First off, thanks for helping out with this

My buddy has a daughter who is in college who needs a new car. She currently drives a 98 accord that has been butchered by it's previous owner. He installed a bodykit (shitty fitment with 1+ inch gaps), Dual magnaflow exhaust (4 cyl car...) Avic navi system (flip out one) ebay headlights with halo's and halogen bulbs, alarm system and some other great electrical work.

He wired the alarm to the ECU and somehow a short in the system caused her fuel pump to fry, her ECU to fry and leave her stuck in the middle of the road. A harness or two by the ignition switch burnt up and needed to be replaced, it needs new motor mounts (the motor rocks about 8 inches towards the firewall) the seats are ripped and the water-pump and timming belt are due in 2K. Money spent fixing, 2K plus waterpump/belt service

She has found a private buyer who is giving her a good price on it, and she's been looking with me and her dad for a new car. Her price range is about 15K max, and she needs something with warranty, Point A to point B with air and something that won't break down every 500 yards.

I've visited almost every dealer in 30 miles of us and came up with a few things:
1. Modded Mitsu Eclipse LINK Just press cancel when asked to print

2. Honda accord LX Link

3. VW Passat Link

4. 2009 Nissan Altima Demo - No link, but had power windows, lock, smart-key, no radio. 17,900 w/ 300 miles

The mitsu- has a fiberglass body kit with bits and pieces of CF, its cracked in a few places on the front and had trouble turning over even after driving it around the block a few times. Also it sounded like something was ticking during startup, and the exhaust smelled really rich. She likes it because of the mod's, but most likely might stay away from it. Also not certified and has a 5K warranty left.

The Accord - Honda reliability with honda pricing, the interior was dirty and the rear seats had coffee stains and rips, the exterior had tons of scratches that were poorly repaired with touchup paint. Has a 7yr, 100K mile warranty left on power train.

The VW - she loved this one since its A. German B. Baby Blue C. More tech advanced than all the others D. No scratches/tears E. 1 owner. The price is a bit higher, but it has 10K, 1 year left on the factory bumper to bumper, then after that 24Kmiles, 2 yrs from the date the factory expires due to being certified used. Only con to it is that it's been sitting on the lot for 55 days and was going to auction in 5 days.

The Altima - bought at an auction with a few others, only 2 are left. Both have 300 miles on them, have no radio, but have power everything with the smart key thing. They want 17,500 for one and since it's new, they can do some better financing for her. I'm a bit weary of this since their resale is probably going to be bad and she'll be in negative equity fast.

About the other dealerships that we spend almost 6 hrs visiting:
She hates toyotas with a passion, the ford (mullinax) was dumber than shit (though the v6 Mustang had 550HP, called the bose sound system the BOSS sound system), Gary Yeomans had tons of cars, just most of them were in crappy condition and no one bothered to help us. The dodge dealership had a bunch of BS and Nissan had an ok selection.

Do you have any ideas on any other cars we should consider? Comments or concerns on the ones we found? Right now she loves that VW and wants to get it tomorrow.

 

If her current (used) car is such a disaster, why did she buy it to begin with?

Since you asked about Point A to Point B vehicles, forget most of what you listed and all of the mods and just go with something simple...

Scion, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan -- all models -- depending on if she wants to spend her budget on something new or used.

 

Zoom zoom.

 

she bought it from her ex-boyfriends friend and didn't know what she was getting into. Sadly enough she didn't ask her dad or anyone for advice. I mentioned point A to point B since she really doesn't care about having tons of power or features like a navi, memory seats, etc.

We looked at scion/toyota and she hates them, looked into kia and hyundai (hates them too due to sterotypes ) and nissan we looked into, but the dealership only had altima's in the 20K range and a few versa's without A/C and radio for 9K...

 

Yeah, and that one too.

EDIT: Referring to the Mazda 3

 

a mazda 3/6 is her dream car, but the problem is any used one we come accross is 20K+ and also there's only one mazda dealership here, you'll love the name:

Gary Yeomans Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Jaguar, Mazda... They had maybe 5 mazda's and all were above 18K, the ones that were priced lower were MT and she can't drive stick...

