In search of a good little car
 

So here's the deal...
I'm looking to purchase my first car and I'd like your advice on what to get.

Here's some peramiters that need to be met:

- Reliability!
- Good gas mileage
- Not a sports car
- No puny engines!
- Small in size, yet roomy enough inside to fit my 6' Hal comfortably
- Readily accessable for purchase within the US
- Handling and brakes ready to perform well in LA traffic

I look forward to seeing what you guys can come up with!
Thanks!!!

If you want reliability and not a puny engine, a V6 Honda Accord or Toyota Camry is hard to beat. If you want something slightly smaller than those, a Nissan Altima has a smaller engine, but is still not tiny by any means, and it comes in an optional V6 (same one as in the 350Z!).

I think she needs something less than 20K

My suggestions so far:

Dodge Neon (ugly, unreliable)
Mazda Protege5 (ugly)
Chevy Cavalier (she doesn't like chevy)

I would go with a Honda Civic. I drove one this summer, acceptable power, handling, etc, I'm 6'2" and I was comfortable in it.

Ok, I'll rank now in order of dire importance. With reasons.

1) Reliability - Obviously, if it doesn't run, you can't drive it.
2) Handling and brakes ready to perform well in LA traffic - If it drives like shit, driving is more of a chore than it has to be.
3) Small in size, yet roomy enough inside to fit my 6' Hal comfortably - a 6' person can fit comfortably in most cars made in the past 5-10 years.
4) Readily accessable for purchase within the US - Very important if a part needs fixing.
5) Good gas mileage - Most small cars can achieve very good gas milage today. More factors are involved in how the car are driven however.
6) No puny engines! - Most people like some get up and go power, but most recent cars can perform well enough for traffic today.
7) Not a sports car - Questions on this, see below.

Now with everything ranked, time to start hacking away. (Questions in italics so they are easier to read)

Looking at the first 3 rankings above, it's down to Toyota, Honda, and possibly Subaru.

With number 4, readily accessable: Where do you intend on driving? In the country, or in a big city?Toyota and Honda are very popular cars, so almost anywhere you go, they can be fixed. Subaru is a very good car, but in smaller areas you might find problems in getting replacement parts, or the mechanic might not even know exactly what he's doing.

Good gas milage can be achieved by either Toyota, Honda, or Subaru.

As for the no puny engines: Do you intend to drive on average 40, 60, 80, 100, or 120? All three can comfortably go 80, when you start getting in the 100 and above, I personally give a slight nod to Subaru.

The no sports cars: Do you mean you want a safe car, a car with low insurance, a bland car, or just a car that doesn't have a wing that is completely useless "wing" on the back? (In other words, elaborate please)

Also, one more key thing: A price range is needed.

With all I have to work with right now, the options are narrowed down to a Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and a Subaru Impreza. Each one, comfortably equiped, will run around $28,000 - $30,000.

Pontiac Grand Prix...pick a trim level to fit you. They Have GM reliability (not necessarily the best), decent gas mileage, but offer very nice power and decent handling capabilities. Not too small of a car though.

Ok, probably not the best choice but it poped into my head.

As for "not a sports car", like not a pure bread sports car, or not even a sporty coupe?

Might look into VW passat or jetta with their larger engines, thouhg reliability with them these days is hit-or-miss. Its dead reliable or its in teh shop a lot. Cant go wrong with a Camry, or solara if you want a more sporty car. Reliable, decent looks, and adequate performance for your needs. i highly recommend a new Maxima or alitma. Nissan is doing good things these days in both performance and reliability. Maybe if you got a little money, look into a BMW 3series. There are just so many cars to list, but small car / big engine dont usually go together...especially for LA traffic.

If you are doing a lot of commuting, with the occasional weekend outting, i would definately look into maybe a VW jetta TDI or passat 1.8t. The TDI will give awesome mileage and will work well in your slow stop-and-go traffic. No amazing power to speak of, but enough to get you going without causing problems. Gas will be really nice on your pocket, plus deisel is cheaper than 87 octane in CA anyway...


Anyway, its late and there are several possiblities. A price range would be helpful, as would clarification on "not a sports car".

Puny engine kinda threw me. Here's my quick picks:
Toyota Corolla
Ford Focus
Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe
Subaru Impreza


I really like the new Corollas, and they are reliable and pretty zippy. Also, the Focus has gotten really good reviews, but they're still kind of new, and have reliability concerns. The new Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe look cool IMO, and are good for haulin stuff around. They also have available AWD for better safety on slick roads. The Impreza is a little more expensive, but they're really safe and have AWD standard.

edit: those are mostly under 20k decently equipped

Toyota Corolla is a fairly good car. Very highly regarded because of its reliability, plus is quite a nice engine for its size.

