GF is car shopping

[Thizzelle]

I would just lease a kia sportage

[agent]

she's bent up the stock wheels to basically 4 octagons, although that might be because she hits every pothole in the road

That's funny.

Why does it have to be a 2008 or newer? $10k or less, well-optioned and something you could (help her) do the maintenance on screams E39 to me.

[Joe G]

That's funny.

Why does it have to be a 2008 or newer? $10k or less, well-optioned and something you could (help her) do the maintenance on screams E39 to me.

Her dad is buying the car for her and just wants something that fits that criteria. I am not at all opposed to getting her set up in something like an e39, but for her wants/needs and her Dads peace of mind the mentioned criteria is just the most practical. Not to mention she really isn't a 'car person' at all and will surely treat whatever her next car is to its fair share of curb bumps, relatively poor paint care, inconsiderate parking, etc.... I would not be happy to see a BMW that I work on begin parked in tight spots, having a dog mess up the interior, few dings here and there, etc....


She needs a safe, reliable car to get her to and from work with some nice/modern features, good MPG, and low miles.

[agent]

Fair enough. For non-BMW cars I'm partial to Hondas. I'd imagine you can probably pick up a 4-cylinder '08 or '09 Accord somewhere around that price range.

[ST1G]

Hyundais = cheapest interiors in the world, everything is an afterthough, including silly things like charging ports. Everything is in an awkward place, etc. Mazdas are better, but the Speed3s pour gas out of the exhaust, its like its running rich 24/7. 6's are ok, not my choice, but if you want a cheap appliance with a stiff ride go ahead, mazda 3 wagons are boring, the auto trans sucks, and they are always beat to shit and have issues.

I work on a mates Hyundai. They are garbage. Absolute garbage.

Toyota 4runner.

[Dozyproductions]

If you go the e30 route, you might only be able to afford one... with nice interior rep wheels and 300k+ miles. ford escape? Or honda and call it a day

[TimbyMaTombo]

You could get an 08+ Civic Hybrid in the $10k range. Most of the ones I saw had more than 75k miles but a couple were under. I don't have much experience with them but I have ridden in one and it's pretty plain. Gets you where you need to go without too much excitement.

Camrys and Corollas are also in the price range and I haven't heard anything bad about them but again, don't have much experience with them.
Just be cautious, about five years ago, Toyota changed their slogan to "Moving foward, even when you press the brakes."

[Stanley Rockafella]

later Focus wagon/sedan

dirt cheap to buy from private or a dealer and super cheap to repair (replaced two noisey rear shock mounts on my car for $5 each from the dealer). Sure the interior is kinda low-rent (buzzy at some rpm's/temps, but considering everything works (incl the heated seats) I really can't think of a better bargain for the price

for a comporable Civic/Corolla/Mazduh, I'd be out an additional 2-3g's (I only paid 6 for a loaded 07 with 60k miles from a dealer)

[ParsedOut]

Stay away from Mini Coopers unless you want to maintain it like a BMW needs. They are far from "trouble free" as a general rule.

I'll second the GLI/GTI 2.0T FSI option. I had an 08 GTI with 6 speed manual, it was a really fun car to drive, felt way faster than 200hp. Built really well and don't suffer the electrical gremlins of the previous body style.

She's not going to find a good, low mileage SUV for that kind of money. Trust me, I've looked. She could roll the dice on a 100k mile 7 year old Pathfinder or 150k mile 10 year old Toyota. Anything else in the price range isn't worth the risk.

[ST1G]

Yeah, I would go with a Toyota Corolla realistically. Great milage, the S models are kinda sporty, and they will last and hold there value.

[Fusion]

Why's there going to be a car in the kitchen?

[scotte30]

If she wants an SUV my vote goes to the 4runner, very solid, reliable vehicles. If she doesn't want an SUV I say look into the Saab 9-3/9-5. I know you can a hell of a deal on some of them considering there out of business, great cars too.

[rturbo 930]

I'll second the GLI/GTI 2.0T FSI option. I had an 08 GTI with 6 speed manual, it was a really fun car to drive, felt way faster than 200hp. Built really well and don't suffer the electrical gremlins of the previous body style.

You mean TSI? FSI motors have some issues. Regardless, I don't think you can get them under 10k. I've been looking into MK4/5/6 GTIs and I didn't see many 09+ in that price range.

[rhE-30]

I have an 2006 Mazda 3 2.3, manual trans. 114k miles, not a hiccup from the motor, it idles really quietly. Besides regular maintence, all I had to change was the shocks and tires. This generation, the drivetrain was produced by fomoco, so basically a ford focus. I think the control arm bushings are going right about now though.

[kwill22]

2 interiors I hate. Mazda and Toyota.