New Car

[94BMW325CIS]

I will be in the market for a car in about a year or two. What i would like is a Honda, BMW,or Toyota. If anyone has any good suggestions, please help me. I dont have alot of money for a car (max 5000). I would like a good first car that will last at least another 5-6 years. I also dont have a job, so I need a car that won't break down on me. I like foreign cars. I dont want too many miles on it (60k) and need an automatic. It is fairly important that the car is newer than 1996. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas about any good cars they have had in the past. I also need a car tha is good on gas. The only ideas i have ae Honda Civic, BMW 328i, and Toyota Camry. I would prefer a European, or Asian car. If anyone has any good ideas, please help me. Am i asking for too much? Thank you.

[Tillmanator]

Re: New Car

My sister has been driving a Honda (don't know the model) for almost 15 years now and has had no major problems with it. She says she will always buy a Honda. I've never driven anything but a Ford or an old VW. From your post, you probably don't want either of those.

My mom likes the Audi.... but not being in the market for them, I don't know what they cost or what kind of mileage their cars are getting... etc.

My best friend swears by the Camry. Has bought one for her last three cars... drove them for about 6-8 and traded in on a new one. She loves them.

Do a lot of research at carsdotcom or carmax. You can find used stuff in any part of the country and they also give you good articles and info about used vehicles.

Good luck!

[Mayur]

Re: New Car

If your considering a civic then consider a Toyota Corolla. If you want something a bit bigger go for the Camry.

P.S. Im a Toyota junkie lol. Nothing else in my life except Toyota.

[Murr1525]

Re: New Car

Well, on the bright side, 60-80 thousand miles isnt a whole lot for a honda or toyota, so I wouldnt worry too much about that.

You'll notice it is hard to find those kind of cars at the Joe-schmo used car lots cause almost no one trades them in.

But at least try to swing past a dealership Toyota and Honda dealership, and see what they have on their lot. If you find a friendly one, you can actually give them your name/number for when an older car gets traded in.

A dealership would usually just send an old car to the auctions, but they would definitely rather sell it for a little profit if possible.

[SL1CK]

Re: New Car

Tillmanator is correct, lots of people swear by the Toyota Corollas and Camry's, some of the most dependable cars. My sister has a Corolla, and although it has a bad exterior, I saw the report sheet for the emissions test and the car passed everything perfectly and the thing has 80K miles. Very dependable!

[Lucky161]

Re: New Car

Not trying to be a jerk about this, but it looks to me like you have champagne tastes on a beer budget. Toyotas and Hondas have a well deserved rep for quality cars. However, that makes them over priced. BMWs are also quality cars, but they are way over priced. I don't mean they aren't worth the price, just that you aren't in a position to make a statement with your car. You need the best car you can get for the money and that probably means a car without so much prestige. "I've got a BMW" really sounds good unless it's followed with, "but it's in the driveway because "xxx" went out and I can't afford to get it fixed."
With no job, it's harder to get financing, but you must have some income to be considering purchasing a car. Have you considered buying new car, but one without all the prestige? Payments can be stretched out pretty far and if you are on this site, you are probably going to take very good care of it, so it should still be a great car when you finish paying it off. A very well kept up Kia Rio would look a lot better than a broken down BMW. Just thinking outsilde of your box.

[94BMW325CIS]

Re: New Car

Thanks for the advice, guys. Well I want the best car i can get, I know that i won't get everything I asked for, but I just want to get the best I can. I dont have a job because i am still in school, and I've saved up about 3k for a car. Over the summer, I have a job to get me another 2.5k so i have enough money for a car and washing supplies. My parents will still pay for insurance, gas, repairs, etc., so it doesn't really matter to me if a car breaks, because i have been washing my parents cars weekly for the past 4 years for free, so its like paying me back. I want a BMW not for its name, but because my dad has had a 94' 325ci S (His 5th BMW) for 12 years and its only needed brakes, tires, and just recently the convertible top broke witch cost $80 for a mechanic to fix. That is why i want a BMW, because they never break. My neighbor also has a 88' BMW M5(His 3rd) with 135k miles on it and he said he's heeded to replace only the brakes , tires, clutch, ac, and rotors. Thanks for your help.

