Most Affordable/Good Looking Car to Buy
Originally from Manhattan, moving to a "driving" city for work post grad (Dallas/LA/Houston). Have a license but have never driven a car before so conflicted about which vehicle is best. Ideally want something that is affordable but also looks nice. Have 8.5k in summer intern money (paid 4 months of rent to help parents out who had some unexpected expenses and were unable to help me out) If I do get a car, I would use it to doordash in my collegetown (go to a true collegetown vibe university not a city, friends have made on average 25 an hour from their doordashing) to help alleviate the cost a bit. I was thinking a Jeep Grand Cherokee but its mileage is p bad compared to other cars. Was wondering if any of the car guys here have any suggestions on what car I should buy?
if u drive stick get a miata - fun car great mileage and great insurance and repair costs. if you fine with looking for longer and paying a bit more in insurance. you can get an older wrx, which will hold its value extremely well
Unfortunately I grew up in NYC so my driving is limited to automatic sadly
When I say never driven a car before, I mean I have never had a personal or family car. My entire driving experience is with friends cars
I like the mazda 3 or mazda cx 50 if you want an SUV. Look solid and pretty affordable
I second the Mazda. I daily a Mazda3 sedan and it’s great for commuting. Mine is stick, so it’s fun, but it comes in automatic too. Great gas mileage and they don’t look bad at all. Much more practical than my weekend car - a straight piped foxbody Mustang.
Kia and Toyota
I have always thought the Jeep Cherokees look kind of cool. They are not cheap, though. The VW Jetta is also kind of cool but does not cost all that much.
Key words....."look kind of cool"
OP is looking for a Mazda3
2016 and on Mazda 3 hatchback. Easily the best affordable car in the market right now. I have one and absolutely love it.
Would something like a honda pilot be too expensive impractical, driven a bunch of my friends cars and have found that i prefer SUVs over sedans.
Expensive but you will be one step closer to a mini van
Like in the sense that it looks like a minivan or it has the capabilities of one?
Just get an Acura - luxury trim, zero maintenance.
Agree. If you can’t swing that much money, the new accords are also very slick.
buy japanese. a car in your early days should be nothing more than a non-embarassing form of transportation that's reliable. I've bought 2 cars since I was 18, total mileage between the 2 is maybe 400k, the fuckers are built to last.
I think the best combo of looks/affordability is infiniti. you can get a 3 year old Q50 in Dallas for ~$20k with less than 40k miles and it should last you at least another 150k miles, probably more. honda accord is only priced slightly below infiniti and doesn't look nearly as nice, Acura and Lexus are both pricier
I like the infinity and almost bought it. However, being the old guy that I am, I was concerned it would not be as comfortable as a Lexus.
Second this! If you pay attention to the old cars running on highways, most of them are Japanese. The maintenance is also cheaper compared to Mercedes or any of the lux brands for this matter.
Husband had an old Mercedes that drained his savings and finally learned the lesson and got a used 2018 Kia Niro - so far we love it.
2013 Honda Accord. Get the V6–it’ll feel somewhat like a luxury car but cost 12/13k for a low mile model
I second a V6 Honda Accord. Isn't anything wild, but it'll look good and won't drive like a grandma car.
Look at 2004 ish Lexus ES300. Reliable, luxury, and you can find them for 3-5k
I've always loved the interior of the Mercedes C300 for the price. Maintenance may be an issue for you though.
Hyundai Genesis Coupe in dark grey
Looks like a Batmobile
I have a Civic Si Sedan
Fun as hell to drive, handles well, quick enough, reliable, great on gas.
Subaru BRZ
infiniti g37/q50
Get an Acura, they're good value (compared to a lexus/bmw/etc)
If buying used, get something mentioned above. If new, get a Nio
I’ve always been a fan of the Nissan Maxima. I put about 50-60k on per year and have never had any issues outside normal wear and tear. They are nice on the inside and out. And also are pretty quick and fun to drive.
Owned a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee from about 2015 to 2019. Beautiful car, great inside, good driving, but a pain in the ass for maintenance (shitty engineering, never "broke down" per se but I would have to go to the shop frequently enough to be annoying) and gas. Wouldn't recommend right out of college especially as a first car.
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