Hey Auto. Please help out a retarded newbie who doesn't know where else to turn.
I'm not a car guy at all, I'm a computer guy. My previous car ('97 Nissan 200SX) lasted almost 20 years before I drove it into the ground.
I need a new car. But I am absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of choices available to me. I have ~10k to spend and I've been debating, arguing, and bickering with myself to no end. I finally settled on a Toyota Corolla because of their reliability and the fact that if I don't just buckle down and pick a damn car I'll sit here and second-guess myself for another 20 years.
In my area there's two great options available to me for a Corolla. A 2010 with 30k miles on it FSBO, or a 2012 with 59k miles on it FSBD. The 2010 has some scratches on the body and a little dirt on the interior but nothing too crazy. The 2012 has a cracked windshield but is otherwise in great condition and the dealer has promised to look into that.
Both are about the same price. I cannot decide between them. The 2012 has lots of extra 'little' features - bluetooth, radio controls on the steering wheel, adjustable interval setting for the wipers, etc. Lots of little stuff that probably isn't worth a whole lot.
The 2010 lacks a lot of those features but I could always put in an aftermarket radio with bluetooth, and it's half the mileage.
I don't know how to assign value to all those little things the 2012 has. It's all so... nebulous to me that I'm stuck trying to figure out how to accurately and adequately compare the two. For PCs or games or whatnot it's easy to assign values I can compare but how do I do it in this instance? I'm at a loss and worried about making a stupid decision and wondering if anyone can offer me any real guidance.
Narrowing it down to a specific car is a bad idea. Make a list of cars you want to look at and a list of features you want. Here's the cars I would look at: Toyota Corolla Honda Civic Chevrolet Cobalt Saturn Astra Ford Focus Mazda 3 Pontiac Vibe Toyota Matrix
The Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix are both variants of the Corolla. The Cobalt and Astra are related, and the Cobalt has one of the best 4 cylinder engines of the last 20 years. The Astra is literally a rebadged Opel. The Mazda 3 and Ford Focus are sister cars sharing just about everything.
Make sure you drive them all. ALL. Then buy the one you like the most.
Jose Russell
I've driven half of those - the Ford Focus, the Mazda 3, the Honda Civic, and the Corolla. I'm not a car guy so I couldn't feel enough of a difference in how they drive so I can't really say I liked one more than the other. Same with the looks - none of them really jump out as looking better or worse to me.
Initially I was leaning a bit more towards the ford focus, but in reading consumer reviews and ratings the focus had a much lower rating for reliability than the Corolla had, which is why I decided the Corolla might be a bit better for a person like me who HATES doing work on the car and would prefer to spend that money elsewhere.
Otherwise when I'm given 8 different options that all look and feel similar enough to one another I become INCREDIBLY indecisive and can't make a decision. The fact that I tried to narrow it down to a certain make and model was mainly so I would stop feeling overwhelmed by too many choices.
It's mostly trying to figure out how to decide between an earlier, less feature-rich year or a newer model with more miles on it. I'm used to assigning value to things in different ways so this is not something I'm having an easy time comparing and deciding on.
Ryan Hughes
I make you great deal, today only!
But kidding aside, I'll give you a car salesmans spit take on a situation like yours
The top two reasons people regret buying a car are 1.)The payment is too much and 2.)Not having decent options/going for a base model.
If you are buying cash, then you have a budget, overspending isn't so much of a worry. That leaves you with option 2
On something like a Corolla, the difference in mileage is fairly meaningless OP. 30K vs 59K is about 1.5 years of driving. If this is the type of car you plan on keeping fro 20 years, then debating a 38K starting point vs a 59K starting point is useless. In 20 years the car is going to have 200K plus miles anyway.
That brings us back to options. Yes, you can always add in an aftermarket radio with bluetooth, but little shit, like steering wheel controls and adjustable wipers are things you don't THINK are a big deal now, but in a few years time, the lack of having them will start bugging the shit out of you (trust me, I have seen it happen to hundreds of people), so to me, I give them a pretty high value, because it's little things that will determine how happy you are with the car long term
To me, if you can get either car at the same price, the 2012 will likely be a better buy for the average person. A Corolla will go as long as you want it to if it is maintained. the difference in mileage is negligible, and for the average person, the little options will go a long way to boosting long term satisfaction
Logan Smith
Don't pick the Chevy cobalt unless you want to die.
Josiah Cook
Trust me, every car I listed is reliable enough for a daily driver, and to be honest, the Saturn Astra is the best looking of the bunch. The most fun to drive are a toss up between the Focus, Mazda 3, and the Cobalt.
