gonna take the gf to some car dealers 2morrow.. suggestions?

[Vegito]

BTW with a hyundai.. ur're talking 40,000 mile timing belt.. one of my co-worker has it, around 38k, the belt was nearly shreading.. ur low cost car with cost you a lot to fix. Check the service manual, it's all in there..


see if this works

 

[badluck]

my gf has a 1999 honda civic. she has driven it 83,000 miles and the only thing she has had to replace is the brakes.

i have a 1999 honda crv and have driven it 76,000 miles. i haven't had to replace anything on that car.

buy a honda.....

 

[stickshift]

Originally posted by: badluck
my gf has a 1999 honda civic. she has driven it 83,000 miles and the only thing she has had to replace is the brakes.

i have a 1999 honda crv and have driven it 76,000 miles. i haven't had to replace anything on that car.

buy a honda.....

can't agree more 🙂

of course, if buying a civic, buy the coupe and not the UGLY sedan...I can't believe they actually released a car that looks so damn offensive; 99-00 civics (both coupes/sedans) was when they looked their best, imho..

 

[AU Tiger]

It could be possible to get a Honda Civic LX near the upper end of your gf's price range. A very dependable car with a higher resale value than many cheaper alternatives.

Or better yet, get a 2001-2002 Civic and save.

 

[vi edit]

I'd look a 2000 or 2001 Nissan altima. Very reliable. Nice ride. Dirt cheap to buy. You can pick up very low milage ones for around $10,000USD. that should fit right into your budget.

 

[zCypher]

Hi guys. First off endless thanks to all those participating in my thread, I appreciate all the input I can get. I doubt she'll want a Civic but I'll make her check them out and try one if it's possible to get one at a good price/rate with the $9k/down.

What about insurance? Will they all cost about the same for a 19 year old girl? I personally didn't really like the Protogé at all. I liked the sales guy there though, so I'll probably have her check that one out too to see what she thinks. I'd rather her drive a Civic over a Protogé, hate to say it. 😛

Anyway much thanks again. Gotta get dressed and go pick her up for the car shoppin'. OH YEAH and I forgot to mention she always drove automatic and she wants to get a standard tranny. Any tips? She knows the basics but she can't really "drive" it.. know what I mean? I let her drive my Z28 once (with me shifting for her). With me telling her exactly what to do and when to do it, she was okay.. but I doubt she'd be a competent driver on a daily basis the way she is right now with standard. So what do I do ... give her lessons for a couple hours in an empty road/parking lot (with her car of course)?

hehe.. should be entertaining.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: zCypher
Hi guys. First off endless thanks to all those participating in my thread, I appreciate all the input I can get. I doubt she'll want a Civic but I'll make her check them out and try one if it's possible to get one at a good price/rate with the $9k/down.

What about insurance? Will they all cost about the same for a 19 year old girl? I personally didn't really like the Protogé at all. I liked the sales guy there though, so I'll probably have her check that one out too to see what she thinks. I'd rather her drive a Civic over a Protogé, hate to say it. 😛

Anyway much thanks again. Gotta get dressed and go pick her up for the car shoppin'. OH YEAH and I forgot to mention she always drove automatic and she wants to get a standard tranny. Any tips? She knows the basics but she can't really "drive" it.. know what I mean? I let her drive my Z28 once (with me shifting for her). With me telling her exactly what to do and when to do it, she was okay.. but I doubt she'd be a competent driver on a daily basis the way she is right now with standard. So what do I do ... give her lessons for a couple hours in an empty road/parking lot (with her car of course)?

hehe.. should be entertaining.

What the hell is she doing with her own car anyhow? What about saving for college/university?

Insurance will 0wn her either way - the car just determines whether or not it will be Violent or Brutal. Civics have a higher theft rate then pretty much anything else mentioned. Buy a Saturn to curb insurance. 😛 And as mentioned - buy used. The key here is "four-four" - a four year old four door sedan.

- M4H

 

[amdskip]

Make sure she learns how to drive a stick on a car that she isn't going to purchase😉 Seriously though just practice and she'll pick it up in no time. I'd go the used civic route myself.

 

[Yax]

Hope you haven't dealed already. Here's what I'd do to save money:

1. Look up the Bluebook value for the car you want on the Internet. Forget about MSRP, just look at the Dealor's invoice. This gives you an idea of the price range you'll be getting.
2. Calculate tax ontop of the Dealer's invoice plus $500 for destination fee.
3. Go to the dealer you don't want to deal with first and pick out your car, write down all the features, etc.
4. Sit down with them and get them and bargain to get the price as low as possible. Get as close to the Dealer's invoice plus tax. Tell them you only want to talk in TOTAL PRICE (that's what you'd have to pay when the deal is done, no added or hidden charges, if you don't do this, they'll tag on so many charges that you'd end up paying more than the original cost of the car). REMEMBER, TOTAL PRICE ONLY. They'll do that if you say it that way. If they ask how much can you afford to pay monthly, don't give them an answer, just say, you have to check your finances first, but you're more interested in the total cost of the car not the monthly payment.
5. Then, after they say that's the lowest they can do, you tell them you'll have to go check out your financial situation first, since it was not as low as you'd expected and try to walk out. They'll try to get you to stay by trying to lower it down some more. Once, they do this, tell them to write the quote on paper and you'll go check your finances then come back if you can do it. Walk out.
6. Go to the dealer you want to buy the car from, tell them that you've talked the other dealer down to so much already but wanted to see if they can do any better before you make the buy. If they can, you'd save alot of money. If not, they'll at least match it with some added bonus like free car alarm or something.

