Soon to be new car owner

[TecHNooB]

Okay, so to make things short, I'm looking to buy a car. Things I know how to do: put the keys in the ignition, not drive stick.

Anyways, just need a nudge in the right direction (before I start doing some hardcore research). Looking for a car that has outrageously high mpg (short of a hybrid, don't want that), affordable, safe, japanese (If this bothers you then pretend you didn't see it )

 

[jjanders]

Not sure what "affordable" is to you, but it seems like a Honda Fit or Civic would fit pretty well.

 

[Funyuns101]

In that case: just go look a Civic, Fit, Corolla or Yaris then. Pick whatever you like you best

 

[evident]

civic fit corolla yaris

affordable
ridiculously high mpg
reliable
jap

 

[TecHNooB]

Very nice~

 

[swtethan]

learn to drive manual, they get better mpg.

 

[DarkThinker]

Ya, the more I see the fit around campus I am like hmm that's not bad at all. The fit looks like a great car, I love that the back seats fold completely so that the back can become a big storage area, and the price doesn't seem like anything outrageous.
The Nissan Sentra seems like another option if you want an actual compact sedan

 

[TecHNooB]

What's the difference between all the civics? There's the sedan, coupe, si coupe, si sedan. Also, what's the difference between trim levels? I am so not a car guy so please bear with me.

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: DarkThinker
Ya, the more I see the fit around campus I am like hmm that's not bad at all. The fit looks like a great car, I love that the back seats fold completely so that the back can become a big storage area, and the price doesn't seem like anything outrageous.
The Nissan Sentra seems like another option if you want an actual compact sedan

i think the fit is really nice looking, its cute and compact, but i myself would probably get civic since its a little bigger and gets the same mpg

 

[Arkaign]

The Fit is very cool, I looked for one when they were all sold out.

That said, the '08 Focus is a decent buy, I picked up an S Model with 5spd trans, 140hp, lightweight, good suspension/handling .. there are great deals on them right now. Test a bunch of cars and pick what you like best and fits your budget the best.

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
What's the difference between all the civics? There's the sedan, coupe, si coupe, si sedan. Also, what's the difference between trim levels? I am so not a car guy so please bear with me.

EX has all the creature comforts, better brakes, stereo system, and EX-L has all the same creature comforts but with leather. check out the website to see all the differences.

if you want cheap though, the LX should be fine.
sedan = 4 door
coupe = 2 door
si = sporty w/ manual transmission something you probably wouldn't want.

 

[TecHNooB]

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
What's the difference between all the civics? There's the sedan, coupe, si coupe, si sedan. Also, what's the difference between trim levels? I am so not a car guy so please bear with me.

EX has all the creature comforts, better brakes, stereo system, and EX-L has all the same creature comforts but with leather. check out the website to see all the differences.

if you want cheap though, the LX should be fine.
sedan = 4 door
coupe = 2 door
si = sporty w/ manual transmission something you probably wouldn't want.

what else does this imply?

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
What's the difference between all the civics? There's the sedan, coupe, si coupe, si sedan. Also, what's the difference between trim levels? I am so not a car guy so please bear with me.

EX has all the creature comforts, better brakes, stereo system, and EX-L has all the same creature comforts but with leather. check out the website to see all the differences.

if you want cheap though, the LX should be fine.
sedan = 4 door
coupe = 2 door
si = sporty w/ manual transmission something you probably wouldn't want.

I was at the dealer yesterday (man....people were buying like there was no tomorrow) and i was astounded by the amount of different civics they had. There is 4 different trims...but they also come in 4 or 2 door...but then there is also the si. They all had penty of each in stock too, but it seemed like they were being bought everytime I blinked my eye. Go to a Toyota dealership and all you will see is a bunch of LE model corollas.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
What's the difference between all the civics? There's the sedan, coupe, si coupe, si sedan. Also, what's the difference between trim levels? I am so not a car guy so please bear with me.

EX has all the creature comforts, better brakes, stereo system, and EX-L has all the same creature comforts but with leather. check out the website to see all the differences.

if you want cheap though, the LX should be fine.
sedan = 4 door
coupe = 2 door
si = sporty w/ manual transmission something you probably wouldn't want.

what else does this imply?

nothing. you said no stick. SI only comes in stick.

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
What's the difference between all the civics? There's the sedan, coupe, si coupe, si sedan. Also, what's the difference between trim levels? I am so not a car guy so please bear with me.

EX has all the creature comforts, better brakes, stereo system, and EX-L has all the same creature comforts but with leather. check out the website to see all the differences.

if you want cheap though, the LX should be fine.
sedan = 4 door
coupe = 2 door
si = sporty w/ manual transmission something you probably wouldn't want.

what else does this imply?

it has a tuned engine and gets around 190 or 205 hp i believe and gets a little bit worse gas milage, around 29-30 highway, the standard civic has about 140 hp and gets 35 mpg highway.
it has a manual transmission and does not come in automatic, and you said you can't drive stick, so it would not be an option for youl.

