What's an ideal car for a first-time car buyer?

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I never had my own car before. What's an ideal car to get for a first-time car buyer? I am an artist, so I want something with enough room to carry supplies and materials in. I do not care about extra features- I am old school. I don't want something too expensive. Please help. Thank you. I know you have to do research on cars with Consumer Reports. I own a copy of No-Brainers For Buying A New Car on VHS which I am going to look at.

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Type: Question • Score: 10 • Views: 7,240 • Replies: 34
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[+3] - parados - 04/27/2011[quote="JGoldman10"] I want a NO-FRILLS car- one without a whole bunch of extra features. I don't want an expensive car. I am looking at used cars. What kind would you recommend?...

Is anyone else here in the market for a new or used car?

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What kind of car would you suggest?

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@JGoldman10,

Have you considered any of the hatchbacks on the market?

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@ehBeth,

What's a hatchback?

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@JGoldman10,

http://www.digalist.com/list/280

This provides a list of reliable cars

I have had a saturn, pontiac and toyota... Saturn was fine, pontiac tended to have issues and I haven't hand any issues with toyota but they have had a lot of recalls lately.

Good Luck

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@ehBeth,

I want a NO-FRILLS car- one without a whole bunch of extra features. I don't want an expensive car. I am looking at used cars. What kind would you recommend?

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@JGoldman10,

What is your budget?

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@JGoldman10,

Quote:

I own a copy of No-Brainers For Buying A New Car on VHS which I am going to look at.

I suggest a Yugo to go along with your VHS tape on buying cars.

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@JGoldman10,

JGoldman10 wrote:

I want a NO-FRILLS car- one without a whole bunch of extra features. I don't want an expensive car. I am looking at used cars. What kind would you recommend?

You don't want a car JG.

Car -
$75 - $150 a month for insurance
$1000-$2500 a year for upkeep and maintenance on a used car.
$25-$100 a month for gas - depending on driving
$150-$500 per month for car payment if you get a loan.
Parking costs unless you have access to free parking at all times.

A simple used car will cost you about $200 per month at minimum not counting major repairs, parking tickets, and all the other unexpected costs.

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@sozobe,

I am assuming most people don't pay more than $2000 for a new car if they want to save money if they are a first time car buyer. I'm looking for a car that's $2000 or less.

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@JGoldman10,

OK, that helps.

It can be done but it's hard to find something that is good quality.

I just did a quick search on "autotrader.com" and it looks like hatchbacks circa late 80's/ early 90's would be in that price range.

1 Reply

@sozobe,

there's a local website for my area:

Usedcarkings.com

Maybe they can help.

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@JGoldman10,

Sure, go for it.

I agree with parados that you should budget in repairs when you buy a car in that price range though.

We got a car for right around there about four years ago, it worked OK but needed repairs fairly frequently and just died a permanent death (we donated it to Goodwill). And it was a very good car for that price range (sold to us for less than it was worth by a friend who is a mechanic).

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@sozobe,

I have to do research on cars first. I need a copy of Consumer Reports to get whatever info about the type of car I want to get first. What about the MSRP?

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@JGoldman10,

JGoldman10 wrote:

I have to do research on cars first. I need a copy of Consumer Reports to get whatever info about the type of car I want to get first. What about the MSRP?

If you are buying a car for $2000 the MSRP is no longer a factor.
MSRP is for NEW cars and would factor into cars a couple of years old if you are buying used as a comparison.

At $2000 you will be buying a car that is 8-10 years old with 100,000 miles on it. You should plan on spending the money to have a mechanic look it over before you buy. No sense buying a car that needs brakes, tires or a head gasket the minute you take possession. Spend the money to get the compression checked on the car before you buy.

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What's the cheapest price you can pay for a new car? Can you buy one for a few hundred?

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@JGoldman10,

JGoldman10 wrote:

What's the cheapest price you can pay for a new car? Can you buy one for a few hundred?

GIYF....

(Google is your friend!!!!!)

Try typing in "cheapest new car". It's an easy search. I get a site that lists the top 15 cheapest new cars for 2011. I'll bet you get something similar. Unless of course you only get porn sites.

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@JGoldman10,

Do you want it to run?

If not, then yes, you can get it for a few hundred.

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I recall watching Standard Deviants' No Brainers For Buying a New Car- a number of years back before I got it on video. They said in the program you can get the car dealer to sell you a car for much less then the MSRP. Why wouldn't I need to be concerned about that if I am buying a user car?

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What's an ideal car for a first-time car buyer?

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