Buying First Car Advice

Just get a dik thats what ur gonna end up riding anyway lol

Haha so funny, yes I am a girl. Your sex life must be fun

That is not a Chevrolet Malibu. That is a Chevrolet Impala.
No. They are not the same.
No. They do not share any parts.
They look similar and that's it. They even rode on different platforms. The Impala rode on the W-body platform while the Malibu rode on the Epsilon platform.

Aside from that, the Impala is bulletproof.

Also, only morons buy Hyundais with their reliability.

eeny meany miny mo. Can't really go wrong with any of them.

>Can't really go wrong with any of them

Well the 3.5 is garbage, the 3.9 is far better so besides that small point yes mostly true. Surprisingly large aftermarket for W body drive trains too

>Well the 3.5 is garbage, the 3.9 is far better so besides that small point yes mostly true.
The 3.5 and 3.9 are 90% identical. The 3.9 is just a bigger 3.5L. They're equally reliable.

My mom has an Elantra, it's pretty shit desu. Your parents are right in getting a Toyota over a Hyundai, their reliability is well known and for that reason their value holds steady (pic related).

My mom's Elantra has all kinds of wiring issues and has had multiple sensor issues that are quite premature. She's only had it for about a year. Also sometimes it makes strange noises while driving that aren't explainable by the dealer.

>Surprisingly large aftermarket for W body drive trains too
Not if you have the 3.5 or 3.9L with the variable valve timing like the Impala. Aftermarket support for them is virtually nonexistent.

Please leave with your consumer reports trash. That's PREDICTED reliability based on numbers they pulled from their ass.

JD Powers is far superior as its based on problems that ACTUALLY happened over a 3 year period.

Virtually nonexistent eh? I know from experience this is false, but here's so you believe me

getoverkilled.ca/products.html

>computer tuning capability means there are headers, cams, and other performance parts available
No it doesn't. That JUST ECU tuning. Beyond that, there really isn't much.

Here's a better idea. Buy an XV40 2006-2012 ES350 for the same price with maybe 50-60k miles on it and get a way better car for the same money.

It's nothing but a dressed up Camry so parts will be cheap if you do your research and buy Camry parts where possible. You can get a pretty decent one for anywhere between 13k to 20k. Most of them have hands-free so Bluetooth will let you play music from your phone.

except it lost comparison tests against a BUICK.
Let that sink in for a bit.

Tbqh that's a good looking Buick

They're all FF shitboxes. I would rather get a Toyota or Honda because GM was utter shit for so long.

Just ECU tuning? Wanna know how I know you didn't click on anything?

Literally no one cares here. If you actually want something decent consider a used 3 series, but judging by how Bluetooth is your main feature of interest it could be out of your budget.

Es350 is based on the Avalon mate

Buy a civic for 3k and fuck off.

No it's not. It's a camry.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_ES#Fifth_generation_.28XV40.29

It's based on the Camry. XV is the Camry, XX is the Avalon. All of them are on the K platform though so they aren't all that different.

Could i get a decent car or pickup with manual transmission, RWD, and at least 30 MPG with 5-6k? I have a 87 4runner, and with 14 MPG it doesn't handle my 30 mile highway commute to work very well.

Either an E36 or E46 3 series with manual. It's reasonably practical but I wouldn't expect to rip hektik skidz with one because you'll probably have less than 300 horsepower.

HP isn't a big deal. It'll be my first vehicle I'll buy. My Dad got the 4runner before I started driving it, and didn't like it so I got it. It's an autotragic.

E46 3 series will be fine. E46 330i should be in your price range. Just be ready for maintenance costs because used cars inevitably need work that the previous owner didn't give a shit about.

That's what I was about to ask about. Do they have the special tool bullshit that makes it a pain to work on? Do I have to go to a stealership for simple repairs?

The E46 is fairly simple, nothing complicated. But you still need BMW parts which means it's going to be more expensive.

>vanos

Internet searches are only bringing up automatics around me. I'll keep an eye out though for some not listed online. Thanks for the suggestion!

