Good First Car?

Question

I'm turning 16 very soon, Me and my parents are looking into purchasing me a first car. I have my own job and I'm a honor student who gets into trouble occasionally. I would like a car that is dependable, affordable, safe and CUTE! I have been wondering if renting to own is a good option or just buying a used car is best! If you know of any website i should visit to further help me on my quest please include them also! Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

These are both great cars and can be found for around $5000 to $6000

#1) 1998 Nissan Maxima:

21 mpg (fueleconomy.gov)

4 star all around crash test except for rear (safercar.gov)

5 out of 5 reliability (MSN Autos)

#2) 2002 Hyundai Sonata v6 (2.7L or higher)

20 mpg (fueleconomy.gov)

4 star all around crash test (safercar.gov)

5 out of 5 reliability (MSN Autos)

Car Buying Is Confusing And These Websites Make it Less Confusing:

1) Safety Ratings: http://www.safercar.gov/

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx

(remember 3 stars or less is bad) (buying used with crash test depending on side airbags is bad because there is no way to even know if they still work)

2) Reliability: (MSN Autos) http://autos.msn.com/home/reliability_ra...

3) Fuel Economy: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/f*g/sbs.htm

4) Prices: http://www.kbb.com/

5) Places to shop for cars: http://www.autotrader.com/

http://www.cars.com/go/index.jsp

http://www.carsdirect.com/home

http://www.carmax.com/

Try to stay away from used Civics and Accords they arent as good as you think just look at the websites and you will see.

Answer 2

You should maybe try a Honda Civic.

It's a very safe and reliable car and besides it has a nice sporty look to it. You should try and check it out and see if you like 'em.

Try Edmunds.com

You can get car reviews and lots of tips on helping you buying the right kind of car.

Answer 3

Go to carmax.com, or cars.com to find a good affordible car in you area! A Honda Civic or Toyota Corollla, Yaris, Matrix. These cars are great on gas and are very cheap!! The Yaris starts at $9,000 or somewhere around there.

Answer 4

I would prefer Honda or Toyota.

I guess you should also check insurance quotes for the car before buying one, for example here: http://carinsurance.enacre.net

First time drivers usually have much higher rates than others. And it depends from car.