Looking for some tips for buying my first car!

[booyahachieved]

Edmunds has a great article on buying used cars.

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/78387/article.html

You're on the right path looking at Honda Civics. I've had a 1998 Accord coming on 6 years now and have never had any problems. Civics get good gas mileage, very reliable and they're a very common car so if anything ever breaks it won't cost you say as much as it would to fix a Volvo

[eliset]

Hey fueledbymike,

I came across your post doing some web work for GM and thought the GM college discount program may be of some use to you. You can check it out at http://bit.ly/dqKjne

You can also find more info on the program on our Facebook page at http://bit.ly/caU470. It's got some great money saving tips along with feedback from others who have utilized the program.

Hope this helps!

Regards,

Elise

[lonesomexloveus]

lulz. HAI WHATSUP GM TROLL!

[benchwarmer]

I have a toyota Yaris. I love it. it's small. gets me from A to B quickly, great on gas, and I didn't pay much for it. only put $500 down.

my advice is DO LOT'S OF RESEARCH! take your time. Test drive lots of cars. and then when you find the one you want, make the deal online. that's what I did. went to buyatoyota.com, got the best number I could think of, went to the dealer and bought the car. very easy.

[fueledbymike]

Edmunds has a great article on buying used cars.

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/78387/article.html

You're on the right path looking at Honda Civics. I've had a 1998 Accord coming on 6 years now and have never had any problems. Civics get good gas mileage, very reliable and they're a very common car so if anything ever breaks it won't cost you say as much as it would to fix a Volvo

looked through this article and really helped me! thanks a ton

I have a toyota Yaris. I love it. it's small. gets me from A to B quickly, great on gas, and I didn't pay much for it. only put $500 down.

my advice is DO LOT'S OF RESEARCH! take your time. Test drive lots of cars. and then when you find the one you want, make the deal online. that's what I did. went to buyatoyota.com, got the best number I could think of, went to the dealer and bought the car. very easy.

and i wana look into these as well, i was walking around campus today and saw one and loved the size and design, i just have to look at the specs

[alex13]

I've been a mechanic for several years and I cannot stress how great the 1996-2000 civics are. They are the easiest and cheapest vehicles to maintain and they last forever. Great gas mileage, relatively safe, parts availability is awesome, and it will allow you to save some of your hard-earned cash. If you really want to save on gas mileage look into the earlier Civic VX hatchbacks. I owned one and was able to get 50 mpg on the interstate. I averaged about 40mpg with mixed city/interstate driving.

I wish I still had my 2000 Civic Si.

[fueledbymike]

I've been a mechanic for several years and I cannot stress how great the 1996-2000 civics are. They are the easiest and cheapest vehicles to maintain and they last forever. Great gas mileage, relatively safe, parts availability is awesome, and it will allow you to save some of your hard-earned cash. If you really want to save on gas mileage look into the earlier Civic VX hatchbacks. I owned one and was able to get 50 mpg on the interstate. I averaged about 40mpg with mixed city/interstate driving.

I wish I still had my 2000 Civic Si.

o wow nice! are there still a lot out there that are in decent shape? im nervous about buying that old because i dont want to have it in the shop often.

and how about the new civics are they easy to maintain? and how about a prius? i imagine the engines are much different, do they need check ups that often, and are they expensive to repair?

[alex13]

You should have no problem finding some in decent shape. Be very careful with any modified cars (stupid Fast and Furious kids). The mileage may be high but you should be able to find something. 200k miles on a well-maintained civic is common with proper maintenance and driving habits. Even if an entire engine needs to be swapped, it can be done relatively cheap (I can swap one with hand tools in my driveway within a day).

I would recommend a 1999 or 2000 Civic HX, EX, or Si that has been unmodified with less than 100k miles. There are plenty of grandmas out there that are dying and selling these off.

Newer civics have more emission controls and are heavier but I would still recommend them. They are a bit more difficult to work on (if something were to break) as most of those engines have to be removed from the bottom. Don't buy 2001 Civics as they were the first year to be massively redesigned from the 92-2000 models.

Don't let my rambling scare you, though. Hondas fucking rock. I would definitely buy a newer civic. They're just not as friendly for self-repair.

If you want something a little more sporty, the 2002 to 2004 Acura RSX is really nice. I had a 2002 RSX and enjoyed the shit out of it. They are also relatively easy to work on except for transmission work--the clutch requires a LOT of labor to replace. I think you could find a base model in the $5,000 to $7,000 range.

Now is a great time to buy since a lot of people are struggling and you are not in the tax return season. Used dealers and private sellers alike tend to refuse negotiation when they know that a lot of people are getting fat federal refund checks.

Hope this helps. If you see a car you like, feel free to PM me and I'll help with whatever free time I can scrounge up.

[fueledbymike]

thanks so much! great to have some advice from someone who knows cars well!

And im glad you pointed out tax return season, i could really see that impacting prices.

I was talking to my parents and i may end up waiting till summer to buy my car due to family money issues but ill make sure to keep in contact.

one more question for ya though...

living in illinois we have shitttty winters that are terrible for exteriors of cars. I have family in florida, would it be a good idea to look into cars there? I know the weather has had a far less impact on those cars than in chicago... Also would there be any price difference? Theres also alot of retirement homes around my family and was thinking of hitting up the country club "for sale" lists to find some good deals.

[alex13]

You're very right about the weather (road salt). The south also has its pitfalls as the AC systems get used much more and lots of direct sunlight can ruin the paint. Definitely hit up the old folk's! Have them ask around for you. You'd be amazed how generous someone can be if they hear someone's grandkid needs a car.

Different regions do affect prices of vehicles. I've been told that auction houses in rural regions fetch less money than in bigger cities. You can always enter different zip codes at nada.com or kbb.com to see any variances.

[benchwarmer]

more votes for the Yaris. super cheap to upkeep, and I live in MA, terrible winter driving and have no issues.