>great sound system
>Bluetooth

>aux Jack
>shitty

Oh my lord I am just fucking dying over here. Thanks op, that was a good laugh. But nah. Your ideas about car audio are completely ass backwards.

Ignoring the fact that stock audio in cars is always shit, connecting to the stereo via aux cable is better than connecting via Bluetooth. With Bluetooth streaming audio your audio files are reencoded to a lossy format and compressed, resulting in worse sound quality. With a wired connection, there is none of this reencoding and compression. Beyond Bluetooth vs aux there's still aux vs USB, but at that point it pretty much depends on your devices DACs.

But I imagine none of this matters to you anyways cause you just want to play your Spotify without those pesky wires getting in the way, right?

>just manifold spacers, throttle bodies, E85 retrofit kit, MAF's and thermostats
wow. big selection

>no. They do not share any parts.
>I know nothing about gm
>the post

>being offered a free, highly based corolla and not immediately accepting

you will regret buying GM trash every day.

stay away from that piece of shit

dont fall in love with such a worthless pile of shit

god, buy a used focus instead

I wouldn't recommend that for a first car for a college student to be honest. Buy a cheaper, generic Corolla that is mechanically sound. Your car will get the shit beaten out of it in college parking lots. Just stick to A-B reliability, and something that will depreciate minimally and then can be sold to the next college student in line when you're done with it.

Impala or Malibu sound like decent choices, but will take a big shit in depreciation if you care about that at all.

I'm not going to college. I'm an electrician.

>Im a freshman in college and my parent's are trying to buy me a car cause I can't go anywhere without a ride.

Go to local CL
Pick something about 1k without salvage title.
save $10k

My B, thought you were OP.

If you were to drop the RWD requirement that'd really open up your options. Are you a handy DIY person when it comes to cars? I wouldn't recommend any used Euro car to anyone who isn't going to be willing to dig around forums and track down godo parts sources, etc.

Then get a slightly older ES and enjoy more luxury than a random Camry. If you can't afford that then a random manual Focus ST or Fiesta ST works too because they depreciate aggressively.

If you're mechanically inclined and you do your homework there is literally nothing wrong with getting an E46 3 series.

Get a Ford ranger.

I can dig around forums, but haven't done many repairs. My Dad is handy though.
That's likely what I'll get. I'm just exploring all my options. Do Rangers have timing chains or belts?

OP here, also was honestly thinking of an E46 or cheap bimmer but the insane mileage (prefer ≤40,000 miles) on them and the risk factor of buying through eBay motors/auction sites is enough to stirr my parents away from considering them in the first place

Is there any other way I can get a cheap as fuck BMW with an aux and decent sound system for ≤$19,000?

>elantra over civic
You're retarded beyond comprehension. In what world is elantra ever good?? Even the new ones drive like garbage, even reliability is an issue

No. I know you're a girl and all and the badge is tempting, but DO NOT buy a used BMW if you're on a student budget, have no time and no place to work on it.

Find a used Lexus IS250/350 or ES350 if you must have the badge.

back to

Who the fuck cares, BMW is not all that prestigious.

If you don't have a job outside of school learn to wrench on your car. It's not glamorous and it's certainly not all that enjoyable but it's an important skill that everybody should learn.

If your school is halfway decent it will have a Formula SAE chapter. Join it and borrow their tools/workspace and contribute in some way to make up for it, whether it's putting in work to help them or paying them for their tools and time.

someone had to say it. thanks br/o/. wish more people on this forum knew enough about car audio and general electronics to not let shit like that slide

Wtf do u mean badge

Yeah I don't think OP is going to do a single one of those things.

Don't buy a boring car I regret buying something that I don't really like driving

I can understand not fixing your car on your own time if you have so much money that you don't give a flying fuck about paying for someone else to do it, but doing your own maintenance and repairs will pay off in the long run.

I can only assume that if OP in on Veeky Forums they're at least somewhat interested in cars.

