FAQ: What car should I buy thread.

[clawhammer]

Mods, please sticky this.

Lately there have been a lot of threads about what car should I get. Instead of being a smartass and posting pictures of pink cars, I decided to make a thread that will contain useful information. I'm hoping that there will be almost no more threads about what car should I get. If you do make a thread, you probably won't get any more information than what's already here. People will simply recommend the cars that they currently drive or want to drive.

Before we begin, there is a saying in the automotive world that goes like this: "Cheap, fast, reliable" Pick two. Keep this in mind when shopping for a car.

If you're looking for your first car, pretty much everyone here will recommend something that is cheap and reliable. It will not be fast, but that's a good thing: you chances of injuring/killing yourself and/or someone else will greatly decrease. The car should get decent gas mileage (30+ mpg). I'd also recommend not doing any kinds of mods to this car, just learning how to drive it well. Save your money for your next car. I'd also recommend buying something with a manual transmission. Cars that will make great first cars: Honda Civic and Accord as well as their competitors, Scion tC, Pontiac Vibe, Mazda Miata, etc. No matter what your budget is, you should buy something from this category.

Once you have at least a year of real road experience, you may be ready for something with a bit more power. At this point you can get something cheap that won't be very reliable or you can get something more expensive that will still remain reliable. As for whether or not you choose to modify the car, it's really up to you. As long as you act mature and responsible, you're probably "ready" for more power. If you do decide to modify a car, my only request is that you don't become a ricer, keep the car clean. I would highly recommend taking your car to an auto-x event or open track day so you can safely learn how the car will behave in different situations. I'll try to make recommendations based on price:
5-10k - Civic with a swap, Maxima, Integra, 240sx, DSM, Camaro/Firebird, Mustang, etc.
10-15k - Camaro/Firebird, Mustang, Celica GTS, Maxima, RSX-S, SRT-4, etc
15k-20k - new Civic Si, RSX-S, Cobalt SS, GTI,

Then of course there are the current generation of sports car. On the imports side the main 5 are the S2000, 350Z, RX-8, Evo and Sti. The domestics offer the GTO, Mustang, Solstice GXP and I can't think of anything else. If you want to buy something from this category, don't bother making a post. Go test drive them all and make a decision yourself, but once you do get the car, make a post with pictures of it.

Please feel free to add to this, and mods, please sticky it.

Websites to look at when doing research on what car to buy:
http://www.kbb.com - new and used car values
http://www.edmunds.com - new and used car values and specs
https://www.dragtimes.com - 1/4 times actual people have run
http://www.albeedigital.com/supercou...0-60times.html - magazine 0-60 and 1/4 times for many cars.
http://www.epinions.com - Actual reviews from real users.
http://www.carbuyingtips.com - common scams, negotiating tips, checklists, etc. very useful stuff

Websites to look at used and and new cars for sale:
http://www.autotrader.com
http://www.cars.com
http://www.ebay.com
http://www.craigslist.org
Local newspaper
forums for that specific brand/model
Local forums

[slideways...]

+1.

[G-man422]

Very useful info.

Also just to add to this, make sure you DO YOUR RESAEARCH! Too many people just get a specific model stuck in their head, and overpay.

Useful sites are:
www.epinions.com -Gives actual feedback from people who own the car (and other products)
www.kbb.com -tells a fair price for car in current condition, miles, etc.

[clawhammer]

Thanks for the tips. I edited the initial post. Let me know if there is anything else that needs to be added.

[xXxRocker5150]

For AWESOME reviews on vehicles, and tons of specs, check out http://auto.consumerguide.com

[Gotian]

I think we should all contribute to this thread by posting our experiences with our cars, meaning the lower powered spectrum of used cars. For example if i were to recommend a 1.8t whether it be the jetta or gti I would list its pro's and con's and then on the first post give a link to each vehicle that has been mentioned so there is a quick reference. so I will start.

