[Jbucla2005]

I'm looking for a car that's maybe a year or two old, something with a warranty, what do you guys recommend? Personally I mainly care about reliability & gas mileage. Something smaller and more economy minded like a toyota, honda, volkswagon, maybe? What about hydrids? I know nothing about cars.. Thanks.

 

[rx7_fan]

I have a 2001 Honda Civic and it runs really well and it is very low in maintance. All you have to do is change the oil every 3,000 miles and the car will run smoothly. I would highly recommend it for people who are looking for a fuel efficicent, low maintance car. So here are the positives and negative of owning a civic. (my opinion after driving the car for 5 years so far)

Positives:
1. Fuel economy (33mpg higway, 30 city)
2. Low Maintance (0 repairs in 5 years)
3. Low insurance costs
4. Very Dependable
5. Cheap parts/tunable (civic auto parts are cheap)
6, Cheap Gas grade, it uses regular 87 gas which saves you money.

Negatives:
1. Rough Ride
2. Doors will rattle sometimes
3. Generic (everyone has one)
4. It's Slow
5. Lacking in horse power which makes it hard to accellerate quickly.

Personally I would not recommend you getting budget German's cars since they are not as reliable as japanese cars. If fuel economy, reliablility, and dependability is what you're looking for, japanese cars is the way to go.

 

[Shizelbs]

My next car will be a Honda Accord. I'm on my second Honda now, and will certainly purchase another Honda next. Civics are great if thats all you need. Did I say Honda?

 

[ken36]

Get a 1 year old Toyota.

 

[Elec]

Maybe check out a Volkswagen with a TDI? You can probably find a used Jetta or hatch (is it still the Golf? I don't even know...) with the turbodiesel engine. Having to find stations that sell diesel can be a pain, but they're fairly small, nice cars that get great mileage.

 

[ellover009]

Sometimes it's a good idea to stick to the luxury version of a vehicle because it's less likely to get stolen and your premium wont be as bad.
Honda Accord = Acura TL
Toyota camry = Lexus ES300 (made error by writing IS, usually 1997 mode of the ES300 is 90% mechanically identical)

 

[gshan]

Go do some test driving

 

[Jbucla2005]

Thanks for the suggestions! It seems going Japanese is the way to go. I don't really want to deal with finding diesel gas.

 

[rx7_fan]

My family members thinks very highly of Japanese cars, and as a result, we own quite a few. I'll list some characteristics of them to give you an idea what to look for.

Honda
1. Steering wheel is stiff, clutch can be squeeky, rough ride
2. In my opinion, Toyota build better cars.

Toyota
1. Steering wheel is very very light, could be a good or bad thing depending on the driver.
2. Smoother ride than honda.
3. Some of the old camery have the stupid check engine light on, and it wont turn off.

Mazda
1. Heavy, later model feels like you're driving a Ford (since ford own them now), I'm sure some ford parts are in Mazda now.
2.Fun to drive, they are gear towards 20s years old (mazda 3/ mazda 6)
3. Reliability is not up to par w/ Honda & Toyota.

Lexus
1. Light steering wheel, silky smooth rides, but accelleration is kinda slow.

 

[warpdriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ellover009 Sometimes it's a good idea to stick to the luxury version of a vehicle because it's less likely to get stolen and your premium wont be as bad. Honda Accord = Acura TL Toyota camry = Lexus IS300

the IS300 is not a Toyota Camry underneath.

The Honda Accord = Acura TSX
Toyota Camry = Lexus ES350

 

[r3cc0s]

can't go wrong with an older Corrolla

I'm not a big fan, but from what I've heard, they do everything well
reasonable power w/ the 6 speed w/ their 1.8litre engine
good economy
good space and seating for 4
toyota reliability - which to me is second to none

but... if you're looking new, the Mazda 3 is a really good bang for the buck
My friend owns one, and I don't mind it
Good power, good economy and alot of standard features

right now... I'm looking for a rugged small econo 4 wheeler (tough to find)
I'd love to find an economic 4cyl - solid rear axel - transfer case w/ good low range
Right now I'm driving a 2003 suzuki vitara which does everything I want (4 cyle model) w/ a 3" suspension\2" body lift running 31" goodyear MTR's
but I'd like something with a bit more luxury and umph

 

[courierdriver]

Also, you may want to consider a Nissan Sentra. Has great reliability, many of the same ride characteristics as Honda/Toyota/Mazda; but a bit less-pricey. An 01-03 Sentra SE (with either the 1.8L or 2.5L 4-cylinder) would be a good used car, however all of the aforementioned brands have good reliability.

If you can drive a stick shift, I'd go for one so-equipped. You get better gas mileage, better control in poor weather conditions, and better acceleration. I have an 04 Sentra, and I have no complaints. With the price of gas these days, I especially like getting over 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway. Best of all, it's fun to drive, and has enough power to fly past transports on a highway.

 

[r3cc0s]

I agree w/ the sentra

but look for the 2.0 Litre one

it's the same engine as the SR20 w/o the turbo that all those JDM freaks love to import (can boosted to 450rwhp w/o internal mods)

 

[dj_smith_job738]

get a toyota carolla, they last forever, are great on gas, are priced great used, and they hold their resell value very well. maybe check out www.car-fi.com?

 

[vapman]

do. not. get. a. hybrid. they're not any better for the environment than gas cars. where do you think the electricity to charge your car comes from? and what about the electricity bill? anyway, get a VW Golf or Jetta, maybe a Jetta GLI i might add. don't forget to check out the ford fusion as well.