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Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

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AlyxMS

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Post Thu Jun 04, 2015 12:50 am

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

Lordred wrote:What kind of economy are you hoping to get from your first car, and also are there any space / size requirements?
That said, how do you intend to drive?
How are the conditions of your roads?
How nice of an area are you in, do you need to worry about theft, careless people who might ding/dent your vehicle?
Do you plan to drive alone, do you need to seat a few people?


These are all important things to consider.


Economy:
Don't really care about economy. 12mpg or 30mpg sounds the same to me.

Space:
Enough size/space to fit me and one passenger. Maybe two more passengers, but not for a long ride. So four seats but I don't care about the space in the back. Coupe sounds like the best option.

Road:
I'm not too familiar with US roads. I'll mainly be in Oakland, San Francisco or journeys in between. Maybe even a cross country trip every year or so.

Drive style:
My drive style is easy/unaggressive but I do want a car with decent performance since I'm sort of a motorhead.

Theft/Damage:
I don't think people would do that to any car but again it's just a second hand car. If I ever bought an expensive car I'll get a garage.

People:
I'll be driving alone most of the time but I do expect to give a few people a ride every now and then.

All these factors made the range of this purchase pretty wide because I can take all sorts of vehicle. (Other than the "grocery getters")
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NormanVauxhall

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Post Thu Jun 04, 2015 1:19 am

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

I'll suggest the MX-5.
I have one, and NBFL MY2002. Cheap to buy and cheap to run, reliable, affordable repairs (even if it's very reliable...) you can have fun and it's enough practical for a student.

I've bought mine in 2005 and it was enough for all my daily driver requirements. In 10 years of ownership I've just replaced a brake caliper.

Best money can buy ;)
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AlyxMS

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Post Thu Jun 04, 2015 1:22 am

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

harizvet1 wrote:Impreza?

Imprezas are expensive, can't afford that with a budget of 10k.
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nialloftara

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Post Thu Jun 04, 2015 2:49 am

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

Okay so how about year, mileage, dealer or private party? Because there are plenty of imprezas in the 07-09 range with 80-90k miles for around $9000
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Lordred

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Post Thu Jun 04, 2015 8:43 am

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

I wasn't going to recommend to that first but if you do not care about the economy, the Ford Crown Victoria is absurdly cheap to run and operate, and stupid levels of reliable. mine is kissing 400,000 miles.
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Post Thu Jun 04, 2015 7:21 pm

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

An Acura / Honda Integra would be fun
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07CobaltGirl

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Post Fri Jun 05, 2015 12:21 am

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

Lordred wrote:I wasn't going to recommend to that first but if you do not care about the economy, the Ford Crown Victoria is absurdly cheap to run and operate, and stupid levels of reliable. mine is kissing 400,000 miles.


Totally agree. There's a reason why all the cab companies in Atlanta (and many other cities) use them. Those old police cars are absolutely indestructible mechanically (as long as you do routine maintenance). They do also get really poor mileage, but if this isn't a concern (I literally lol'd when I saw you say 12mpg or 30mpg is the same) then no harm, no foul. They are also very cheap to buy (less than $5000 with under 100k miles), and survive quite well if/when in an accident. They are a perfect "first car" so long as mileage isn't an issue. Expect between 12 and 20 mpg with one. If you take time to "spruce it up", they can actually be a cool car too!
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Lordred

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Post Fri Jun 05, 2015 2:29 am

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

07CobaltGirl wrote: They do also get really poor mileage, but if this isn't a concern (I literally lol'd when I saw you say 12mpg or 30mpg is the same) then no harm, no foul. They are also very cheap to buy (less than $5000 with under 100k miles), and survive quite well if/when in an accident. They are a perfect "first car" so long as mileage isn't an issue. Expect between 12 and 20 mpg with one. If you take time to "spruce it up", they can actually be a cool car too!


Fun fact, my 1997 returns a religious 24mpg average. 28-33 on long haul. 18-20 in city. (But I am not ever in a hurry, and run 55psi in the tires.

I am sure had I a modern eco box, I would do fantastic, but a modern eco box cannot tow a 7000lb trailer.
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partario

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Post Fri Jun 05, 2015 3:30 am

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

Have you considered an Infiniti G-something? Should be a decent compromise between a boring commuter car and something sporty. Plus it's RWD, and can be had in manual and coupe.
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07CobaltGirl

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Post Fri Jun 05, 2015 5:11 am

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

Lordred wrote:
07CobaltGirl wrote: They do also get really poor mileage, but if this isn't a concern (I literally lol'd when I saw you say 12mpg or 30mpg is the same) then no harm, no foul. They are also very cheap to buy (less than $5000 with under 100k miles), and survive quite well if/when in an accident. They are a perfect "first car" so long as mileage isn't an issue. Expect between 12 and 20 mpg with one. If you take time to "spruce it up", they can actually be a cool car too!


