Hi, I’m looking into buying my first car, I’ve got a couple ideas of what car I’m looking for, but would like more suggestions! I would love any and all advice I can get, so please just send whatever you have that might match my interest!
I care a lot more for external looks than the internals, so it could have any hp etc. doesn’t really matter to me.
These are the specifications I’m looking for:
(If I haven’t mentioned something it’s because that subject doesn’t matter to me. Manual vs automatic for example.)
The budget I have is something in the realms of 10 000$.
It needs to be able to drive in slight terrain (gravel roads, snowy roads), nothing crazy, it just needs to be an all-year car.
I really despise the look of front engine cars, problem being that the cockpit is so far back on the car. For reference the C8 Corvette with a rear wing is my dream car. So a mid-engine car is ideal, but I realise that this car will probably have to be a front-engine car. (a Porsche is an absolute no-go even as a mid-engined car) Regardless I want to keep the cockpit around the middle of the car (hatchbacks is a no).
I will mount a wing on the car if it doesn’t already have one, since I just love aero! The meaner the car looks, the better.
Right now I have the Subaru WRX STI and Mitsubishi lancer Evo. I really like the look of the Evo X, this is a car I definitely would love to have but it’s just a bit out of reach.
Hope some of that made sense, I would greatly appreciate any suggestions of models that sort of hits my main points!
Porsche 911 is rear-engined, the Boxster/Cayman is mid-engined and the Panamera is front engine.
Mid engine cars are typically rare and/or expensive.
You say that but then you say this…
Both of which are front-engined cars. You have a lot of inconsistency here.
If your budget is $10,000… that means used cars, not new. Go to any used car search site (there are a LOT) and let your search criteria ONLY be $10,000 and nothing else. See what comes up. Try and choose from that list.
Make SURE you have a budget for maintenance and repairs (and insurance)… Less for Japanese cars, more for American cars and a LOT more for European cars. Before you purchase any car, have it inspected by your mechanic, not the seller’s.
@knut.thomas.rorvik_185691, my guess is that you aren’t in the US. This doesn’t matter for advice on finding a car but it might for finding one that you can get work done easily. If you are in Europe, for instance, you should prioritize European cars over US and maybe Asian cars because there are a lot of them and the others might have a premium due to rarity. At $10,000 I’d stay away from everything you say you like. You can’t afford them unless they are high mileage and likely need a lot of repairs. Sedans are likely less expensive than coupes for the same model car. In the US you would likely find a fun driving car in a Mazda3 that fits you cost needs. If you are in Europe, Camrys are universally hated and should be a bargain. They are popular in the US. When you go for a test drive, make it at lest 20 minutes and longer if you can manage it to make sure the driver’s seat is comfortable. I was ready to buy a car in 2017 that was excellent in every respect, except the seat became uncomfortable after about 20 minutes.
A few years ago, I recall reading an article about Mitsubishi, and it stated that the company was abandoning the market place in both The UK and Continental Europe. If that has come to pass, that means a lack of technical support for Mitsu owners, and the technological nature of the EVO model might require technical support that is no longer available.
I presume you mean those are the two you are considering. Of those, I prefer the looks of the WRX. I expect you already know that with a $10K budget for this sort of car means you are compromising on cost-to-own & reliability in exchange for appearance. If it is critically important you have a reliable car, for example to drive daily to school or work, you might want to consider a re-think, and give the choice priority more to reliability.
Let’s be realistic . . . many first time car owners, who are typically very young, exercise poor judgement, don’t yet have the best driving skills, etc.
The result being many young and/or inexperienced car drivers end up getting into a few accidents and maybe even wrecking their very first car(s)
So I think op should view this as a learning experience and jut focus on getting a safe, boring and reliable car to get to/from work or to/from school
That “nice” car that has the features they want can come a few years later, imo
Teenage men spend a lot of time thinking about teenage girls. Ask me how I know? … lol … I expect this is an important factor for the OP. Question for OP to carefully consider: If car’s appearance allows OP to “get” the girl, then did OP really “get” the girl? Or did the girl “get” OP’s car?
I think that is about the best advise you can get…
1st car, buy cheap, cause chances are you are going to wreck it…
And I’m calling BS on you don’t care about HP, you gave at least 3 examples of higher then normal HP vehicles… If you just want looks of a wing and in your words, I can put a wing on it, then buy a Honda Civic and slap a wing on it, looks about like an EVO without the power… lol
And a Civic probably has the best aftermarket support of any non classis car out there, all kinds of stuff you can do to a Civic to make it your own…
For a young person starting out, I can think of no better car than the 1997-2001 Toyota Camry. Even the 4-cylinder version offers excellent performance, and the V-6 version offers even better performance.
This kind of car, in excellent condition and with low miles should cost less than half of your budget, which allows you to set aside money for maintenance and repairs.
Millions of these cars were made, and so many are still in use that it is easy to find parts and service for this model, and that is likely to remain so for several years to come.
Insurance and upkeep for this model is inexpensive compared to an actual sports car.
Hmm, let’s see…I could have a Fiero, one of the most difficult cars to repair and maintain, with counterfeit Ferrari badging for the price of $13,600, or I could have one of dozens of other much better cars for a lot less. This has got to be a joke, right?
Especially when a connecting rod goes through the block and the leaking oil causes the entire mess of a car to explode in flames. 1985 is of one the particularly problematic model years for that car. https://apnews.com/article/a67d1f0487ec5fd82322af9ee380e6ec
“According to the complaints, driving the Fieros with low oil levels can cause a connecting rod to break.”
That is preventable. I wouldn’t avoid any specific vehicle because the engine could fail if operated without oil.
Engine fires are still a problem, except modern technology is used to reduce the risk. Hyundai and Kia use the engine knock sensor to alert the driver of connecting rod bearing failure so the vehicle can be stopped before complete engine failure and fire.
“In November of 2020, NHTSA announced that Kia and Hyundai must pay $137 million in fines and for safety improvements because they moved too slowly to recall more than 1 million vehicles with engines that can fail.”
Yes, it is preventable, but because GM had to reduce the size of the oil pan in order to make that engine fit into the Fiero, its oil capacity was only 3 qts. That leaves a very small margin for error, and–as you know–once an engine is down by 1 qt, it tends to burn the remaining oil faster. At that point, the margin for error can be so low as to lead to catastrophic problems.
