My old car...a 1989ish Mercury Topaz blew its tranny.
Soooo I've been around the city and gotten a list of cars I can afford.

2005 Ford Focus
2004 Dodge Stratus
2005 Honda Civic
2005 Hyundai Accent

Not sure if the years are right though. I forgot to write them down ><
But I think they are right.


All new except for the Dodge Stratus which is used and 30,000 miles.

Unless you're paying cash, don't buy any of those. Get a used car. No payments, lower insurance. Trust me, you don't want a car payment. Too many teenagers make the mistake of getting a high interest loan or financing and strap themselves down.

Well if you wanna get technical they are $12,000 and below cars. I do have a *real* full time job, and I figure its better that I have the payments now when I've got the money and no rent than later on down the road when I need to pay for the apartment.

Besides even with the car costs and and insurance...thats still only half my monthly income.

I dont like little cars, so not the Focus. Civics are no good unless you're a ricer, they have such a reputation. Hyundais just such in general. So I'm gonna say the Dodge, cos I know nothing about it.

You just gotta watch out with used cars.

One time, my Driver's Ed teacher's friend bought a used (rental?) car and it had marijuana stashed up in the front seats.

Personally, when I get a car, I don't care really what it is, so long as I get from A to B. I will probably go for used ones.

Get the Stratus. End of story. Not only do they look tough, but it's not ricey like a civic or focus.

They have ricers in Kangarooland? Rofl!

Not a single one of them. Really. The new civics have horrible track records, focuses are crap, the accent looks horrible, and...well I take that back. Maybe get the stratus.

*duct tapes fingers together while looking at Bill's post*

Dude we basically said the same thing... I fail to see why you need to put in the personal remark directed at me.

Yeah, they put underbody lights on their kangaroos, and blast the sub-woofer taped to the roo's back while they ride around in their pouch.

Explain how this is a bad thing.
How much was it?

Where's the options for a Hummer, a Time-Traveling DeLorean, or a flying car???

Gah!

2003 Toyota Corolla S w/TRD supercharger.

I'd go more for a 1998 Corolla :p The 2003 looks like crap.

What about the Toyota Echo? Isn't it in the same price range as the Civic? I'd definitely consider a Toyota before a Honda or Hyundai, and especially before Ford and Chrysler.

How about a Pacer.

I voted Civic because it seems like you will want this car to last a long time. It's not rare for Hondas to run with well over 200k miles on them. Just don't rice it out....please. I can kill you.

edit: The reason civics have gotten a reputation lately is because of the morons that red-line them on a daily basis in their attempt to turn their car into a race car. Drive it like a sane person and it will last forever.

Well apparently the Civic wins but a 2004 Dodge Neon SXT came around and...




*yum*

Neon good. Go there.

dodge neons look like crap, get a civic. Great mileage and hondas run forever. They also are highly customizable.

Honda

Honda.

'92 Accord EX Coupe 214,000 miles here.

You don't see many Dodges with that many miles on the road, and especially not Fords. Hyundai...well, I think they're trying to improve their image, but they don't have a proven track record. None of those choices do except Honda.

Decide what you want out of your car. That will help you decide which car to buy.

I encourage you to consider buying a good, used Honda. You'll save money, and you'll likely get a more reliable, less rattley, more pleasant, and longer-lasting car than if you buy a new Dodge, Ford, or Hyundai.

Half your income for a car and insurance? That's insane.

I love my '98, but there's almost no aftermarket..03+ has a TRD supercharger option.

Yeah, granted, but without wanting to modify it, the 98 looks better, is more comfortable, and is less "nervous" than the 2003. I've driven both and I greatly prefer the 98. But anything is better than my '89 Cavalier. It only has 81k miles on it (130k kms) though, almost all highway.

I haven't driven an 03+, so I can't really agree or disagree.

I have to say, though..in the looks department, the 98-02s definitely prevail. I prefer the headlights of 01-02, but the taillights of the 98-99.. :p

Ok I hate when people say things like this and don't have any facts to back it up. How do civics have horrible track records? Why are focuses crap, and "the accent looks horrible" is your opinion.

I've had bad experiences with dodge transmissions, A.T. that is. Civics are great cars, get good gas mileage they will last foever if you take care of them (that goes for any car). I'm not a ford person so I really have nothing good to say about the focus but if you can buy these cars new with good interest rates and insurance. Get a new car! I bought used over new once and I regret it. Used just doesn't have that new car feel.

If you can't pay cash for the car, do not buy it. Simple. Interest = BAD. I have a *real* full time job too, but I don't want any freaking car payments. I have better things to spend my money on than a "tax for lack of patience" (read: interest). My plan is to drive around in my current heap until I graduate(<2 years), at which point I will have enough saved up to buy whatever car I want, cash. (withing reason, obviously - no Ferrari for me). My advice is this: Never, ever, buy on credit anything that will depreciate in value. That's pretty much everything, excepting a house or business.

