# Help with car choice. College kid. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 31, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671 "2014-05-31T01:08:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/1 "2014-05-31T01:08:08Z")
Commutes from Chicago area to Maine for school at least once yearly. Budget roughly 20Kish. Could push a little. Needs decent cargo. Want good mpg. Thoughts so far - A used VW Jetta TDI Sportswagen (Carmax has one with 21K for $21K) with a nice package. A new Prius 2. Should be enough cargo space with seats down and the best mpg. The C is too small. A Hyundai Accent of Kia Rio - cheaper. Honda Fit. The 2013s are still around some as the 2015 is late to be released. and have amazng cargo capacity for a little car. Good mpg but safety ratings not the best. Other? He’ll likely own this car for a while. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/2 "2014-05-31T01:15:38Z")
I have and like the Honda Fit. But it looks the same size as a Prius C, so if the Prius is too small, will the Fit work? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/3 "2014-05-31T01:41:47Z")
Looks can be deceiving I guess. The Prius C is roughly 34 cf with the seats down and they don’t go flat. The 2013 Fit is 52.7. The SportsWagen is of course spacious and most of the others are mid 40s. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/4 "2014-05-31T01:47:55Z")
I would strongly recommend the VW Golf. The 2014 model, with the rear seats folded, holds 46CF. Reviews on it are amazing. I have a 2007 Rabbit, which is its cousin, and my car routinely out-hauled my boyfriend’s cars (an Infinity, a VW CC, and a Passat) until he got a Durango. Plus they are just _nice_ to drive. ---
**Author:** ![cococ173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@cococ173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cococ173)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/5 "2014-05-31T01:49:06Z")
I am going to throw a Subaru Forrester into the mix. All wheel drive is great for Maine winters. They are safe and reliable. My son was in a serious car accident, as a passenger; the car was t-boned on his side. That is why I think safety is the most important factor in a car choice for a kid or young adult. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/6 "2014-05-31T02:17:05Z")
I’d add another vote for a Subaru in this price range. They’ve traditionally been popular in the snowy parts of the country because of their awesome AWD system, even though they got lousy gas mileage (compared to normal FWD cars) and were sometimes iffy reliability-wise. They’ve gotten _really_ good in the last few years though, so they’d be worth considering even if you lived in Florida. I think the Forester is just a bit out of your price range (and is kinda big) but the Impreza I think can be had for around $20k, gets solid mid-30’s mileage and has an awesome crash rating for a car that size. The superb AWD system is really just icing on the cake now. There’s also the Crosstrek which is the exact same thing but with a higher ride height. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/7 "2014-05-31T02:50:40Z")
I can only give opinion as to the Prius and Fit. Between those two, I would choose the Prius and most often take that one with the car sharing I do. The Prius feels more substantial on the road, especially on the highway. Even though there’s less cargo space, the interior appointments feel more upscale to me. But really, it comes down to the Fit feeling like it’s getting knocked around by semi drafts, while the Prius does not. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/8 "2014-05-31T10:12:51Z")
What are the insurance costs like? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/9 "2014-05-31T10:52:52Z")
In most situations I would recommend the VW SportWagon TDI over the Subaru Crosstreck, because I believe it’s a better handling and better looking (IMO) car. However, given the geographic location, I think the AWD system on the Subaru tips the scale in its favour. Whichever car you go with, you should add a set of steel rims and winter tires to the final price. I think it would be foolish to expect to safely get through a Maine winter without proper winter tires. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/10 "2014-05-31T11:47:15Z")
Is it really worth spending $20K on the car? How about spending $5K on an older car and using the rest for the college fees? ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/11 "2014-05-31T13:22:45Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > In most situations I would recommend the VW SportWagon TDI over the Subaru Crosstreck, because I believe it’s a better handling and better looking (IMO) car. At the risk of sounding like a Subaru fanatic, balderdash. The Sportwagen is a front wheel drive barge. The Subaru layout is more like a traditional RWD car (it’s actually sort of like an aircooled VW/Porsche in reverse) and has MUCH better weight distribution. No arguments on the looks or that the Sportwagen is in general a much cushier car (the Subaru interiors are downright chintzy), but Subarus handle extremely well for a car in their price range. I would also agree with **Quartz** about reevaluating whether the kid really needs a brand-new or nearly-new car, but to each their own. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/12 "2014-05-31T14:15:10Z")
Part of it honestly is that I feel less well equipped to help guide buying a used car and evaluating it. Part is my wife has an aversion to buying used. We helped number one son get a used car but were better friends then with a used car dealer who took him to a dealer auction and helped him out. I don’t feel comfortable asking again (we have not kept up so much). Otherwise we’ve always bought ourselves new and kept for long long times as a general rule. Part is that I want him to have a car at lower risk of having something happen on the long drives to and fro. Part is that I think cars have actually improved a fair amount in the last several years. And while he is fortunate enough to be in a family that has paid for all of the kids’ colleges (he is number 3 of 4) the car is on his own dime: some from working and more from my investment choices with various family gift money from babyhood on through Bar Mitzah (for example, he has AAPL at a cost basis of under 3K and it is now worth almost 13K); didn’t too well with brother’s though … Still he is very interested in used and the biggest issues in the way of used are those first two: my ignorance and my wife’s (IMHO irrational) aversion. So I am willing to have my ignorance reduced. OTOH some of the cars most appealing (and pushing the price limit most) are the highest resale values and have to go quite used to get the price down much (the Subarus, which we crossed off at first thinking too expensive and not good enough gas mileage, and the Sportswagen). Definitely will look more at some Subaru models. Safety rating are very high on all. Mpg actually not too bad. And cargo seats down range from 51.9 for the Crosstreck (more than enough) to absurdly generous 74ish for both the Forrester and the Outback. Thanks for all the information and ignorance reduction! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/13 "2014-05-31T14:53:24Z")
