1999 Civic LX with an automatic, which is a very plentiful combination and you'll probably find a much better price than if you look for a manual, plus you'll be much, much happier because it has power windows and all that stuff (I used to have a 97 LX with a 5-speed but it was totaled...beautiful car, it was a shame). These cars get great mileage and are very reliable. My record on the highway is 42.6 MPG, and you can expect around 40 regularly, 34-36 around town in the summer (subtract 5 in the winter).

Also, as someone mentioned, look for Corollas of the same vintage, which are the same car, but made by Toyota.

 

[cyberidd]

My vote, like some of the others above, is for a manual civic or corolla. Both are reliable and pretty good on gas, and driving standard is more fun, better on gas, and can be cheaper to buy in the first place. Its not hard either, once you get the hang of it.

 

[skyline889]

A manual won't save you much when shopping on the used market and if you're going to be stuck in rush hour traffic for 3 hours I'd go with a slushbox. The difference in mpg these days with manual vs auto is pretty slim as well. I like driving stick and with a car like a Civic, the clutch will be light and easy to modulate but while it may be fun, the thing you have to ask yourself is, do you really want to bother with it in traffic after a long day of classes or work. Some people are fine with it, I'm too lazy. I've found that when I'm tired and beat down, I just want something that gets me home with the least amount of input effort.

As for what to buy, a used Honda Civic as many have mentioned is a great choice. They're cheap to purchase, cheap to maintain, and more importantly cheap to insure. They're also dead reliable. I'd imagine you'd be able to find early '00 model Civics in your price range these days.

 

[nealric]

I would look into Mazda proteges. Very similar to the civic (reliable too), but much worse resale value. You could probably get an 02/03 protege for the price of a 99-00 civic with similar miles.