2002 jetta/gti 1.8t 5 speed:
Can be found for about 10k with 40k miles on it. Stock it boosts 11 pounds out of a pretty small but quick spooling turbo. Stock hp is 180 which kicks in at 3200rpms and 180tq which kicks in at 1900 rpms. stock 1/4 is about 15.1 (quickest stock time has been recorded at 14.8) 0-60 in 6.3.

Pros: Seats 4 to 5 people
great gas milage with decent power (i've gotten 400miles out of my tank)
greta re-sale value (they are like the civics only alot faster
stock boost
great aftermarket out there
easy gains for little money
very solid and reliable engine
most electrical issues were fixed for 02

cons: just cause it has 4 doors does not mean it's cheap insurance.
interior isnt the greatest
looks like every other jetta out there
if something does break it can get a little pricey
the side mount intercooler heats up to quickly.

okay so whose next?

[Polygon]

Stickied.

Also, if you're going to add to the thread keep in organized please.

[slideways...]

nissan 240sx

s13
1989-1994
1994 models came only convertible and only automatic
1989-1990 came with the ka24e SOHC motor, 135hp, 150ftlb
1991 and later came with DOHC ka24de, 155hp, 160ftlb
both motors are iron block/aluminum head, cast pistons, forged rods, SOHC has dual valvesprings stock.
suspension is front mcpherson strut and rear multilink with optional 4wheel steering.


a good running car can be anywhere from about 1500 to 5000, depending on condition and also depending on the F+F influence in your area.

pros-
--lightweight (coupes are about 2650lbs, hatchbacks are 2700, and convertibles are about 2850)
--very good handling
--lots of aftermarket support
--rear wheel drive
--strong motor
--very strong rear end (r200 is smaller, lighter, and not much weaker than a ford 9")
--relatively cheap
--decent gas mileage (mid 20s)
--interchangeable suspension and rear end with a number of different nissans, i.e. skyline, 300zx, j30


cons-

--old car = lots of maintanence
--stock brakes are barely adequate for stock power levels
--not very common car
--really no way to make it fast without forced induction of some sort
--rear wheel drive(if you cant handle it in the winter, it can be a con)
--almost all have open differential, which is actually not a lot worse than the optional vlsd, because a VLSD that old needs to be replaced or rebuilt anyways.



usual mods-
SR20DET swap
S13 silvia fixed headlights
turbocharge the stock KA24DE
RB25DET swap
a few RB26 swaps are out there and there are starting to be some VQ35 swaps being done.
180sx tail lights on the hatchbacks
300zx brakes
5 lug hub swaps


oh and like with all nissans, bosch spark plugs are the anti-christ

[Chad82]

Great thread. Below are some personal reviews of my previous cars (will add to this at later dates, getting lazy after 2 right now). I will also add some reviews of friends cars that I have both worked on and driven.

92 Maxima SE (an old car of mine). Bought in August 2000 for $3400 with 120k miles on it. It remained bone-stock the entire time I had it. It was an automatic. I owned this car until June 2004 when it was totaled. I experienced 27 MPG on straight freeway, 26 on mostly backroads (40-50 MPH with occassional stops) and 22 in city.
+ I loved the dash on the SE. The other trims, it was rather plain, but the SE, while virtually the same, felt special with the white gauges.
+ Room. I am 6'8" (I was 6'5"-6'8" when I owned this car) and it actually felt roomy. When passengers were riding I could move the seat up, which is a rarity.
+ Quickness. Don't know the 0-60 or 1/4, but it was quick enough, or even too quick, for beginning drivers. Passing on the back roads and merging on the freeway were never problems.
+ Upholstery. It had leather interior which was very nice and durable. Very comfortable seats.
+ Seats 4 6 footers comfortably. Great for long distance drives.
- Rather dull looking from all angles except straight on.
- The factory paint job, especially over the plastic parts, was subpar.
- Bose factory sound system sucks, real pain to work around.
-/+ Good responsiveness in steering, but had some real understeer.
Only maintenance was routine other than a waterpump that went out. Very easy car to work on. Not counting oil changes, total maintenance cost for the nearly 4 years I owned it were ~$1200 (including nearly $500 for a mechanic to do the waterpump, because I didn't have time to do it and needed it as soon as possible).
Overall, highly recomended for youngin's

