good first cars (2009, auto, air bag, traction control)

[charolastra00]

Young woman actually. Buicks are too big for me- if mini Coopers were cheaper and had better mileage, I would be all over it in order to park in tight city parallel parking spots. I don't need a boat. I'm also practical, I don't want a "fun" car because the insurance rates aren't quite so fun.

[miu]

Originally Posted by GreenMachine

I drove a VW Rabbit today and thought it was a very fun car, especially with the manual tranny (stick shift). Mazda3 is also a fun car to drive.

Honda Civic and Toyota Carolla are also good first cars, but not fun.

Greenie

Trust me, but Civics are a LOT of fun.

My Civics are my fountain of youth! I'm into the little Civic hatchbacks. Others prefer the coupes. They handle very well and since they are light cars, they are quick peppy even in stock form. Many people do serious motorsports events in Civics. Autocross, track, drag and even rally races. The key is getting a manual transmission Civic.

Otherwise, my Civic hatchbacks are like Swiss Army knives. They are extremely versatile cars. Not only are they cheap reliable daily drivers (cheap on gas, cheap to maintain and very long lasting), but I race in them, haul my three dogs around in them, they are great in the snow, and without the front passenger seat, I can load them up with cargo for work (13 banana boxes worth of merchandise). For me, there isn't a better car around, especially not for the price paid for them. And all of them were bought used. I also love the way they look.

[kawgpz550]

This is a very good website to check out when buying a car. You'll find driver ratings, crash ratings etc. It's good to do your research.
Like I said before, I would go with a Honda Civic (a Fit IF it's in your budget...otherwise a used Civic any year!) Or check out a Pontiac Sunfire. I love my Sunfire! Great on gas, great performance, cute car. Can't go wrong.

New Car Safety & Crash Test Ratings at Motor Trend Buyer’s Guide

[HOWELL_STREET]

I am an 'old timer', retired and at the age of 66. The very best car I have EVER owned is my current 2001 KIA - RIO. It is a four door automatic with a four cylinder engine.

With one person in the car (myself as the driver), I can get a highway mileage of 41 miles per gallon during highway speeds of around 70 MPH.These are expressway efficiencies without any stop and go situations.

Another reason why I consider it such a good car is that it does not have much on-board electroinics. It is a plain Jane type of car and that is what I like.

Do you want to have an expensive car like a Ford Fusion with all of its electronic systems? Well, if so, then expect to pay a very hefty bill when something electronic fails.

One of our friends once said about 'his' VW - - everytime he takes it into the VW dealer for repair, it costs him at least $1,000. As a retired senior citizen on fixed income, I don't need something like that.

I don't believe the 'RIO' is currently manufactured - - but the updated model, I believe, is now called the Spectra(?).

For a good realiable car of your choice - - regardless of brand - - look on "Ebay Motors" for very good selections of used cars.

Carter Glasss

[Mouser]

Originally Posted by charolastra00

Young woman actually. Buicks are too big for me- if mini Coopers were cheaper and had better mileage, I would be all over it in order to park in tight city parallel parking spots. I don't need a boat. I'm also practical, I don't want a "fun" car because the insurance rates aren't quite so fun.

Hmm... A Century is a mid sized car and fits all of your requirements,Gets 30 + MPG and I personally know people who have well over 150k
without ANY major repairs.

I wish you the best of luck

[GraniteStater]

A Subaru Impreza has excellent safety ratings compared with almost ANY smaller car. The last generation had 5 star crash test ratings along with side airbags. For those that live in the snowbelt and mountains it is the ideal car with full-time AWD. I know someone who owns this vehicle and they still manage around 28-29mpg on the highway. Depreciation is fairly slow because they are good cars. A used one that is a few years old would still likely still cost around 10-15K at least.

[charolastra00]

Originally Posted by Mouser

Hmm... A Century is a mid sized car and fits all of your requirements,Gets 30 + MPG and I personally know people who have well over 150k
without ANY major repairs.

I wish you the best of luck

For my needs, I really just want a subcompact or at most a compact. My parents had a Century for over 10 years (and several cross country trips from GA to Massachusetts with a 50 mile commute for a large part of that time to boot!). They are certainly great cars, but feel rather big to me as a driver.

Thanks for all your help to everyone!

Quick question in terms of logistics-

I was planning on buying the car in NH while I go to college in Boston and am a licensed to and have a permanent address in Georgia. NH has no sales tax- but does that transfer into tax for cars (if not obviously I'd buy in Mass). Also, to register my car to Mass, would I have to have a Massachusetts license? Can I even do that without a permanent address here (I live in a dorm which generally is not allowed to be considered a permanent address)? I'd need to buy the car before I go back to GA for the summer because since I'm studying abroad next year, I need to bring all of my clothes home and several other key things that I will need during that trip home, rather than store them with the rest of the things. The only way to get it all home without spending $100s of dollars to ship is to drive but I don't know how registering the car and all would work since I do not have a permanent address here. I probably won't be in the state of my permanent address for 4 to 5 months after I purchase the car, so unless you can register online, I can't register in GA. The Mass DOV site doesn't seem to show any provisions for college students living out of state.

[WeeMadArthur]

I'll have to go along with the people that said Civic. They get great mileage and can last forever. My first car was a Civic VP. Never had any trouble with it... oh, except for when my muffler fell off and was dragging on the ground on the way to work. That was exciting.

Originally Posted by GreenMachine

I drove a VW Rabbit today and thought it was a very fun car, especially with the manual tranny (stick shift).

Lucky you put "stick shift" in parentheses. That could have been bad if I had googled "manual tranny."

Update: Well, being the sicko I am, I tried out the search in google. Its safe. Just don't leave off the manual part.

[tcb]

YouTube - How to drive a stick shift instructional movie

you tube has how too videos.....

[macirg]

Originally Posted by miu

The Civic is smaller and is a less fancy Honda than an Accord. The Corolla is a lesser model Toyota than a Camry.

Actually, I don't know about the Corolla, but my mom works for Honda and I know a little bit about them. They're reallyyy great first cars, and the Civic is actually about the same size as an Accord, gets better gas mileage than the Accord, and has some pretty much the same features as the Accord. Brand new, the Civic starts off at about $15,500 and that's sticker price. I really think you can't go wrong with a Honda, and they're safe and reliable.