BG Auto I summon thee. 1st time buying an actual car.

[Meresgi]

I say 1st time buying a car in terms of something that's not a shitty clunker. I used to live in NY, and we just bought cars for $400 to $2000 or so to drive till they died due to SUPER WINTERs and MEGA SALT. Anyways.


So just got a new job that's paying a lot more then what I was making currently, but it's further away and as I only have 1 car between me and the wife which she needs for work, I have to look into getting another vehicle.

Located a little south of Baltimore so been looking around the area but totally not adverse to travelling a distance to pick up a car (West VA, PA, etc).

Was looking at the VW Jetta TDI's as a co-worker loves them and knows I was looking at picking up a diesel due to life expectantcy/fuel economy. Also they apparently keep their value for a long time.

Anyone have suggestions in terms of a good car with decent fuel economy (Job is about 40miles away and I drive back up to NY once or twice a year which is a good 800mi) and something that doesn't loose 90% of its value the moment I drive off the lot.

Talking in terms of probably 18-20k being the highest I would consider if financing. I have the cash for a down payment.

[Plow]

you should prob look at an accord

[Kohan]

Personally, whenever someone asks me about buying a car, I always suggest that they purchase something used. Even with your having more money available to you, if you're concerned about things losing their value, then buying a new vehicle is one of the worst things you can do—after all, its value significantly depreciates the second you drive it off the lot.

As hybrid technologies are generally considered the way of the future, and rightfully so, those vehicles may be better at holding their value. Paradoxically, practically every hybrid besides the Prius isn't selling better than its conventional counterpart nowadays, and this means that you may get deals from dealerships wanting to unload those models (used or new, in fact). Also, don't buy a Prius, they're dogshit egg-shaped garbage that you can't see out of.

Further important advice: http://jalopnik.com/ten-steps-for-bu...ewed-786640612

[FNH]

I say 1st time buying a car in terms of something that's not a shitty clunker. I used to live in NY, and we just bought cars for $400 to $2000 or so to drive till they died due to SUPER WINTERs and MEGA SALT. Anyways.


So just got a new job that's paying a lot more then what I was making currently, but it's further away and as I only have 1 car between me and the wife which she needs for work, I have to look into getting another vehicle.

Located a little south of Baltimore so been looking around the area but totally not adverse to travelling a distance to pick up a car (West VA, PA, etc).

Was looking at the VW Jetta TDI's as a co-worker loves them and knows I was looking at picking up a diesel due to life expectantcy/fuel economy. Also they apparently keep their value for a long time.

Anyone have suggestions in terms of a good car with decent fuel economy (Job is about 40miles away and I drive back up to NY once or twice a year which is a good 800mi) and something that doesn't loose 90% of its value the moment I drive off the lot.

Talking in terms of probably 18-20k being the highest I would consider if financing. I have the cash for a down payment.

factor in the amount per gallon on diesel and the amount it costs in maintenance. TDIs are fine, just don't want you to be blind sided by these things. Outside of your major Asian brands(Toyota, Honda, Hyundai), the others typically don't retain value. European cars tend to hold value. I personally would stay away from GM for a while and Ford.

[Kalmado]

Autos in general decline in value so it doesn't matter what you buy, unless it's a rare vehicle. I bought a Toyota based on their reputation of being reliable, and the engine blew up after four months of ownership. Granted it was a used car, but you never know. With used cars you just don't know what you are going to get. If you can afford and are comfortable with a lease you could go that route. Or buy a sensible used car. My Toyota will be paid off in 3 months and I'm happy to still have it. My wife drives a leased 2014 Ford Escape and we're happy to not worry about repairs with it. I personally would never buy a newer vehicle.

[Plow]

If you can afford and are comfortable with a lease you could go that route.

No, you generally shouldn't. Good deals on leases are quite rare, you're almost always overpaying considerably.

[Odesseiron]

At that price range, you should check out the Hyundai Elantra. I got a 2012 model 3 years ago. Very nice little car. Big enough for me (6'3), plenty of trunk/back seat room, gets great gas mileage, and is pretty decent looking. They handle pretty well, and if anything have only gotten better in subsequent years. They're a pretty hot car right now. Every time I turn around I see them. Before the redid the design a few years ago, I rarely saw them. Should be right within that range too.