This could save you as much as $3K if you know what you're doing.

 

[Stark]

If you haven't left yet,

first thing to do is figure out what you want.

then call the fleet sales guy at the local dealer (or find a dealership that has one) and make an appointment to buy the car. Say you heard about the dealership from a website if asked. Again, ONLY TALK TO THE FLEET SALESMAN. When you get to the lot, when you're approached by a sales-scumbag, ask him where the fleet dept. is and he'll leave you alone.

That's the best tip I can give you.

 

[zCypher]

Well, I killed another quarter tank of gas in my camaro driving my gf around to various dealers. That's okay cause she refilled my tank with some nice 94 octane at petro canada. 😛 Strangely enough at 88 cents/liter it only took $32..

anyway... we looked at the hyundai accent, toyota echo, honda civic, and mazda protoge. She liked the Civic best. She test drove them all in automatic, but didn't test drive the echo yet. She wants a standard tranny but hasn't mastered it yet hence test driving in auto. She liked the pedal-response best in the Hyundai accent. The Hyundai however was the most uncomfortable and most cheaply built. It did however get 47 or 48mpg on the highway with it's little 90hp engine.

The Toyota Echo was pricey for what you got... the price itself was cheap ($14-15k canadian), but the monthly payment didn't come out too nicely and the interest rate was higher than Honda. My gf didn't like the Protoge at all (neither did I). It was mediocre-lly comfortable, it was sluggish and overall just drove like her mom's old Sentra which she didn't like to be reminded of.

The Civic she liked overall much better (as did I, it was very comfortable even in the back seat, although there was not a lot of head room). She liked how it rode, how she felt as a driver overall and how it handled. She did not like the pedal response that much - but she was driving an automatic honda, what does one expect? I told her to learn standard so she could see what a honda is really like - and if she doesn't like it then, then she can make a more serious/informed decision.

I picked up my 2003 Lancer ES (dark metallic blue) 5-speed this evening as well. I let her try it out for a bit and she had a hard time, despite the clutch being quite easy on the Lancer. I need to find somoene with a beater to let her practice.

I love the Lancer so far. I'm liking it overall better than all of the cars I've test driven. It came with a good cd player and speakers, quite impressive for such a cheap car IMO. It rides VERY nice and is very comfortable for its price tag. Leaps and bounds ahead of the Accent and IMO it's much more comfortable than the Protoge. The Civic would be the only one who had it beat, but it's much more expensive as well.

Back to the Civic... with a $9000 down payment, on a purchase, the salesman was able to offer $175CDN/month for the base model 2003 Civic coupe in black and 5-speed. I wish I had $9k to put down on my car... I'm paying $268/mo for my Lancer (total after tax and everything) and that's on a lease, not a purchase. So she's getting a pretty sweet deal if she can talk him down a little more.

Even the Echo came out to $160cdn/month... I think for $15cdn I'd take a Civic over an Echo, although the Echo was more fully loaded and got more mileage than the Civic. I'm just not sure about the Echo's handling and reliability. I heard there are a LOT of used 1-2yr Echo's for sale. That kinda says something. I was surprised to hear the Civic apparently gets 49mpg highway. Startling.

So she will most likely go for the Civic if she can. Insurance would likely be about $800-900cdn/year for her. I'm paying $1500/year for my Lancer and I'm a 19 year old guy. She's a woman, so I'm sure her rates would be significantly lower.

I think $175 a month for a Civic is a damn good deal. You won't see too many people paying that little.

 

[SP33Demon]

Sounds like your heart is set on the Civic! I like the Civic, it is more comfy than the Protege, but the backseat has the low headroom... it's uncomfortable to fit 2 full grown adults back there, let alone get it on with your g/f (if the need arises)... Plus it's pretty slow off the line. 49mpg?? Is that the HX hybrid model? I never heard of a regular Civic getting that kind of mileage.

You didn't test drive the Matrix? It's a much better car than the echo... I'm driving my parents' leased Pontiac Vibe (rebadged version of the Matrix) and it's not bad, rather fun to drive. It has a ton of space and still has some punch off the line, and handles nicely at 100mph on the interstate (don't ask me how I know that hehe). Before you make a final decision you should test drive the Matrix, or maybe even check out a used 2-3 y/o 4CYL accord!

