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Recommend me a car

BeauJangles

BeauJangles

Lifer
hey guys,

I'm pretty sure that in the next month or two I'll be buying my first car. My problem is finding something I like at a price that isn't too prohibitive. Ideally, the car would be fun to drive, relatively sporty, front-wheel drive, not take premium gas, and deliver decent to good gas mileage. It needs to be FWD because I live in Montreal.

I have no problems with searching for a used car, in fact I'm almost 100% certain I'll purchase used unless the incentives on a new car are too good to be true.

I'm looking to spend somewhere around $12,000 - 13,000, although cheaper is always better 🙂
 
Can't go wrong with a 5-speed Civic (any but the Si model - premium gas). You'll probably have to go back a few years (2002?) to stay in your price range though.
 
Here's a vote for a Nissan Maxima. You'll have a smooth, reliable 6-cylinder, great luxury/comfort, good style (great to take out for dates or clubbing with friends), and if you go for the SE model, you can find a slick 5-speed to match.

Civic is also good, but they hold price so well, that it seems like you get less car for the $$$. I recommend them to be purchased new. Which wouldn't be bad in your case, really. You could put $10k down and have pretty low payments, plus that nice feeling you get when you know the car is new and has never been abused/neglected.

Another option might be a '99 323i, you can find them around that price range pretty reliably, and they have the same wonderful 6 that's in the 325. Not a drag racer by any means, but very classy, comfortable, safe, and pretty reliable. They handle great to boot. Of course, that's RWD .. doh.

Go test some cars buddy! Start with a Civic and a Maxima!
 
find a buick lesaber or olds 88 with a 3800 engine. i get about 30 miles a gallon on the highway with mine, and a friend of mine has a the same model and gets 30 miles to the gallon also. you should be able to find one for around 5 grand with about 75000 miles on it. i have about 120000 on mine and still have had no problems. i know many that have gone over 200,000 with only minor mechanical repar required outside of regular maintenance.
 
Originally posted by: herm0016
find a buick lesaber or olds 88 with a 3800 engine. i get about 30 miles a gallon on the highway with mine, and a friend of mine has a the same model and gets 30 miles to the gallon also. you should be able to find one for around 5 grand with about 75000 miles on it. i have about 120000 on mine and still have had no problems. i know many that have gone over 200,000 with only minor mechanical repar required outside of regular maintenance.
Click to expand...

I have a 95 Buick LeSabre custom with the 3800 and about 200k miles 🙂 Great car, very comfortable, but there's no way on god's green earth that I'd recommend it as a first car. It's an old man car, which is fine, since I'm 30 and have a 9 month old, but jeez, it'd be horrible for a first car. The Civic will be more reliable, and the Maxima about equal to the LeSabre, but with better style & driving feel for the younger set.
 
i agree with those recommending the civic and rsx (non type-s). you should be able to find a 2004 civic and rsx at that price. i'm actually in the same boat as you so hopefully some more recommendations come.

btw, i think the scion tc and toyota celica are in that price range. the 2000-2003 celicas (i think) and the older tc's should be in this price range.
 
Obligatory: used Civic.

OP, out of curiosity, why do you not want AWD in Montreal? Doesn't it snow a lot up there?
 
Originally posted by: Funyuns101
Obligatory: used Civic.

OP, out of curiosity, why do you not want AWD in Montreal? Doesn't it snow a lot up there?
Click to expand...

FWD and AWD are fairly equal for inclement weather, as long as your front wheels can get any traction at all. Careful driving is a must, because an AWD car won't stop any easier than a RWD/FWD car. But I used to tool around in the snow/ice in a fwd 91 civic, and as long as I watched my speed and planned my stops/turns, and took precautions for nuts that didn't drive wisely, I was fine. One of my proudest moments was driving about 15mph over ice past a driftbound Hummer that had slid off the road on a 2-lane blacktop on the way to my fiancee's house.
 
Originally posted by: Arkaign
Originally posted by: ValValline
Civic, Mazda3, Corolla, Matrix
Click to expand...

If you get a Mazda, get the 5spd, the auto is notably problematic, and has crap MPG to boot.
Click to expand...

Well, it would be a 5spd - I don't think I could ever drive an automatic on a daily basis. I've never ridden in a Mazda3, but a friend of mine complained about the way they drove. Plus, they seem to be all the rage up here right now, so I don't know if I can find a decent deal on a used one.

