Whats a good first acar for a girl?

Question

i'm going to get a car sometime between december and june and i was just wondering what a good car would be. Here are what it needs to have.

automatic

power windows/locks

spacious(not small and clostrophobic) i'm 5'9"

get good in-town gas mileage

not needed but prefered:

Coupe (2 doors)

cruise control

Answer 1

I'm a girl and I'm still driving my first car. It is a 2001 Ford Focus.  I am 6"1' and the fit is perfect, so don't worry about needing head room.  I get about 35 mph on the freeway and about 27 mph in the city.  Yes, it's automatic, has power windows and doors, and cruise control.  I bought it used, last year for $6000. With your budget, you could get a much newer one.

I've never had any problems with it and the only work I've had to have done on it is routine maintenance stuff.  They are 4-door but you said it was just preferred, not required.

My other option for you would be a Chevy Cobalt.  They're really cute cars and they come in both 4-door and coupe models.  They have bigger engines than the Focus, and bigger engines usually mean lower fuel economy.

Good luck picking your car!

edited to add:  Looks like Scott and I are thinking the same thing!

Answer 2

Chevy Cobalt or Ford Focus might be good.

Answer 3

Well there are a lot of great cars out there.....But my choice if you would want something around that price range would be...Probably a BMW 3 series coupe. They are very reliable cars although they are a little costly on maintenance. I have owned a BMW, Mercedes, Lincoln and currently own a Cadillac. BMW was a great car and probably one of my favorites. I have a  Cadillac CTS now and it gets great gas mileage has all of the options and leather. You can pick a pre owned one up for a reasonable cost. You should look at how the car holds its resale value. Stay away from Hyundai, Kia and other like vehicles if you look they lose their value very quickly as much as 40-60% in the first year. You should go test drive some of the cars mentioned above and see what "fits" you better. Each car is different.

The cobalt and the Focus lose resale value quickly. They also are poorly crafted inside and out. Look at the reviews that are posted by Edmunds and Car and Driver magazines. If you are wanting a cheap car you get what you pay for. I have a friend who has a focus and it has been in the shop more than in his garage

Answer 4

Since you are going to get your car between December and June you still have plenty of time and can do plenty of reading -- not being in a rush will ultimately save you money as you'll choose wisely. I think there is no “one” good first car. (My first car back in Europe was a Seat, a brand that belongs to VW. To me, it was the perfect first car in terms of safety, mileage and comfort but it is not sold in the USA. I sometimes drove my dad's 3-series BMW which I also liked a lot.)

OK, back to your question. A couple of weeks ago I came across a website which I really liked. It focuses on providing car buying advice for women; www.askpatty.com. I think the site is helpful. Also, as you are not quite sure yet what you want you could visit www.myproductadvisor.com. In addition, I think that reading as much as possible to educate yourself on a topic is most important when making such an important decision.

There is plenty of good automotive websites. Most of them provide great articles written by very knowledgeable car experts. You can learn a lot about bargaining with dealers. Further, many websites have blogs and, most importantly, there are almost always forums where you can ask questions and get valuable answers. I think this is a great way to learn more about cars online and can help you narrow down your choices. I would also suggest you create a new e-mail account and start registering for automotive newsletters now -- many automotive sites send newsletters. Bit by bit, all these sources will help you obtain a pretty sound knowledge.

To sum up, my favorite websites are: www.caranddriver.com, www.motortrend.com, www.autoworld.com, www.automobilemag.com, www.autoweek.com and www.roadandtrack.com.

Also check out the buyer’s guide sections which most sites provide.

When you are done with your basic in-depth research I would suggest you go to a dealer and start test-driving your favorite cars to get a feeling for the car, no matter if you are planning to buy online or at a dealer.

Finally, sites like www.carmax.com, www.autotrader.com and www.cars.com (there’s plenty more, just google ‘new cars/used cars’) will provide you with quotes and help you detect low prices.