Which car should should I get?

[MadMark]

Hi Guys,

I have the following dilemma and hope you guys can give me some suggestions:

2 cars: a 2001 Sonata (4 cylinder base) and a 1996 Civic Coupe DX.

The Sonata. $13000 roughly (with Moonroof, hopefully)
Pro:
It is brand new and I figure I can get it for about 13k out the door. (year end sale)
It has 149 HP and is considerably more comfortable than the Civic.
Full Power, side airbags, alloy wheels, and other standard features on Sonata.
It's warranty
Con:
The name is nothing like Honda. Resale value is terrible with these.
Hyundai engines are not suppose to be as reliable as Honda engines.
It cost more than twice that of the Civic.


The Civic DX. $6000
Pro:
Has low 27000 miles on it.
Gas consumption on these are very good.
It is a Honda. Resale value is suppose to be good.
Suppose to last forever.
Con:
Has absolutely nothing: no power windows, no AC, no power doors, no power steering, no cruise, etc.
It is 6 years old.
103 HP.
Will need to buy cd player for it.

I am planning on using the car for at least 6 years until I finish graduate school. I also plan to go basically everywhere with the car. As to the money, I am willing to pay for either. Can somebody who has experience with these vehicles please give me some suggestions?


Thanks,
Mark.

 

[vi edit]

You've got an odd couple of choices.

Are you going to finance or buy outright?

If you are looking for economy, then check out a Nissan Sentra or a Toyota Corrolla. Both nissan and toyota are offering 0% at this time and these are two cars that you can deal on pretty well.

 

[BigSmooth]

<< I am planning on using the car for at least 6 years until I finish graduate school. I also plan to go basically everywhere with the car >>


If you're going to have the car for that long and will be using it quite a bit, go with the Sonata. You will want to be comfortable in the car, and no A/C, cruise, power windows etc. gets REAL OLD REAL FAST.

 

[thomsbrain]

<<

<< I am planning on using the car for at least 6 years until I finish graduate school. I also plan to go basically everywhere with the car >>


If you're going to have the car for that long and will be using it quite a bit, go with the Sonata. You will want to be comfortable in the car, and no A/C, cruise, power windows etc. gets REAL OLD REAL FAST. >>



I second that. I'm a Honda kind of guy, but I think if you need the car for a while, I'd buy it new. Remember those Hyundai's are coming with nice warrenties these days...

 

[StageLeft]

Those are really low miles for a honda costing $6k. I'd personally rather have the sonata - but then it is twice the price...they have a good warranty but like you said poor resale.

 

[Jerboy]

<< Hi Guys,

I have the following dilemma and hope you guys can give me some suggestions:

2 cars: a 2001 Sonata (4 cylinder base) and a 1996 Civic Coupe DX.

The Sonata. $13000 roughly (with Moonroof, hopefully)
Pro:
It is brand new and I figure I can get it for about 13k out the door. (year end sale)
It has 149 HP and is considerably more comfortable than the Civic.
Full Power, side airbags, alloy wheels, and other standard features on Sonata.
It's warranty
Con:
The name is nothing like Honda. Resale value is terrible with these.
Hyundai engines are not suppose to be as reliable as Honda engines.
It cost more than twice that of the Civic.


The Civic DX. $6000
Pro:
Has low 27000 miles on it.
Gas consumption on these are very good.
It is a Honda. Resale value is suppose to be good.
Suppose to last forever.
Con:
Has absolutely nothing: no power windows, no AC, no power doors, no power steering, no cruise, etc.
It is 6 years old.
103 HP.
Will need to buy cd player for it.

I am planning on using the car for at least 6 years until I finish graduate school. I also plan to go basically everywhere with the car. As to the money, I am willing to pay for either. Can somebody who has experience with these vehicles please give me some suggestions?


Thanks,
Mark. >>




The only concerns I have with Hyundai are safety and image. I sure don't wanna be caught dead driving a Hyundai.

 

[MadMark]

hahahahaha.. that's one funny one Jerboy.

