Suggestions For a New (Used) Car? My Brother Needs a New Car.

"PICKLEBOY" (pickleboy)
04/02/2014 at 12:29 • Filed to: Used, car, honda, totaled, crack pipe

My brother is 18 and just wrecked his first car, a 96 Civic EX, he was trying to avoid an animal and ended up riding up the curb taking out his radiator bending his front suspension and other components. It got totaled by the insurance and now he's looking for a used car.

The budget is 8k or less, he prefers a coupe, transmission can be manual or auto (let's get him a manual he had an auto first), he wants it to be RELIABLE first and fore most, and he's leaning towards a Honda Civic Si 2006-08 to give you an idea of what he likes, but I told him he would be hard pressed to find one for 8k or less as so many people sell their Civic Si's way more than their KBB value.

Any suggestions are welcomed. I personally have tried finding stuff for him. I have suggested a WRX, Prelude, and Celica GTS.

DISCUSSION (47)

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:30

beetle no radiator or engine in front so he can aim for animals or corvair

Forgetful > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:31

W123s are hot right now.

CalzoneGolem > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:31

18 and an 8k budget for a car? Dafuq?

Party-vi > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:33

Who's paying for insurance? I can't imagine the underwriters will be pleased with an 18 year old who totaled a car, much less if he gets any performance oriented car.

He could probably find an EP3 Si (funky looking hatchback) for that budget, or a really really nice Miata.

offroadkarter > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:33

I don't know if you'll find a not ragged out 8th gen SI in that budget range. I don't monitor the civic market but I'd be afraid of ending up with a beat turd.

You said WRX, how about a legacy GT? Same engine, more mature body with better interior. I have no clue what they sell for.

Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:33

Maybe a Mazda3? Our family has an '04 that's been pretty much bulletproof for the 90k miles we've had it (it's only needed gas, spark plugs, and oil changes), and unlike the Civic Si, insurance is actually pretty cheap for such a fun car.

N/A POWAAAHH > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:34

Prelude is a good choice. WRX is too finicky, especially the older ones.

Aaron James > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:35

You can't go wrong with a civic or an accord. I recommend them to anyone who wants a reliable daily driver and I drive an Accord myself. It's the only way to go in my opinion, especially for young people. Great cars.

yamahog > CalzoneGolem
04/02/2014 at 12:36

Maybe he has 4k his parents are willing to match? Or what he has plus how much insurance paid out on the totaled civic? Or he took a large cash advance on a credit card to be paid off aggressively to build credit? Or some combination? Either way, not too shabby, OP's bro!

RacecaR > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
04/02/2014 at 12:43

Why would he aim for a Corvair? What the hell did one ever do to him?!? The animals I can understand, but a Corvair? Why man...why??

Jagvar > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:43

Kinja'd!!!

The 2006-2009 Volkswagen Golf/Rabbit can be had for under $8K , and with a manual, too. I've had them as company cars and loved them. In my experience, they've been as reliable as anything, even though some people are afraid of German cars by default.

Aaron James > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:44

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

Salvage title but you find one with under 150k miles for 8,000

willkinton247 > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:45

What about a Cobalt? You can get a pretty good deal on those these days.

willkinton247 > Jagvar
04/02/2014 at 12:45

If you take care of them, They'll be reliable.

Opposite Locksmith > CalzoneGolem
04/02/2014 at 12:48

gonna sound like a dickbag either way, but I bought an $18,500 wrx when I was 17 years old (and 11 months)

Paid $16,500 up front, payments for the rest. Earned every dime myself, no parental assistance whatsoever. It happens, I was a janitor and had some luck trading

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > RacecaR
04/02/2014 at 12:50

Corvairs are fine cars once you fix the rear suspension - apparently, it's an easy and cheap fix.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:52

E36

CalzoneGolem > Opposite Locksmith
04/02/2014 at 12:55

I guess I was a lazy kid. My car budget was $3k @ 22.

CalzoneGolem > yamahog
04/02/2014 at 12:56

8k is more than half my budget for all of the cars I've ever had.

Brian Silvestro > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 12:57

WRX wagon would be my choice in that price range.