 

[TecHNooB]

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
What's the difference between all the civics? There's the sedan, coupe, si coupe, si sedan. Also, what's the difference between trim levels? I am so not a car guy so please bear with me.

EX has all the creature comforts, better brakes, stereo system, and EX-L has all the same creature comforts but with leather. check out the website to see all the differences.

if you want cheap though, the LX should be fine.
sedan = 4 door
coupe = 2 door
si = sporty w/ manual transmission something you probably wouldn't want.

what else does this imply?

it has a tuned engine and gets around 190 or 205 hp i believe and gets a little bit worse gas milage, around 29-30 highway, the standard civic has about 140 hp and gets 35 mpg highway.
it has a manual transmission and does not come in automatic, and you said you can't drive stick, so it would not be an option for youl.

damnit =/ how long would it take to learn to drive stick? Im asian

 

[Arkaign]

AZN??

It will take you 1 hour!!

 

[Funyuns101]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
What's the difference between all the civics? There's the sedan, coupe, si coupe, si sedan. Also, what's the difference between trim levels? I am so not a car guy so please bear with me.

EX has all the creature comforts, better brakes, stereo system, and EX-L has all the same creature comforts but with leather. check out the website to see all the differences.

if you want cheap though, the LX should be fine.
sedan = 4 door
coupe = 2 door
si = sporty w/ manual transmission something you probably wouldn't want.

what else does this imply?

it has a tuned engine and gets around 190 or 205 hp i believe and gets a little bit worse gas milage, around 29-30 highway, the standard civic has about 140 hp and gets 35 mpg highway.
it has a manual transmission and does not come in automatic, and you said you can't drive stick, so it would not be an option for youl.

damnit =/ how long would it take to learn to drive stick? Im asian

An hour or two? It's not hard, and I don't think that you being Asian or not has anything to do w/learning how to drive. If you drive in a lot of stop-and-go traffic, you may want to opt for the automatic or get a Fit Sport w/those shift paddles.
Do note that the Si will require premium fuel, cost quite a bit more than a base Civic, and as noted get slightly worse mileage, which is something to consider after re-reading your OP.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't, but that's straying off of your original "wants" list.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Originally posted by: TecHNooB

Originally posted by: evident

Originally posted by: TecHNooB
What's the difference between all the civics? There's the sedan, coupe, si coupe, si sedan. Also, what's the difference between trim levels? I am so not a car guy so please bear with me.

EX has all the creature comforts, better brakes, stereo system, and EX-L has all the same creature comforts but with leather. check out the website to see all the differences.

if you want cheap though, the LX should be fine.
sedan = 4 door
coupe = 2 door
si = sporty w/ manual transmission something you probably wouldn't want.

what else does this imply?

That the Si gets worse mpg, because it has a higher hp engine. It produces 197 hp compared to the standard civic's 150ish. What this means is its faster but at the expense of mpg. Secondly the issue is it only comes in manual transmission which you have already said you didn't want. So Si=no go based on your guidelines because it doesnt have the mpg or come in an automatic.

The sedan is 4 door, coupe is 2 door.

if you want all the details head over to Honda's webby and plug stuff in online to price out a car that suits your needs.

I would say the Civic is what to look at, but the Fit would work as well (if you want a 5 door hatchback then the Fit is the only option from Honda that fits your needs).

As has been said learn to drive manual, you will pick up 1-2 mpg city and 3-4 hwy. I have 2 identical 05 Dodge Neons with the only difference being one is automatic, the other is manual. In the auto I can get 280-300 miles to the tank. In my manual I get 340-360 miles to the tank (and have even gotten to 380 before). Any manual will beat an auto in MPG (unless its a hybrid, because I have yet to see a manual hybrid).

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
AZN??

It will take you 1 hour!!

Positive stereotypes FTW!

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: DarkThinker

Originally posted by: Arkaign
AZN??

It will take you 1 hour!!

Positive stereotypes FTW!

lol I couldn't resist. I have too many Asian friends that are awesome to let an opportunity to talk up teh AZN!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82iageUHRSQ

 

[swtethan]

It took me a few minutes to learn manual, cause im asian.




Anyway, I have a Civic SI (pic in sig).

The trim levels are (lowest to highest)

DX (deluxe) - A stripped civic (the VERY base model)

LX (luxury) - adds power door locks, power windows, and some other things

HX - a fuel saving LX, different VTEC engine made for higher MPG (i dont know if they
make this one anymore).

EX (executive) - moonroof, power windows, power door locks, alloy wheels. A loaded civic without leather.

EX-L - same as EX but with leather.

SI (sports injected) - Most powerful engine you can get in a civic, transfered from the acura RSX, its basically an EX with stiffer springs, different engine, transmission, seats, spoiler, rims, tires. etc... no leather though.

 

[jjanders]

All the Civics (minus SI and Hybrid) have the same 1.8L 140hp engine

 

[swtethan]

Originally posted by: jjanders
All the Civics (minus SI and Hybrid) have the same 1.8L 140hp engine

See this is something I didnt know, I didnt shop for any other civics *shrug*

 

[dirtboy]

This might be of help: http://www.currentautorebates.com/