But if you insist, go with the Dodge. They're classier, as well as made in the USA (something I hold in high regard). As far as quality goes, I had a '93 Dodge Intrepid and rolled 220,000 on it last year. It still ran like a champ, without any problems (unfortunately it was involved in an automobile accident is no longer functional). Most Dodge vehichles will last quite a while, if properly maintained.

Why is everyone saying that Focuses are crap? I'm really confused by that one.

With my 2001 Focus, I have great gas milage, it still handles like a dream, and I'm very comfortable inside it. I keep up with the preventative maintenance on my car, and the mechanic i got to and my brother (also a mecahnic) both think that with how I treat the car that it will last me a long long time. So please everyone who are just making the statements that Focuses suck please try to back it up with evidence. Hell, enough evidence and you might even change my mind. I ask of you please state reason intsead of just thumbs up/thumbs down.

Oh god! Why would you even ask us? So far blujay is the only person who has said anything sensible. Why would you buy a neon because it looks sleek? Neons depriciate horribly..you know why? Cause they suck. Same with Hundayis and Ford Focuses. Do yourself a favour....if you can afford a BRAND NEW Civic...why not. You get the japaneses/overseas durability, plus when it comes time the resale or trade in, it will be worth twices as much as those others cars at that time.


Dodges, and Fords are not very realiable cars. I have friends with brand new Ford Explorers that have already been in the shop. My Inifiniti from 98 took about 5-6 years before it needed to even get checked up.

Me = 1989 Volvo 760 Turbo with 245,000 miles.. and still runs reliable.

And there is nothing wrong with buying a car if you can't pay "In cash."

My friend bought his dodge dakota 2 1/2 years ago, has made every payment on time. Only payment in his name, his credit beacon score is over 700.. that is plenty of reason to buy a car and make payments.

The focus IS a good car, but many people have something against Ford and even the Focus itself. Don't take anyone's word on the quality of a car, all car models have their black sheep that wouldn't go anywhere if you pushed them. That's just the way things are. I personally wouldn't buy a focus because I don't like hatches and the sedan looks odd IMO. But that doesn't mean it's crap at all.

Also, while I also don't like the look of the Neon too much, Dodge interiors are a cut above most manufacturers (especially Ford as far as I'm concerned, and I drive a Ford). The Neon also has a DAMN good performance model, I'd love to get my hands on an SRT-4.

Interest rates are really low right now. Hell, I've seen offers for 5 years loans at 0%. If he can get a good rate, the interest isn't going to kill him at all.

Get a Civic, I drive a 2003 model and it is great. Plus it has good gas mileage.

Yeah, I forgot to mention how poor Ford interiors are. Their ergonomics are poor, their fit and finish are poor, their materials are poor, and they're always rattling. I can't stand the car interior constantly rattling unless you're on a perfectly smooth road. There's no excuse for it. And to top it off, Fords don't cost that much less! Buy quality (which, contrary to their old slogan, isn't job #1 at Ford); you won't regret it.

Though the Neons have some issues with head gaskets blowing, I am uncertain about the more recent ones, and that particular Neon has 230 hp under the hood -- the most horsepower of any stock sub-twenty thousand dollar new car on the market today.

Skip the Stratus. Most Dodges (and Chryslers) have the Caravan tranny in 'em, and there is one component in said tranny that will rattle itself loose and over time drill a hole the size of a quarter in the transmission casing. Needless to say, that's bad.

Hyundais have a reputation of problems. Often they blow timing belts, and generally are inferior to other cars. Plus, the Accent is ugly as hell, IMHO.

Ford Focus? Some say it's good, most say it's mediocre. I don't like them, but I don't specifically know of any problems with them other than the fact that they are Ford cars, which have been of inferior quality over the past decade or so.

As for the Civic? A good, reliable car. Sporty, available in sedan and coupe, powerful enough for most driving needs -- I'd recommend that you buy that one.

Honestly dude,
Anything Dodge

Fixed.

Toyota Corolla > Honda Civic.



In other news, my car blew a head gasket yesterday, probably due to a cracked head. Guess what........it was a FORD!

As much as I like my car, Ford's are crap. But hell, I got it for $600, put about $400 into it. Now, the engine *might* be ruined and wouldn't be worth replacing, so.....that sucks.

It wasn't my fault cause the previous owners didn't take good care of it.


Still though.......Corolla > Civic.

The one he posted about, the SXT, is not the 230hp one. That would be the SRT-4 (which I will hopefully get in march or april :)) Oh yeah, the SRT-4 also starts at $21k now.