New car for law school (vehicle, 2013, sedan, coupe)

[Mouser]

Why spend all of that if you don't have to

Take a peek at the Chrysler 200

[ncole1]

I hope you can pay cash for it. Stipends won't cover payments with much breathing room.

If you can't pay cash, don't buy it - else you'll be stuck at home for 5 years not able to afford rent.

[philopower]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll look into the Accord, Jetta, and Chrysler 200. Also thanks to the user who gave me their impression on the CX5, I'll definitely continue to look at it. Dodge Caravan doesn't seem like an ideal car for a 20 something hahaha. As for the financials, don't worry about me, I'm quite bright when it comes to money and I'll be just fine when it comes to moving out of the house. Moreover, I live in Texas so a (comfortable) car is a must, so this is an absolute must have purchase and I plan to keep this car for a very long time!

[Regajohn]

VWs can be huge maintenance hogs once the warranty runs out.

Buy a 2 or 3 year old certified Accord that just came off of lease.

Consumer Reports annual car review lists best cars for various price points.

[SabresFanInSA]

Once again C-D rears its ugly head.

The OP asked for opinions on cars not whether or not you think their buying a car makes sense.

To the point of the thread, maybe a Fusion? I dont know much about "spacious" in that price range but it seems like maybe you could get into a Fusion or Elantra maybe?

[AlfredB1979]

Originally Posted by Drover

The guy asked for car advice, not financial or life advice. I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest that someone bright enough to get a full-ride scholarship to law school at a time when enrollment is plummeting and they're nearly desperate for students' tuition checks is probably going to land on their feet just fine and have no problem making the payments on a $25K car.

And if you don't think a Prius is spacious, ride in one some day. Particularly the V model. They're bigger on the inside than you'd guess from the outside.

OTOH, law schools can't find students to enroll because most potential enrollees by now know that the last several years worth of law school grads are either answering phones at law firms for crap wages, playing lawyer on sites like Legalzoom for crap wages or super sizing fries for a living...

So, there is that "just fine" angle.

[reneeh63]

Originally Posted by eaton53

So, you avoided College Loan Debt only to get New Car Debt.

Ok.

Well why shouldn't the OP "treat himself"? I'd think you'd wait until you GRADUATED from law school before buying a new car, scholarship or not.

But that aside....buy a slightly larger car to fit your frame but make it 2-3 years old to at least get past some of the depreciation.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by AlfredB1979

OTOH, law schools can't find students to enroll because most potential enrollees by now know that the last several years worth of law school grads are either answering phones at law firms for crap wages, playing lawyer on sites like Legalzoom for crap wages or super sizing fries for a living...

So, there is that "just fine" angle.

Assuming the OP's stated facts are true... someone who has the chops to get a full-ride scholarship is probably going to end up as one of the associates that the others are answering the phones for.

[eaton53]

Originally Posted by AlfredB1979

OTOH, law schools can't find students to enroll because most potential enrollees by now know that the last several years worth of law school grads are either answering phones at law firms for crap wages, playing lawyer on sites like Legalzoom for crap wages or super sizing fries for a living...

Attorneys are often among the jobs on "most likely to be replaced by technology" lists.
A great deal of the work lawyers do doesn't involve actually being in court.

[lkmax]

I bought a 2014 Kia Forte and was TICKLED with it. I bought it in May 2013, and the husband and I put 80,000 miles on it (2 cross country trips, plus trips to SC and VA all the time, and lots of everyday use) before it got totaled in a very bad interstate accident a month ago. I have a sufficient budget to buy a car that is not a Korean car, but I have fallen in love with Kias and am now looking at Hyundais. To me, it's the perfect in-between. They say it's stupid to buy new because of the cost, but a new car comes with an excellent warranty and you KNOW that it hasn't been treated ****tily. With a Korean car like a Kia or Hyundai, I can drop $20k and get a brand new car with all of the coolest and newest features and with a 100k/10 year warranty for not much more than a decent used car.