Well my kid isnt a kid anymore. Wife is pushing subaru bigtime but was wondering if anyone here had any ideas. Looking in the 3-4k range. I was young also and well there isnt much left of that first car so dont want to really go over that. Any ideas? even other makes would help.
AWD for the win! It is great for the winters and car control.... If you can't go that route... i really liked my first car, 1983 Civic. Actually my 96' Civic Hatch and 95' Mitsu Mirage were great cars too. Great MPG, fun to drive without having too much power and cheap to fix. I would just say a coupe/hatch and manual transmission is always a good setup. I always try to avoid American cars because I (and my family) have had bad luck with them (besides trucks). German (European) cars are fun but usually more expensive to fix, so I try and stay Asian. But that is just me.
Mitsubishi Galants can be had for 2500-4000 easy. Good gas mileage, safe cars. Room enough for more than two. Not too sporty to attract attention. Not to grampy to get teased. Cheap aftermarket rims to bling it up.
I came from a '99 Accord Sedan, 4-cyl w/5 speed and I liked it a lot. Should be able to find one for $3-4k easy.
I got a one owner 02 maxima for sale lots of miles 176k for 4900 but one owner mid 50s couple traded it for an Xterra.
Is this out in the boonies? I wouldn't want anything like an 80's/early 90's Japanese car on the highway in the cities. Even on city streets those older civics are scary to drive... you can't see around parked cars and it feels like you're going to get swallowed by all the potholes. Maybe something like a broyota truck, Marty Mcfly style? Anything bigger might be a handful at first, too small is a pain as mentioned. I'm pretty happy with how my folks handled my first car... Hand me down stanza wagon that I had to make run and learn to maintain before I got to drive it.
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/cto/2397065707.html this is just one of many subarus i fould on craigslist for good prices, lol interested myself in a couple lol
I drove a 89 civic 4dr hatchback, and then a 05 cobalt for a while. i LOVED both cars. The cobalt was a blast, and GREAT on mileage. The only issue was backing up, with the high rear end...
I have bought all three of our kids their first vehicles as they grew and got their licenses...and I went with subaru every time. Parts are cheap, the awd gives such peace of mind on those nasty days and the part interchangabilty is terrific. I knew/still know how to fix them both mechanically and cosmetically. Plus, it really depends on the kid, some take much better care of their cars than others, while some just drive the pi$$ out them and checking oil is a very foreign idea. (Buy that type of kid a car you really don't care about). Also,before you buy, let me recommend running a few desireable makes/models past your insurance company. Lastly, I mod everthing, I can keep that habit alive, by coming home with parts from time to time for them!
Get something you are comfortable working on. My parents knew GM and thats what they knew how to fix. My first car was a '95 Grand Prix. Automatic, fairly good size. Great first car.
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/cto/2396028311.html Get him this. It's a Subaru and in your budget.
Ok so after looking around on the net a bit someone decided (wife) they would look at different car and hand down our 99 ford ranger to my son. So now that totally changes everything.... ugh. Now looking for something newer with less miles. Would like it to be under 10,000. After looking around a bit theres alot out there but some crazy ideas of what things are worth. Lol when did i ever get thousands over bluebook. No wonder some of these cars have been for sale for months. Anyways still would like to stay subie but trying to keep an open mind to others. Under 10k.
Yeah i have noticed that used cars seem to be going for a premium lately. It makes it very hard to justify buying a used car. When you look at things like lower insurance rates for new cars, maintenance covered 36,000 - 100,000 depending on the car, better gas mileage, better safety features, you are the only owner...... the list keeps growing and that few thousand you save seems smaller and smaller.... good luck with the search!
Auctions have jacked prices way up which means good news if you plan on trading in a nice 07+ under 40k mile car because you'll get top dollar for your trade over the dealership trying to find one going for more at auction. But not so good news if you are looking for a used car, because with the better interest rates and full warranty you really might as well go new with some manufacturers if you're looking for something under 10k miles. If you're at all interested in a Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep let me know, I'm at Fury in South St. Paul.
