First Vechile ever, Should I Buy A used crappy One or Lease one?

Question

I dont want to buy a hunk of p**p car that is bad on gas and have to putt money in to it. i Simply Can NOT Afford that option. Thats why I am thinking a lease.

Any opinions on that?

Also What do you think About leasing a RAV4?

Answer 1

you should buy a toyota corolla! The new ones are the best, but a used one is good, the best cars are toyotas and hondas. My sister just bought the new toyota corolla, and she got a free tank of gas, and she had it for TWO WEEKS! Thats how long it lasted, and she had to drive around everywhere because she works a lot..

But a used one is fine too!

Answer 2

spend about $4,000 on a used car.

avoid any lease.

avoid BMW's, MB, Audi, very expensive parts and service.

98 Acura CL, 98 Ford Mustang V6, 98 Honda Accord or Civic, 98 Nissan Frontier or Pathfinder, 98 Subaru Impreza or Legacy, 98 -00 Toyota Corolla or Echo 00

Answer 3

Just buy a 92-95 Honda Civic VX Hatchback. The EPA rated it 48mpg in the city and 55 on the highway and they are dirt cheap and dang reliable.

Answer 4

First you should understand that LEASING is just long term RENTING.  The rules are completely different (you are really stuck with it for the length of the contract).

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Get a well used car.  There's a high likely hood you will bang it up few times.  You might even wreck it.  If you had to buy another car in a year or two (because you wrecked it), you don't want to be stuck with 2 monthly payment (old car you wrecked and new car you bought to replace it.

When you look for a used car, you really have to expand your list of choices and get what ever you can get (at the time) - as long as the used car is mechanically sound.  Some people get focused on just getting a Civic, or Mustang, etc. and end up getting a crappy Civic or mustang because that's all they found at the time.

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Here's some rules you should consider when buying a used car

(1) don't get sold on the paint job = meaning cars having good exterior, fancy CD radio, etc.

(2) look for car with sound ENGINE + TRANNY + SUSPENSION.

(3) test every button, k**b, switch, slider, etc.. Ex: even in the summer test out the heater & even in the winter test out the AC (if you can).  Slide the AC/heater to fan1, fan2, fan3, etc.  then slid the vent to defrost, front, bottom, etc.  Test the high beam, low beam, etc.  Test (flip) the visor.  Test the alarm.  Test all 4 doors.  Test the rear defogger.

TEST EVERYTHING.

(4) BEFORE the first start, open the engine bay and see if the engine is already warmed up.  Many engines starts well when already warmed up, but may have problems when cold (or cold start).

(5) test drive with the sound system off and window down. Listen for weird sound coming from the wheels & suspension.

(6) Look inside the engine bay to see if you can see see leaks, etc.  It is normal to see some oil and grease.  But too much means that the car is leaking oil somewhere.

(7) check the engine oil dip stick. If the oil is BRAND NEW CLEAN, the seller MIGHT be hiding something.  If the oil is jet black and /or smells like gasoline (or burnt), you might have engine problem).

(8) once you are satisfied with the above - you can NOW take it to the mechanic for the engine + tranny + suspension inspection.  He won't find everything, but he will find the obvious.

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MSNBC had a news story on where is the best places to buy used cars. The used car dealers were on the BOTTOM of the list. They are pros at negotiations (and you and I are rank amateurs), they are pros at hiding problems on their cars, etc.

The private sales (newspaper, etc.) were the best places. The seller will not tell you all the problems, but they don't know how to hide them.

And a private seller are at MOST they are equal in negotiation skills to you and me.

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You may want to test MPG.  If you want to accurately measure you MPG, do these steps:

(1) fill you tank to the max (get the seller to pay this one)

(2) reset the odometer (tripometer)

(3) drive on the HWY (at 55 for comparison to other cars)

(4) drive using cruise control - to eliminate bad habit (VERY IMPORTANT)

(5) drive about 30 minute / 30 miles (longer = more accurate)

(6) now get gas again - fill it the MAX (you pay this one)

(7) note the gallon just filled AND mile drive.

(8) calculate MPG = miles / gallon

You cannot use your GAS gauge to know if you finished using the gas. Also if you don't use the cruise you are putting in your driving habit, traffic, etc. on different days as variable. So you should do this at evening or night hours.

You can also use this technique whenever you think your car is gets better or worst MPG. It only cost you about 1 gallon of gas ($4) and that is cheaper than paying a mechanic to find ghosts (problems that doesn't exists).

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Once you get the car, keep it in good running condition. There are 4 most important maintenance items in your engine

(1) engine oil (3k - 5K miles)

(2) tranny oil (30K miles)

(3) coolant (3 years)

(4) timing belt (60K miles)

Just keep those maintenance and your engine and tranny will be problem free.  I have a 94 Civic with 187K miles and the engine + tranny + suspension runs like new.  I get 41 MPG (doing 72 MPH).  I can get even better MPG doing 55.

Good maintenance pays off.

good Luck...

P.S.  I don't know nothing about RAV4.  But again, expand your choice and buy what is in good shape, not just what style you get fixated on.

Answer 5

no. a used Toyota corolla is not a hunk of p**p, does not guzzle gas, is available for little$ and is the ideal car for a young new driver. trust me, the babes will still love you....cause you will have $ left over to spend on them!