92 Supra NA (first car of mine). Manual. Bought November 1998 for $5800 with 70,000 miles on it. Was sold August 2000 as the insurance/gas was too high for a college student. I did minor weight reduction but no other real mods. In 2000 I sold it for a little over $6k. MPG was low 20s on freeway, high teens on backroads/cities.
+ Quickness. It was too fast for a beginner. Almost got into trouble numbers of times.
+ Handling. It handled much better than a 3500 pound car should.
+ Ride. It was a stiff right but it made you feel more like an extension of the car.
- Visibility. Seems like there were significant blind spots behind the pillars.
- Factory paint. No matter what I did to it, it still looked like an old car. Kind of a matte finish instead of a nice shine.
Only maintenance was routine. I was inexperienced, but it was deffinately harder to work on the the Maxima.
Overall Better as a second car/toy to fiddle around with. If you buy one, only get a turbo, though, as modding on a NA is difficult, from what I hear. Probably not a good choice for a beginner, though.

[clawhammer]

Review about cars that I've owned. From first to current

2000 Ford Taurus. I bought this car with 53k miles for $5300 back in December of 2003 and sold for about the same in July of 2004 with about 57k miles.
Good
-Good highway cruiser for long trips
-Lots of space

Bad
-Horrible gas mileage. I remember getting mid teens in the city during the winter
-Plain
-Boring
Overall, it's a plain, boring car that I wouldn't recommend for anything. There are better choices out there.

1991 Honda CRX Si. Bought in August of 2004 with 182k miles for $1100, sold in January of 2005 with 204k miles non-running for $500.
Good
-40 mpg at 100 mph. Find any new car that will beat that.
-lightweight
-cheap insurance
-cheap parts

Bad
-mine had quite a bit of rust because of age
-mine had no ac
-mine was really loud because of the fart can exhaust and later on because of a lack of exhaust
-not sure how safe it is
I would highly recommend this as a starter car for everyone. Everything about the car was cheap, the purchase price, gas, insurance, parts. It was a great car for me.

1991 Toyota MR2. I paid $750 for this car in February of 2005 with 138k miles and a bad engine. Sold it in February of 2006 for around $2000 with 139k miles. I rebuilt the engine.
Good
-MR platform
-Pretty loud, because engine is behind you
-

Bad
-felt a bit underpowered
-Bad in snow
I can't really comment on much else, because I didn't drive it much. It was a project car that was sold upon completion. Probably not a good first car, but would make a good second car. Watch out for snap oversteer though.

2001 Honda S2000. Bought in February of 2006 with 19k, still have the car. It has 24k miles on it today.
Good
-perfect neutral handling
-best NA 4-cylinder engine made to date, 9000 rpm redline
-convertible
-perfect transmission
-fun to drive factor better than almost every car

Bad
-very little interior space
I'd highly recommend this over the competitors (350z, rx-8, evo, sti). I've driven the 350z and the RX-8 and have ridden in both an evo and an sti, and neither of them have the same handling or the same fun-to-drive factor. It is not a beginners car though, you really should drive something for a couple of years before getting an S2000.

[slideways...]

1991-1994 Sentra SE-R
Model Code: B13
Engine Code: SR20DE
Horse Power: 140 @ 6400rpm
Torque: 132 lb/ft @ 4800rpm
RPM limited at 7500rpm (200SX SE-R is limited to 7100rpm)
Displacement: 1998cc
Compression: 9.5:1
0-60mph: approx. 7.6 to 8.3 seconds (R&T,MT,C&D)
1/4mile: approx. 15.8 seconds (R&T,MT,C&D)
Weight distribution: 62/38
Brakes: 9.8" vented disks front 9.1" solid disks rear
Weight: approx. 2450 lbs


pros
-cheap to buy, fix, upgrade, insure, ect. ect.
-decent speed stock, can be made much better
-very upgradeable, both the engine and suspension
-good (but not great) gas mileage
-good handling stock, can be made much better
-doesnt attract unwanted attention
-very very good first car, second car, third car, last car

cons
-front wheel drive
-sorta ugly
-not much else

[Chad82]

