First car question: My sister

"PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power" (petarvn)
12/11/2014 at 02:10 • Filed to: None

So, my stepdad and I are having a debate as to what car would be a better first car for my sister.

I say 2014 Ford focus SE. my local dealer has a special on them. They cost about $12-13K for an Automatic SE in whatever color you want. I also like the fact it's got a combustion engine, and more than one gear. I still don't trust electric cars...

He says 2014 Leaf. It's a lot more initially, but he says the gas saved would balance it out. He likes it a lot, and thinks it's ugly, but a good runabout. Says that it should be pretty reliable too.

So oppo, what is the better option here, the focus, or the leaf?

and a real car for y'all to enjoy :P

DISCUSSION (48)

TheHondaBro > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:11

Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla.

Bulletproof, will run forever, not complicated, cheap, good MPG, practical, etc.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > TheHondaBro
12/11/2014 at 02:17

Civic is out of the question. My parents have an aversion to Honda for no apparent reason. my mom refused to test drive the civic Si when we looked at it, after the salesman kindly offered her a spin after I drove...

The corolla? eh... It's ok, but the focus is more car, especially for $13K

jtiberius91 > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:20

Mazda 3?

SmoresTM Has No Chill (O==[][]==O) > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:22

I kinda want this... I'm not gonna lie

Kinja'd!!!

If the Leaf's range works for her lifestyle, I might go with the Leaf. It's at least sort of interesting, and it's a Nissan so it should last a while. The Focus, in my mind, has absolutely nothing interesting or worthwhile about it. But if you can get a really good deal on one, who cares? I would say you're looking at two very okay options, but the Leaf is still something a little different.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > jtiberius91
12/11/2014 at 02:23

I adore the 3. but sadly, it's out of the price range. The reason why we're looking at the focus is the price...

the leaf is supposed to make up for it's price with no gas

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:25

how about a Matrix XRS? Bulletproof celica engine, 6 speed if she knows how to drive a stick, and a good one will run you 8-10 grand

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:25

How long would that take tho? Is your sister going to be a 10,000 mile+/year driver?

at 10,000 miles a year that roughly 900 dollars (unless your in a country where gas is more expensive)

so if the Leaf is 3 grand more than it will take more than three years to break even, and that's not taking the light bill into account, or the fact that a road trip of more than, what 100 miles? would be out of the question.

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:33

How about something not new? if it's a first car its more than likely going to be beaten up for the next few years so get a used car like a civic or corolla

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/11/2014 at 02:37

The Leaf starts at 29k, so it will take a lot longer than 3 years.

Jflorida > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:38

Focus. Good looking, lots of car for the money, very reliable. There's a reason the rental companies buy them by the hundreds. Ford dealers everywhere so if she breaks down in college, easier to get service. Oh, and it's American. It's been my go to recommendation for entry level cars, and every one I know who has bought one has been happy. By contrast, a couple people when civic and corolla and feel like they bought the cheapest car on earth. They hate making the small payment every month

Leaf would be a nice experiment, but kids are unpredictable. If your sister runs out of gas, it's easy to buy a can and 2 gallons at a convenience store. If she forgets to plug her car in and goes dead on the side of the road, someone's calling a tow in.

TDogg > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:38

Focus. Still gets great mpgs and I'm not big on electric if nothing other than reduced range and such limitations.

Dr_Doctor > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:38

The Leaf doesn't consume gas and doesn't require as much maintainence as an ICE car. The big questions are:

-Where do you live? Really cold or hot temperatures will impact overall range.

-Does your sister or plan on eventually taking the car to college? If so, where can the vehicle be recharged?

-What's the intended application? If she's doing around town and light highway driving then 70-100 miles of range might not be a big problem.

treesmakewater > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:48

the ford or a volt.

Rustamino > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:51

A first car for a new driver should never be a new car... it is very likely that the car will experience its fair share of dents and dings, bruises and rashes, and possibly a fender bender or crash at some point early in its life. A good used Corolla or Maxima or something similar.

Burrito de EJ25 > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 02:59

I don't see how that's true. The Corolla has more standard features.

Having been in both the Corolla just feels like a nicer place to be. Roomier back seat, too. Or at least it seemed like it.

Burrito de EJ25 > Rustamino
12/11/2014 at 03:04

Sometimes people can afford something they can just forget about. Warranty, dealership service package, done.

JDMatt > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 03:07

I've got a hunch that your dad wants to buy your sister a leaf so that she can't go very far. She can make it to school and back, but if she deviates too much range anxiety will kick in.

Do you live somewhere like Atlanta or LA where there's a lot of incentives for driving an electric car?

Tohru > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 03:23

Mercury Grand Marquis.

Bulletproof, will run forever, body on frame construction means you'll walk away from pretty much any accident a flighty 16 year old girl is going to get into (she *is* flighty, THEY ARE ALL FLIGHTY), metal ignition switch internals to put up with her 75 lanyards and 43 YOLO keychains, not complicated, cheap, average MPG's (she won't be-bop around everywhere since gas money won't go as far), practical as fuck.

