Would you recommend a first car (for a 22 y/o)?

humza · Jan 12, 2009

Originally Posted by KBW

Not trying to be an ass but are you a female?

zeni · Jan 12, 2009

Offering a friendly reply is grounds for derision? **** off.

To the OP, I forgot to add that I'd avoid used cars. My friends who went that route (an Audi A8 and a BMW Z4) ended up with mechanical issues and neither car had high mileage. Parts for both were naturally expensive and hard to track down. The Z4 it seemed like every month something was going out. For the A8 he started having engine trouble and we found small cracks around hard to spot areas of the engine block. It turned out the previous owner had been in a collision and just replaced cosmetic stuff and parts to keep it running, then sold it off. A few years worth of repairs later and the ****** died.

Moral of the story, if you do go used, be sure to inspect every inch.

Lucky7 · Jan 12, 2009

Greatfire,

Go check out some of the cars mentioned previously by other members...namely the Japanese makes. Go drive them, and see what you can get the best bang for your buck on. I would not recommend the Mercedes. As a MB owner, I can tell you the maintence/reliability issues can be a nightmare...(note my MB was towed from my driveway bright and early yesterday to the dealer to be fixed..it just wouldn't recognize my key..and its a 2008 model)

Beta · Jan 12, 2009

i would second the mazda 3...my buddy picked one up new for his wife for 12k...which was an absolute steal for what it is. hell, i liked driving it.

coachvu · Jan 12, 2009

Originally Posted by zeni

Offering a friendly reply is grounds for derision? **** off.

To the OP, I forgot to add that I'd avoid used cars. My friends who went that route (an Audi A8 and a BMW Z4) ended up with mechanical issues and neither car had high mileage. Parts for both were naturally expensive and hard to track down. The Z4 it seemed like every month something was going out. For the A8 he started having engine trouble and we found small cracks around hard to spot areas of the engine block. It turned out the previous owner had been in a collision and just replaced cosmetic stuff and parts to keep it running, then sold it off. A few years worth of repairs later and the ****** died.

Moral of the story, if you do go used, be sure to inspect every inch.

For his budget, he's pretty much going ot have to get a used car. I think the key at the $10,000 price point is to buy a car that is normally not that much more expensive and has very few miles but is now within your price range simply because of the normal (and drastic) depreciation all cars undergo. Buying a BMW, Audi, or Benz that is old or has lots of miles doesn't make sense. Maintenance will be horrendous, and you won't have the car for long. Plus, he can easily find a used car within his budget that still is under the factory warranty.

chrome_dout · Jan 12, 2009

I'd look at an 04+ Accord coupe over the Mazda3. Way better interior and reliability, and you could opt to get the V6 which still uses regular gas but has 240hp and decent fuel economy.

otc · Jan 12, 2009

Also, this guy is just learning how to drive (and only 22...and looking to drop 10k)...
A honda or something is great, he won't have any refined driving tastes and he won't be looking for (and won't be experianced driving) something with a lot of power. He's already got good enough taste to avoid the shitbox chevy and I think a honda, toyota, VW (careful on the maintenance), or a mazda (watch out for the fact that its all built on a ford platform now) would be a good choice.

micbain · Jan 12, 2009

Originally Posted by Lucky7

Greatfire,

Go check out some of the cars mentioned previously by other members...namely the Japanese makes. Go drive them, and see what you can get the best bang for your buck on. I would not recommend the Mercedes. As a MB owner, I can tell you the maintence/reliability issues can be a nightmare...(note my MB was towed from my driveway bright and early yesterday to the dealer to be fixed..it just wouldn't recognize my key..and its a 2008 model)

That sucks. My pops has a 2002 E320 and its had no problems what so ever. Almost 7yrs of ownership and it drives like new.

TheFoo · Jan 12, 2009

What about a new Honda Fit? I think the MSRP is around $14k, but you could probably get it for around $11-12K.

turboman808 · Jan 12, 2009

Originally Posted by mafoofan

What about a new Honda Fit? I think the MSRP is around $14k, but you could probably get it for around $11-12K.

My mom is a doctor with her own practice but is pretty down to earth I guess you could say. She just traded in her 12 year old subaru imprezza and was looking for just something cheap.

She looked at the fit and the yaris before deciding on the XD. I think around 15k fully loaded. She will probably drive this til she retires.

I personally don't have enough experience with mazda or nissan to recommend them to anyone. I have however had alot of experience with toyota and honda and can recommend them to anyone not looking to spend an assload on a car.

inquirer89 · Jan 13, 2009

I like the Yaris (4 door). Cheap, reliable brand, great gas, etc. Even looks cool IMO

Pylon · Jan 13, 2009

+1 on the Mazda3. I bought a 4-door version new in 2006 and drove it for about 30k before selling it to a co-worker. A lot of fun to drive; enough space (I'm 6' 3") for me and my crap, youthfully-styled interior and good starter car all around.

Didn't have any problems with it I didn't cause myself. The thing even stood up well to my driving abuse for a small, cheap car (smashed into curbs, drove over a ladder at 75mph with no apparent damage, snapped off the lower control arm once, got my tires sliced a few times on curbs, plowed into a snowbank or two, backed into a pickup truck, slid sideways off an airport runway at 110mph, and all sorts of stuff with that thing... and I only drove the thing for a year... heh).

coachvu · Jan 13, 2009

Originally Posted by chrome_dout

I'd look at an 04+ Accord coupe over the Mazda3. Way better interior and reliability, and you could opt to get the V6 which still uses regular gas but has 240hp and decent fuel economy.

I'm not sure that the Accord is more reliable than the Mazda. I believe they are comparable, and the Mazda 3 also wins lots of "Best of" awards. Plus, unless I'm mistaken, the Mazda is cheaper.

coachvu · Jan 13, 2009

Originally Posted by otc

or a mazda (watch out for the fact that its all built on a ford platform now) would be a good choice.

That's not entirely true. The Mazda and the European Ford Focus share the same platform, which was designed by several different car companies in collaboration, not just Ford. I could be wrong, but I don't think any of the American Ford models use the Mazda 3 platform. Also, the Mazda is still a Japanese car assembled in Japan.

mink31 · Jan 13, 2009

I'm in a similar situation as the OP. I've had my sights on the Scion tC for some time. They can easily be had for $8-10k with less than 50k miles, except nowhere near me! They seem to be quite the bargain--basically everything standard, nice (reliable) engine and many options for customization if need be.

Would you recommend a first car (for a 22 y/o)?

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