First-time car buyer seeking advice

[BinarySolo]

Hello, this is actually my first post on Anandtech, but I'm a frequent lurker (usually in the computer threads). In the interest in saving everyone's eyes, I'll try to make this concise and to the point.


I find myself forced to purchase my first car before summer. My budget is limited - hopefully no more than $10k (most of that financed, and I plan to put around $3k down).

Driving plans: the daily commute to work is about 25 miles, round trip. I've averaged around 600-750 miles per month, but this might increase as I get driving a car I actually enjoy... Often I take 2-3 hour trips on weekends, maybe once a month.

The first option I have, and my first choice, is a 2004 Honda Civic SI http://www.kbb.com/kbb/UsedCars/PricingReport.aspx?WebCategoryId=41&YearId=2004&Mileage=30000&VehicleClass=UsedCar&ManufacturerId=18&ModelId=123&PriceType=Private+Party&VehicleId=2686&SelectionHistory=2686|32964|12203|0|0|&Condition=Excellent&QuizConditions=(30,000 miles, outstanding condition, manual 5 speed). It is from a private seller, someone who I know and trust. The owner hardly drove it, and when he did it was mostly highway. The car seems flawless inside and out.

I love the fact that it's sporty, even though that's not necessarily a requirement (I don't have the luxury of being too picky), and the hatchback style really fits my needs and personality. However, the car isn't under warranty, whereas buying a new or slightly used car from a dealership - say a Hyundai - would be under factory warranty. A wouldn't rule out a used Elantra, but an Accent, while economical, would make me cry after comparing it to a Civic SI.

Basically I'm looking for options. Would leasing be the smarter option? Should I not even consider the Civic because it's 6 years old? Will used or new give me the best bang for my buck? I'd like the car to last a long time.

I'm sure I left out important information, so please let me know what I can add.

I'm sort of stuck on the idea of buying a hatchback. A Mazda 3 or a Golf/Rabbit have crossed my mind.

Thanks for any input, I greatly appreciate it in advance.

**update

Bumping a very old thread, but I just bought the car today. Thanks for the recommendations, it's a lot of fun. Here are some pictures I took after washing it:

Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Picture 5 Small
Picture 6 Interior
Front of the Oldsmobile I used to drive

 

[Arkaign]

Welcome to AT!

An '04 Civic Si with 30k miles in excellent condition is a great little car. It's not really up to the Si legacy (they cheapened the suspension setup and added weight compared to earlier models), but it's a solid and reliable car anyway, and maintenance shouldn't be very high at all.

Would you be getting a loan through your bank or credit union? Do you have a co-signer? What kind of percentages are you hearing? Have you looked at insurance costs? Insurance is one bad thing about Hondas, particularly hot models like Civic Si that are very high on theft lists and accident reports.

 

[cprince]

have you considered the new Ford Fiesta? The reviews are pretty good on it. You should read this and other articles on edmunds.com: http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/78386/article.html

My personal advice to you is don't let the dealer screw you on "dealership fees" such as etching VIN on windows or nitrogen in tires. Bring a calculator(or not if your cell phone has one) and check the fees.

 

[BinarySolo]

Welcome to AT!

An '04 Civic Si with 30k miles in excellent condition is a great little car. It's not really up to the Si legacy (they cheapened the suspension setup and added weight compared to earlier models), but it's a solid and reliable car anyway, and maintenance shouldn't be very high at all.

Would you be getting a loan through your bank or credit union? Do you have a co-signer? What kind of percentages are you hearing? Have you looked at insurance costs? Insurance is one bad thing about Hondas, particularly hot models like Civic Si that are very high on theft lists and accident reports.

-I would be financing through a credit union, probably about $7k, assuming it's a $10k car.
-I believe the rates are around 4.5%
-Insurance I have looked at two companies, and I'll be going with Geiko for about $70 per month.

I should have mentioned two things:
1: I'd like to pay no more than $270 per month, with both insurance and monthly loan payment combined.
2: I am extremely hesitant to buy an American car, so I haven't even remotely considered Ford. I've just heard and seen too many bad things.

 

[MJinZ]

Honestly, I would look at a Kia Forte or Toyota Yaris hatch. New cars at this price will last you a long time. Used cars becomes less worth the potential problems.

 

[Arkaign]

That's a great price for an Si with 30k miles, assuming it's in perfect shape. It isn't unusual at all to see 150k-200k miles on the original drivetrain with those cars, assuming no major abuse or neglect.

4.5% is pretty decent considering you're probably young and apparently don't have any car credit history.