Should we give reviews on non-standard "what should I buy" choices? If so, I got a couple more:

'91 Infiniti Q45 (my last car). Only available in auto transmission. Bought June 2004 for $2000 with 13Xk miles on it. I was poor and in college and just needed something to last me a year. I ended up driving it until February 2006 when it got loads and loads of electrical problems (either from a leaky trunk or from damage at the front of the passenger side door/front fender, I think). I traded it into a dealer for $3500 with 148k miles for credit off my 4Runner (because of the high trade in value, it was more off the price of the 4Runner than a price for the Q, but they wouldn't budge on the sticker price of the 4Runner but would negotiate in the trade in. Real value was likely around $1k). I experienced 19 MPG freeway, 12-14 MPG city. Requires premium fuel.
+ Quick for a boat (low 7s 0-60)
+ Seats are like lazy-boys on wheels.
+ Roomy, not as large (seemingly) as the Maxima I previously wrote about, but still good for 4 6 footers seated comfortably.
+ Rather classic styling (for a luxury sedan). The 94-96 look as good as anything coming out of Germany, IMO.
- Horrible fuel economy.
- Lots of useless features that don't work too (analog clock, HICAS steering [its worthless], 6 or so ash trays/cigarette lighters and before I was getting all the electrical problems, the passenger seat power seat motor went out, and the power windows were failing).
- Plenum is a pain in the ass to take off.
The rest of the maintenance, without actually doing any, seemed pretty difficult as the engine compartment is quite cramped. The 90-93 had some long term problems that make them expensive to own, but a 94/95 (96 loses the VVT) I would recomend if you are looking for a competent highway cruiser. The handling is surprising good for a 2 ton boat, but at the end of the day it is still a 4000 pound boat. I would also suggest avoiding the "Q45A" models, as the aging active suspension, no matter how good it was when it was new, is going to ultimately fail and just be dead weight.
Overall If you can find a good deal on a 94-95, it is one hell of a car for the money. Parts are expensive, but, barring crazy electrical problems like mine had, it should be a rather reliable luxo-cruiser.

01 Toyota 4Runner SR5 [4x4] auto tranny Bought February 2006 for "$17500" through a dealer (my first time). I put quote around the price since I traded in my messed up Q for $3500, which I don't think would be worth anything more than $1k, so I think my actual purchase price was more like $15k. Had 62k miles when purchased. I get just under 20 MPG freeway and 15-18 city/back roads, and this is with 31" On/Off road all-terrains, smaller tires would probably give better results.
+ Competent off-road vehicle. Comes with an optional locking rear diff (which mine has) which has gotten me out of a number of mud bogs.
+ Folding rear seats give plenty of cargo room.
+ Surprisingly good visibility for an SUV.
+ Good clearance (9.5" with the 265 optional tires which are pretty common on the 4x4s)
- Poor ride (although this is partially because I am setting it up to be a real off-roader, stock configuration is better but still not near car quality).
- Limited rear seating compared to other SUVs its size.
- Slow. I don't know the numbers but I would suspect a 10 second 0-60 on mine. There was an optional dealer installed supercharger which is supposed to make them pretty peppy, but I hear there are transmission problems with that option.
I haven't had to do any maintenance beyond oil change so far.
Overall great daily driver if you can swallow the fuel cost. Deffinately won't be taking it on the tracks, but you can still have loads of fun in mud pits and trail riding. Also can make a good rock crawling rig, but for the cost it would likely be smarter to go with another one of the choices.

[clawhammer]

Added carbuyingtips.com

[Chad82]

Also would suggesting http://consumerguideauto.howstuffwor...car-search.htm
as a link for research. It seems more comprensive than a number of the other sites out there and gives a year by year break down within models for what changes, problem spots, etc. Although I should note that their "prices" suck.

[ahayes3619]

Im looking for a car that i can turn into a fast and powerful race car. I was thinking about some type of buick or oldsmobile but am open to suggestions. Please help.