By the sound of it OP is a female that wants a 'cool' car and is otherwise quite oblivious to automobiles in general, and I wouldn't hold out much hope for her progressing to some kind of Veeky Forums enlightenment where she ends up spending weekends digging through her Bimmer's inevitable trouble codes.

I could be wrong, of course.

Lol, okay. That literally still shows that Toyota is far more reliable than Hyundai. So thanks for further proving my point, I guess.

But mine pointed out Hyundai and Kia's perceived reliability is a lie and that the Chevy's OP is looking at are also vastly more reliable.

>Freshman
>Hyundai over Civic
>Calls it a "jack"
>Muh car needs good audio that's all I want

Holy shit user, don't worry about it. Whatever autotragic slushbox you get I'm sure you'll have it destroyed within the year.

That's fair.

At that point a Lexus ES is probably the best option because it's least likely to be troublesome and at the end of the day it's literally just a Camry.

>I can understand not fixing your car on your own time if you have so much money that you don't give a flying fuck about paying for someone else to do it,

If I hit the lottery I'd just buy a better shop. Fuck, I'd live in the right sort of shop. F1 shops are cleaner than my living room.

> whore is aware that she's only worth her hole

Show us your tits cunt

But what if you made a few million dollars a year but in return your work week was at minimum 60 hours long with overtime up to 80 hours?

This is a reality for some rich people. They work ridiculous amounts and are paid well for it, but they have next to no life outside of work.

Gonna hijack this thread instead of making my own, Im a poorfag going into uni as well. I have $1500 for a used pile of shit, Whats the best gas mileage and reliability I can get my hands on? I was thinking of going with a 96-98 corolla aiming for around the 200,000 km mark. Is that my best option?

>Is that my best option?
No. The sticky is right here.
Cars to look for:
Geo/Chevrolet Metro
Geo/Chevrolet Prizm
Dodge/Plymouth Neon
Chevrolet Cavalier
Pontiac Sunfire
Toyota Tercel
and everything else mentioned in passing: Civic, Accord, CRV, Corolla, Camry, Rav4, Volvos, Vrown Vic, Grand Marquis, Sentra, CRX, Focus, and Taurus

You named a spread of two generations of Corolla, but yes you nailed it.

93-97 Corolla and Prizm are great, watch for oil use.

98-02 are also equally solid but start to feel a bit cost cut (irrelevant from the perspective of someone who just needs a damn car). Also susceptible to oil burning but otherwise just tanks.

Sorry Im crossboarding, didnt even check the sticky like a fukin newfag. Thanks

Yea I have heard of corollas getting to almost 600k miles fine so I thought that would be a good place to start. How expensive would it be to fix the oil burning problem? I fully expect that a car for $1500 is going to have problems in the near future but I would like to know what kind of cost im getting into.

A replacement of rings, ie probably more money than would be logical to put into it. Best bet is to buy one where the issue isn't too bad and to keep an eye on oil level.

Would it be worth it if I did the labor myself or with one of my home "mechanic" buddies? Also is there an easy way to check for the oil problem when I go to buy from someone?

Piston rings are expensive to replace. The pistons rings themselves aren't expensive. It's all the labor to get to them. If you replace the piston rings, you may as well rebuild the entire engine since the pistons themselves have to be removed to replace it

I see, so not an easy fix for sure then. Is there a way to check if they are fucked/dying before a buy?

Ask the owner about oil consumption for starters, check for a very sooty exhaust and even soot above the exhaust tip on the rear bumper. If there's a big (5qt) oil jug in the trunk, that might tip you off as well. Just watching for blue smoke when you follow behind the car when it accelerates would also tip off to serious consumption.

My brother actually redid the rings and valve seals on his friend's 240k '96 Prizm with a 4AFE, the guy just really wanted it done I guess. Cut consumption to almost nothing, owner is happily motoring along in it now. I forget what the total bill was, I do know that he cut him an incredible discount and/or in exchange for website-design work.

Compression tester.

> used bmw
> a good idea