CRider > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 03:27

Kinja'd!!!

Rustamino > Burrito de EJ25
12/11/2014 at 03:27

You can get all of those things with a used car too. The fact that OP was discussing cars that are already fairly affordable, $13k Focus for example, led me to believe OP's family is probably not rich with money to burn.

Adam > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 03:30

The focus sounds good to me!

Spasoje > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 03:33

I don't think an electric car would be a good first car for anybody... Someone just starting their driving career has more important things to focus on (no pun intended lol) than where to charge the car in a pinch and if there'll be enough time to do so.

I'd say it's not worth it, regardless of monetary costs. With the Focus, you know exactly what you're getting.

Redd, the RX-7 that could > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 04:28

Get her a damn Yaris and never look back.

yamahog > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 06:15

Electric cars rarely "make it up" in gas money, you and your stepdad should sit down and do out the math as HFV said.

Also, what does you sister want?

Too many M's > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 06:55

Focus all the way. At least it's already a cheap car.

I saw no less then a dozen Leafs in Portland right off of lease (2012 IIRC) for less than $14k, unknown mileage. Talk about depreciation. What sort of OTD price are you looking at on the Leaf?

How far is she driving in a day/week? The Focus estimates about $1500 bucks in gas (@ $3.08 per gallon) at 15k miles a year.

Say you get the Leaf for $27k (from Nissan.com with incentives). The cost difference between the Focus and the Leaf equals nearly 8 or 9 years worth of fuel for the Focus.

Leaf @ $27k - Focus @ $13k = $14k left over for fuel. That will go a long way.

Too many M's > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/11/2014 at 06:58

This. Take a minute to actually crunch the numbers.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > CRider
12/11/2014 at 07:22

THIS.

jkm7680 > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 07:24

A used car.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 07:24

I think of those the Focus would be the better choice.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 07:58

I'd say focus, but why not a CPO 2013? Pretty cheap either way, but I don't see the point of losing thousands just for the drive off the lot when warranty/maintenance can be had for a CPO. New car as first car/beige car seems a bit pointless. But it's such a normal economy car, which will make for an easy first car.

Chteelers > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 07:59

It's not hard to do the math on the Leaf gas savings. Take the two average MPG, subtract the difference, multiply by estimated milage per year, and multiply by gas price. Compare that number with the cost difference between the two vehicles. The result tells you how many years it takes to break even.

Yossarian > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 08:28

The DCT in the Focus is shit and has lots of problems. I wouldn't get it for that reason alone.

Electric cars make more sense when you lease them, but out of those two I'd take the Leaf. Look at the Volt as well, dealers are always doing deep discounts on them.

Captain of the Enterprise > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 08:43

How much does she drive, who pays for the gas/electric and would it complicate the driveway parking a lot to have a cord running to her car from the garage?

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 09:15

Have you considered asking your sister what she wants?

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > Burrito de EJ25
12/11/2014 at 09:31

Here's the thing though. The focus is new. like brand new, off the lot, 0 miles on it.

There's no way of finding a new corolla that cheap

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7
12/11/2014 at 09:32

good luck finding a CPO focus up here... they're rare

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
12/11/2014 at 09:33

we have, and she's content with pretty much anything. She's not a car person, and won't look a gift horse in the mouth, no matter how electric

Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 09:41

Exactly, the car is BRAND new and it's her FIRST car! When she re-ends someone at a light while texting, it would be much better to do it in a used Corolla than a brand new Focus. You can easily find a very nice Corolla for $10k. My first car was a '00 Corolla; it got pretty good MPG (30+, even with how I drove), it's a fairly safe car, and it can fit her friends and other stuff in it.

I say find a CPO Corolla, but between the two you offered as options I'd opt for the Focus.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 10:08

In that case, I'd go Focus. You'd have to drive the EV a lot for it to pay for itself. However, I would look into what govt. rebates, tax breaks, and other perks your state gives to EV drivers. Sometimes that can make it worth it.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/11/2014 at 10:21

holy butts.

Steve in Manhattan > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 10:38

The biggest Volvo you can find with the most airbags. Teenagers wreck cars (I sure did) so she needs protection. Used S60, S80. With as many safety features as you can find.

jtiberius91 > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 13:19

yea, tell your dad that the 3 makes up for it in smiles per gallon!

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/11/2014 at 13:21

It's kind of crazy.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
12/11/2014 at 13:22

that is a lot of cheddar for a sub-compact economy car. lol

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/11/2014 at 13:47

I'll take a Fiesta Ecoboost.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 17:41

Have you two considered getting her input on this?

bob and john > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/11/2014 at 23:56

I vote the gas car. reason
you say shes not a car person. this means she WILL forget to charge it one night, and she WILL be taking someone elses (probably yours) car to school/mall/whatever.

Jordaneer, The Mountaineer Man > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
12/12/2014 at 01:15

why not buy her a nice used car, you will save so much money