[Ryan L.]

Re: New Car

Sorry to bring back the old thread...I would stick with a Honda or Toyota sedan...they never have problems and get pretty good gas mileage too!!

[03mach1]

Re: New Car

BMW is an overall better car. but consider that it may cost more on maintinence.

[Lucky161]

Re: New Car

Even BMWs, Hondas and Toyotas breakdown. And every brand makes lemons. However, most people hanging out here take exceptionally good care of their cars whatever make it is and I'll bet most of them have been mostly trouble free.
Check out Car Talk's forum and you'll see that while those 3 makes are popular and have great reps, they also have their problems too.

[Nappers]

Re: New Car

Check consumer reports on used cars, yeah, Honda's and Toyota's are great cars, but people drive them to dust then sell them, thus you get a pile. I always read consumer report to see what the cars are doing and what years to avoid on all of the manufacturers.

Can't beat a Honda Civic/Accord or Corrola/Camry, a well maintained car from the big 3 is always an option, but do your homework first.

Have fun.

Aaron

[dietoremain]

Re: New Car

I bought my truck off my dad for 6,200 but yeahh basically shop around and good luck you can sometimes find good stuff in the 5 range. Just be careful. and take care of it!

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: New Car

I understand your reasoning behind to try for a bmw, toyota, or honda. But like it was said previously, all makes have some lemons. My advice would be to keep your eyes open to any possibilities. You might find what your looking for any way. Look at the big picture, before you end up settling for some of your criteria and not all of it.

[HagFan]

Re: New Car

I’ve had 100% positive experiences since 1993 with Honda and since 1999 with Toyota (7 vehicles in all, counting my current 2).

Bought my first Japanese car in 1993, a Honda Civic EX Sedan. Put 60K trouble free miles on it and my son bought it. He drove it until last summer, when he upsized to a Toyota Tundra Pickup.


I buy (lease) for reliability and value. I don’t agree that Honda and Toyota reliability make them overpriced. In fact, since I lease, I obviously prefer that higher resale value. I lease for 4 or 5 years and have yet to pay a repair bill on either brand, since 1993.

I’ve been buying Hondas and Toyota’s ever since 1993; currently one of each. My daughter is currently still enjoying a 1995 Corolla.

[glucosegrin]

Re: New Car

Used cars Awesome.

Here's my opinion, and the way I've bought cars.

If you want something reliable, buy a Honda, Toyota, Nissan, or other Japanese make. Late '90's Hondas and Toyotas are great. If they've been maintained. And if you pan on keeping them maintained. Most of them have timing belts that should have been replaced 50k ago

For the same price, you can buy a newer, more optioned out domestic. If it's been taken care of, it should be decent, and will be cheaper to fix if something goes wrong.

Myself, I've got a 1998 Pathfinder for the wife, 'cuz I don't want her to get stranded anywhere. (stuck, broke down, etc). With 250,000 KM and nine years on it, it's seen better days, but has been well mantained since brand new at the shop I work in. Built in Japan. I trust it. But even now it would be hard to buy it for less than $7000.

I have a 2002 Pontiac Montana van. Nobody makes a good minivan, but I've got 3 kids, and I've always owned a minivan. It's got 90,000 KM on it, but I'd trust the pathfinder for a roadtrip before the van. And again, at $8000, it beats buying an import minivan.

My daily driver is a '95 Neon. It is the worst car I've ever owned. Nothing works. Everything is broken. I paid $0 for the car, $100 for brakes, and I've done 2 oil changes on it. It's perfect. I don't have to trust the car, I know it'll brake down, but that's okay. It's cheap to drive, cheap to fix, there's a million of 'em at the junkyard if I need parts, and I can (and probably will) replace it with an identical car for less than $1000 at any time if it's ever "beyond repair". Also it's a great practice car for sanding, polishing, painting, and all the stuff that you don't want to screw up on a real car.

If I was buying my first car again, I'd buy the Neon. As long as it's safe, reliability isn't that big of deal