Looking to buy an easy car to maintain

[nelsongirl05]

Hello, everyone. I'm new to this site and I am sure all of you nice people will be able to help.

I currently have a 2001 Jetta GLS that just recently had to be registered as salvaged due to an accident that took out one of the taillights. The cost was deemed more than it was worth so I kept the car, got some cash and registered it.

Anyway, I'm kinda sick of dealing with the things that go wrong with my car, and worrying that a mechanic is going to screw me over when fixing them.

My thought is to buy an older car that is easy to maintain/fix myself and has pretty good gas mileage. I have very minimal car knowledge, but I'm a quick learner. My father (who is out of state) is a great mechanic and can pretty much walk me through anything.

I want something that isn't complicated, and will get me to and from where I need to go. Also, I want something that I can learn from.

Anyway, this is long-winded, but any advice I can get is appreciated. I'm very glad that this site is here, and I am interested to see what I can learn.

[CivicSpoon]

I'm a little biased here, but I'd recommend a '92-'95 Honda Civic. It's reliable, can be purchased for fairly cheap, parts are fairly cheap, and gets good to great gas mileage (depending on the trim EX/Si = good VX = rivaling hybrids). In my opinion, it is VERY easy to work on. Very well organized in the engine bay, with most things easily accessible.

On top of that, there is a huge community out there, that is more than willing to help. Thread after thread of DIY and tutorials, with detailed pictures and info, on almost anything you could possibly want to know about.

One of the downsides, of course, is how popular they are to thieves (and to steal).