 

Is she considering private sales or only from dealers?

 

And you can always buy from a dealership that's a little out of the way....a few hours here or there for a one time drive is no biggie. Find a dealer with more/better stock.

 

Why does it have to be used? Mazda3 starts at $15k-ish and can be haggled down 1k or so.

Exactly in her budget and im sure the interest rate on new would be lower than on used. Therefore if shes looking for a certain payment amount then im sure it would even out as if she bought a used car.

Although i doubt they dealing much on the 2010 just yet, if its even out. Might have to give it a few months.

Oh hell, im sure she can find a left over 2009 for under 15k EASY. 2.9% for 60months also.

 

It has to be used since 1. She's a full time college student 2. Needs cheap insurance since she's under 22. 3. needs something fuel efficent 4. Needs something with good resale and reliablity so it can last a few years and be sold later down the road.

Also a basic Mazda 3 with A/c is about 17K MSRP and plus tax, tag and title. Also that has no traction control or stability control, her current accord has it and therefore is a bit more safer... Her budget was 11.5K to start with, then realizing that she couldn't get anything decent, she managed to get a few extra hours of work to get upto 15K

 

If my 63 year old mom can handle the Mazda3 with no traction control in our Chicago winters, then im sure your friend will be fine in Florida.

Mazda3 is everything she wants but just a couple thousand out of reach. Damn their high resale values.

If she wants a bigger car like the passat/accord then how about a Hyundai Sonata? I had one as a rental and was rather impressed with it. Hell think you can get a 08 or 09 in that price range.

WIN http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

 

got ya, I'll try to convicnce her not to hate hyundai and kia and hopefully she'll understand. Also I'll try to see if the mazda place can try to get a deal worked out. thanks!

 

I really don't understand her "hate" of the new Hyundai or Kia offerings. I've rented a few of them from time to time and have really enjoyed them. They seem to be offering everything she's looking for: reliable transportation, warranty, and air conditioning. For 15K she can get a good car which is brand new. Is she paying for it herself?


Terry

 

yup, paying for this herself. I don't understand either why she hates toyota/hyundai/kia. I'll talk to her and see if I can understand and try to change that.

 

She could try a 2004-06 Subaru Imprezza. No, not the boy racer shit. They resell at a fairly low price, and the worst thing about Florida weather is rain. Nothing like full time AWD. They are cheap to insure, and mileage is good as long as she does not do stoplight racing.

Also, I was in south FLA about a month and a half ago (I'll be in Orlando this week) and the dealers there are begging people to come and buy their cars. Maybe you should go down to Broward County and check it out.

 

Fixed

 

Not here it ain't.

 

@ Toyota hate.

Anyway....

Mazda 3 = Great. Or, how about a lightly used Honda Fit?

 

Out of those choices I would go with the Altima, I've always liked that car. I don't see why its resale is bad? Nissans don't hold their value as well as Acuras, but still aren't bad.

Have you considred any Hyundais? They have come a long way in quality but can usually be found pretty cheap.

 

Shitty resale would be my guess... I'd love to have a gen coupe, but I'm afraid of the steep depreciation curve on any of the Korean offerings...

Buying used is another story...

Hyundai has come a long way quality wise, and I think they have some respect with car guys now, but until the general public "gets it", resale value isn't the greatest...

 

i am in the same situation looking for a car for my wife. i have found a few 06-07 civics and some can be found with nav. i was also considering a jeep wrangler. good luck.

 

check out a civic or get that passat.
i've had a newer hyundai sonata for a rental, and i didn't enjoy it that much, seating position among other small things just really bugged me.
but i do like my mom's 06 civic

 

If she's a full-time college student, why does she need to spend so much on a vehicle? She could get a reliable Accord just a few years old from a Carmax and not spend much over $10K, IF THAT. Don't tell me the cheapest reliable, A to B transportation out there cost fifteen thousand dollars!

