# What kind of car should I get? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 5, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-should-i-get/288481 "2005-02-05T04:04:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-should-i-get/288481/1 "2005-02-05T04:04:12Z")
Hope this is the right place to post this… 🙂 As some of you may have read in the Pit, I was in a car accident. I’ve yet to find out if my car is totalled, but- for fun’s sake- I’ve started looking into new cars. I’ll find out Monday for sure, but my car was in pretty bad shape. So, I have turned to my favorite people in the world 😃 to help give me ideas for new cars. Some info: \*My car I got in the accident with was a 2004 Honda Accord LX- it was a lease \*We’ll probably lease again- so if you know of anywhere with good deals right now, feel free to share. - The Accord is BIG. Not that I want a small car (and after the accident I’m sure my dad doesn’t want me to have a small car), but maybe a slightly smaller car. The same size is fine too I reckon. - My monthly payment on the Accord was $225. I think overall the car is valued at $24,000? Something within that range would be nice. - I was the primary signer, but my dad had his business co-sign (he owns his own business) So Dopers, help! ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-should-i-get/288481/2 "2005-02-05T17:14:15Z")
Having driven an accord for many years, I recently test drove a Mazada 626. Felt about the same size, but seems alot sportier. s Sport edition will run MSRP 24,000 ish. ---
**Author:** ![chaparralv8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@chaparralv8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaparralv8)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-should-i-get/288481/3 "2005-02-05T18:47:04Z")
Drive ALL of these before coming to a decision. They’re all slightly smaller than the Accord. Don’t bother if that dealer can’t supply a manual-box car for a test drive - you don’t want to deal with him In rough order of merit, 1. Subaru Impreza WRX 2. Mazda6s 3. A 3-year-old BMW 330i 4. Dodge SRT-4 5. Mazdaspeed Protege (some left on dealers’ lots - and it was discontinued two years ago. likely to be VERY cheap) 6. Nissan Altima 3.5SE 7. Toyota Celica GT-S (ok, a lot smaller, but it’s a go-kart and they haven’t sold well so this one should be cheap as well) ---
**Author:** ![chaparralv8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@chaparralv8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaparralv8)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-should-i-get/288481/4 "2005-02-05T18:48:47Z")
These cars are all a few thousand less (330i, 6s, WRX, SRT4, Altima) or a heck of a lot less (Protege, Celica). If you can find an older BMW M3 or Volvo 850/S70 Turbo, go with that instead. ---
**Author:** ![chaparralv8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@chaparralv8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaparralv8)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-should-i-get/288481/5 "2005-02-05T18:50:05Z")
Twenty grand is also marginally 964 911 money as well. Anything you lose on servicing costs you’ll make up in depreciation - because there won’t be any on an older Porsche. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-should-i-get/288481/6 "2005-02-05T19:02:49Z")
> [@chaparralv8](#): > > Twenty grand is also marginally 964 911 money as well. Anything you lose on servicing costs you’ll make up in depreciation - because there won’t be any on an older Porsche. We have a 2000 BMW Z3 which is always insanely expensive to repair. It needs repairs few and far between, but when it does- it’s almost always upwards of $1000. So, even though BMW’s are good cars- the price to fix them simply isn’t worth it. Great ideas though! Thank you guys! I think I’m going to go wander the automall today and look around. ---
**Author:** ![chaparralv8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@chaparralv8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaparralv8)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-should-i-get/288481/7 "2005-02-06T01:32:26Z")
Well, maybe it is… Say you buy a new Toyota (expensive to own, cheap to maintain) for $20,000 tomorrow. It costs less than $2500 to maintain and repair over the five years you owned it. At the end of five years, you sell it for $7500. It has thus cost you $15,000 in depreciation and maintenence. Say you buy an old Porsche 911 (cheap to own, expensive to maintain) for $20,000 tomorrow. Unfortunately for you, it turns out to be a real shitter and you spend $5000 on an engine top-end rebuild the first year, $2000 to replace a bunch of electronics the second year, and $1500 per year on other minor maintenence over the five years. At the end of its time with you, you sell it for $19,500 (not a bad bet - a decent 911SC is worth the $13,000 it was worth a decade ago). It also cost you $15,000 in depreciation and maintenence. ---
**Author:** ![chaparralv8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@chaparralv8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaparralv8)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-car-should-i-get/288481/8 "2005-02-06T01:34:58Z")
PS: The real bargain on that list is the Mazdaspeed Protege. If you can find a new one mouldering on a dealer’s lot you could own one of the greatest drivers’ cars ever sold in America for under $15,000. PPS: Don’t buy a car this month. Rent one, or buy a $500 clunker and run it for the rest of the month. It takes an honest two weekends to find the right new car; it takes a couple months and some luck to get the right used one.