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

Why aren't you comparing a $13000 Civic to the Sonata? Almost everyone here will recommend the Sonata because it's new and whatnot. Your thread though, rock on.

BTW, I'd go with the Sonata.

 

[RossMAN]

Crap that's a toughie, I'd go with the Hyundai Sonata because they've made huge strides in the quality of their cars since the 80's/90's, excellent bang for your buck, it's new, more powerful, power everything, that new smell and most importantly the warranty is very nice.

$13k for a new Sonata? That's pretty good, that would only get you an Elantra here.

 

[Antoneo]

Rossman... you still look like GirlFriday :Q

 

[Kelvrick]

Why not go for a 98 civic or something like that? Something with power? A 1999 altima is nice too for that price range. I coulda had an 1997 loaded altima GXE for 8800 out the door a few months a go.

Yea, vi_edit is right, are you buying outright or are you financing? If you're financing, I'd go with the sonata. If you're buying outright, I'd still get the sonata. Of course, I like my choices up there even more.

 

[Ryan]

Neither - get a used 1996 Loaded Maxima

 

[Jerboy]

2002 Honda Accord V6

 

[GT578]

Long-term as others have stated.....Sonata would be the better choice because of all the extra stuff inside the car...ESPECIALLY the A/C.
The warranty is good and since I know you're not gonna have it for 10yrs you can drive the hell out of it without worrying about the drivetrain at least......

 

[Rallispec]

buy the red one...

err... i mean the hyundia.

 

[Jerboy]

<< Long-term as others have stated.....Sonata would be the better choice because of all the extra stuff inside the car...ESPECIALLY the A/C.
The warranty is good and since I know you're not gonna have it for 10yrs you can drive the hell out of it without worrying about the drivetrain at least...... >>



Am I the only one concerned about safety? Don't worry if you're not going to crash, but unfortunately you won't know if you will or not and Hyundai hasn't been too great in safety rating. Maybe its changed.. who knows.

 

[Thegonagle]

I'm sure either would be fine, but how much money do you want to keep in the bank? Personally, I'd spend only $6000 and keep $7000 for later.

Edit: Just read it again: That DX is a pretty good deal with only 27,000 miles. Depends how much you drive though. That DX would last me at least 7 years! (That's equivalent to $72 per month, a good effing deal!)

 

[d33pt]

seeing as you are in cali the AC is kinda necessary.. that civic does seem like a great deal because it's a stripper with low miles.. think about this.. AC installed aftermarket is about $1000. since i'm being cheap right now i probably would get the honda and save a few thousand dollars.. it would definitely last you the 6 years and many more... hell you'd prob be able to sell it for $4k after the 6 years which would be about the same for the sonata.. so in the long run, civic is a better choice for your money

 

[MadMark]

Thanks alot guys! I will head to the Hyundai dealer later to see if I can strike a deal with them. If not, I guess I can always stick with a Civic. The resale value on Civic is definitely better than the Hyundai.

And yep, the Civic does come with amazingly low miles. It is own by a lady who I believe on drives it around the San Francisco area. If anybody else in the area is interested, send me a PM and I can give you contact info to her if things don't work out for me.

Just a question on the side: are Hyundai's so bad in term of safety? The Civic looks so much like a soda can to me.


Many Thanks,
Mark.

 

[vi edit]

Why are you so dead set on these two SPECIFIC cars?

Have you even considered looking at a new or used mazda protege, nissan sentra, toyota corolla, or toyota camry?

Hell, you can probably walk away with a '01 nissan altima for a song right now.

I would encourage you to look at other cars as well. You have too broad of a range in money to spend to narrow your choices so much.

 

[Skoalboy]

Well as others have stated.

If buying new and not outright the Sonata would be the right choice with all those extras

If buying outright the Honda would be a good choice but with no extras it could be costly
to add but that choice is up to you.


Oh and I can't forget my favorite response to these topics, Choose what you WAN'T, your the
one paying for it and driving it.