Look into the trim levels of each car. They aren't all the same. You can have 2 2009 Toyota Corolla's and both will be equipped completely differently. I can help you out with a few. Cobalt: >LS: base model >LT: mid range model. most popular, and usually the best equipped >XFE: very sparsely equipped. The XFE means eXtra Fuel Economy. They are manual only, crank windows only, and a bunch of other changes to increase the fuel economy. SS: These are ALWAYS loaded. The SS models are also always manual transmission only. The SS was a barn-storming, giant killing performance monster.
Saturn Astra >XE: base model >XR: top model. best equipped. 3 door models are only this trim level. 5 door hatchbacks can be had as either an XE or XR
James Williams
ignore this meme spewer blowing things out of proportion.
Ayden Watson
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Jayden White
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William Fisher
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Logan Morgan
Are you quite done being retarded yet?
Alexander Foster
I second. Bought two base model cars, hated it. I want a sunroof, fog lights, extras like a clock or temp. Don't seem like much, but when you spend so much of your life in that car, you may miss them. Toyota seems solid. Milage difference is negligible, and use that cracked windshield as a bargain tool. Bring the price down 500-1000$ because of it. I got my car cheaper that way and got a new windshield put in for 230$.
Evan Evans
It takes a big man to support LPG's statement.
OP, please pay special attention to that mileage not mattering as much part. Go with overall condition. I understand that not being a car guy makes that a little more difficult for you, so just pick the one that feels the best.
I'm partial to Toyota and Honda when suggesting a car to someone that doesn't know cars. There's just so little you can do to fuck it up.
I would also suggest shying away from the models that were the cheapest in the lineup. They're that cheap for a reason.
Henry Perez
you are a computer guy i will try and put it into computer terms for you: choosing a new car is like choosing a new computer some have more cpu (power) or some have better memory (handling) than others buying a nissan or toyota is like buying a generic brand computer. some cars are absloute shyte or you can buy the sports models of the focus, mazda 3, civic and corrolla. but because you arent really a car guy it will just feel harder and bumpier when you go too fast in the corners.
Jaxson Roberts
I've been reading some articles, and I think that the car industry could use some simplification. They try to offer every possible option for everyone but the overwhelming amount of options makes it harder for people to choose. A lot of psychologists argue that too many choices drastically boosts the stress of the decision and in some cases can actually REDUCE the amount of freedom people have in their selections.
Partially it's because choosing a car is pricey for most people. It's the sort of thing they can't change on a whim several times per year. Whatever they buy they stick with, and the value of their choice (More often than not) reduces over time meaning that if they make what they feel is the 'wrong' choice then they feel that they'll take a hit over the loss of value. Any 'wrong choice' made for whatever reason will carry a much bigger burden than if you buy the wrong cell phone or if you pick up a TV you don't like.
Partially it's because car salesmen have a bad reputation as being out to screw the customer. If you're not getting a good deal on a car, then you feel ripped off and the pressure to avoid that is high. Because value is assigned almost arbitrarily on a lot of features and functions, there's never really a clear and concise understanding of when you're getting a good deal. Since you can't trust the dealer and since you can't trust the manufacturer, and since you can read five different reviews from five different sources and get five different results then it frustrates people into feeling like every choice is a huge risk.
If anyone could truly get a handle on these issues, if anyone could actually come up with a foolproof method of car buying that eliminates the stress I guarantee that person will be the next billionaire on the planet.
Blake Phillips
post your local craigslist.
Nathaniel Campbell
saltlakecity.craigslist.org
I've had terrible luck finding anything with low mileage that's in my price range though.
While it looks nice, it's about $8.6k over my current budget.
David Morales
put down 5-7k and finance the rest. duh.
Nolan Nelson
listen to his concerns retard. He doesn't want to finance. Nothing wrong with a cheaper older car.
Daniel Wood
That's not really doable. The 10k in my budget isn't cash, it's what I've been pre-approved for by my bank.
I have had some recent medical expenses which have put a hefty burden on my finances. I wasn't planning on getting a new car due to them, but my hand is being forced - namely, my current car has so many issues that would cost so much it's no longer feasible to continue trying to repair them and instead replacement is the best possible option.
Liam Watson
ok so how much cash do you have on hand?
Chase Gonzalez
$1500 on hand and 10k pre-approved financing.
Adam Garcia
question. What's your zip code?
Colton Ward
84025
Not mine but close enough for searches.
Jace Thompson
The reason I was shooting for a Corolla specifically is their incredibly high reliability rating. I've got some debt to pay off and the fewer issues I have while paying it off and getting my finances back under control, the better.
Luis Williams
Those cars must be pieces of shit with salvage titles or something. The only corollas on autotrader under 10k have at least 80k miles. You want a manual trans because that 4-speed auto is terrible. Reliable, but terrible and outdated.
