Hey ya'll! So, I'm in the process of getting my first car and honestly, I have not a single clue about anything about cars at all. I know how to drive one and am licensed, and that is the extent of my car knowledge. My father is pretty into cars but alas he hasn't taught me a thing about them. So, I figured I'd come here to post a few questions and ask for some much needed guidance in the way of automobiles. I live in the New England area currently, so I need a car that is good in winter conditions if need be. I also need a car with somewhat good gas mileage (does that exist anymore?) as I have a girl friend I would like to visit frequently that lives approx 45 min away by car. I can bring my own speakers into the car, and I have a few important things to put in the car such as a utility kit, a brake down kit, a bunch of spare money for tolls or any emergency along with a cool liquid proof trashbin. I also have some decorations for the car like dashboard bobble heads and shit, but something I want to know as a stoner is what is the best way to get rid of smells in a car? I have ozium, but is there any better way? No idea what the interior of the car will be like, as I'm sure that will have something to do with how long any smells would stay, but as a fellow blade I feel like it's a good thing to think about. I have a little over $5,000 to spend currently. Looking for something used. Would anyone have any type of car/truck to recommend? You'd be helping me out a lot, as I am quite a newb when it comes to this subject. Thank you!
First car? Don't invest a lot. It'll break your heart. Get something old and used and just adjust it here and there, don't pour too much money on this project.
I really dig Subaru, we've had an extra harsh winter here, and my AWD wagon has gotten me out and about while all my friend's FWD and RWD cars have been left stuck in the snow. In my opinion, drive train is everything. If you're going AWD, that eliminates almost all American cars, which is great for gas mileage too lol. I would get a manual transmission. It's way more fun no matter the car, and when an emergency or the zombie apocalypse happens, and you need the skills to drive a manual, you'll have them. Yay! And it's way easier than any pansys make it out to be. By the way, manual transmissions can get better gas mileage on average too, unless you're hauling ass everywhere and redlining it lol.
Excellent recommendations. I Find that manual also increased my driving skills. The need to always shift keeps your eyes focused on the road. How does AWD save gas ?
yep, get a Japanese car until you can afford any problems that'll come with a car you like. really anything Japanese will do. Corolla, Camry, Civic, Accord, etc. Subarus, too, but they are more expensive.
audi's and bmw's are awesome to drive, but you'll spend a shit load of $$ on fixing random electrical problem they are known for little shit breaking especially around 50k miles. like window regulators or ac units, blah blah.. and each one sets you back $300 - 600 just for the part } : - ( japanese cars last.. they may not drive as well and be all fancy but you can get a really nice honda or subaru as your first.
For the record japanese cars drive just as good as Euro cars as long as you not comparing a corolla to an m3.
As everyone is saying just get a AWD japanese car it should be reliable and much better for snow than FWD or RWD. Plus I think manual is the way to go too.
By not having a big v6/v8 american engine lol. AWD gets less gas mileage actually, but I was simply pointing out by going AWD he wouldn't have any american options lol. And I've known parents to force manual upon their kids, because if you've never tried it, it's practically impossible to talk on the phone or text while shifting lol.
As mentioned already, Subaru's are great cars, not only in terms of reliability, but also performance. Either that or a Honda Civic; cheap, reliable, and plenty of oem/non-oem parts support. Did I mention great resale value?
In my experience, German cars are not worth the cost of keeping them running for the performance you get out of them. Not to mention they have terrible resale value for the exact reason. Source: owned a 2011 Jetta with multiple sensor failures at only 35k.
Personally I think infinity, Nissan nor Lexus handle nearly as nice as a comparable Audi let's say a4 ... But that's personal preference, I can hardly find anyway you'd not prefer to quattro handling on a wet highway. The technology is really quite better than standard awd.
I agree the only reason I love German cars us for the handling and I tend to enjoy the designs visually. Plus I'm a car fanatic a little. That being said I might get a Subaru next if not s4
I was saying for the price and assuming op was getting used..in which case a used audi a4 is not very practical compared to subaru
i thought i was gonna have something to say here, but you fine folks pretty much have it covered. soooo here... and if you must have an American AWD wagon...
if you want a good car with gas milage get a civic or an accord. and if your gonna get a civic or an accord you might as well get an integra. do you want a sedan or a coupe? if you want a sedan get the accord. otherwise get the integra. you can get a clean accord or integra with 5 g's but if you want to have FUN in your car get the subie or a mx5, fc rx7, rx7's are high maintenance but fun as hell. im sure you can find any 3 of those in good condition for 5 thousand