Fun fact, my 1997 returns a religious 24mpg average. 28-33 on long haul. 18-20 in city. (But I am not ever in a hurry, and run 55psi in the tires.

I am sure had I a modern eco box, I would do fantastic, but a modern eco box cannot tow a 7000lb trailer.


That is pretty good! But...55psi???? WTF?!?!? I don't even run that high on my sport compact with low profile tires. (I get 36-40 highway mpg using 45psi) lol Oh, and my car is inexpensive, economical, and pretty cool. It should totally be on the short list for this thread, but people are really scared of Cobalts since the recall frenzy last year. FYI, no issues with mine but all recalls completed anyway.

My roommate (a taxi driver) doesn't get that from his (usually mid to high teens), but he's constantly waiting on customers and 99% city driving.
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Spitfire599

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Post Fri Jun 05, 2015 1:07 pm

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

Looks like we're in sort of the same boat, except you have more money to spend. If you want something sporty, why not a newer Mitsubishi Eclipse?
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Post Sat Jun 06, 2015 4:10 am

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

AlyxMS wrote:Space:
Enough size/space to fit me and one passenger. Maybe two more passengers, but not for a long ride. So four seats but I don't care about the space in the back. Coupe sounds like the best option.

I would just like to add that if you still want to be friends with said back passengers, there are a few coupes that I would personally ignore.

The two I can think of right now would be the FR-S and the RSX.

FR-S only has space for legless children in the back.

RSX I remember my head hitting the ceilling very badly, and I am very average height for North America.

I would recommend sitting in the back to see if you would sit there for 30 minutes. Mainly verifying if your legs fit and if your head hits the ceiling.
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Sayonara

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Post Sat Jun 06, 2015 6:44 pm

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

General rule of thumb for 2+2 coupes: is there also a sedan model?

If the answer is no, the rear seats are quite likely to be useless for seating adults.
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Post Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:50 pm

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

Lordred wrote:I wasn't going to recommend to that first but if you do not care about the economy, the Ford Crown Victoria is absurdly cheap to run and operate, and stupid levels of reliable. mine is kissing 400,000 miles.



But thier gas mileage is terrible, there rather big and are damn slow, that 4.6 is one gutless turd in the vics.

I would go with the following.

For enjoyment:
MX5
For practicality and cheap running cost:
Accord

Another option could be a mazda 3, ive heard good things about them by a wide range of people

Like already stated, anything german is out of the question.
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Post Sun Jun 07, 2015 3:41 pm

Re: Gonna buy a car for college, suggestions?

Ford Focus
I'd get a Focus, even though I say mine is a POS (I hate mine not Focuses), the engines last FOREVER. I have a 2000 Ford Focus ZX3 gets about 24MPG, I don't know how much I fill it up. It's been in my garage for 2 weeks because an auto part store sent a broken headlight and wrong cabin air filter, then it was in the shop for 2 days to fix the air conditioning, I think my dad filled up once after I filled it up in early March. It makes about 150HP it's not the most funnest car you will drive but it will get you places. Never had any engine problems. And the engine hasn't used a drop of oil. My dad changes it every 15,000 miles and it has the same amount of oil that I put in it. We use high quality oil. My parents bough it for 1,000USD, the previous people never vacuumed the car and the paint and wheel paint is trashed, And one reverse light doesn't work. Other than cosmetics the car is perfect. The car almost perfect would be about $3,000. Also a 2003 Honda Accord even the 4cyl motor is an invincible car.
Honda Accord
Some guy near me is selling a 2003 Honda Accord with 320,000 miles on it and he said hes had no big issues with it for $3,000.
Bugeye Subaru WRX
My dad said the Subaru WRXs are very reliable cars. The bugeyes are the cheapest. AWD would be a good choice if it snows it the winter. I'm not sure how maintenance is. I researched AWD systems a while ago and Subaru makes some of the best AWD systems out there. If you buy a Subaru WRX be careful, people like to beat the hell out of them. Especially the ones with the big wings on the back. I would go for a wagon if you going to sell it in a couple years.
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