What to get as a good first car

I'll be going to college in a few years, and may or may not need to get a car.

I've had my license a year now and use my mom's Honda Accord and my dad's Ford F-150, with the Accord in use most.

I thought I'd get an excessive head start on finding good car possibilities, so does anyone have any good suggestions? Note that I'd likely be buying used to save money, so unless the car is cheap new, try to stick to older models. I also despise SUV's, minivans, crossovers, and the like, too, due to personal taste.

This post can also be for anyone else who is unsure of what FIRST (haha) car to get.


So far I've found a few possibilities:

Honda Accord, Civic, Fit
VW Jetta
Mini Cooper

I don't really like American cars, apparently.

[DonRotolo]

First focus needs to be on safety. A new-enough car with at least anti-lock brakes and airbags, and larger rather than smaller. Check the IIHS and NHTSA safety ratings. Also, remember that in a collision, mass wins.

Second needs to be reliability. Stranded is a bummer, but it can be dangerous as well (first point)

Then check the classifieds or eBay for what kind of car you can get for the money you have. Keep $1000 aside (for a $5000 car) for repairs; nobody sells a perfectly fine car, regardless of the story.

If you're not a car expert, pay a mechanic or dealer $250-300 for a pre-purchase inspection. Not only will this prevent a serious error, you'll know what to spend the remaining money of your $1000 on. Safety things first (tires, brakes, steering system, suspension), reliability next.

ANY car with ANY rust should be crossed off your list, unless you expect to keep the car for only a year or 2. Or really have very little money. If the car has all the maintenance records, that means someone cared about it.

The last thing to consider is maintenance costs. You can buy a 1988 Mercedes 300E in good condition for $4k (both safe & reliable), but remember it still costs like the $40k car it was to maintain. Learn the basic jobs, like oil & filter, fluids, tire pressure & rotation, maybe even brakes, to save a lot here.

I've been a car engineer for 25 years. Do this and you'll be satisfied.

Oh, and remember: A car can be painted any color for under $500.

Thanks for the advice.

[MrForbes]

Volvo 544

1959 Chevy pickup

1993 Ford Crown Victoria

(these are examples of good first cars from personal experience, they may or may not be good for you)

[davidthefat]

Also consider fuel mileage. More mass = a bigger force to get the same acceleration. Gas can really add up.

[Molten]

Originally Posted by DonRotolo

...nobody sells a perfectly fine car, regardless of the story.

My number one advice is know what you need. Sometimes a person will sell a perfectly fine car if they are "trading up". My car has no air conditioning and no powered locks or windows. These are things alot of people want in their car, but I'm ok without them. This allowed me to get a car that was otherwise great with low mileage for a fair price. Do you need a cd player? remote starter? powered windows? These are all questions to think about. My car came with a cd player, but it definitely wasn't on my list of needs. It was a bonus.

Jason

[JamesCH95]

Forget anything German if you're going for low cost of ownership. No BMW, VW, Audi, or Mini (owned by BMW) etc. Some people have great luck with them, many don't.

Crown Victoria's are good first cars (my first car, as it were). I would also consider a Focus.

You're going to pay a premium in the used market for anything with "Honda" stuck to it, but it will probably be a decent car.

Mazda has several good offerings, but I would look at the large used Mazda3 and Mazda6 market.

As don suggested, keep $1k on-hand for repairs. You're saving money in the initial purchase price by going used, but you will spend more money in maintenance and repairs. It's just how cars work. If you're want to go the self-reliance route I would set aside $300-$500 for tools, like a jack, jack-stands, socket set, spark plug tool, oil filter wrench, torque wrenches, etc.

[JesseK]

Some college kids drive like the biggest nut jobs you'll ever see. Save your first 'nice' car purchase for after college so you're not so focused on someone damaging your nice car; waiting will also make it more satisfying.

DO NOT PURCHASE THE CAR IN THE COLLEGE TOWN. Sorry for yelling. If you buy it from a college kid, it probably won't last another 4 years without a major breakdown sometime (sorry for stereotyping and/or projecting, but I've been there...). College kids aren't known for having enough money to do preventative maintenance on cars. Don's advice is sound -- do the 'small stuff' yourself.

[ebarker]

I tend to be a fan of new cars. For going off the college a Honda Civic or Toyota Yaris.

We planned our car buying in our family so that my daughter got a hand-me-down 1999 Accord when she was a HS senior in 2005/2006, drove it through college, still driving it at her new job. The next car she will have she will pay for herself...

That way I'm buying new and I REALLY know the car history....

Reliability, safety, low cost of operation and ownership is what a college student needs.

After school, feel free to blow up your wallet.

You could always have the team build you a car. All jokes/things we really want to happen aside, I hear the yaris is good. I am also one of the many fans of new cars, even though I don't have a car yet. IMO, the car with the best technology that's useful to you would help the most.

[Taylor]

Avoid Pontiac vehicles if possible, especially mid-90s to mid-00s. I and several of my acquaintances have had major (costly) electrical issues with these cars.
I'll throw in another vote for Ford Escort, Toyota Corolla (or any of its sister cars). Saturn makes a good automobile, but in my experience they fit a certain body type that I just don't have.

[Karibou]

Originally Posted by Taylor

Avoid Pontiac vehicles if possible, especially mid-90s to mid-00s. I and several of my acquaintances have had major (costly) electrical issues with these cars.

Really? I drove a 2007 G6 for about a year and a half before I had to leave it at home to come up to college, and had no problems with it (and I drove it a lot). It was in New York before I got it. The only issue that I had electrical-wise was the battery spontaneously dying in early August...but I think that was because the lights may have been left on. The G6 was a great car: easy handling, CD player, powered locks and windows. I might buy it off my parents if I get a job within the next few years.

Just be warned, mine came with no ABS and no key fob. Don't just assume that ABS is standard on older cars, because apparently it's not.

[MrForbes]

I'm sure there's a good reason for ABS, but I don't know what that could be....

then again I've been driving old cars and trucks with manual drum brakes for a long time, and mostly I don't run into things, because I keep some room between me and the vehicle ahead. Although I did run into a garage door with an ABS equipped truck, the truck didn't believe that I wanted to stop, no matter how hard I pushed on the brake pedal, it knew I wanted the wheels to keep turning.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by davidthefat

Also consider fuel mileage. More mass = a bigger force to get the same acceleration. Gas can really add up.

Let's do the math.
Assumptions: 10,000 miles a year, $4 a gallon for gas
18 MPG = 555 g = $2222
28 MPG = 357 g = $1428
So the difference between a quite bad car and a better-than-average car is about $800 a year. Seems like a lot, but it's really not.

Originally Posted by squirrel

I'm sure there's a good reason for ABS, but I don't know what that could be...

Paying attention, reasonable following distances and driver skill nearly obviate the need for ABS. Ditto other driving assistance systems.

But there is no accounting for some cases: Deer (plural) at night out of nowhere, no ABS and I hit one, but with ABS I steer right between two and avoid contact. True story. I have the brown pants to prove it.

The bottom line is, a car with ABS can be stopped almost as short as the very best drivers on the planet, but by any idiot who can stomp on the brakes. This was, by the way, the first step to the self-driving car.

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by squirrel

I'm sure there's a good reason for ABS, but I don't know what that could be....

Ohio weather?

By the way, I drove Pontiac Grand Prix's with 3.8L V6 engines from from 1997-2006 (and a V8 GXP from 2006-2008). They were very reliable, comfortable, and good in the snow. Not sure how anything that vintage would function nowadays, but they were great when I had them.