cars!
douchebagatron
Custom member title Join Date: 2003-12-20 Member: 24581Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
Custom member title Join Date: 2003-12-20 Member: 24581Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
<div class="IPBDescription">Recommend me one!</div>so I'm in the market for a new automobile, but I'm not really sure what kind to look at. Some things I look for in a car:<ul><li>Reliability</li><li>Great gas mileage</li><li>Short (I like being able to see out my rear window, and not have to spend 20 minutes trying to park)</li><li>Tall (I'm 6'3, I want to be comfortable in it)</li><li>A car that I can be proud to say is mine</li><li>Don't really want to spend a fortune</li><li>preferably 4-door</li></ul>My first car was a '90 Jeep Wrangler. I loved driving it, but it got horrible gas mileage, and was not very reliable. Now I drive a 2000 Nissan Frontier, also love it, very reliable, but still pretty bad gas mileage (about 12-14), plus I don't have a use for a truck.
Comments
I had exactly your stipulations when I bought my car last year. I'm 6'5" so I needed a roomy car, but it also had to be economy, I wanted a lot of features, wanted it to have good gas mileage and be small because I live in the city and have to parallel park every day. I wound up with a Scion XB and couldn't be happier. Pretty much every feature I could ever want, from cruise control to an ipod dock and aux jack, avg of 30mpg highway, 4 door, tons of space in back (especially with the back seats folded down), Toyota reliability, and dirt cheap considering all the features.
<img src="http://www.autospectator.com/cars/files/images/2009-Scion-xB-14.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
a lot of people can't get past the unconventional appearance (it's sort of a shortened station wagon), but I think it's adorable, personally. not nearly as boxy as they used to look a few years ago either. I paid about $16k for mine, loaded with features.
...yea really ugly imo
or be ######er than ###### and buy a saturn hahaha it goes 0-60 in theory (i'm talking about like the family model one that is four doors and is a small coupe)
well when you put it that way..!
Sure it'll only last me a year in it's age, but it's my first car and it's cheap as a mouthful of gravel.
yeah, feels like everyone is scared of new things, and if it's not a tiny impractical sports car or giant gas guzzling monster truck SUV, it's ugly -_-
I think the xB is far from ugly, but I think the old ones looked just as good. Few agree with me... And i'd have had one, but heard horror stories about the windshields breaking far more often than they should (i.e. not at all in normal driving)... Got a terribly impractical civic coupe instead. I like it, though. Gets good mileage for an american car.
Peugeot 205 1.4
<img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v645/57/33/1066914961/n1066914961_253408_1209.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
I runs and looks well for its age.
What's the verdict? Get an automobile yet or decide on one?
Huh? Honda is Japanese...
I'm looking into a car right now too, looking for a 5spd Civic. I'm not so tall so it works well for me, and I like Japanese cars with good MPG.
I'm hoping for a coupe but I might end up with a sedan. 99-01 civics go for about $3-4k, and last pretty much forever.
<img src="http://www.essendonmitsubishi.com.au/New%20Cars/images/Mitsubishi%20Lancer.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
or a nissan versa
<img src="http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/06/25/053011.1-lg.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
or maybe the versa hatchback
<img src="http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/12/30/074135.1-lg.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
I like the lancer a lot, but the versa costs a lot less and gets 37 mpg hw, as opposed to 30 on the lancer
<img src="http://www.autospectator.com/cars/files/images/2009-Scion-xB-14.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
a lot of people can't get past the unconventional appearance (it's sort of a shortened station wagon), but I think it's adorable, personally. not nearly as boxy as they used to look a few years ago either. I paid about $16k for mine, loaded with features.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'll second that with all of my heart. I had exactly the same requirements as 6john. I'm 6'1" and wanted a car small enough to park in San Francisco but big enough to take 3-4 people backpacking, and with great gas mileage. I couldn't be happier with it. Here's the <a href="http://moultano.blogspot.com/2006/07/wheeeelz.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> from when I bought mine. Frankly I think it's the best designed car there is.
finally a fellow convert <3 I don't go backpacking, but I fit 3 people, 3 pairs of skis, ski boots and poles in there this weekend <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
Got the title today, still need to get it inspected and registered and such, but assuming all that goes well I am the proud owner of a 2001 Honda Civic EX. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile-fix.gif" /></strike>
Good luck on your car search.
edit:
Car fail. Got it inspected, would have been at least $1000-2000 to fix it. The guy didn't want to negotiate/lower the price. -.-
So I've got no car, and I must go back on the hunt. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":(" border="0" alt="sad-fix.gif" />
I'm looking into a car right now too, looking for a 5spd Civic. I'm not so tall so it works well for me, and I like Japanese cars with good MPG.
I'm hoping for a coupe but I might end up with a sedan. 99-01 civics go for about $3-4k, and last pretty much forever.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes its a japanese brand, but the car is (probably) assembled in the US and it's designed for the u.s. market. Civics in the UK get 10+ mpg better.
I agree skip the versa. Fit, xB - both much cooler, and I think, better cars.
Who wouldn't want one?
I wouldn't swap my Impreza for anything- 225bhp, 4WD but most importantly no technology- no ABS, traction control or any of those gizmos, driving these at speed is exhilarating.
I've never driven one but I hear the VW Golf is the most fun modestly priced car available- fairly good MPG too I think (so long as you don't rag it). Might be a bit small for you though?
Given all the topic starter's requirements though I'd say try one of the modern (2003+) Honda Civic 1.8 diesels. Over the past 6 months the UK car business has plumetted and recall America being in even worse trouble so you should be able to get one at a decent price?