Insurance sounds cheap as well, are you sure you got the full coverage quote? (this will be mandatory for any financed vehicle)

It's besides the point, but Ford has some outstanding models out. I have an '08 Focus S Coupe, and it has the MZR Duratec that's in the Mazda3i, along with a crisp 5-speed. I've regularly gotten around 40mpg highway with it, and never dip below 30mpg in mixed driving. It handles well, is quiet, has a great stock MP3 audio system, and generally puts a smile on my face for the $. Has 40k miles on it now, and has never failed me in any way, no rattles, no defects. I do wish it had some superior materials on portions of the interior though. The center console and instrument panel are great, but the cheap plastics on the door and glove box/etc are pretty bleh. I can't fault it for the price though.

Best wishes, Ark.

 

[BinarySolo]

Honestly, I would look at a Kia Forte or Toyota Yaris hatch. New cars at this price will last you a long time. Used cars becomes less worth the potential problems.

The Yaris actually looks like something to consider, but I'm not sure about buying new. I think the Forte is a bit out of my price range, though.

Insurance sounds cheap as well, are you sure you got the full coverage quote? (this will be mandatory for any financed vehicle)

I actually ran this by an accountant at work (with all the details) and it looks solid. Either way it would be no more than $80/month.

 

[Arkaign]

The Yaris actually looks like something to consider, but I'm not sure about buying new. I think the Forte is a bit out of my price range, though.

I actually ran this by an accountant at work (with all the details) and it looks solid. Either way it would be no more than $80/month.

The Yaris is a bag of shit compared to that Civic, well, compared to almost anything. It's tall AND pretty light while sitting on tiny wheels and mushy suspension, making it bobble around like mad on the freeway unless there's absolutely no wind, and if a Semi passes you it will feel like you're going to get blown off the road. Considering it's a 1.5L 106hp i4, you'd think it would deliver better fuel economy as well. They start at over $12.5k, which is pretty expensive for what it is. My GF had one as a rental while her Kia Rio was getting repaired (she was rear-ended), and it felt waaaaay downmarket compared to the Rio, which is really saying something. The instrument panel being in the middle of the car is idiotic as well.

The Forte is really nice though, and not as expensive as you'd think. They start at under $14k (less than 2k more than the Yaris), and you'd want the 5-speed manual instead of the 4-speed auto.

 

[MJinZ]

The Yaris actually looks like something to consider, but I'm not sure about buying new. I think the Forte is a bit out of my price range, though.



I actually ran this by an accountant at work (with all the details) and it looks solid. Either way it would be no more than $80/month.

See if you can get a good finance deal on a new car like the Yaris. New cars = worry free and warranty.

 

[StageLeft]

First new to you car, whoo hoo!

 

[BinarySolo]

A friend of mine is hammering into my head NOT to spend a lot of money on a car. In other words, he wants me to straight up buy a car for $2-3k and drive it into the ground. Is there merit to this idea? I see it as a craps shoot, where I have better chances with a newer car...

 

[Arkaign]

A friend of mine is hammering into my head NOT to spend a lot of money on a car. In other words, he wants me to straight up buy a car for $2-3k and drive it into the ground. Is there merit to this idea? I see it as a craps shoot, where I have better chances with a newer car...

There's really no concrete answer to this, as both choices have their pluses and minuses. I've done both in my lifetime, and recently decided to go with a new economy car (the Focus), versus a nicer used car, just for the ease-of-mind factor of having a full warranty and really good fuel economy. On the flipside, there's something to be said about getting a basic used car and driving it into the ground. Some cars are just hard to kill. I had a '95 LeSabre that ran like a top even with way over 200k miles on it, after getting tired of waiting for it to die I just sold it for peanuts.

EDIT : That Civic Si you mentioned is a decent middle-of-the-road option, it's not as cheap as a $3k cash car, but it's less expensive than even a brand-new pile of shit like a Yaris, and it's a legitimately nice car. *IF* the thing is as minty as it sounds, with only 30k miles of mostly highway usage, then it's about as good a deal as you can find. If you drive ~20k miles a year, you should easily see 5 years of trouble-free use out of it, only changing belts, fluids, brakes, tires, gas. That would put the thing at 130k miles, and that's peanuts for *most* Civics. As I said in another thread, there are exceptions to the rule, like the infamous '01 Civic Auto.

 

[BinarySolo]

I'm going to at least consider that option. What are some good resources for used car shopping?

 

[Jzero]

A friend of mine is hammering into my head NOT to spend a lot of money on a car. In other words, he wants me to straight up buy a car for $2-3k and drive it into the ground. Is there merit to this idea? I see it as a craps shoot, where I have better chances with a newer car...

