So I’m currently driving–well, when I’m not at college, like I am now–a '93 Volvo 240 station wagon.
I know, they’re supposed to run forever, but she’s been trying to give out on me for a while. She gets 25 MPG too, and I’d like to see if I can find a newer vehicle (not necessarily brand new) before next school year, that has better gas mileage. I don’t fully trust her to make it up the interstate. Plus, she also has just one driver airbag. If I have friends in the car, it would make me a little uneasy.
I’ve been thinking about a Honda Fit from 2006 or so, if I can find one. Or maybe a 2012 Nissan Versa. I’m thinking my cap on prices is about $13,000 or so. I don’t wanna go too far back on the years; I wanna be able to trust a newer used car for years to come. Any advice?
In general terms I would not recommend a European car for a student.
IMHO, most Japanese cars are a much better fit for a student.
Why ? Repair costs.
In general, parts and labor for European cars can be much more expensive than Japanese cars.
Japanese cars also tend to be more reliable, so they need repairs less often.
American cars tend to be somewhere in the middle.
I have an 02 Cavalier pushing 200K. I have hardly done a thing to it. The belief that foriegn brands are more reliable depresses the prices of American cars. Justified? I am not sure there is completely objective information to settle that point. A lot of the surveys are skewed.
Well, I was going to say Civic, but if you don’t mind driving around in the Fit, then that’s a good car, too. Either way, a Honda will last a good long time and retain a pretty high value throughout its life, just in case you want to trade it in in a couple years.
I came in here to say Honda Fit. My model is 2009. I get close to 40mpg in the city. It’s great because you can shove virtually anything in the back by flattening the seats. It’s tiny on the outside but ‘‘bigger on the inside!’’
God, I love my car. I mean, I really, really, really love my car. I think it’s perfect for students.
Presuming money is an issue (when isn’t it for a college student?) I’m going to suggest a Hyundai Accent or Elantra. Their reliability record for the last half dozen or so years is near that of Honda and Toyota, yet the prices of used Hyundais doesn’t reflect this.
I was also going to say Hyundai Accent. I loved my old one and the styling has actually improved since then IMHO (it was a 2002). It got 30+mpg city (close to 40 on the highway) and you could put a TON of shit in the hatchback.
I admit the Fit is waaaay cuter but seriously for the money you get a ton of car with Hyundai. If you buy one under 5 years old, the factory warranty is transferrable to the second (and I think all subsequent) owners. Read up on the details of that if you’re interested. That said, until it got crushed by a tree in 2010 the DinkMobile ™ never ailed a day, either. Nothing but routine maintenance, and not particularly rigorous maintence, either. I paid $5500 for mine, in late 2006, 8 months left on the warranty.
Haha, I’ve definitely been considering a Hyundai Accent along with the Fit. I’m not sure exactly what year would be good for that though. And the warranty sounds like a great idea…especially after some of the stuff the Volvo has pulled.
For the Accent, CR basically says it has good reliability from 2007 onwards. They don’t have enough data for 2006, and the reliability is mediocre to bad prior to 2005.
My wife and I just ended up buying a Mazda3, basically as it ended up being the most fun and interesting of the little cars in our price range (under 10k which excluded the Fit). But the Fit is absolutely a great car, and you really can’t go wrong with it.
Yeah, I drive a Fit myself, I’m certainly not suggesting it’s not a better car than the Accent. But I can’t see how it’s going to be a better value when buying used. A quick bit of used car searching suggests the Honda having an asking price of 40-60% higher than the Hyundai for the 2008 model year. It’s not that much better.
The thing about used Hondas and Toyotas is that they’ve been making good cars for so long that their reputations are fully reflected in used prices. Hyundai’s reputation has not yet caught up to their current level of quality - understandably so, as people don’t have a decades-long memory of people telling them how their 15-year-old Hyundai is still running like a top. Ten years ago a 15-year-old Hyundai was a Pony, and those things didn’t run like a top straight from the factory.
I would get a Hyundai or a Kia – a Soul is quite cute (I have seen them in person, and need to work hard not to go SQUEE). I own an older hyundai, and it has never given me a day’s trouble. Many of my relatives have them as well. They have had the same experience. BTW – the paint on them holds up really well, so with proper maintenance it always looks good.
I have a Hyundai Elantra that I’ve never regretted purchasing. I got it for about $10,000 when it was roughly three years old and it’s needed only regular maintenance in the four years since. I think it’s exceptionally comfortable for its price range. I agree with Gorsnak’s assessment that Hyundai is currently underrated and is actually the new Honda.
We’ve had two Mazdas (a Protege, which was the forerunner of the Mazda3, and a CX-7), and they both were/are excellent, very reliable cars. I’m not as familiar with the specifics of the current models, but they have traditionally had good reliability, but (like Hyundais of recent years) don’t have the same resale cachet as Toyotas or Hondas (making them often a better value as used cars).
