New car ideas

[Nissan_Figaro]

So I have a question what would you recommend for a first car for under $10K? I need ideas and here are the requirements

1. Must be 2002-2018
2. Body styles are Coupe, Sedan, and Hatchback
3. Must be reliable
4. Must be cheap on gas
5. Low Maintenance costs
6. Manual and Automatic trans
7. Must be below 200k miles
8. Can handle snow
   Please help my brain is starting to hurt from car shopping!

[ForSweden]

Fiat 500e for $10k: https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/d/olympia-go-electric/7462604499.html

Lexus ES350 for $8.5k: https://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/cto/d/portland-lexus-es350/7464594775.html

Put snow-rated all-weather tires on either

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@SAAB_9-3_SportCombi
Chevy Spark, Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Versa, Kia Cerato/Optima, Toyota Corolla...

If it has complete and regular service records then all the better...

Down here that coin would nearly get you a new Kia Picanto...

[Nissan_Figaro]

@ForSweden I have to access it on my school iPad Craigslist is blocked and I’m in West Virginia where charger ports are for Tesla’s

[Nissan_Figaro]

@SilentbutnotreallyDeadly I’m in the US so no picanto sadly 🥲

[ForSweden]

@SAAB_9-3_SportCombi said in New car ideas:

on my school iPad Craigslist is blocked

Time to run for School Board

[Nissan_Figaro]

@ForSweden yeah for West Virginia

[KngT]

@SAAB_9-3_SportCombi get whatever non-turbo Subaru Legacy/ Impreza hatch you can find for that mileage and price

[Nissan_Figaro]

@KngT are they reliable?

[Sam Blockhan]

@SAAB_9-3_SportCombi The Chevrolet Cruze I suggested earlier?

[Nissan_Figaro]

@Sam-Blockhan okay I’ll see what I can do

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@SAAB_9-3_SportCombi
Given your requirements and limitations, reliability is determined far more by the individual vehicles history than anecdotal notions of reliability across a model...

We've a well maintained 2001 Subaru Forester that's done nearly 300,000 km....it's been reliable for us. However, if you ask the internet then they'll tell you it's an unreliable turd that repeatedly destroys head gaskets and CV joints.

[Nissan_Figaro]

@SilentbutnotreallyDeadly does it do that?

[Jarrett]

@SAAB_9-3_SportCombi Mazda3. Any year. Any body style. Make sure pre-2010 is rust free, which will be a challenge. 2014+ preferred since you're going with an automatic. (Why does it have to be auto?)

[Nissan_Figaro]

@Jarrett I can’t drive stick

[Jarrett]

@SAAB_9-3_SportCombi Neither could any of us when we started.

I learned how to drive stick when I drove my Miata home from the dealership, 2 hours away, at night, in the rain, by myself. I was proficient within a month.

[Nissan_Figaro]

@Jarrett Can you teach me da wayz of ze holy stick?

[Jarrett]

@SAAB_9-3_SportCombi The best piece of advice I can give you that isn't littered all over Youtube is that "the clutch is not a switch. There are states between 'on' and 'off'".

Otherwise, watch this:

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@SAAB_9-3_SportCombi
Head gaskets are fine, clutch is original and it has only been through one set of CV shafts since new.

[Nissan_Figaro]

@SilentbutnotreallyDeadly wow

[Nissan_Figaro]

@Jarrett I am watching I feel like I wanna try now

[Snuze]

@SAAB_9-3_SportCombi When are you trying to buy this car?

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@Snuze
I'm feeling this as somewhere between @CB o'clock and @Dr-Zoidberg thirty...

[Snuze]

@SilentbutnotreallyDeadly Ahh, gotcha

[dogisbadob]

For your first car, get the cheapest car that's roadworthy and in running condition. You don't need to spend 10k even during the pandemic

You could bring over a Mercedes B-Class or Nissan X-Trail from Canada

The X-Trail is the Forester done right, like if it had a real engine with a timing chain and head gaskets that aren't wear items. Available with a huge sunroof like the Forester.

You can get decent examples for as little as $2000. 200k miles = 320k km and almost every B and X-Trail on kijiji has lower km than that.

They also got a hatchback version of the Echo we never got down here. @ibRAD had one and recently replaced it with a Mazda2.

If you don't want to do the Canada thing, there are still lots of good choices.

Toyota did make AWD versions of the Matrix/Vibe, which will check all your boxes

Even the FWD models are good, of course, but the AWD might interest you like it does some people.

Scion XA, and XD are good choices too.

The Ford C-Max has lots of space and gets awesome gas mileage.