So I’m a 25 y.o looking to get a new car, as my old 2000 Buick LeSabre is finally dead after 300+ miles and 15 years of reliability. I need something cheap but reliable and safe.
I was looking to get a 2012-2015 Civic or Corolla or maybe even a 2010-2013 VW CC as it’s priced almost the same as a Civic and as good safety features as well…
Can you help me?
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Not the VW. Reliability is pretty much the opposite of what you say you want.
Civic/Corolla would be good choices. My personal choice would be the Civic. Were I you I’d be looking at the newer side of your year range - Honda did an “emergency refresh” of that generation Civic in 2013, not because of problems, but because it was so boring that people stopped buying it. The later cars were much better.
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OK Alexis , assuming you have not read any of the hundreds of threads here about needing help to purchase a car here goes. This bunch as a group will almost never recommend any used luxury cars, not many fans of Volkswagen here either. Any used vehicle no matter the brand has to stand on it’s own and that means having a good mechanic look it over to see if it has any thing wrong with it. You can ask the selling dealer for a Carfax that is not the final say but might show red flags such as multiple owners or accident repair. Also with all the year end deals out there you might even want new and new qualifies for better interest rates.
The Corolla and Civic are great but the Mazda 3 offers better handling dynamics, sporty looks.
you can have a look on Carcomplaints know the issues of the car you are trying to buy. There are lots of reports about many cars and models.
BTW, is it allowed to post the link to other websites in here?
You got good service out of the old Buick, so why not look for another one? A 2010 with lower miles might be far cheaper than the same year Toyota or Honda, because they just aren’t cool, and they don’t appeal to young buyers of used cars. It’s a “grandma” sort of car, but that works in your favor if you are looking to save some money and you can survive the complete lack of interest your car will get you.
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I commend you for looking for something reliable, and your choices all seem reasonable. I would lean toward the Honda or Toyota, but if you like the VW, by all means, go ahead. The nice thing about your choices is that (at least where I live) there’s a crapload of them on the used car market, so you can most likely find a majority of the things you want (color, options).
You don’t say your marital or family status, but if you’re not married or with kids, get what you want. Once you get kids, you don’t really get to pick (unless you’re independently wealthy and can buy multiple cars) - you have to get what works for your family.
My mom has a 2014 Civic with the “emergency refresh” looks
It’s a pretty good car, in my opinion
That’s a dramatic change you’re proposing. Going from a fairly large domestic car that was quite nicely equipped, to a fairly small japanese car, that may be fairly basic, depending on the trim level
Are you sure a Civic or Corolla will suit your needs?
How many miles do you drive per year?
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Edmunds True Cost to Own evaluates how much it costs to use a car for 5 years. For a 2013 CC, they estimate $6340 for maintenance and $4167 for repairs, assuming 15,000 miles per year and all work at the dealer. For a Toyota Avalon, they estimate $6658 for maintenance and $2943 for repairs. Yeah, the Avalon is a little more reliable, but if you like the CC more, I wouldn’t let that stand in the way of buy a car that is more enjoyable. That’s about $180 extra in repairs for the CC each year. If you use an independent garage, it will be less.
Why not another Buick since the prior one has served you so well?
Just my 2 cents, but I’m not as down on VW as the majority.
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Actually, I’d love to have another Buick, mine was super comfortable and never game me any problems (besides the regular maintenance). But Buicks are a little more expensive and go out of my budget…
TBH my card died on me and I wasn’t prepared…I’m planning my wedding and on top of that all my expenses so I know if I get one of those it could get me out of the whole for a few years…but yeah I’d be a dramatic change I loved my Buick but money is tight
Have you even priced anything ? And do you have a grasp of what you can actually afford. Not what you think you can but included full coverage insurance and registration fees. Also this is something that the future partner needs to be involved with. New marriages do not need to start with overwhelming financial burdens.
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Exactly what happened to your Buick, for you to call it dead?
I think you can get into a Chevy Cruze a lot cheaper, they seem to be a decent car, not exciting but that wasn’t on your list anyway.
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VOLVO_V70
2d
Also this is something that the future partner needs to be involved with. New marriages do not need to start with overwhelming financial burdens.
So you are a counselor ? 
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I thought it was a good suggestion. 
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I’ve seen that the Cruze has a lot of issues …I like the car but I don’t want to deal with all of that
Realx she’s got a car and we can commute together for a couple of weeks and it’s not like we’re broke I just have a lot of expenses at the moment
We’re not broke, just have a lot of expenses ATM but she has a car we can ride together but I need a car…I’m trying to pay around d 500/mo w insurance so I don’t think I’ll have a problem