New autofriend here, looking for first car

New autofriend here, looking for first car.
There are a lot of Impalas for sale near me for some reason, and personally I think they're all nice. I'm currently looking at an 06 SS (with some weird ass V8 engine that like changes cylinders or some shit depending on speed, idk what that stuff means) with 90k miles for $7k and an 09 LS with 14k miles for $9k. I know nothing really intricate about cars.
Would either of these options be good for commuting about 40 miles (total, not each way) 3-4 days a week every week? Are there any existing problems with Impalas that I should be aware of before buying? Thanks

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Get an 06-10 civic with low miles

Any reasons why? What's the Civic have going for it that other cars don't?

civic for 3k. (01-05)

better built than GM trash.

Ah, the LS4. It has a cylinder deactivation feature that shuts off 4 cylinders when not needed to conserve fuel.

I wouldn't touch the V8 model personally because they were known for blowing the transmission.
The V6 models are SOLID though.

The Civic is pretty much a meme. It's fairly light, small, fuel efficient, handles well, and in Si or Type R trim, is extremely fun to drive/decently quick.

Those Impalas are comfy cruisers. Gas mileage is meh, but they're smooth and reliable.

fuck off

No but seriously, older Civic Si in good condition is within that price range. The 06-10s have some pretty awesome and super comfortable interiors.

GM is trash. They cut tons of corners.

Impalas are in the category of 'its a car', it will be boring slow and otherwise completely unremarkable in every way. If you want to spend 9 grand on that be my guest but any cheapshit 4 banger in manual will be an infinitely more entertaining drive for you.

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Those W-body cars are solid and reliable. Just make sure to get an alignment. Early models had suspension alignment issues from the factory fixed via a realignment.

Besides. GM is nowhere near as bad as the Germans at corner cutting

Cheapest Civic from a dealership near me is an 02 for $3.5k and has 185k miles on it. That seems like a lot of fuckin miles. Would it be worth it at that point?
It looks like a bunch of them get up to 32 mpg or so highway, which is pretty much exclusively what I'll be driving, so I'm not too worried about gas with an Impala. I see that Civics get a shit ton more efficiency compared even to that though, so that is definitely a positive. I'll keep my eyes out for them.
What other types of Civics are there other than the Si? Any that are particularly bad to avoid?
I think manuals look fun just because I'm 19 and the drifting meme looks cool, but I still live with my parents and go to college and they're cosigning and don't want me to get a manual because they know I'd fuck around with it and do dumb shit. And I'm overall not a great driver yet so it's probably not a good idea to give me a manual either way

why are you buying a shitbox from a dealer? you're not trying to finance are you?

It's the Civic Si poster. All the other trims of civic are going to be less fun than the Si. Avoid auto at all costs with these cars, but even with auto, still more comfortable and fun than a W body impala

He's financing. his parents are cosigning

Just buy a cheap Civic straight up for cash. get a manual. Parents aren't involved and they get no right to dictate what you get

An auto Civic is NOT more comfortable than a W-body Impala. I've driven both. Nothing against the Civic, but it doesn't hold a candle to the Impala's comfort.

I'd honestly consider a V6 automatic mustang or whatever used camaro Seemingly fits what you're after, you might even be able to find a V8 in the older models at that price point

I keep getting told to just buy straight up, both from friends and people here. Why is this so much better than financing? I thought building credit was a good thing.
Anyways I wanted to buy from a dealer to build credit and because I'm retarded and have a bad time saving money. I figured a payment plan would be better. Either way, it'll take a while for me to get enough to buy a car straight up, I'm working part time for $10/hr

>I thought building credit was a good thing.
not when banks are constantly being de-regulated and out to fuck you over.

>I'm working part time for $10/hr
all the more reason to buy straight up. That's not a liveable wage. Don't add a bill where there doesn't need to be one.

I owned (purely to resale) an impala from that era. I have never hated a car more in my life. This is coming from someone who grew up with Buicks from the 1990s to early 2000s.

If you just want A CAR, get a Corolla/Camry (avoid 2007-2009)/ Prius. If you want a fun econobox, get a Mazda 3 (avoid the 2.3 and the first few years of Skyactiv engines). If you want big and comfy, get a grandma driven Buick with the 3800 (and replace intake manifold gasket) or a 2003+ Grand Marquis.

Nah I drove a W body for a month and my buddy always had a 2006 auto civic. W bodies feel like riding in a shitty truck. Seats are worse than benches and made of terrible cheap cloth.

which W-body? That matters. Just saying you drove a W-body means nothing

Ah, low income. If possible, I would look for a well cared for older car then. I personally recommend a well cared for 1990s Buick, Oldsmobile, or Lumina with the 3800 or 3300 engine. You can get something decent to nice for $1k-$3k. There are many other good cars in that price range, but it's easier to find cheap old people cars and their drive train was also good. If it's a series 2 or newer 3800, the intake manifold (or just the gasket I think, I only had series 1) leak, but other than that they are solid.

Civics haven't been top tier reliable since the 1990s imo.

As for your credit, look into a secured credit card or just ask your bank what they can do. I started with a $700 credit line 5 years ago and am now buying a house with a decent credit score. I have never had a car loan.

>3300
You mean 3100. The 3300 wasn't used much

Naw I meant the 3300. I had a 1993 Oldsmobile with one. But you are right, the 3100 was used much more. I think they quit using the 3300 after around 1993.

The last 'good' civic was the EP3, which was the last tiny three door hatchback Honda would send to the US. They were also built in England for some reason.

It had the god tier gearbox and K20 engine in it though which was one of their best, extremely reliable cars.

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the 3300 was a short stoke/deck version of the 3800, and was a good engine. The 3100 was a stroked version of the 2.8 from the Citation, and was a head gasket blowing gutless pile of crap.

They didn't start blowing gaskets until GM switched over to Dexcool coolant in 1996, which had a habit of eating through the gaskets over time.
Gaskets were redesigned to cope around 2000/2001

2008 Chevy Impala. And don't give me that, they're all the same.

So glad I bought one.

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Don't finance a car unless you have more money than you know what to do with

So are GM gaskets 2002+ good?

2001+ should be fine. As for older cars, the engines are reliable. Just replace the gaskets with the updated gaskets and it'll never happen again

>they're all the same.

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Very few of the performance variants were in any way considered good. I'd say the most common is the impala SS which is absolute garbage. In no way better than a Civic Si

And a normal Impala, as OP spoke of, is in no way as fun as a base civic in manual

Thank you for taking one for the Honda team. Now just drive on to nearest pole so we can all just move on

(((Financing)))

You stay away from (((them and their banks))) young whippersnapper.

that post wasn't about performance. it was about pointing out the Oldsmobile-exclusive convertible version.
And as to fun, the LQ1 cars were pretty fun. Not much else was though.

I gotcha. Well I didn't really mean to challenge you. I get that both are reliable, but I just wanted to share my personal experience for OP as I've driven the vehicles in question.
I think you're right that LQ1 models are pretty neat. And that olds Convertible would be sick, driving a mint one in (current year)

>tfw the most popular engine in the convertible was the LQ1
I'm conflicted on the LQ1. It makes the W-body fun to drive, but doing any kind of work on it is a pain in the fucking ass,

Get the Honda Accord Coupe V6 with a 6 speed manual