Ford Escort 2 Litre rs2000

Mini Cooper

My thoughts are:
Honda Accord
Subaru Imprezza

I'm over six and a half feet tall and fit in my parents '96 Honda Accord with no problems, and you should able to pick one up for not a lot of money -- it all depends how much you're willing to spend. They've got good handling, a V6 engine so they've got power, and are very reliable.

Of course, the main consideration with fitting a tall person in a car is where the height is -- mine is in my legs, so thankfully the Accords have a lot of leg room. Other people have very tall torsos, and may have problems fitting in cars with slightly lower roofs.

A couple of other options, used Mazda 626 or new Mazda 6, both availiable with 4 cylinder for ok power and better gas mileage, or 6 cylinder for better power and ok gas mileage. Some of the car mags say that the 626 was the most underrated sedan around. I drove a Mazda 6 at the Mazda rev it up challenge this summer, and I thought it was pretty nice. I'd consider one for my wife, but I want a sports car for myself.

a newish Saturn Coupe

used Integra. Meets every requirement. I'm 6'2 and fit just fine in mine (I use it as a daily driver). Brakes were great stock, and are even better now that I used Hawk brake pads on my last brake job, plenty of room for cargo/people, the engine is IMPRESSIVE - it's a very popular engine for swaps into other cars, and it even gets good gas mileage. And I'll stack a Honda up against a GM any day of the week in reliability ;)

Other cars to look at - 92-96 preludes (getting sorta sporty here, but it's not like a corvette or anything - zippy, FUN to drive.

Civic Si, any year 1988 and up. Lotta room, drives like a go kart, awesome mileage, excellent reliability if you get one that hasn't been abused.

Sentra SE-R, any year. They look like a regular boring sentra. They're fast as hell, and they're nice and roomy. You can't go wrong with this car if it's in good shape.

200SX SE-R. See Sentra SE-R, then update the body to a rounder look. The SE-R's are the ultimate sleeper cars. They look like ordinary slow sedans, and they drive like that if you're taking it easy, but if you ever need it, they go like a bat outa hell.

Nissan 240SX. If you can find a nicely maintained one, these were nice little cars. Not quite as much of a hooligan as the SE-R's, but were still no slouch. Some of 'em even came with a heads-up-display speedometer, which was kinda funky.

Used Toyota Camry - decent engine, lotsa room, looked really nice.

Used Celicas (the body style before the current) - looked nice, kinda zippy, reliable.


Cars to avoid:

Eclipse/Talon. awesome car, but they can feel cramped inside if you're in 'em too long.

Anything by GM. Sorry, but they've been making crap for years (NO arguments there - hell they just ran an ad campaign admitting they've been making crap), and they're still making crap. They have great ideas and the prices are right, but the reliability just isn't there.

used BMW's - a bunch of these cars had electrical problems that made them a nightmare to drive


Honestly, there aren't many new cars out there that can top the 90's Hondas/Acuras/nissans. Those that can generally cost WELL over $20k. I'd go used japan import myself.

Used Contour SVT

Small, Plenty of zip, Comfortable, Nice looking, handles, not a sports car, good brakes and suspention. 22 MPG city

http://imagehost.vendio.com/bin/imag...7Contour22.JPG

http://imagehost.vendio.com/bin/imag...7Contour18.JPG

http://imagehost.vendio.com/bin/imag...7Contour26.JPG

http://imagehost.vendio.com/bin/imag...7Contour41.JPG

I'm pretty sure she said NOT a sports car. Why are you guys suggesting SE-Rs and SVTs?

Scion xB!!! 35mpg, Seats 5, Weighs 2395 pounds, Toyota reliability, $15,630 out the door with taxes. :)

'nuff said.

When I think "sports car" I think things like "Supra", "3000GT", "Camaro", and "Corvette", not "SE-R" -- but that's just me.

And honestly, she did say "no puny engine", so that would imply she wants performance if she needs it -- and the SE-R and the others referenced above fit the bill.

hehe. A ferarri is a sports car. A porsche is a sports car. A nissan sentra SE-R is NOT a sports car. At best it could be called a sport-compact car. I call it a grocery-getter on crack.

And an SVT is anything BUT a sports car. It's a contour on crack. Souping up a sedan doesn't make it a sports car, it just makes it a much more fun-to-drive sedan.