BJ > Jagvar
04/02/2014 at 12:57

Comfortable cars, nice driving feel to them, big aftermarket/tuner market if that's your thing, and super practical as well.

Opposite Locksmith > CalzoneGolem
04/02/2014 at 13:02

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm 20 now and I have 21$ in my checking, and that's it. IT it.

Part time shit job and no time between 18 hours of class not including lab and 20 hours of work a week

CalzoneGolem > Opposite Locksmith
04/02/2014 at 13:03

Yeah but your car is pure equity at this point, no?

yamahog > CalzoneGolem
04/02/2014 at 13:05

Even if I count the overly generous values of my first 2 cars and second motorcycle, which were all freeeeee thnxmomdadandgrandma, that 8k is still more than 2/3 the worth of all my vehicles! But an 8k budget for a kid/parents with the means doesn't bother me nearly as much as, say, my ex's rich dad refusing to let his boys drive anything less than brand new 3series.

CalzoneGolem > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 13:05

Legit suggestion:

Kinja'd!!!

http://maine.craigslist.org/cto/4392827128…

CalzoneGolem > yamahog
04/02/2014 at 13:07

I'm not bothered by this. I have no problem with this kids budget. I just can't imagine being 18 and having that kind of cash for a car. When I was 18 my net worth was whatever was in my pocket.

Opposite Locksmith > CalzoneGolem
04/02/2014 at 13:09

Thank God. I had it in storage for 6 months out of last year because I couldn't afford (proper) insurance though. Highschool Niko was very frivolous compared to current Niko

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > CalzoneGolem
04/02/2014 at 13:11

lol me too

CalzoneGolem > Opposite Locksmith
04/02/2014 at 13:12

Well, if I was your father, I would have paid for your insurance and told you that you would be paying me back. Then I would never ask for that money back.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 13:12

8k = nice, low mileage, Prelude

Or EP3 Si (02-05)

Or Base RSX

Arben72 > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 13:14

saab 92x linear. An aero would push his budget with repairs and gas, plus much cheaper to insure then a wrx.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him
04/02/2014 at 13:15

Yup - at least make him drive one (manual with the 2.3 engine) before letting him buy anything else. Loved my '05 hatch.

yamahog > CalzoneGolem
04/02/2014 at 13:18

Yea... If I had 8k chilling in cash around that age I'm sure it would've had to go to college anyway.

RPM esq. > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 13:18

E36 M3, obviously. Although it won't be cheap to insure, especially since his insurance company just paid out.

CalzoneGolem > yamahog
04/02/2014 at 13:20

Yup. That's where all my cash went. Some of it is still going there but not for long.

Opposite Locksmith > CalzoneGolem
04/02/2014 at 13:21

I'd love it if you were my father Mr. Golem. He was never one for awesome bro fatherisms

CalzoneGolem > Opposite Locksmith
04/02/2014 at 13:26

Sometimes our parents teach us how not to do it.

Opposite Locksmith > CalzoneGolem
04/02/2014 at 13:45

You keep being you

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > RacecaR
04/02/2014 at 14:20

I meant he should get a beetle or corvair I love corvairs

midengineer > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 14:26

A nice, clean MR2 turbo!

RacecaR > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
04/02/2014 at 14:26

Kinja'd!!!

TJDMAX > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 15:17

what about a 2002-2004 Ford Focus SVT?

You should probably be able to find one pretty cheap with not a million miles.

PICKLEBOY > CalzoneGolem
04/02/2014 at 18:59

it's his own money, he's an intern at a law office... He works 5 days a week. Goes to school til 11:30 then goes to work. It's a program at his school

PICKLEBOY > Party-vi
04/02/2014 at 19:02

Luckily we have accident forgiveness so his insurance didn't go up. He's an intern at a law office so half of his school day he's working so he has 9k in cash at the moment

Party-vi > PICKLEBOY
04/02/2014 at 19:19

Nice. Tell him to go for something around $7,000 or $7,500, leaving some in his budget for tags and title, as well as any service it might need. I've never been able to buy a used car that didn't need some kind of service done for it.

CalzoneGolem > PICKLEBOY
04/03/2014 at 07:48

I was a lazy teenager apparently.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > RacecaR
04/03/2014 at 12:12

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