Ideal First Car?

[Cycloptishred]

I'm a new driver and I'm wondering what your opinion is on the subject.

I currently own a 3rd generation honda accord with a manuel transmission and I'm saving up for something that would be more suited for a new driver. Although I really dont like automatic transmissions.

Thanks for the help.

[Shpuker]

If you like a manuel transmission then thats great, you'll get better mileage and have more fun while driving. (not that an Accord is fun )

What kind of budget are you lookin at?

[MagicRat]

The best car for the new driver is...... the one with the lowest insurance rates.

New drivers tend to get clobbered on insurance, until they get a few years of claim-free and accident-free driving behind them.
Such high rates are made much worse by driving a high-performance sports car and/or an expensive car, that costs a lot to repair.

An older car, one with 4 doors, a 4 cylinder engine, and a cheaper, widely available car all contribute to lower insurance rates.

Are you looking to buy a new car? What kinds of cars do you like, and in what price range? Also, what do you not like about the Accord, or why do you think it's not suited for a new driver?

[akboss]

Good point on insurance. A few cars with great insurance rates are the Volvo S80, Chevy Impala, Buick LeSabre and Hyundai Santa Fe. What's wrong with the Accord?

[NotoriousPhil]

For a first car honda or toyota are ideal aftermarket parts are in abundance which means cheaper repairs. Whats wrong with your accord anyways?

[generalsoul]

im also new to owning cars. my 16th birthday is coming up and i dont know what kind of car or truck i want. or if i even want a truck.... plus i have a below 17k price range. my brother told me that a 2000 honda civic 4door would be a good starter. but besides finding the right car, i dont know what colors or rims or anything. i just know i want something with pretty good gas-mileage and thats fast. if anyone can help me with this plzzzz do so! thx

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by generalsoul

im also new to owning cars. my 16th birthday is coming up and i dont know what kind of car or truck i want. or if i even want a truck.... plus i have a below 17k price range. my brother told me that a 2000 honda civic 4door would be a good starter. but besides finding the right car, i dont know what colors or rims or anything. i just know i want something with pretty good gas-mileage and thats fast. if anyone can help me with this plzzzz do so! thx

Well, this site has about a million posts of useful car info, so start reading.

[drunken monkey]

Originally Posted by Shpuker

not that an Accord is fun

1998 Honda Accord Type-R (UK); one of the finest handling cars ever made.
Of course, that is the proverbial exception that proves the rule...


Anyway.
Did you guys ever get the T-Sport version of the Toyota Yaris/Vitz/Echo?
Bargain basement proces now for a bullet proof car that is cheap to insure, cheap to run and with enough poke to keep the 950kg moving.
Not the fastest bug on the block (0-60 is a biscuit under 9secs...) but it'll keep you smiling if you make the little engine sing.

On the other hand, as the others have asked, what's wrong with the Accord?
Granted it's no Integra but it isn't a bad car for it's age either.

[Shpuker]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

1998 Honda Accord Type-R (UK); one of the finest handling cars ever made.
Of course, that is the proverbial exception that proves the rule...


Anyway.
Did you guys ever get the T-Sport version of the Toyota Yaris/Vitz/Echo?
Bargain basement proces now for a bullet proof car that is cheap to insure, cheap to run and with enough poke to keep the 950kg moving.
Not the fastest bug on the block (0-60 is a biscuit under 9secs...) but it'll keep you smiling if you make the little engine sing.

On the other hand, as the others have asked, what's wrong with the Accord?
Granted it's no Integra but it isn't a bad car for it's age either.

Well it's plenty reliable, but pretty much all of them recently, or at least somewhat recently, are horribly boring. A lot of the really old Toyota's and Honda's were actually fun cars, for example



One of my favorite cars ever.

[kkautos]

Don't forget about reliability!

It's all very well choosing a car with a low insurance category but if its always on the back of an AA truck it gonna be just as expensive.

Look for low insurance, reliabilty, low maintenance costs.

Japanese cars for reliabilty, Ford are good as parts are very cheap.

Steer clear of French and German cars as tempting as they might be! Don't assume that if its German its well built cos not all of them are.

Happy hunting!

http://www.kk-autos.com

[Ray paulsen]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

Well, this site has about a million posts of useful car info, so start reading.

Excellent answer, only time will tell if poster is passing through or looking for real answers.

[Cycloptishred]

Many things are wrong with my accord. It will be broken down within the year.

[NotoriousPhil]

May be better to fix it instead of getting rid of it if the body is in good shape. How do you know in a year things are going to be wrong with it unless they are a problem now?

[Cycloptishred]

Its little things like the transmission and the space heater. And much more that I dont remember.

aybe if I took good care of it, it could last a little longer.

[Shpuker]

Originally Posted by Cycloptishred

Its little things like the transmission and the space heater. And much more that I dont remember.

aybe if I took good care of it, it could last a little longer.

Really? You had to think twice on that one?