Little sister needs a car, need suggestions

[deathpunk dan]

My sister graduated college in May, and needs something more reliable than the 95 Jetta she has been driving since age 17.

As she works for a non-profit, she's not exactly raking in the bucks. She wants a used Mini Cooper base model, but I don't think she should drop that kind of money on a car until she's got her feet out from under her. I found her a 2004 Ford Focus ZX3 hatchback, 5 spd, with 55k on it. $6900.

It seems like the few non molested Honda Civics around here are horribly overpriced. The other car I recommended is a Mazda Protege5 hatchback. Tough to find.

For some reason, she refuses to drive a Corolla. What else is out there in the ~$7k price range?

Needs to be reasonably economical, reliable, utilitarian.

[frogger]

2002-2003 Mazda Protege?

[livi]

If she is blind to design and driverīs qualities, the simple answer is a Volvo. Dull but reliable and safe.

[MRM]

I strongly second the Mazda Protege suggestion. Every bit as good as the Civic without the premium pricing. Civics are good cars but you pay alot for what you get. The Protege is far superior to the Corolla. If you find one with the larger engine it's more reliable and quite peppy.

[NICKG]

the focus is easy to buy new for well under 10000....Like 8900 in NJ with all the rebates and such
a used base cooper is like 10000- 13500 here for an 02/03
why not get a newer jetta? or a hyundai ? cheap and disposable cars, but pretty dependable. her Jetta rusty? yoiu can get 1500-2500 for that car as long as it is a stick

[aigel]

New Volvos are junk. The VW line of cars are not reliable and have bad build quality. They may be designed in Germany but they are made everywhere but Germany. How about a Mazda Miata? Fun, reliable, decent looking and a LOT of car for 7k. Get a hardtop for the winter and you are all set.

George

[berettafan]

For a little more than half the money of the Focus i'd expect a late '90's Civic to outperform and outlast it, even starting with double the mileage.

The Focus is overpriced, not the Hondas.

Watch for factory used warranties as well. Toyota does (or did) have 100k mechanical warranties on certified used cars.

[berettafan]

Agree on the Volvo comment. Used Volvo right out of school is just setting somebody up for bankruptcy

[livi]

Originally Posted by berettafan

Agree on the Volvo comment. Used Volvo right out of school is just setting somebody up for bankruptcy

Maybe you 'mericans are shipped lower quality cars ?

[rammstein]

Dunno if they are available at your price range (used of course), the Mazda 3 is quite a nice driver, and the inside is nice enough that she's be happy to keep it even once she's financially ok.

[legion]

The Mazda 3 and the Ford Focus are the same car.

[deathpunk dan]

Originally Posted by NICKG

the focus is easy to buy new for well under 10000....Like 8900 in NJ with all the rebates and such
a used base cooper is like 10000- 13500 here for an 02/03
why not get a newer jetta? or a hyundai ? cheap and disposable cars, but pretty dependable. her Jetta rusty? yoiu can get 1500-2500 for that car as long as it is a stick

her jetta is pretty tired. My father and I are both sick of wrenching on it. the paint is in terrible condition, the (replaced) transmission is making some ugly noises, it's just getting old. No more VWAG products allowed. I had a Corrado & GTI back in the day...never again.

I think she'll be hard pressed to get $1200 for the car.
02 base coopers here are still 13k+...not happening. too much for too little.

I will see if I can find her a protege.

[pwd72s]

P.T. Cruiser? Women seem to think they are "cute".... I don't have a clue how reliable they are.

[rammstein]

Originally Posted by legion

The Mazda 3 and the Ford Focus are the same car.

Yeah, but the name "Mazda" is Japanese. Isn't that worth like 10 points?

[aigel]

Chryslers are fad car junk. I would never buy a Chrysler product past 1975.

So, what's wrong with a Miata?

George

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by legion

The Mazda 3 and the Ford Focus are the same car.

Ever sit in both? Drive both? They're based on the same platform, but are very much NOT the same car.

Nothing German. Japanese is the best for reliabilty, period. Accord, Camry, Sentra, Maxima, Civic, Corolla, Echo, etc. Buy something Japanese and you are set.

American cars may have poor build quality, but they will still run far less to keep up than a German car. Mostly mechanically reliable, parts are dirt cheap when they break. I despise the Focus, but it is known as a reliable (but ugly) car. Avoid the Chrysler stuff, the pre/early post merger stuff is pure crap. As for Chevy, let her drive a Cavalier if you want to make the Focus look nice.

[daepp]

90-93 240DL. Has airbag beginning in 90. Definitely not junk. From a 'merican.

[MRM]

The old Ford Escort used to be based on the Protege, too, but they're completely different cars. The more powerful engine is a Mazda product, the less powerful one is a Ford product. I had an old Protege from 1993 to 2003. Sold it only because the family got too big. The newer ones are even better.

A cheap, reliable car is the foundation for a young person's financial success. Hard to save when you're putting money into your car; hard to get in to work when it's always broken down. Buy the best, most reliable car she can afford and keep it as long as possible. If she buys a better car now she'll save money years from now in repairs and being able to delay buying another car.

[TerryBPP]

There are three very important pieces of info necessary to narrow this down:

1. Is she hot?
2. Is she single?
3. Do you have pics of her in a bubble bath?

Using this valuable information we can use our special pelican parts car matching program to pick the perfect car for your sibling. Its a tried and true method so don't even think of questioning it.

[azasadny]

Originally Posted by frogger

2002-2003 Mazda Protege?

+1