For a cheap but good car, look at Kia. I bought my old Kia Shuma for £2500 and it lasted me a decade, including multiple trips of several thousand miles. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/14 "2014-05-31T15:00:45Z")
Second the recommendation for all-wheel-drive – at that price range, you’ll have plenty of options for an AWD car (perhaps not for new cars, though, but it really will come in handy). ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/15 "2014-05-31T15:07:13Z")
> [@cococ173](#): > > I am going to throw a Subaru Forrester into the mix. All wheel drive is great for Maine winters. They are safe and reliable. My son was in a serious car accident, as a passenger; the car was t-boned on his side. That is why I think safety is the most important factor in a car choice for a kid or young adult. You might want to go smaller than the Forester, but I am a big Subaru fan. We had to buy one when we got rear-ended, and had to buy a car quickly. It was such a great car, that the next car we bought was a Subaru as well, and it has been great. I am not a Prius fan, but my experience is just as a rental. They have a bad blind spot in back, and they don’t do so well on gas on the highway, especially if you are running the AC and accessories, like a GPS system. The blind spot is really bad. I can’t emphasize this enough-- albeit, maybe it’s been corrected for the 2014. When you test drive, do some backing up. I also recently rented a Hyundai Accent, and it handled really badly, albeit, that particular car could have needed an alignment-- but then I had to exchange the car halfway through my trip, because it had an electrical problem. It did get great mileage, though. Better than the Prius. The car I got in place of the Accent was a Chevy Spark, which got decent mileage, handled really, really well, and was very comfortable. Are you looking for manual or automatic? all my rentals were automatics, because that’s all rental places ever have. Personally, I prefer manuals, and if I were to buy a car, that’s what I’d look for. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/16 "2014-05-31T15:52:21Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > OTOH some of the cars most appealing (and pushing the price limit most) are the highest resale values and have to go quite used to get the price down much (the Subarus, which we crossed off at first thinking too expensive and not good enough gas mileage, and the Sportswagen). Yeah, on the used vs. new front, the used car market has been kind of weird over the last few years. New cars really haven’t been depreciating very quickly, especially cars that appeal to the “wealthy but sensible” crowd like Priuses, diesel VW’s, Subarus, etc. With those, buying new seems to be better than going slightly used these days. > [@DSeid](#): > > Definitely will look more at some Subaru models. Safety rating are very high on all. Mpg actually not too bad. And cargo seats down range from 51.9 for the Crosstreck (more than enough) to absurdly generous 74ish for both the Forrester and the Outback. Also note that the Impreza hatchback (5 door) has identical dimensions to the Crosstrek (just a lower ride height and less plastic) and it looks like those start at around $18.5k, although the automatic is a $1k option. Part of how Subaru is getting such good mileage out of those full-time AWD cars is that their automatics are CVT’s now. Some people really don’t like how those drive, so you might want to consider the manual, although the mileage is _slightly_ less. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/17 "2014-05-31T16:18:49Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Also note that the Impreza hatchback (5 door) has identical dimensions to the Crosstrek (just a lower ride height and less plastic) and it looks like those start at around $18.5k, although the automatic is a $1k option. Part of how Subaru is getting such good mileage out of those full-time AWD cars is that their automatics are CVT’s now. Some people really don’t like how those drive, so you might want to consider the manual, although the mileage is _slightly_ less. We have a 2006 Impreza hatchback manual, and it handles really well. ---
**Author:** ![cococ173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@cococ173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cococ173)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/18 "2014-05-31T17:57:24Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > Part of how Subaru is getting such good mileage out of those full-time AWD cars is that their automatics are CVT’s now. Some people really don’t like how those drive, so you might want to consider the manual, although the mileage is _slightly_ less. I have a CVT with my Nissan Murano and I love the way it drives. No problems except poor mileage. If it were my child, in Chicago and ME weather, again, I would opt for AWD. If Forresters are too pricey new, I would go with a low mileage used one. There are also certified used that come with warranties which might help with your wife’s objections to used and CarFax to check the history of an individual car. Safety first. OK, I’ll stop pushing them now. Let us know what he decides to buy. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/19 "2014-05-31T19:23:45Z")
I loved my Subaru Forester when I lived in Detroit. It was a beast. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671/20 "2014-05-31T21:34:53Z")
One more for Subaru, or a BMW with X Drive. Should be able to find something under $20. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-car-choice-college-kid/689671.md?page=2)