 

I think the Nissan Versa is $9999. That''s about as cheap as it gets brand new (I think you get a radio and a heater as standard options)

 

after her experience with the modded accord, she wants something certified with a warranty so she won't have to dump money into it. I tried talking to her about the hyundai and no dice, she still hates them along with toyota and the others. I talked to her about a civic and she mentioned it looking bad...

I also talked to the mazda dealer and got a good deal, 14.5 for a mazda 3,
5 Spd Automatic 2.3L L4 MPI DOHC 16V, S version with the 6 disk changer, a/c and a few other small things... Any good?

 

take a road trip and check this out:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...eadExists=true

about 30 min drive I would think and she'll absolutely love it : )

 

The modded Accord was just a hack job. Just dont buy a modded car again if she doesnt want to risk it. Hell even a warranty wont help if the alarm caused everything to fry.

Is the mazda3 new or used? Mileage?

 

new, 8 miles on it

 

She should love the Mazda3. Glad it's your friend and not mine. Fit, Civic, Versa, Mazda3 are the usual suspects and good enough for most.

Started out needing basic good inexpensive transportation as recommended. Ends up being a guessing game for a fashion statement or??

 

You can't force someone to like something they aren't interested in just because it might be a reasonable choice. All you can do is offer a wide range of suggestions and allow her to choose something she will enjoy and find practical for her needs.

 

I am also looking for a used car for my beater with budget is around 5k, I just wants point A to point B and reliability though. any advise? we live in chicago area. I try to open cars.com and all I can get is honda with very high mileage hehe

 

2003 Accord I4 engine and auto trans are pretty much bullet proof

 

wow he wired the alarm to the ECU? That's the dumbest shit I've ever heard

out of your choices the only sure pick is the Accord. VW reliability is hit or miss, I wouldn't touch a demo car with a 10 foot pole, and that Eclipse...... um. no thanks.

 

Out of those listed, I'd say the Passat, but I am biased. Just make sure they get it fully checked out before they buy it. Otherwise, they are pretty solid. I can't see the link, so I am not sure what engine it has. I'd stay away from a 1.8t if the mileage is high. The V6 is good, I haven't had any issues with mine so far and I have 108k on it.

 

it has the 2.0L I4 Turbocharged motor... Its a dealership selling it and it's already certified so no need for that since it has an extended factory warranty on it. As I said earlier, I can get her the mazda 3 for 14,500, MSRP is nearly 20K!!! Now she's stuck on the passat and won't move for the mazda 3... :bangheadagainstthewall:

 

Oh, ok. So its a newer Passat. The 2.0T is a great motor, shouldn't have any problems with it. My parents have a Tiguan with that motor and it boogies.

 

There's some seriously conflicting info here. She needs an A-to-B car, reliable, doesn't care about being fast, in college, but she's going to spend $15k and refuses to drive any budget/practical cars. What?!

My TSX cost $15k ffs, it's a luxury sports sedan, not even close to an A-to-B car. Granted it's used, no warranty, but holy hell. She needs to decide what's more important, a cheap car to get through college, or a nice, expensive car to make payments on for the next 5 years.

 

I agree with a lot of people here. You have a lot of choices with $15k. I sold my 2006 Accord SE with 39k on for $13900 5 months ago. The car still has powertrain warranty up to 50k miles. If maintained, the car will run forever with minimal care.

BTW, her 98 Accord doesn't have traction control or VSA. I believe only 01-02 Accord V6 came with traction control but no VSA.

 

I had a 2004 Sonata V6 as a rental and I really liked it.

I mean, it didn't make me want to get up at 6am and go find some canyon to carve but it was a nice car, well built, and very comfortable.

 

she's a female teenager, of course its confusing and contradicting... Right now the way her dad is telling her to finance, etc, its 48 months for about 350 a month for her car, then insurance, gas, etc. Personally I think she should take the accord and be done with it...