A Ford Focus
Toyota Corolla

Reliable, Sensible and good fuel economy

I'd go with a toyota corolla. I'm on my second one. The first I sold with 360000km on the odometer and did nothing to maintain it other than brakes, oil, filters, mufflers. My second one has 350000km now and has needed almost nothing.
Corollas have small but zippy engines in them. My current one has a 1.8l dohc fuel injected engine that will hold it's own against most cars as long as I keep the RPMs high (3500+). It is good on fuel and I fit in it (6"2")

I like the idea of a used acura integra. I just took a look and 2000's are going from 11-15K. I pitched it to Litespeed and she was pleased.

She could match me in my accord with those things.

"- Not a sports car" isn't too big of a deal then? hmmm, ill look around and find some similar cars from other manufacturers to look at then when i get back.

integras are more of the luxury class than sports

Hey Halx, I don't know if the car will be parked outside, but Integras have incredibly high theft rates, last year they were higher than any other car, proportionately. Also their claims rates are expensive because their parts are not cheap. I have a GSR which has the hot engine (not a type R, but those are rare and you probably are not considering that). My car spent one night out of the garage, and the wheels were stolen. They left the car on cinder blocks. BTW, Acura wanted $390 for each rim, not including rubber. I got new rims through Tire Rack. But I do like mine, it is the GSR sedan, and GSR's are only available in stick shift. It has been pretty reliable, gets about 28 mpg mostly highway, has good handling and ok power. but it is a theft magnet.

Sounds like a good plan to me -- I've had nothing but good luck with my Integra (though mine is much older than the models you're looking at).

And yea, Integras are fairly hot cars (easy engine swaps for Civic owners who want to get a bit more power), so be sure that she parks it inside if she lives in a high-crime area.

You call $390/ea for factory rims expensive? My '97 Olds CS's rims cost twice that, and you should see some of the factory rims for Audi's. Something like four times that. We've got $1500 rims, $20,000 engines, $26,000 transmissions...the list goes on and on and on.

Yeah, but Integras were only about $20,000 after discounts in 1998. And this was for a 15x6 inch rim. BTW, what Audi has a $26,000 transmission?

I can dig the price of the car...my Olds would have been that in 1997. Although, it is a 16x7 wheel. Anyways, I digress. I should have been a little more clear on the trans. The new VW Touareg V8's transmission was high $25,000 range. So, with the rounding, call it $26k. I think the V8 engine is some $21,000. Complete long block. Maybe I'll get bored tomorrow and look at some of the pricing on some of those parts.

I know we just had to shortblock and head a 2003 Audi A6Q with the bi-turbo 2.7 Liter V6. Warranty pay on the job was some $15,000. Customer pay would have been some $22,000. And that's parts only. Labor was way above and beyond.

So I gather that you have something to do with the auto industry, DEI37? I don't, I just know a little about the cars I own. A used japanese import GSR engine seems to run about $3500 to $4000 on ebay.

As far as rim prices go, the factorys were 15x6 for 390, the OZ replacements for 16x7 were around $220 each, larger rim, lower profile, anthracite finish on a white car, and a good name rim manufacturer for cheaper than the factory.

How could they possibly charge that much for a transmission? How much does the car list for to begin with??

oooook.... back on subject now

Some other cars to think about if the Integra doesn't work out

- Dodge Stratus r/t coupe (200 ho 3L)
- Honda Prelude
- Mercury Cuger
- Subaru Impreza (2.5rs, WRX, or any of the other optional engines)

The subaru is almost identical weight to the integra, AWD, more passenger and cargo volume i believe... Just something to think about.

Integra is good. Subarus are good, too, though I'd go for a wagon. And out here in Northern Cal, 17K might get you a new Accord (plus tax and license) if you find a desperate dealer.

Most Subarus are now AWD, harder to work on meaning higher maintenance costs plus do you really need AWD in LA?

Unless you are going into the mountains, I would stick with reliable Toyota/Lexus and Honda/Acuras.

Every 1996 and up Subaru is AWD. That being said, I don't know how much mountains and snow there is in Utah (that's where you are, right?), but AWD would definitely be helpful if there were. I know that there are Subarus all over Colorado.

If I had the money id buy this in a heartbeat


http://www.cars.com/search/used/cc/s...cler&src=&cid=

Its down by you guys too

So the car search continues...

I've now started looking at hybrids. The practicality of excellnt gas mileage and an earth-friendly car seems to outweigh the threat of a smaller engine.

Unfortunately I do not know what kind of extra maintenance or concerns I should expect from such a vehicle. Just how puny is the engine on a hybrid? in comparison with, say, a Kia.