Graduating uni soon. As a graduation gift I'm getting help with the down payment for a car (most likely no more than a few grand down payment).
I want to avoid lots of repair costs and hassle, and I don't know jack shit about fixing cars. New Honda Civics are like 20 grand, or CPO's are around 10-13. I've heard you can get some older used for like 4-6k.
So what do I do biz? With a 4-6k used I used I could probably buy it outright. With the new I'd be paying like 4k a year for 5 years. CPO would be in between that.
I'm thinking low mileage CPO as that sounds like best bang for buck, but then again I still don't 100% know if the previous owner was a moron with the car.
Never do this. Slap your parents for bringing up such an idea.
Buy an old Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla in cash. Make sure it runs properly and has no rust underneath. Will last you the next 10 years at least. If you want you can put some money aside to buy a newer car in cash later on.
Austin Cook
if youre gonna buy a new civic, buy the type-R
I would hold out on an accord because the all new accord will start production around fall of 2017, unless you are trying to get the best deal then buying an old model accord will save you money.
Carson Lopez
don't listen to these autists, they are the same people who suggest living in a van in the sake of being frugal
just enjoy your life OP do what you feel is reasonable and not going to stress you out
Adrian Lee
I'm concerned about reliability and the need for lots of maintenance with the really old cars though, and also would sort of enjoy the newer features of a later model used.
Can a really old 10+ year old honda compete with a newer one in reliability?
Tyler Hernandez
New cars require more maintenance than older cars. 90s cars were built to last. Cars today are built to become a mechanic nightmare after their warranty and standard lease runs out, forcing consumers to upgrade to a newer shitbox.
Also learn how to work on cars yourself. Literal inbred retards become mechanics. If you can play with legos and put a PC together, you can work on a car. The only difficult part is actually figuring out what is causing the issue, but on even 90s cars you can just plug in an OBD reader and it will tell you what's wrong 99% of the time.
Andrew Morgan
I have a 2008 accord (V6, don't suggest), and I love it.
Haven't had any problems with it besides my alternator going out, but that's routine maintenance. However since I had a v6, it was a pain in the ass to find any guides on how to change it online, and since it's a v6 the alternator is under the fucking engine.
Meanwhile the 4cyl has it easy access. While I like the power, I advise against getting a v6 OP.
Jaxon Fisher
what year civic would be best and how much should i expect to pay?
Carson Evans
$2,500-3,500 will get you a great used Civic
Elijah Harris
Do you have a job yet? If not how do you plan on paying for the car long term?
I financed a car 2 years ago and I've regretted it since. Not only will you have the loan payment, you'll also have to carry collision and comprehensive coverage. If you're not a shit driver or live in a bad neighborhood then it's a waste of money. Don't get me wrong I love my car but If I sold it today I'd lose 10k from depreciation and tax. It's not worth it in my opinion. If you HAVE to finance a car, at least get a Toyota truck or fj cruiser. Those thing hold value like crazy for a car
Dominic Rogers
I'd buy a used car but from a dealership not a private seller.
Dealers cant sell lemons and get away with it long.
Brandon Bennett
See if you can find an early 2000s Civic or Corolla with 100k miles or less in your price range. You should be able to drive it for quite awhile with only routine maintenance (unless the timing belt and water pump have not been replaced, which might run $500). I had an older Civic which wasn't much to look at, but I actually started to take a lot of pride in how good of an investment it was and how well it was running without much maintenance.
Parker Price
Buying a new car is one of the worst investments you can make. Don't be the idiot making $400/month payments for transportation.
Noah Long
You'd be surprised.
Jacob Lopez
move to the usa. european salaries are pennies compared to what americans make in those fields
Landon Rodriguez
go to your dealer and see what your monthly payment would be. let's say $450 for 36 months.
if you buy a 4k car, even if it's a disaster and you end up spending an additional 4k on maintenance over the course of those 3 years, you still end up pocketing an extra 8k than if you had bought new (and in 3 years the value of your new civic will be about 10k).
Jason Thompson
I almost always say never get a new car.
But given your position, and that it is a Civic. Just get a new civic, take care of it, and it will do 250k miles.
Connor Ross
Alright OP, this is simple.
Go to some dealerships, make a list of the cars you like, then cross out all the smallest cars, and leave the full size or mid-full size sedan's on the list.
Now, pick from what's left.
My recommendations:
> Toyota Camry > Honda Accord Sedan > Chevrolet Impala > Ford Taurus > Hyundai Genesis Sedan
Since you're in college, you won't have a lot of experience driving, so safety should be your number one priority. It's LA, land of the rich, and big cars too. By buying a Civic you are placing unecessary risk upon yourself in case you get into a car accident. Buy the biggest car you can afford to buy, it doesn't even have to be brand new, but 2-3 years old max would be ideal.
Pick something you actually enjoy driving too, you don't want to be stuck driving something just because it was cheap. You won't learn to take care of your car that way.
My favorite out of that list above is the 2014+ Chevrolet Impala with the V6 engine.
Eli Reyes
Impala is cheap to repair, parts are abundant, car is a full size American sedan, heavy, and safe. It's why I love it.
Also extremely easy to work on for mechanics which means saved labor hours, also simple mods you can do yourself to "make it your own".
You're also buying a piece of American history.
Christian Murphy
Not so fast, GM shill.
Connor Flores
I've owned every Impala made since 2004, so the 04, the 08, and the 14.
I am not shilling, just a regular guy giving his recommendation. They are bulletproof cars. Will last hundreds of thousands of miles if maintained properly.
Robert Hernandez
how much will a decent used impala cost me?
Charles Nguyen
this x1000
06 if you want all the comforts of something modern. you can get something solid off CL (private party) for ~4k
Jacob Cooper
>American
Dropped.
Christian Hall
Neither. Get a fucking bike you fatass.
Christopher Edwards
Fuck you, bitch. How dare you have contempt for a model of car older than the jap manufacturers that you are shilling. I happen to have a 2015 2LT and this is definitely one of the nicest cars I've ever owned.
Jack White
Buy an old Ford Focus. But not a hatchback, because the wires will break in the trunk. And not too old, or it'll drop a valve seat (recycled GARBO Escort engines). Get a 2010 or so, pay about 6 grand for it and call it a day.
Grayson Bell
Which state are you in?
I went on Autotrader.com for USA, and searched all over, for an Impala under 30,000 miles.
Not the "Limited" ones, those are the old style body, you have to look at just the regular "LT" or 2LT, LTZ, 2LZ, Premier ones.
Anyways, for like $16k from dealer, you're looking at 20k miles on average, and an LT.
You can get the price down a grand easy.
So $15k and you'll have a solid car, with a 3.6L V6 engine pushing 305 HP and 264 TQ.
Jaxon Clark
>buying anything in cash >especially a liability >using up money all at once that could/should be invested
Gabriel Butler
Enjoy driving your overpriced value-jess japanese piece of shit.
Adam Hall
That was me. Then I gritted my teeth and paid it off within 3 years through brute force of will. Now it will last me another 10 years before I sell it for $5k cash. And I actually like driving it. It's really not that bad a deal desu.
