Car under $25,000 (and request for general new car buying advice)

[JaredL]

Unfortunately, my and Mrs. L's car was stolen from across the street of our apartment on Saturday. For those familiar with Pittsburgh, I live in Squirrel Hill which I can say fairly confidently is the least crime ridden neighborhood in the city. Apparently the 1998 Dodge Neon was irresistible.

If it isn't found in the next few weeks we'll need to get a new car. We were hoping our car would last until I finish grad school next year but it looks like that's not going to happen. Since I'm not balla like some here, we're looking to spend less than 25 grand, preferably somewhere in the 18-23 band. We would much prefer to get a new car to a used one.

Before getting into specific vehicles, this will be my first time buying a car. My wife bought ours used about 4 years ago when I was in Pittsburgh and she was in Oregon. Any general buying tips would be great. We have already secured a loan at 6.2% so unless we get some special deal we're good to go on financing.

The primary use of the car is for my wife to use for work. She works at multiple preschools around Pittsburgh and does a lot of city driving. For this reason and because we're hippies, fuel efficiency is more important for us than the average person for whom it matters little. Reliability and overall performance are important as well. I'm not looking to race or anything but don't want a total slug.

The first car we'll probably look at is a Honda Civic sedan. We are also considering getting a Mini, which I suspect I'll take [censored] for. We have a friend that has one so we're somewhat familiar with them and I'm familiar with Hondas as my parents have had a couple Accords and I know a few people with a civic. People seem pretty happy with them. Having looked at random reviews the Mazda3 looks like a possibility as well.

What other cars would you guys suggest?

Any and all comments appreciated.

Jared

[mbillie1]

Civic sedan is a great choice imo. Also the new Corolla's are nice and get killer mileage. Honda/Toyota is the way to go though. Run forever, get awesome mileage, look fairly classy, etc. FWIW my girlfriend just got an 07 Corolla for (don't quote me) like 19ish, and it's awesome.

[DLKeeper1]

Get a Honda, Toyota, or maybe Hyundai. Whatever you do, get an Asian car. I would go with an Accord, Corolla, or maybe Camry if you're feeling really balla.

[Poker is Rigged]

hondas are one of the most reliable cars out there. its a good choice

if its primarily your wifes car then i guess you can get a girl car. just get a yaris. cheap, reliable, ive heard it is REALLY nice, and of course, 40+mpg i think it is... 10k yo

ive heard minis are very fun to drive, still, dont get one.

another one to take a look at are toyota camrys. very reliable car, i still have 90 camry and its still running great. but they are the most stolen car in america. have fun

i think what they did was a good thing, trust me, ditch the neon

[DLKeeper1]

[ QUOTE ]
i still have 90 camry and its still running great. but they are the most stolen car in america. have fun

[/ QUOTE ]

They are also the most popular...coincidence???? It's not like they are more susceptible to theft, they are just more common.

[Poker is Rigged]

im just saying if they thought his 98 neon is irrisistable then they will take his camry before he gets out of his car

[JaredL]

[ QUOTE ]
hondas are one of the most reliable cars out there. its a good choice

if its primarily your wifes car then i guess you can get a girl car. just get a yaris. cheap, reliable, ive heard it is REALLY nice, and of course, 40+mpg i think it is... 10k yo

ive heard minis are very fun to drive, still, dont get one.

another one to take a look at are toyota camrys. very reliable car, i still have 90 camry and its still running great. but they are the most stolen car in america. have fun

i think what they did was a good thing, trust me, ditch the neon

[/ QUOTE ]

The neon would have basically done its job if it had made it through next spring. Depending on where we end up after I finish school we would have gotten either one or two new cars and it would be either traded in for little or rarely used if we would only need one car. At this point though I think we're better off if we don't get it back. I don't know much about theft but I assume it will likely have some damage coming back and since it's not worth much would be close to totaled anyway.

As far as being my wife's car, she will use it for work which will be a majority of the miles put on it but when we go anywhere I drive. So basically a chick car would be fine but I have to at least enjoy driving it.

Based on talking to the friend of mine that has a mini and reading stuff online they keep their value pretty well, do really well in the snow, and are a blast to drive. The main downside is the lack of cargo room since my wife hauls some stuff for work. It easily fit into our trunk with room to spare before but with the mini it would be a different story.

[ilikeaces86_]

Like others have said Toyota Honda or Hyundai. I bought a Hyundai Sonata a few years ago and haven't put a cent into any kind of repair and its ran very well for me.

[Nicholasp27]

[ QUOTE ]
The main downside is the lack of cargo room since my wife hauls some stuff for work. It easily fit into our trunk with room to spare before but with the mini it would be a different story.

[/ QUOTE ]

if it just 1-2 of u in the car when she hauls the stuff, u'll be fine; it's a hatchback

u put the rear seats down and it's like the back of an SUV...i haul 7' xmas trees inside it

[Nicholasp27]

[ QUOTE ]

ive heard minis are very fun to drive, still, dont get one.


[/ QUOTE ]

why not? u haven't even driven one; have u been in one?

it's safe; cost-effective, FUN, gets good mileage, luxurious, FUN, has free maintenance for 50k, FUN, tons of leg room in front seat and headroom throughout, FUN, etc etc