Mine has some NYC body damage on it (my poor car ) but I wouldn't give it up for anything.


Just my .02

[Anakron]

I've always been a fan of the Mazda 3 hatchbacks. Great looking, functional storage, fun to drive, relatively good gas mileage, and reliable. The 2014 are new models, but the old ones can definitely be had in your price range.

They're one of the few non-luxury Japanese vehicles that are still built in Japan, so that's a plus in my books.

[Brill Weave]

AAA chiming in. Here's the listings we keep for 18k - 20k. I'll give you my experiences with them if I have any.

Kia - I wouldn't personally recommend buying any Kias based on the amount we service.
Forte
Soul
Rio
Optima - The Optima is probably the only lower end Kia that I would even entertain the notion of looking at. It's sticker is 21k or more but Kia is kind of notorious for being very open to negotiations. It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that you could haggle them down to under 20k.

Toyota
Corolla - Very reliable from a breakdown perspective.
Yaris - Not the best. It's a budget car, with that you get budget craftsmanship.

Honda - Honda is what I would suggest if you don't want to drop a lot of money. They last forever.
Civic - You can get a bare bones Civic for under 20k. Civics run until the end of time.
Fit - After getting the initial production bugs worked out it's a fairly reliable car.

Mitsubishi
Lancer - A bare bones Lancer will push your budget to the limit but we don't tow too many of them.
Mirage - See above.

Nissan
Sentra - Very comparable to the Corolla and the Civic. We do however, service a lot of Sentras.
Versa - Another budget car.

Dodge
Dart - Too new for me to have much input on them. I've heard good things but they are a bit cramped.

Ford
Fiesta - Crap.
Focus - Decent car but they have very bad ignition switches that crap out often and early in it's lifespan.

Chevrolet
Spark - Crap
Sonic - Crap
Cruze - The replacement Cavalier. Doesn't break down often but that's also because they are fairly new. It's essentially a re-skinned Cavalier. Cavaliers run into issues at about the five year mark.

Myself personally I would look into the Corolla, Civic, or if you want to take chance, the Optima.

[Meresgi]

Yeah guy I know was talking up getting a Civic as well, said they are pretty damn nice and run forever/have cheap parts. Will def be getting used, not gonna finance a brand new unless the $$ is within 1-3k of a used for w/e reason.

Diesel right now is pretty cheap in a lot of stations nearby that take cash only (within 20-30cents per gallon to regular).

Thanks for input so far.

[Abandon]

If you didn't copypasta what Brill said, you're a moron. Personally, I'd roll a honda/nissan until the wheels fall off.

[Sepukku]

I love my pontiac G6 despite the recall for brake light electronics and other things (only my 3rd brake light has shorted after 72,000 miles, and even then only for part of the lights on the 3rd brake light strip). Only major repair has been my front right wheel mount developed a crack 2/3 of the way through my father (lifelong mechanic turned auto claims adjustor) caught when getting ready to take it in for an inspection 2 years ago. He spoke like it is a known problem for the car. The front right wheel is having problems again despite alignment following the repair to the wheel mount. Unknown if there is a crack again, inspection next month so I assume I'll find out no later than then. We do have very windy roads through hills in Western PA, I'd imagine if something isn't engineered for the correct weight distribution it would definitely show up in a car routinely going through bends while traveling up/down hills at 30 MPH.

But other than that repair its been the most enjoyable car I've ever driven, very responsive yet gets good mileage for the type of non-city driving I do. Maybe not the best car for 6'2"+ people as I'm 5'10" and wish I had a tiny bit more room vertically. But front to back it has plenty of room, keep all my hockey sticks in the back seats and all my pads in the trunk along with typical emergency items + some folding chairs and additional blankets.

1 other minor repair I have declined to complete is my tire pressure sensors all failed as car was sitting outside overnight for a few consecutive nights when it got down to -5 to -10F this past winter. If you have 2 brain cells you can check pressure manually, no need for the targeting system Luke.

