I got a new honda civic hybrid in january and so far i absolutely love it! From everything i've heard/investigated on-line, hondas are very reliable cars and will last a really long time if taken care of properly. (although i'm sure that's true for most cars)
I think the real questions you should be asking yourself are: A. How much can you afford to spend/finance/make into a monthly payment? and B. What do you like that fits into that money bracket...new or used...
I'm not worried about monthly payments, I'll be able to cover those. The only question is how long am I making the payments for. If its one year, great. If its 10, that could be easier, or harder. I don't know. It all depends on the specific situation, and which car I'm getting, etc...
I like the Civic, although I can't afford the hybrid. I'd be getting the LX sedan or coupe model, at the bare bones no frills price.
I've had many people tell me that buying a new car is almost never worth it. Think of it this way: you buy a decent used car for 3-4 thousand dollars. A new Civic costs, what? 12 or 15? A used car won't last you as long, usually, but your $12,000 could last you 15 or 20 years (thinking maybe 5 years of life per used vehicle). Would a new Civic last that long? Probably not; so many new cars are not built to last more than a few years before serious problems arrive. If you're not worried about fancy features and the aesthetics of the car it definitely seems worth it to go used. Of course, when you do do your homework on the type of vehicle, history of the car (and the owner if you can), etc., etc.
Also, you might want to check around and see which vehicles are seemingly invincible. I drive a Ford Ranger that's close to 150,000 miles. From what both mechanics and non-car folks tell me, I can reasonable get another 150,000 out of it. It's not stylish, but hey, it cost $4000 and could last me the next ten years or more!
"A decent used car for 3-4 thousand dollars." Show me where this mythical car is, and hurry! For that price I might as well get a new engine for my car, at least I know everything about it.
Oh and a new civic would theoretically cost me $17,000+.
Virginia, apparently; my mother-in-law found my 1996 Ford Ranger with a little over 120,000 miles on it. It has no working gas gauge and is dinged up a good bit but it runs and gets over 300 miles off a tank of gas, which ain't bad for a pickup.
Besides, if the new Civic costs 17 plus, simply up the numbers in my example. 5 or 6 thousand each and your dollar would still probably stretch longer.
Buy a used car, but not one that's too badly used. The car I just bought is a 2003 Taurus with 43,000 miles on it. Assume a car will die on you by 150,000 miles; depending on the type of car and how you treat it, it may well run longer, but that'll give you a good number to work with. Then figure out how many miles you drive in an average year. Take the number of miles on the car, subtract that from 150,000, and divide that number into the price -- that'll tell you about what you'll be paying per mile that you'll have the car, and will give you a basis for comparison between different cars.
Also, I wouldn't recommend buying anything more than 5 years old, regardless of the mileage. Things wear out, even when the car isn't being driven much -- sometimes especially when the car isn't being driven much. On the other hand, if the price is right and you don't mind doing the car-shopping bit again in a year, it might be worth it.
See, now this is my thinking on the used car issue, and help me out if I'm wrong. If I'm going to spend $10,000ish on a used car with 20,000 - 50,000 miles on it already, wh shouldn't I just pay the extra couple of thousand and get a new car that I don't have to worry about being "rebuilt" or whatever.
I like the idea of cheaper, and if I could get a 2003/4 for under $10,000, then I'd do that. But everything I've looked at tells me I'm going to end up spending $12,000 or more for a used car. And If I wanted a cheap used car in the $6,000 range (which is about as much as I can afford without a loan right now) I'd have to get a '98 or older car. Thats just what I've seen in my investigation.
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I think the real questions you should be asking yourself are:
A. How much can you afford to spend/finance/make into a monthly payment?
and B. What do you like that fits into that money bracket...new or used...
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I like the Civic, although I can't afford the hybrid. I'd be getting the LX sedan or coupe model, at the bare bones no frills price.
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Also, you might want to check around and see which vehicles are seemingly invincible. I drive a Ford Ranger that's close to 150,000 miles. From what both mechanics and non-car folks tell me, I can reasonable get another 150,000 out of it. It's not stylish, but hey, it cost $4000 and could last me the next ten years or more!
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Oh and a new civic would theoretically cost me $17,000+.
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Besides, if the new Civic costs 17 plus, simply up the numbers in my example. 5 or 6 thousand each and your dollar would still probably stretch longer.
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Also, I wouldn't recommend buying anything more than 5 years old, regardless of the mileage. Things wear out, even when the car isn't being driven much -- sometimes especially when the car isn't being driven much. On the other hand, if the price is right and you don't mind doing the car-shopping bit again in a year, it might be worth it.
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I like the idea of cheaper, and if I could get a 2003/4 for under $10,000, then I'd do that. But everything I've looked at tells me I'm going to end up spending $12,000 or more for a used car. And If I wanted a cheap used car in the $6,000 range (which is about as much as I can afford without a loan right now) I'd have to get a '98 or older car. Thats just what I've seen in my investigation.
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