OK, I graduate in December so I hope to be in the market for a new car in about a year (assuming I can find a decent job, which I realize is no guarantee). Here is kind of what I’m looking for:
[ul]
[li]I don’t really have a price range, but 20K would probably be pushing it. I would be willing to spend more than that if I found the “perfect” car, assuming I could afford it.[/li][li]I am probably looking for a mid-sized sedan. I don’t really picture myself in a sportscar or anything like that.[/li][li]I would like a car with some nice options, like a sunroof, maybe leather, that kind of thing. Not necessarily an all-out “luxury car”, but something pretty nice.[/li][li]I’d like the car to be pretty fast. I’m not going out to race anyone, but I’d still like to have the car be kind of quick. I’m thinking of a V-6 probably.[/li][/ul]
One car that I really like is the Nissan Maxima. Its price would be the only problem for me though, a used one would still probably be pushing my price range.
So, any suggestions? What are some similar cars to the Maxima? What would you all get if you were in my situation?
i think the honda accord is quite good… ive had one for almost 3 years and its great, no major problems at all and it runs very well. great mileage too!
By next year, the 1999 or maybe 2000 3 series BMW’s will be right in that price range probably.
Go drive a '99 328i with a 5 speed manual before you discount this idea. They are more than “kind of quick”. BMW is in business to make practical cars that are still as fun as possible.
In October 2000, 4 months out of college, I got a '97 Saturn SL2. It cost me only $10k (well, $12k or so with the loan…), and it’s been a great car. It’s got A/C, remote keyless entry, etc. Go to the Saturn website, and you can “build” your own car and see what it’s going to cost you – new Saturns start pretty low cost-wise, so you have a good chance of finding something that fits all of your requirements – which is not bad for a first car! (or a first new car, or whatever) And what you see on the website is what you get – that’s the price. It won’t differ from dealer to dealer.
Also, Saturn has redesigned the look of their cars, so if you didn’t like the pointy-ness of their front end a few years ago, it’s different now.
I highly recommend them, in case you couldn’t tell.
I would definately recommend the Honda Accord, the BMW is nice but involves high maintenance, the Saturn is not bad, but lower resale, the Honda’s are the lowest maintenance/highest resale values on the market. The are fun to drive, peppy, comfortable, and reliable!
You could also try a Ford Focus, Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe. The latter two have really cool interior tricks like folding front seat and flat cargo area (with the back seat down). You could load one up in the range you want.
2002 Volkswagen Jetta. It was $19k for the mid-grade one (not the luxury package, but not your basic one either). It’s SUCH a nice car, I don’t even have words. I really really REALLY recommend it. Sorry, though, I’m not a car person so I can’t give you too many specs, but it’s a NICE car.
I’ll second the Mazda response. I still miss my Mazda 626. It looked great. It ran like a charm. It never left me stranded on a dark country road with my 2 kids in the backseat like some other vehicle which shall remain nameless. chrysler town & country
I just bought a Matrix. Very nice car - but not a sports car if that is what you want. Stay away from the high end engine. Corolla is also nice, as is the Accord. As far as reliability is concerned, it is hard to go wrong with Honda or Toyota.
Protege is also a very nice car. And the Focus impressed me for a substantially lower price.