If you buy a new car you're guaranteed to spend $250/month whether it breaks down or not. If you buy the $3000 used car you'll have no monthly payment, and can bank what you would have paid to put towards any potential repairs. It's not as glamorous as getting a new car but there is a lot of merit to doing so.

 

[Arkaign]

I'm going to at least consider that option. What are some good resources for used car shopping?

Well, for cash car ($3k or less total price) shopping, it's hard to beat word-of-mouth through church/family/friends, and CL. With that kind of price restriction, you have to sort of abandon looking for a particular make/model/year, and just examine each option on it's own merits as it comes by.

 

[Arkaign]

If you buy a new car you're guaranteed to spend $250/month whether it breaks down or not. If you buy the $3000 used car you'll have no monthly payment, and can bank what you would have paid to put towards any potential repairs. It's not as glamorous as getting a new car but there is a lot of merit to doing so.

I agree 1000% with this, but there is a flipside. If you get stuck with a lemon that fails constantly, it can get expensive just on time, and if you're working for someone else, it can affect your reputation. I remember owning a Dodge Neon (worst experience of my life), and my boss grew tired of hearing about my broke-down pile of crap car causing me to be late/miss work. It didn't help matters that the thing had less than 60k miles on it by the time it was ready for the scrap heap.

 

[BinarySolo]

I'm still not 100% sure on the final details of that Civic SI, but I'm pretty sure all the information I gave is right. The one thing that scares the hell out of me is buying a car like that, having it break down, and paying monthly payments on a car that doesn't work. I know it's unlikely, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

For this reason it's tough to pass up a warranty like Hyundai, even if you pay a little more for the car because it's from a used car dealer. The decisions are what I'm stressing over, and my options are so diverse.

My pride definitely doesn't get in the way of buying 'whatever $3k car is good'. The tough part is doing the research and finding said car.

 

[desy]

Yaris is not where you want to be in the B class segment

 

[cheesehead]

Go buy the Civic. If it hasn't been mistreated and has received scheduled maintenance, it's no more than 1/5th of the way through its' useful life. I just bought one with more than triple the miles.

If you want something a little bigger, consider the Subaru WRX, including the mini-wagon version. They cost about the same as the Civics, and in return for pug-ugly styling and mediocre fuel economy you get a lot more hauling ability, excellent AWD, and even more speed. Reliability for a well-treated WRX is excellent (I've seen some hit 250k), but abused WRXes can disintegrate quickly; the nature of turbocharging means only a few hundred bucks will allow you to crank up the boost to stupid levels. An unmodified WRX wagon is probably a safe bet, though; you can get a good'un for well under $12k and I've seen some under 10.

 

[amdhunter]

2005 RX-8? RWD, fun to drive and in your price range. Insurance might not be as bad as an Si either. I guarantee if you test drove one, you'll fall in love instantly.

 

[cheesehead]

2005 RX-8? RWD, fun to drive and in your price range. Insurance might not be as bad as an Si either. I guarantee if you test drove one, you'll fall in love instantly.

The disadvantages of RWD in inclement weather aside, the RX-8 is a bit insane. That rotary engine might rev like nothing else and produce a fair bit of power, but it eats fuel (below 20mpg...highway!) and needs a whole lot of work. You'd be better off buying a Corvette.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

The disadvantages of RWD in inclement weather aside, the RX-8 is a bit insane. That rotary engine might rev like nothing else and produce a fair bit of power, but it eats fuel (below 20mpg...highway!) and needs a whole lot of work. You'd be better off buying a Corvette.

You'd be better off buying a used O1M automatic MK4 Jetta with the 1.8T engine and 200k miles on it than an RX-8 if you want a reliable, low maintenance car.

 

[BinarySolo]

First of all, thanks for all the comments. I don't think I'll be going the Subaru route.. Basically where I stand at this point is the Civic being my first choice, assuming the seller offers it at $10k, which I believe it's worth. I honestly feel like the best thing would be to buy a $3-4k car and just drive it into the ground, but there's something to be said for the peace of mind that the car I'm driving probably won't die at any minute. It's almost worth a monthly car payment.

I'm still wondering about Hyundai, since I like their warranties and I know some of their lower end cars are in my price range. I might go talk with a dealer just to get a feel for options.

Any other advice/comments appreciated. Would it be in my interest to look at one of the used Mazda 3 hatchback models? I don't know much about car models.

 

[BinarySolo]

bump (edited)

 

[angry hampster]

You'd be better off buying a used O1M automatic MK4 Jetta with the 1.8T engine and 200k miles on it than an RX-8 if you want a reliable, low maintenance car.

It boggles me that this actually makes sense.