[BaneTheBrawler]

i've had really good experience with my 2008 Scion XB. very solid, good MPG, handles bad weather really well for a small/low vehicle, is well maintained so no break-downs, just the usual wear like brakes and shit.

[Outlaw]

I found one for you. Honda Insight Hybrid w/ 41/44mpg for 18k.

http://automobiles.honda.com/insight-hybrid/

I have not heard anything about the Insight but that looks like a pretty good deal. The LX model might also be within your budget.

[Meresgi]

So wife is telling me to shoot for more around 11-12k haha. Thinking i'll look at the Civic of Sentra. I used to have an old Sentra back in the day and liked it.

[Kohan]

So wife is telling me to shoot for more around 11-12k haha. Thinking i'll look at the Civic of Sentra. I used to have an old Sentra back in the day and liked it.

Conveniently, this all coalesces into what I drive, which is a Honda Civic Hybrid. It combines the value-holding (which it does—they're generally sold for more than standard Civics) with the gas-saving you're looking for in a diesel. They're also not Priuses, which, as mentioned, are to be avoided, because they're terrible.

A fair amount of the parts in Civic Hybrids are the same as those in standard Civics, which means it's not expensive to replace all the conventional stuff. You also don't need to get synthetic oil for them, despite what the average major automotive service chain will tell you—I put 5W-20 in mine. I've also ordered a fair deal of its parts online and replaced them myself. Hell, if you're handy enough, and the battery one day goes out, you can order a replacement and do that, too—it's in the back seat, and there's YouTube videos for it.

Now, the earliest model of the Honda Civic Hybrid did have a problem with the transmission, but we're talking the 2003 here, and I doubt you want something that old. At the same time, avoid the 2011 and 2012 models. There's a reason: http://jalopnik.com/5826679/how-the-...first-to-worst

There are some things, like Hybrid-specific components, that you will only be able to get serviced at an actual Honda dealership. However, and despite its being a more complex car technologically, I have had mine serviced very little. I get regular oil changes (3,000-5,000 miles) and have a longer daily commute than you. I have practically been the car's only driver since day one, it's at over 110,000 miles, and I'll only ever replace it with either a CNG model (to utilize my state's car pool options) or the 2017 Tesla.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/over...ic-hybrid_2008

[Plow]

I definitely think you'd be generally better off going with an Accord or Altima than Civic or Corolla or Sentra or whatever. Price different isn't that much and you get a much more pleasant experience.

[Kohan]

I definitely think you'd be generally better off going with an Accord or Altima than Civic or Corolla or Sentra or whatever. Price different isn't that much and you get a much more pleasant experience.

I would have to disagree. If you're talking about '90s models Accords, sure. Today's Accords are bloated and boring. If you want excitement, you shouldn't buy any of the cars you mentioned. And an Altima—really? I'd rank the modern Altima lower than the modern Civic, which is more like an Accord nowadays anyway (further defeating the purpose of having an Accord).

[Deadgye]

Going to recommend a Corolla since that's what I have. I've liked it a lot more than my mother's 06 civic. Don't only look at new cars either, if you hunt around you might be able to find a decent used car. I got my 05 corolla in late 08 after it came off a lease for a good price. Only notable problems I've had with it were due to my own negligence.

[Quixon]

Stay the fuck away from any german car unless you are leasing or have experience fixing it yourself. There is a reason most german cars are leases, they cost a fortune to keep running once they get up in mileage.

If you aren't driving in an urban environment, there is absolutely no reason to buy a hybrid. The benefits of a hybrid come from constantly using the breaks, which charges the battery. Also, these cars are relatively tough to sell once they get up in mileage due to the price of maintaining the battery. The newer gas cars are incredibly fuel efficient (Mazda 3 is a good example).

A lease is nothing to be afraid of, there are guides online that will tell you the exact numbers you want to see, what numbers are negotiable, and how to tell if you are getting a good deal. A base model civic/corolla is going to run you a couple $100/month for a lease without having to put much of anything down.


You don't seem like someone who would benefit all that much from a brand new car. I'd honestly look certified pre owned, or something in the 7-8K range from a private party. You'd be in the 60-70K Miles range for a civic/corolla, but that is nothing to those cars.