What to look for in a car

[DanOpi 10+ year member]

So i'm still in high school and am looking to buy a car. It would be used since i don't have much money and all but i really have no idea what so ever, what to look for in a car! Are there any certain features or things i should look for? I will just be using it around the city for the most part, maybe some road trips. What do you recommend to get or look for in a car? Thanks much!

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[-01limited- 10+ year member]

So i'm still in high school and am looking to buy a car. It would be used since i don't have much money and all but i really have no idea what so ever, what to look for in a car! Are there any certain features or things i should look for? I will just be using it around the city for the most part, maybe some road trips. What do you recommend to get or look for in a car? Thanks much!

With the way gas prices are going again, something that is good on gas.

 

[DanOpi 10+ year member]

So is there a certain engine or anything that helps with that or is it all based on the car and the combinations it has inside of it? I was thinking small anyway instead of a truck, SUV, or jeep. What else? Rear wheel drive or front wheel drive? AWD? Things like that? Best brand or market?

 

[-01limited- 10+ year member]

So is there a certain engine or anything that helps with that or is it all based on the car and the combinations it has inside of it? I was thinking small anyway instead of a truck, SUV, or jeep. What else? Rear wheel drive or front wheel drive? AWD? Things like that? Best brand or market?

4 cylinder cars are going to be your best bet. Look into hondas, cant beat them for the price or the gas mileage. Most cars are going to be fwd, which will be the best in the snow other than awd. If you want good gas mileage a truck or suv really isnt the way to go.

 

[Louisiana_CRX 5,000+ posts]

When I was in HS i'd look for something with good performance so I could win weekend monies //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif street racing...plus its something fun to do on weekends

 

[DanOpi 10+ year member]

I don't know anyone around here who does street racing and to tell you the truth i'm kind of scared to do that stuff since i just got license and all! I already got a speeding ticket and it was kind of a lot of money for me since i don't have much! haha I don't know how to race or any of that! But if i know i won't get caught or anything i would! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[Bumpin' Goalie 10+ year member]

I don't know anyone around here who does street racing and to tell you the truth i'm kind of scared to do that stuff since i just got license and all! I already got a speeding ticket and it was kind of a lot of money for me since i don't have much! haha I don't know how to race or any of that! But if i know i won't get caught or anything i would! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

Used Hondas are very common. Even the older Civic and Accord models get fair gas mileage and are usually very affordable. Other makes would be older Nissans, Toyotas.

Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki, Subaru also come to mind. Yes, I realize I just named imports only. But for gas/cost, it's not the worst idea. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[09civic 5,000+ posts]

budget for car?

 

[DanOpi 10+ year member]

I drive a family car right now that i share with my siblings but they're all off at college or studying abroad so it's pretty much mine. It's a Honda Civic 1993 2 Doors, it got T boned a while ago and we never got it fixed since it's not hurting anything. It's got a few rust spots also. Runs great but i feel like it's going to rust out before the engine goes.

 

[DanOpi 10+ year member]

and i don't have that much right now, but i'm hoping to get some money this summer if i can get a job or two. So pretty low budget for right now! Doesn't help much but i'm just trying to get a feel of what to look for and such.

 

[-01limited- 10+ year member]

hell, if you got the civic already find a rolling chassis and pull the engine and throw it in. They run forever and you can find honda shells all day long for ~$500

 

[DanOpi 10+ year member]

haha i'm a total noob, what's a rolling chassis? And how much would it cost to have that done? And by shell you mean just the outside? Not the interior or anything? Where would you buy a shell?

 

[-01limited- 10+ year member]

haha i'm a total noob, what's a rolling chassis? And how much would it cost to have that done? And by shell you mean just the outside? Not the interior or anything? Where would you buy a shell?

Maybe doing this is not for you then. A rolling chassis is usually everything but the engine/******. Its easy to swap engines out in these cars, I dont know if you know any mechanics but it shouldnt be much to do this. And you can find rolling chassis all over craigslist or other places.

 

[DanOpi 10+ year member]

So it would include a new interior and a new outside color and such? And you can get a rolling chassis for only $500 dollars you said? We have a mechanic in town that fixes and does all the work with our cars. Just any mechanic should be able to do it? Any other inputs on good cars or anything? On what to look for in general?

 

[Heeltoeclutch 10+ year member]

When I was in HS i'd look for something with good performance so I could win weekend monies //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif street racing...plus its something fun to do on weekends

You're a terrible person //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

OP if you do end up getting another car you will want something that is reliable. Hondas are also very good for this. It doesn't matter if something is great on gas if you have to drop hundreds frequently to fix stuff. I'm with Goalie on the imports - I'd feel comfortable with Nissan, Toyota, Honda, and Subaru, although AWD eats gas mileage //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif.

If you know some Honda friends you could steal the motor/****** from your current car and drop it in a shell from a junkyard, but I'm not sure you'll be comfortable with that. If this sounds interesting to you ask your Honda friends about it. Junkyards are fun places //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif I miss the import-filled ones back home.