Buying a new car...dont puke please.

[slammin.e28]

Rule of thumb: You're not picking up chicks on the way to work. Your muddling through traffic, trying to get to work alive and efficiently.

As much as I hate to say it, get the Hyundai. Warranty on a shitbox car = can't beat it.

[long tall eta]

just a thought, find really clean and healthy eta (even if you over pay) put some more money into it to fix the little things, and it will be as reliable as any econo import on the road, more classy, fun to drive, 30 mpg, easy to work on with cheap and available parts.

i drive mine 100 miles a day for the past 4 years and she now has approx 370,000 on the clock and still purrs. eta's are bullit proof.

[mrcheezle19]

ford focus, get a certified pre owned and you get a 7yr/100k mile warranty

[DaveNorCal]

OP, it seems to me that for your purposes the new or nearly new econobox with a long warranty is a great idea. It seems like you are just starting out in the corporate world and you need to consider that your car is, essentially, part of your wardrobe as are clean fingerprints. You need a transportation appliance that says "...our kind of sensible guy."

[tonerrrr]

just a thought, find really clean and healthy eta (even if you over pay) put some more money into it to fix the little things, and it will be as reliable as any econo import on the road, more classy, fun to drive, 30 mpg, easy to work on with cheap and available parts.

i drive mine 100 miles a day for the past 4 years and she now has approx 370,000 on the clock and still purrs. eta's are bullit proof.

I had mine (around 200k) for sale but screw it, it hasn't broken down once since I've owned it, no payments, great mileage for my 40+ miles every day. I wouldn't mind putting money into my car if something happened since it's been so good to me :)

[butters]

Should I consider a vw? I like the GTI but Idk....Jettas are girl cars, thats set in stone.

Jettas might be girls cars, yes, but you're looking for economy and comfort not to drive in style, correct?

I was in a similar situation a few months back but not wanting to shell out significant cash for a beater. I trolled craigslist for cars in the $2-3k range, and an '02 Jetta 1.8t with 230k well maintained miles came up. APR K04, 5-speed, leather, heated seats, new a/c, cruise (my e30 has none of these), clean carfax, no impending rust, new suspension bushings all around, drove fine so I scooped it up for 2 grand. 3,000 miles later and it's been money very well spent. Cheap insurance, 31 actual mpg highway, relatively modern and german styling, and a little power to boot.

Just saying, don't rule anything out. I also found a solid running Volvo XC70 with 150k miles for $1500, but it wasn't up to par. Yes you might wind up in the shop here and there, but if the car cost a few thousand and you have ten grand in the bank, it's really no big deal. Plus it isn't your only car. Solid E30 would be good too, but they are actually pretty pricey these days. My 2 cents, good luck in your search and congrats on the job.

[Grant318is]

Have you looked at the Kia Forte/rio/soul?

I know the soul is ugly, but for 14.5k you get a lot of room and good gas milage.

[rturbo 930]

ford focus, get a certified pre owned and you get a 7yr/100k mile warranty

+1

If I needed an econobox, the current gen Focus would probably be my choice.

[ieatpeople]

buy a tercel.


super cheap to maintain, and they dont need much maintenance. timing belt every 120k miles or so, brake pads every 100k or so, tires about 80k miles.

just did pads and rotors on my 91 terc, bought the parts from rockauto, $8 pads, $12 each for rotors.

the cars with the sohc motor (like mine) lack power, but make great low-end torque. the dohc cars have even better torque, and about 25 more hp.

my car has 354k miles on it with the original clutch, still chirps 2nd gear with ease. and gets 39mpg while hauling my big self, a heavy stereo, and running the a/c.

[Stanley Rockafella]

+1

If I needed an econobox, the current gen Focus would probably be my choice.

+1
you can get a few of the 12's left at a great price (decent factory rebates) same version as the 13's/

[Bimmerguy91]

TDI golf

[LSM3]

Buy a mid 2000's Honda civic for 5k. Keep up on maintenance and drive it until it explodes. Would rather spend $$ on something I enjoy than a pure commuter.

[BergerNJ]

Buy a mid 2000's Honda civic for 5k. Keep up on maintenance and drive it until it explodes. Would rather spend $$ on something I enjoy than a pure commuter.

a civic is a commuter car.....lol? I dont want to spend money on maintenance. Id rather rely on a new car and a warranty if needed.


I test drove a focus ses two door and saw a 4 door. Wanted 18k for 35k miles on one and 17k for 20k miles on the 2 door at a different dealer. Looked at some fiestas too, yuck.

Test drove the Hyundai again and its so under manufactured I decided to spend this kind of money I need to find something nicer. The focuses were loaded head to toe besides navi.

Test drove a cruze ls , fully loaded besides leather, heated seats and navi. 9567 miles on a 2012, 16k flat before I decided to apply for financing. Going in tomorrow to squeeze a bit more out of them. Sounds cheap already and Im pretty happy with the price.

Set on the cruze, has 5 years/100k warranty on it. I wont need it more then that.

[Thizzelle]

shoulda got a kia or lease they have many different mileage plans.
I have an eta, bought in 2000 for 1500. Wrecked in rear right but pounded it out good. Still runs perfect, all I do is oil,change, new bat and 1 set of tires so far. 250k mikes on it, I rock it to work sometimes. Looks like shit but gets the job done, and I have houndstooth interior ftw

[LSM3]

a civic is a commuter car.....lol? I dont want to spend money on maintenance. Id rather rely on a new car and a warranty if needed.


I test drove a focus ses two door and saw a 4 door. Wanted 18k for 35k miles on one and 17k for 20k miles on the 2 door at a different dealer. Looked at some fiestas too, yuck.

Test drove the Hyundai again and its so under manufactured I decided to spend this kind of money I need to find something nicer. The focuses were loaded head to toe besides navi.

Test drove a cruze ls , fully loaded besides leather, heated seats and navi. 9567 miles on a 2012, 16k flat before I decided to apply for financing. Going in tomorrow to squeeze a bit more out of them. Sounds cheap already and Im pretty happy with the price.

Set on the cruze, has 5 years/100k warranty on it. I wont need it more then that.

Please tell me your joking. The Honda civic is probably the most popular commuter car of all time. The 2012 civic gets 39 MPG...and i would trust a Honda more than a Hyundai. Am i missing something?