 

[slackerinabox]

Originally posted by: CraigRT
I wouldn't get Hyundai... they NEED the 10 year warranty 😛

I guarantee you'd have less problems with a Japanese car like Honda or Toyota.

Not true.. My 2002 elantra hasn't given me a problem at all.. They're also really cheap to fix - got into a major accident and the body shop said Hyundai parts are luckily dirt cheap...

 

[Thegonagle]

I'd recommend an Elantra (for the 5/60 bumper to bumper + 10/100 powertrain warranty), or a Honda Civic LX. The Civic LX won't plummet like a rock in value, and it will get better gas mileage, because that's one of the things Honda 4 cylinders are best at. If I was in a position to buy a new car, I'd get a Civic in a heartbeat.

Now I thought you said she had $9,000 to put down. If she has good credit, she should get a 1.9% rate from Honda. There's a small year-end incentive (only $500 in my area) on Civics, and if she pays around invoice price for a 2 door, 5 speed LX, plus tax, minus incentive, her payment will be approximately $100.

EDIT: Oh, you're in Canada. Forget the Civic, then. Too rich. How about that Accent? I don't think they're that bad at all, considering the price.

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: SP33Demon 49mpg?? Is that the HX hybrid model? I never heard of a regular Civic getting that kind of mileage.

The HX is not a Hybrid. The HX has a lean-burn VTEC-E system similar to those used on the Hybrids, but does not use the IMA (integrated motor assist), and hence, is not a Hybrid.

Also, these appear to be Canadian MPG measurements. I think the exchange rate is currently at around 78%. 😉 (Really, what is it actually, Km/L?)

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: SP33Demon 49mpg?? Is that the HX hybrid model? I never heard of a regular Civic getting that kind of mileage.

The HX is not a Hybrid. The HX has a lean-burn VTEC-E system similar to those used on the Hybrids, but does not use the IMA (integrated motor assist), and hence, is not a Hybrid.

Also, these appear to be Canadian MPG measurements. I think the exchange rate is currently at around 78%. 😉 (Really, what is it actually, Km/L?)

LOL dude.. first of all she doesn't like the Accent cause the seats are like cement compared to the Civic. Second she has no credit history, so the 9k won't give her 1.9%.

Canadian MPG measurements? WTF? MPG = Miles Per Gallon. There is only one way to measure it. The "Canadian measurements" are Liters per 100 kilometers. The Echo gets 5.0 Liters per 100 kilometers which is about 55mpg or so.

 

[Red]

Stay away from the Civics. My fiancee and I (both 20) bought brand new Civics last year (when we were 20) ... the 2001+ Civic Coupes are #6 in the list of Top Ten most expensive insurance cars. The only cars in front of the coupe are Corvette convertible, BMW 7 series, Cadillac Escalade, etc. A Corvette hardtop is #7, cheaper than Civic Coupe. Get a Corolla or Sentra, stay away from these Civics, are we are selling them in about 6 months (when the loan evens outs) because insurance is killing us.

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: zCypher
WTF is this 5-10 warranty bullsh1t? Are us canucks getting anal rapage or did I just not understand the dealer here.. I didn't hear ANYTHING about 5 or 10 year warranties at ANY of the dealerships. They all had 3 year/100,000km. Anyhow.. Im not gonna edit my post. You'll just have to read two or three replies to find out that I'm talking CDN not USD. 😛

An Elantra would be a good car, but it wouldn't get 50mpg now would it? What reasons would one have for going with an Elantra over an Accent? Other than "it's a nicer ride".?

yeah, your a lazy bastard and you want our help... ummm no...

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: zCypher

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: SP33Demon 49mpg?? Is that the HX hybrid model? I never heard of a regular Civic getting that kind of mileage.

The HX is not a Hybrid. The HX has a lean-burn VTEC-E system similar to those used on the Hybrids, but does not use the IMA (integrated motor assist), and hence, is not a Hybrid.

Also, these appear to be Canadian MPG measurements. I think the exchange rate is currently at around 78%. 😉 (Really, what is it actually, Km/L?)

LOL dude.. first of all she doesn't like the Accent cause the seats are like cement compared to the Civic. Second she has no credit history, so the 9k won't give her 1.9%.

Canadian MPG measurements? WTF? MPG = Miles Per Gallon. There is only one way to measure it. The "Canadian measurements" are Liters per 100 kilometers. The Echo gets 5.0 Liters per 100 kilometers which is about 55mpg or so.

wow, I still dont understand how all these cars get way better gas mileage in Canada.... MPG is MPG, and you are quoting insanely better mileage than the US sells them for. Maybe you need to check your conversion rates.

 

[Thegonagle]

100 Km = 62.13 Miles

5.0 Liters = 1.32 Gallons

62.13 / 1.32 = 47.07, or 47 MPG, not 55.

The US Echo is only rated at (1.5 L, 108 HP) 41 MPG.

The US Civic DX/LX is rated at 38 MPG with the 1.7L, 115 HP engine.

I understand that you guys might have some different engine choices up there.