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Need help finding a car

mnewsham

mnewsham

Lifer
I am 18 years old, I am looking at getting a first car however, not having much driving experience I am not looking for anything too sporty, though for my price range I doubt I could find anything 😛

I am looking to get something in the next few months (maybe for the start of the semester), my budget would be around $8-14k. Now I am thinking a used car is going to be the way to go, but if anyone thinks otherwise let me know. I have only ever driven manual transmission cars and would like to keep it that way. I am also wanting to keep insurance low (18 male=expensive).



TL;DR, what is a good 8-14K manual transmission car that wont have crazy insurance?
 
how important is mpgs?

8-12k buys you a nice first gen g35 which will really ride nicely and give you many smiles. 40mpgs its not.

So many options. Have you thought about going to a carmax and driving everything under 15K? Dont buy a car there but at least get on a few lots and drive some stuff.
 
manimal said:
how important is mpgs?

8-12k buys you a nice first gen g35 which will really ride nicely and give you many smiles. 40mpgs its not.

So many options. Have you thought about going to a carmax and driving everything under 15K? Dont buy a car there but at least get on a few lots and drive some stuff.
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MPG is important, but not to where I need better than 35 city or anything like that.

And yeah, I plan on going for some test drives in the near future, was going to look at suggestions from this thread and test drive those first 😛
 
3 door hatchback Toyota Yaris. Everything I'm about to say only refers to the older 3 door hatchback models... not the sedans and not the newer 5 door models.

You can find great examples for 8-9k pretty much anywhere. The maintenance is idiotproof and cheap. I don't know what it's rated for, but my friend got 38 mpg with his when he had it. It's bigger on the inside than it is the outside, so it's kind of like a Tardis. Visibility is great, safety is great, and insurance is cheap.

I'm not one for doing many mods on a car, but there are three mods you may consider when getting a manual transmission Yaris. First and foremost is a short-throw shifter. The stock shifter, although adequate, has practically no feel to it. Second is a modest rear sway bar to help it get around corners and slightly reduce the body roll, but this isn't necessary. Finally, most Yarii don't have tachometers... The only ones that do are the Yaris S models. If you're driving a manual transmission car, you should be familiar with your revs, so spend the $50 on an add-on tachometer.

It really is a fantastic car. I wish they still made them like that, but for some reason, the American market never sees any 3 door hatchbacks anymore.

edit: Make sure you test drive one of these. You'd be surprised just how awesome such a simple little hatchback is. It's a gem!
 
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I had the 3-door Yaris. Good car, but road noise was terrible, it was uncomfortable on long trips, was very very underpowered (no passing ability on the freeway, especially uphill) and it' s a rolling death trap. Super cheap to own, though. I'd not consider it unless you do 90 percent city driving. The manual is a must. The auto version is even more sluggish.
 
nerp said:
I had the 3-door Yaris. Good car, but road noise was terrible, it was uncomfortable on long trips, was very very underpowered (no passing ability on the freeway, especially uphill) and it' s a rolling death trap. Super cheap to own, though. I'd not consider it unless you do 90 percent city driving. The manual is a must. The auto version is even more sluggish.
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Most of my driving will be done in Washington DC suburbs with semi-regular trips as far as New York city. While I am looking for cheap I think I will look for something a bit more than the 3 door Yaris 😛 Though I will give it a test drive.

Thanks for the insight.
 
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Nissan Versa. 10k MSRP brand new. You could probably talk it down a bit. Pretty decent DD car and you don't have to worry much about previous owners and what not.
 
xSkyDrAx said:
Nissan Versa. 10k MSRP brand new. You could probably talk it down a bit. Pretty decent DD car and you don't have to worry much about previous owners and what not.
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I was looking at that earlier, would you recommend I try and find a used one or just go ahead and go new at that price?
 
mnewsham said:
I was looking at that earlier, would you recommend I try and find a used one or just go ahead and go new at that price?
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Depends on how much cheaper it would be. The used car market is pretty bad atm so you may not save much vs the new car. Also depends on how much of your budget are you comfortable using. The Versa (4 door) can fall comfortably in your range even after TTL brand new esp. if you talk them down a bit.

Basically it depends if you want to save a bit of extra money (not guaranteed with used car market currently) or pay a little more for peace of mind.
 
xSkyDrAx said:
Depends on how much cheaper it would be. The used car market is pretty bad atm so you may not save much vs the new car. Also depends on how much of your budget are you comfortable using. The Versa (4 door) can fall comfortably in your range even after TTL brand new esp. if you talk them down a bit.

Basically it depends if you want to save a bit of extra money (not guaranteed with used car market currently) or pay a little more for peace of mind.
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I am thinking the factory warranty and such will probably be worth the extra over used, but we will see, this car is on the short list though.
 
Mazda Protege, Mazda3 or Mazda6. Use the extra funds for insurance, mods, rustproofing, etc. Those cars tend to be easier to find, resale values are usually more reasonable.

Note: Rust is an issue on the Proteges and Mazda3s so inspect accordingly. But their manuals are usually quite good and reliable across the board.
 
Come on man... don't buy a new 10k car. Pick up something used but actually nice. I'd rather have a 10k accord than the new cheapest car on the market.

Hell buy a 6k accord and save the rest for repairs you may never need.
 
mnewsham said:
The hatchback yes, the sedan is around $11k
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Sheesh, I didnt even know there was a sedan version. $11K is pretty cheap for a new car. Good mileage, insurance will be low. For a first car that wouldnt be bad. Practically no maintenance issues to worry about. With a used car you never know. If you go used, go in the $5-8K range. It looks like you can get a manual hatch like Golf or Rabbit, at around 100K miles or less. A more sporty car will raise insurance and increase maintenance costs. Try to avoid financing too much. Once your driving for a bit in your own car, your tastes might change and want a different car.
 
Insomniator said:
Come on man... don't buy a new 10k car. Pick up something used but actually nice. I'd rather have a 10k accord than the new cheapest car on the market.

Hell buy a 6k accord and save the rest for repairs you may never need.
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Well given the OP's age and needs it would be easier to deal with a new car since it has warranty and no worries about how a previous driver treated the car.

A used car would be great especially if the OP doesn't mind getting a little dirty now and then to do his own work (great learning experience). The opposite could be true too if the used car ends up with too many issues and leaves a bad taste in the OP's mouth.

Comes down to what the OP would be willing to deal with but a 10k new car is a pretty good deal. Sure it's pretty bare bones but it's not terrible esp at age 18.
 
xSkyDrAx said:
Well given the OP's age and needs it would be easier to deal with a new car since it has warranty and no worries about how a previous driver treated the car.

A used car would be great especially if the OP doesn't mind getting a little dirty now and then to do his own work (great learning experience). The opposite could be true too if the used car ends up with too many issues and leaves a bad taste in the OP's mouth.

Comes down to what the OP would be willing to deal with but a 10k new car is a pretty good deal. Sure it's pretty bare bones but it's not terrible esp at age 18.
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I wouldn't mind getting my hands dirty, I have already done basics on my own, brake job, oil change, changing tires. However, where I currently live I have no free area in which to do this work (no drive way or garage). I am thinking of going new for the peace of mind with warranty and thins like that.

However my time frame is looking to be 4 months minimum with a more likely time period of 6 months. So it will be awhile anyway.
 
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