Buying a first Car

Joseiy · 11-05-2009, 01:45 PM

Well I'm turning 18 next month and I will have the funds to purchase a (used) car(Long settlement story involving a car accident...) I do not want to spend more than $5000 but can go a little over if I need to as I'm choosing to put the majority of the money into savings. But anyways I'm looking at cars and SUVs at the moment for the cars preferably 4 doors with good gas mileage and for the SUVs... Id like to get 20ish if possible. I'd like it to have some decent trunk space for all my musical gear as I'm in 3 bands now and I would really like some space for putting stuff. Thanks guys!

kimberlyb0112 · 11-06-2009, 05:19 PM

Try Craigslist.. You should be able to find something on there

Folk_guy · 11-07-2009, 08:52 AM

Whatever you get spend the money to have ti checked out by a qualified mechanic before you agree to buy. No used car is going to be perfect, but you'll want to know of any major problems before you buy.

jthomas1600 · 11-08-2009, 05:12 AM

Here's one little piece of advice. Don't let yourself get caught off guard by all the added dealer costs and taxes. Go shopping well before you intend to buy (online works great for this), find a car you like in that price range and ask the seller to give you a break down on the total costs including all taxes, licensing fees etc. If you really only want to spend $5,000 you'll have to have the selling price well below that, if you do what I suggested you will have a good idea how much.

Ethan.Bassist. · 11-09-2009, 01:54 PM

Get a Suburu station wagon! My friend had one of those and he loved it! Very reliable, fit loads of crap in the back. The only reason he finally had to get rid of it was that he left it in reverse on accident and the door bent backwards and bent the chassis too.

but good luck with whatever you get!

**scared2mosh** · 11-14-2009, 11:05 AM

Definitely try craigslist.

normajean777 · 11-16-2009, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseiy

Well I'm turning 18 next month and I will have the funds to purchase a (used) car(Long settlement story involving a car accident...) I do not want to spend more than $5000 but can go a little over if I need to as I'm choosing to put the majority of the money into savings. But anyways I'm looking at cars and SUVs at the moment for the cars preferably 4 doors with good gas mileage and for the SUVs... Id like to get 20ish if possible. I'd like it to have some decent trunk space for all my musical gear as I'm in 3 bands now and I would really like some space for putting stuff. Thanks guys!

Make sure you have more than enough money to cover the expected and unexpected. I have owned a car for 5 months now, and it has definitely cost way over doubler the purchase price. This includes repairs, insurance, tickets, etc. Maybe budget gas as well (is the added premium of getting a car with good gas mileage actually worth the added price of gas with a cheaper less fuel efficient vehicle?).

bobthecockroach · 11-16-2009, 10:56 PM

I'm not sure what you could get for under $5k, but hatchback=awesome. I have a Honda Fit, and I get 35 mpg, and I could easily fit my amp, electric and acoustic guitars with room to spare (I've also fit two 88-key keyboards plus a bunch of other stuff). If you look at some of the models that have been out longer, you may be able to find something in your range that is more efficient than an SUV but still just as practical.

earlessdog · 11-17-2009, 02:26 AM

5k is plenty of money for a decent used hatchback (my first 4 vehicles costed me a total of $214, two of those were licensed and insured and two are still in working order. I drove one for three years . . .). My most current vehicle is a 2004 Hyundai Accent. It's a very basic car, no cruise, but it does have AC. It's a hatchback (2 door), not all too much room for musical equipment, but it's ok. It gets awesome gas mileage. 40-50 mpg on highway (depending on how hard you drive it) and about 35 city mpg. I havn't been able to figure the mileage out too many times, but my cousin has the same car and thats what she gets as well. I paid $3200 CDN for it.
I might recommend Mazda Protege's, they come in 4 door hatchbacks, roomy, and nice cars. 2004 and under should be in your price range for those.
But as normajean777 stated, make sure you have money for unexpected costs, especially with buying used, there are always repairs etc.

mattslope · 12-23-2009, 06:57 PM

1. An SUV will give you increased ground clearance over a hatch back or wagon, but will negatively impact fuel economy, safety (roll overs, braking, steering response, etcetera), and performance on pavement.

2. Car dealers will charge you more for the same car available from a private seller. That's how capitalism works. Buy from private parties and you will save money. Avoid car dealers at all costs. If you live in Soviet Canada, though, go for it.

3. If this is your first car, ask yourself how comfortable you are with the fact that it will be in an accident. Make your purchase based on this knowledge.

Ak_Man4Jesus · 12-23-2009, 07:37 PM

Get a small truck, and if you must put a topper on it. I have a 87 Dodge Dakota that I got for $200, with 131000 miles. It has a stick shift. With the 4 banger I get around 32 MPG, if I keep the speed at about 50 MPH. If I push 65 MPH I only get about 23 MPG. If I do 85 MPH, I got 17 MPG.

I has 167000+ miles not, and will still start at -45 with out plugging it in. I am shure it would start colder, but -45 is the coldest I have very tried.

LaserRacer · 12-24-2009, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by normajean777

Make sure you have more than enough money to cover the expected and unexpected. I have owned a car for 5 months now, and it has definitely cost way over doubler the purchase price. This includes repairs, insurance, tickets, etc.

Well stated, the cheaper car often isn't...Get the car that is in the best mechanical shape that you can at the price you want to spend. In the price bracket you are talking about, repairs can quickly become more than the car is worth.

mulletman · 12-24-2009, 01:56 PM

Quite. That, or get a car that is cheap to fix. An old VW bug will likely have a lot of mechanical problems. However, most of them can be fixed with a set of sockets and a few German curse words.

For 5 grand, I'd almost suggest going Korean. For all of the jokes made about Korean quality, I've never seen any of them actually materialize as true...

**scared2mosh** · 12-24-2009, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phantom Mullet

Quite. That, or get a car that is cheap to fix. An old VW bug will likely have a lot of mechanical problems. However, most of them can be fixed with a set of sockets and a few German curse words.

For 5 grand, I'd almost suggest going Korean. For all of the jokes made about Korean quality, I've never seen any of them actually materialize as true...

Yeah the Chevy Aveo is actually Korean and we got ours new for 5k. It's very basic, but it has a stickshift and it's a pretty good car (for the money).

LaserRacer · 12-26-2009, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phantom Mullet

Quite. That, or get a car that is cheap to fix. An old VW bug will likely have a lot of mechanical problems. However, most of them can be fixed with a set of sockets and a few German curse words.

For 5 grand, I'd almost suggest going Korean. For all of the jokes made about Korean quality, I've never seen any of them actually materialize as true...

That said, parts costs on Korean cars can be quite high...so make sure that if you get one it is still under warantee.