What is the best car and why?

[Roni]

My husband and I are wanting to buy a cheap reliable second hand car.

I have been researching and have come up with the following cars that seem to be quite good -:

Toyota

Echo
Corolla
Camry
Sienna
Tercel

Honda

Civic
Accord
CR-V

Saturn

SC
SL

Nissan

Sentra

I would appreciate any feedback on these cars and any advice, I have read an awesome book called Lemon Aid and I have got quite a bit of information from it. We will be using the car to drive around town and to Calgary and back once a month.

Thanks

Roni :burnout:

[GTS Jeff]

well, every car is "good" for someone, but it may not be "good" for u. u need to figure out your own needs and wants before deciding on a car. its tough to compare a minivan to an economy car u know?

with that said, cross saturn off the list for being plastic and cross sentra off the list because u can get better cars for the money.

[Roni]

Sweet thanks fior your time, did I accidently put a mini van in there? Which one is that I will cross it off my list...
We are students and need only an economy car...:confused:


Thanks for the feedback mate :thumbsup:

[JordanLotoski]

what about a nissan altima?

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by Roni
Sweet thanks fior your time, did I accidently put a mini van in there? Which one is that I will cross it off my list...
We are students and need only an economy car...:confused:


Thanks for the feedback mate :thumbsup: toyota sienna!

what about size? uve listed cars as small as the echo (subcompact) to cars like the cr-v (small suv)

[That.Guy.S30]

Originally posted by Roni
Sweet thanks fior your time, did I accidently put a mini van in there? Which one is that I will cross it off my list...
We are students and need only an economy car...:confused:


Thanks for the feedback mate :thumbsup:

in the toyota list you put seinna which is a minvan.

if you guys want a reliable car buy a civic or a corolla. they are really good on gas which helps the pockets from time to time.

[wildrice]

and the honda cr-v is a suv
can be pretty pricy
and Thi was right
if you want something that'll last you a while, affordable, and easy to drive, stick with the civic or corolla

and don't buy a saturn unless it's your last option
saturn's break down easy

[Skylinelover]

Also for saturn the L-series are nicecars too.

[Roni]

Originally posted by MIWYFSHOT
what about a nissan altima?

It is now on my list and I will explore it firther thanks :)

[GTS Jeff]

id say echo hatch. way better on gas than everything else on your list and way more fun to drive.

[EK 2.0]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff
id say echo hatch. way better on gas than everything else on your list and way more fun to drive.


Having actually test-driven one...I have to say...Jeff is right...that car was way more fun that it looks, and is AMAZING on gas...all it really needed was better rubber and it would have been a hoot to own...

[Roni]

Ok so, I have 2 stars for a Corolla and Civic.... a CR-V is an SUV (is that a sporty car??)
Also in the book it said that if I want to drive long distances a 6 cylinder car is best... Do you guys drive far and do you recommend the said cars for monthly trips to calgary, which is a 3 hour drive (for my mother in law ;) ) from Lethbridge....

This site rocks with info and helpful people :thumbsup:

Cheers Dudes !!!!

:D

[JordanLotoski]

ive got a new maxima..love it

[Roni]

whats a maxima???

[Skylinelover]

V6 is alot better than 4 cylender. If you want more power go V6 and plus it is an extra kick on the highway :burnout:

[Roni]

so would i be able to get civic, echo or corolla in 6 cylinder??

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by Roni
so would i be able to get civic, echo or corolla in 6 cylinder?? gas mileage is measured in miles per gallon (mpg) and im positive that the echo hatch has the highest mpg out of all the cars uve listed and will be better than any 6 cylinder car as well.

the echo has a tiny engine, but because the car is super light, it is still decentlly quick. forget the civic and corolla. the civic is way overpriced for what u get and both are less fun, worse on gas, slower, more common, uglier, etc etc than the echo hatch.

make sure u get an echo hatch, not the sedan. the sedan is a totally different car.

[Roni]

You guys have really helped a clueless chick like me :confused:

Thank you :D

[JordanLotoski]

nissan maxima man...look the up...265 hp...255 pounds of torque:D

[JordanLotoski]

maxima

[Roni]

Man that is a nice car !!!! Maybe when we are in our careers ;)

[fast95pony]

Originally posted by Roni
Man that is a nice car !!!! Maybe when we are in our careers ;)

Car salesperson ???


:tongue:


:rofl:

[Rockski]

a good car, lada samara ....:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Khyron]

Budget range?

I find the Echo too small and can't stand the center console. But it is a good car.

If you want to go even cheaper, look at a new Hyundai Elantra GT or an Accent if small car ok. 8 year warranty, reliability has made huge strides in the last 10 years. It might not be Toyota/Honda but it's better than most domestics.

And that whole "you need a v6" is crap - it's all about power to weight. If you have a SUV, you need a v6 or more but on a car? Please.

Khyron

[Xtrema]

You are students, what's your budget for this?

And when I say budget, I don't mean the price of the car. I mean how much are you willing to spend/month on:

- Insurance
- Gas
- Maintenance
- Car payment

Once you know how much you can afford, then work backward and cross out the list of cars that's out of your range.

I often see people buy cars because they are cool or nice or lots of power but find out later they can't either afford the insurance or gas and ends up taking the bus anyway. It's really sad.

For students, you best bets would be a used car would be Echo (non-hatch because hatch is pretty new), Civic, Corolla or some Hyundai's. Keep it 4 doors to keep your insurance cheap. These are 4 cyclinder cars that doesn't use much gas and maintenance is probably low if it's been well maintained.

Do some insurance shopping while you do car shopping, so you won't get sticker shock after you paid for the car.

And if you insist on buying a used car, bring someone with you that knows cars or know s a good mechanic. So you won't be scammed.

Good luck.

[CLiVE]

I suggest you check out the following. All have decent performance and gas mileage, and are very affordable.

Mazda 3
Mazda Protege 5
Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Nissan Sentra Spec V
Mini Cooper Classic (had to throw that one in...lol At least test drive it, a blast to drive!)

I've test driven all of them, and out of the list I would buy the Mazda 3.

[1-Bar]

Originally posted by CLiVE
I suggest you check out the following. All have decent performance and gas mileage, and are very affordable.

Mazda 3
Mazda Protege 5
Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart
Nissan Sentra Spec V
Mini Cooper Classic (had to throw that one in...lol At least test drive it, a blast to drive!)

I've test driven all of them, and out of the list I would buy the Mazda 3.

I'll trade you a Mazda 3 for your Mini then.....:D

[chevydude52]

out of those any toyota or the nissian

[toyboy88]

for gettin a used car of all the others u have on the list, u can get a brand new echo hatchback with looks sporty and fun to drive and affordable:thumbsup:

[CLiVE]

Originally posted by 1-Bar


I'll trade you a Mazda 3 for your Mini then.....:D

notice I didn't mention Mini Cooper S in the list.

I said I would buy a Mazda 3 over a base MINI Classic....

The MINI Cooper S is a different story....

[dezmarez]

mustang 5.0!!

[statick]

one thing u should know , is that if u want 2 buy used car... u cant get the toyota echo hatchbak....but if u can shell out the money for that .. its ur best bet......

if u cant get a new car , and ur price range is more limited go for the nissan sentra spec v ( a bti pricey for the type of car it is, but can "perform", its reliable, and would run u cheaper than corrola s, or civic si-r...... not as good on gas tho)........or i would go with a mazda protege 5 ( fun 2 drive, reliable, not as fast as sentra spec v, but probly cheaper , and better on gas.

-good luck with car search....let us know wut u buy.