Need a new car - advice?

[Yohn]

As far as something reliable, Toyota Corolla are wonderful! My dad had one for years and years and years and that thing just kept on trucking (he bought it used, too). I've got a Camry, now and it's amazing.
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"And as the lion slaughters man, I am the wolf and you're the lamb." ~Blind Guardian

[Ninjar]

I have a Camry as well and will say that it rarely lets me down.

[Cedric]

This year's Civic is amazing. If my brother hadn't totaled my Civic 2 years ago, I would be pretty mad being able to compare the qualities. As it stands, I have a 2005 Accord, and while I like the performance, I hate the mileage.

One thing, though, trevoke, how far do you live from all the places you drive to? Because if you live pretty close to your school and work, I think you should lease a car and not buy it. It's cheaper that way. The only thing you need to worry about is the minimum length of time to lease (probably 2-4 years) and the amount of mileage you get. The latter is important because they'll charge you for each mile you go over. The lease on my brother's car has a maximum of 12,000 miles per year. That's pretty easy for him, and so we're saving some money. I'd advise you to do the same if you know you won't go over that amount or something close to it.

But I agree with the consensus. Get the Yaris or the Civic. I learn towards the Yaris because it looks different from the traditional car on the road, but at the same time it's pretty slick. Either one is fine, though. And in a couple of years, with a lease you can trade up to something else to your liking.
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[Yohn]

My friend went through 3 Civics in various car accidents where the Civic didn't make it where another car would. It was really, really, scary.
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"And as the lion slaughters man, I am the wolf and you're the lamb." ~Blind Guardian

[Masaya]

Hurray for Yohn and Ninjar. I also have a Toyota, well Camry, and it runs super well. It's a 98' with leather seatin gand wooden interior and and a moonroof...all the fun stuff I car should have.. but it's been super reliable. I deffeintly suggest it. Actually instead I think you need to get a Hybrid. <3 Cause it's what I want..but the waiting list is way to long here.
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[VikiFanatic]

Well, i've always thought Civic's were one of the best and most reliable cars you could have. My parents always had civics before, and i'm planning to get one too. I don't know why, but it's most effective in the roads and climate in my country, plus, the parts are somewhat cheaper over here.

I also like the fact that it doesn't eat up much gas. Plus, the driving is smooth. Not that i can vouch for that though, since i didn't drive my parent's care without permission yet... (or did I? :wink: )
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[Eden]

If there is areliable car than it is a VW Polo... I used to drive one of these miracles od technic and my car was 19 years old :mrgreen: In fact it was older than some of my friends who I drove around. The one thing I experienced myself is that VW is one of the best firms for cars. The only problem is that they become more expensive nowadays...
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The Fool

[Trevoke]

Volkswagen used to be awesome cars, really solid, really cheap. Now, well, they're changing. The cars are probably still very good, but I hate the bodies of the cars, the design.

Honda Civics : My dad has a Civic coupe '98, my brother has a Civic sedan '02. I'd like something ELSE. I don't like the design that the new Hondas have -- so maybe a used one may do it... It is an option.

Toyota : Camry, Corolla, yeah, they're neat cars, and I know Toyota will never let me down; they're a good company and they make rock-solid cars (at least as far as not breaking down after 10 years)

I want something that has a little more HUMPH though. I'm looking at the Mazda3 right now... Though I may go back to another Scion, it looks like they have the best quality/price ratio right now...
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There are weapons you cannot hold in your hand.
You can only hold them in your mind.
-- Bene Gesserit Teaching

[Yohn]

[Vextor]

Good cars these days are cars that crumple when they are hit, instead of the passenger. If a car is so rigid that its chassis doesn't budge at all when encountering a huge crush force, the passenger will typically suffer injury due to the force being applied to their body almost directly. Vehicles with "crush zones" soften this initial blow to reduce injury to the driver (and passengers).

No car manufacturer today aims at making "cars that don't total when involved in a crash." Government regulations won't let such cars pass for sale in the USA (and most other countries). Thus, if you've experienced miracles where your car didn't suffer much damage after being hit with an excessive force (such as a 50mph crash), you were either very lucky or you were hit by a car that is much smaller than yours (or the car was made with sponge or something).

Especially compact cars that need to be constructed within a very limited design lattice and have fuel-economy/performance concerns will use a lot of lightweight materials, such as aluminum. This means when you're hit, your car will crumple. That's good for safety. If your car deosn't crumple, the same force will be transferred directly to your body. This means if you're not wearing your seat-belt, you'll be launched outside and have a face-on collision with the asphalt (which also means you can get run over by other vehicles), or with a seat-belt, you can get massive internal injuries.

So yes, if you ever see anyone selling you a vehicle because "it doesn't budge in an accident," don't buy it (although I guarantee nobody in the right mind will try to sell a car under that premise).

On the other hand, you may wish to reconsider buying cars at all if you think there's a very good chance you'll total the vehicle. In such place, do the world a favor and use public transportation, or take some classes in driving skills.

[Trevoke]

*nodnod*
Makes perfect sense. Thanks for the advice.

I went with the Mazda 3s -- got it for much cheaper than anticipated after spending some time on edmunds.com ..

The Yaris, well, I'll keep it in mind for when my sister needs a car. :)
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There are weapons you cannot hold in your hand.
You can only hold them in your mind.
-- Bene Gesserit Teaching