As for going with a new civic and payments... I'm not so convinced. I really want a safe, comfortable, fun car that gets me around the city when I need. I dont' want to spend my life savings on it and I don't want the payments, insurance, or gas costs to eat into my lifestyle.

I'll take a look at the civics as suggested, but every time I look at their prices and see how well they hold their value I can't help but think I can get more car for the money elsewhere.
 
As a Canadian, our used cars don't go as cheap as in the US he'd have to go back to 2004 to get a 12 G civic.
A Civic has a deserved rep and its actually Canada's most sold small car.
But in the used market to take advantage of a NA car depreciation the Focus was a good suggestion 03 and later as is a late model Saturn Ion, they were poor at the release, but they improved year over year and they get good mileage, 06 should be OK

http://www.canadatrader.com/re...=30089828&pgno=1&srt=1
 
Originally posted by: desy
As a Canadian, our used cars don't go as cheap as in the US he'd have to go back to 2004 to get a 12 G civic.
A Civic has a deserved rep and its actually Canada's most sold small car.
But in the used market to take advantage of a NA car depreciation the Focus was a good suggestion 03 and later as is a late model Saturn Ion, they were poor at the release, but they improved year over year and they get good mileage, 06 should be OK

http://www.canadatrader.com/re...=30089828&pgno=1&srt=1
Click to expand...

Looking at the price between Canadian / American versions, for some cars it seems much cheaper to just buy them in the US and import. Last I looked, the Nissan Altima Coupe was easily $9 - $10,000 more here in Quebec. Crazy, considering our dollar is worth more now. 🙂
 
Importing can be worth it when the gap is 4-5 K or so and its work
Definately can be worth it, but you have to figure out all the taxes, duties, and if you buy an import, a real import from Japan or Germany, then add the import tax for a non-NAFTA car.

There are web sites dedicated to just that
 
Originally posted by: desy
Importing can be worth it when the gap is 4-5 K or so and its work
Definately can be worth it, but you have to figure out all the taxes, duties, and if you buy an import, a real import from Japan or Germany, then add the import tax for a non-NAFTA car.

There are web sites dedicated to just that
Click to expand...

My roommate bought his Saab 9-3 in the states, so I think he knows the procedure for importing it, but from what he's told me it's a real pain in the ass.
 
Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
Originally posted by: Arkaign
Originally posted by: ValValline
Civic, Mazda3, Corolla, Matrix
Click to expand...

If you get a Mazda, get the 5spd, the auto is notably problematic, and has crap MPG to boot.
Click to expand...

Well, it would be a 5spd - I don't think I could ever drive an automatic on a daily basis. I've never ridden in a Mazda3, but a friend of mine complained about the way they drove. Plus, they seem to be all the rage up here right now, so I don't know if I can find a decent deal on a used one.

As for going with a new civic and payments... I'm not so convinced. I really want a safe, comfortable, fun car that gets me around the city when I need. I dont' want to spend my life savings on it and I don't want the payments, insurance, or gas costs to eat into my lifestyle.

I'll take a look at the civics as suggested, but every time I look at their prices and see how well they hold their value I can't help but think I can get more car for the money elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you might want something a little bit 'more', like a 6-cylinder .. have you tested a Maxima yet? They are available at incredible deals used, they are extremely comfortable and sporty, and practical as well.
 
I'll 2nd the Maxima. Did you even specify 2 door or 4? Maxima is far and away faster than anything else on this list, if that's important to you. And Nissan doesn't hold its value like Honda or Toyota, so there are deals to be found on used Maxima's.

Another car that flies under the radar would be a Pontiac Grand Prix. The styling on the 04+ isn't bad at all, if you can get by the Pontiac badge. And talk about crappy resale!!!OMG those things are cheap. In your price range you could probably find an 04 GTP (supercharged), good for about 260 hp, that would almost keep up with a Maxima.
 
You can get an '05-06 Hyundai Elantra that still has a factory warranty and gets 32mpg for around $12,000. Decent, reliable cars that don't handle too bad....

Bob
 
Get an SUV. They're cheap, tough, and not <that> bad on gas. Just don't get a suburban, something smaller. Since it's your first car, you're going to drive it like an idiot(don't deny it, everybody does) and it's much safer to screw up offroading at 10mph than to lose traction trying to take a corner at 90mph in your hot new civic. I assume you want FWD for th snow? 4x4 < FWD, naturally.
 
I just realized that you're probably a kid. Just get a Scion like every other punk and call it a day. Good luck.
 
As Arkaign said, the Maxima is a car that you would enjoy driving, especially if you get the 3.5L engine yum yum.
 
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