I'm Buying a New Car... What Should I Get?

[ASTalumna06]

I’m looking to buy a car, and I have no idea where to start! This will be the first new car (which isn’t more than 7 years old!) that I’ve bought.. so I want to make a good choice! What I’m looking for:

- 2010-2011
- Preferably under $20,000
- Similar in style to a Honda Civic, Mazda 3, Toyota Corolla, etc. (and if you’d suggest I buy one of these, let me know!)
- Can be a 2 or 4 door
- For the most part, I’ll just be driving to and from work (a 10 minute drive) 5 days a week, but during the summer I’ll be making numerous trips to the Jersey shore and to Rhode Island
- Jersey winters (generally) aren’t too bad in terms of snow, but I’d like a car that can at least somewhat handle the winter weather

Help!

[AOII Angel]

I love the Honda Civic. I had a 1996 Honda Civic for 12 years, then gave it to my sister when I bought my Prius. She still has it, and it still runs with no problems! She loves my Civic and will drive it until it DIES!

[BraveMaroon]

My husband and I both have Corollas (2007 and 2009), and before that I had a Toyota Echo that had 140K miles on it but got totaled in a tornado (long story).

Bottom line is that I love the Corolla, and the price is right. I thought about a Yaris, but wanted a little more power, and the Corolla has it.

[SMTTT]

I have a 2010 Chevy Cobalt, 2-door. I've had it for almost a year. I absolutely love it! It's pretty spacious but still has that sports-car feel to it. I'm not sure about how it'd handle winter weather though. It doesn't get too bad here in the South. My only complaint would be that the cup-holders aren't big at all lol They won't even hold a coke bottle! So I always have to have it in my lap which makes it hard to steer. My Mom has a new Chevy SUV too, and her's are the same way.

[knight_shadow]

My last car was a Civic and I absolutely loved it. It stopped working after 260,000 miles, so it had a very nice run. I wish I would've gotten another one.

[U Go Glen Coco!]

My 1997 Honda Civic is still going after almost 14 years. If you get the oil changed regularly and take care of it regularly, it'll take care of you.

The price is right. I've only had to take her in maybe twice, but that was just for A/C issues.

When she dies, I'll probably get another Civic.

[angels&angles]

I have a 2007 Mazda 3 and I LOVE it. It's really peppy and smooth.

[PiKA2001]

The new Ford Fiesta looks pretty nice and starts at $15k new.

[cheerfulgreek]

I haven't had any problems with my Mini. I love it. When I bought it, it was a little over $20,000, but it's worth it.

[excelblue]

Love the Honda Civic -- great all-around car and still runs well even when you don't maintain it.

Civic: ultra-cool dashboard with digital speedometer, great feedback, unconventional design

Corolla: very conservative design, extremely "light" feel, excellent mileage (though Civic comes close)

Mazda 3: automated manual transmission, solid feel

It all really comes down to your individual preferences which of the three you choose. I suggest that you go to the dealers and try out each one of them on the same day without making any decisions that day. Your gut feeling will tell you which one is for you.

For example, I love the Civic, but that's heavily influenced by my personal preferences. I have friends who hate it for the exact same reasons why I love it. Ibid for Corolla and Mazda 3.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Count me as another Honda Civic gal. I just traded my 1999 Civic in on Sunday for a new Subaru Outback. I actually cried. Turtle was a great car - affordable, high-quality, safe and reliable. Fun to drive, too! The only maintenance I ever had to do on him was standard stuff after 60-90k+ miles. And I always found the front wheel drive to do pretty well in the snow, as long as I wasn't trying to go up big hills in icy weather.

[atrianglepi]

I had a Civic many years ago and loved it. My husband just passed his Mazda 3 to our teenage twins. I drive a Honda Pilot and my experience having owned 3 Honda's is that Honda usually won't negotiate much on price. Mazda, Toyota and Nissan will. No offense to anyone, but Japanese cars are built to last unlike their American counterparts.

[SilverTurtle]

I got a Honda Fit this past fall (my first new-new car, too).



I LOVE it. Especially useful to me as I have instruments & gear to haul around. Great gas mileage. Price range is ~$15K. Honda's are known for being reliable & lasting forever, too.

Good luck with whatever you get.

[angels&angles]

I should note that I drive standard, so that heavily biases my preference. I have no idea what the Mazda drives like in an automatic. My sister has a Civic (also standard) and loves it, she drives it all over San Francisco hills with no problem.

[ASTalumna06]

Thanks for all of the quick responses!

My mom actually has a Civic, and I've driven it a few times and I do really like it. Someone here mentioned the dashboard.. I LOVE the set-up of it. I wish they had that same configuration in every car.

I just didn't want to jump into buying it without exploring other options.