4 cylinder vs. V6

Hey everyone!

Alright, this is probably in the wrong section, but it seemed too simple to be in the technical section, plus this seemed to be the section that seems to be the most broad.

Anyways, I'm 16, and looking around for my first car, so my budget is pretty low. I've noticed that lots of the older cars that are decently styled have a V6 engine. I know that the 4 cylinders tend to be more reliable, but just how much more reliable are they? Is it worth passing up a car if it has a V6?

Thanks to everyone who posts!

Since you have a limited budget, i'g go with the 4-banger for gas mileage. In my opinion a 16yr old (like myself) doesn't really need a V6. A 4cyl will have plenty of power.

sure he needs a V6, i have a straight 6 in my truck and im 17

yeah, youre most likely going to want to stick with a 4cyl. a little better on gas (depending how you drive) and usually cheaper on insurance, not to mention maintenance. my civic gets around 25-30 mpg.

Wow fast response. Thanks a bunch!

Just wondering though, just in terms of reliability (not miles per gallon, etc) how much better would a 4 cylinder be? Most of the cars I'm looking at have around the same mpg, plus they're all pretty old, so gas and insurance aren't the biggest factors for me. Will the V6 have just about the same reliability or will it make a big difference?

Once again, thanks a bunch!

that all depends on the vehicles make, history of maintenance, and how it was driven. not trying to be biased, but Honda, Toyota, Acura, and Lexus are all very reliable. As are most Chevys. The important thing is to make sure the car that you do buy is "clean" meaning it looks good (good paint, no damage, good enough interior,) no major borken parts, and it runs well. Alot of times the exterior of the car is a good indicator of how well the car was cared for. sometimes its not though, so watch out. But a car that has all new tires, recently serviced and repaired parts, and a good body is probably a solid car. Obviously, you want the lowest mileage possible. Yo ujust have to shop around, take your time, and be patient. Dont take anyones "word for it" take the cars for good test drives and look them over thoroughly.

yeah, youre most likely going to want to stick with a 4cyl. a little better on gas (depending how you drive) and usually cheaper on insurance, not to mention maintenance. my civic gets around 25-30 mpg.
In comparison, the last 6 Chrysler V6 midsize cars I've owned all got gas mileage in the 25-30 mpg range. My current business use car, an 05 Sebring with the 2.7 V6 consistently gets 29 mpg, running the interstates.

Regards:
Oldengineer

I'm 16 to and I can tell you that you don't need a 6 cylinder, a 4 will be fine. But who am I to talk while im driving around a 400HP V8?

It really depends on what you're looking for....if you want a cheap reliable car that gets good gas mileage, get an EX Civic, it has 127hp (doesn't sound like much) and it still gets good gas mileage. I personally would never buy an older American made car w/ a V6, you're going to get worse gas mileage and have the same if not less power per pound as the Civic.

I have owned a
1992 Buick Skylark with a 3.3L V6 170hp(which i still have)
1997 Honda Civic EX coupe SOHC VTEC 1.6L I-4 127hp
1999 Acura Integra GSR 1.8L I-4 DOHC VTEC 179hp (current car)

Out of all of those, the Honda and the Acura are 1000x better and faster than my Skylark and as far as gas mileage, they kill the Skylark. I would say to get a Civic or any B-series VTEC Honda if you can afford it.

your hondas got better gas mileage than your skylark because they were 5 and 7 years newer.

well... this may be a bit above average, but I'm 17 and have gone through 3 cars as daily drivers. 120 hp I6, 250 hp V8, and 175 hp I6 respectively. I never had any reliability problems with any of them. My dad used to drive an acura legend with a 170ish hp V6 and we had few problems with that either.

I'd say go toyota, honda, or volvo (roughly in that order) if you want low maintenance costs.

Hey again!

Alright, well thanks to everyone for posting! I'll try to get a 4 cylinder, but it sounds like a V6 would still be quite acceptable. Once again, thanks to everyone!