Car shopping

[icepixie]

So, seeing as I'm going to be moving to Knoxville in less than four months, I need to get a car sharpish. (Yes, there's public transportation, but I've done the relying-on-a-bus-to-get-groceries thing, and unless you're somewhere like NYC or Chicago, IT DON'T WORK. Plus, driving home for vacations, etc., and, depending on my luck with finding nearby housing, to campus...yeah.)

I...would pretty much be okay if all we had was the modern equivalent of the Model T. No, seriously. This sucks. I have no idea what to buy, I have a relatively small budget, and seriously, all I want is four wheels, an engine that won't break down all the time, and enough steel around me to keep me from being crushed in an accident. All the different brands and models have such minute and arcane differences that do incomprehensible things to the price, and I can't even begin to wrap my mind around it. The only reason I'm not giving up and investing in a bicycle is because my dad is helping me shop, and at this point has probably done more looking than I have. (Also, biking back to Nashville would be a bit difficult.)

I'm looking solely at used cars, because my budget would allow me to get, um...a new tricycle, I think. (Well, okay, if I plunked down the entirety of my savings account, I could actually get something rather nice, but I also, you know, want to eat next year.)

Anyone have any tips? Brands you like? Bad experiences? I'm leaning towards something from Honda or Toyota because the idea of being stranded on the roadside periodically does not appeal (nor does shopping for another car for AT LEAST ten years), but of course that increased reliability and longevity comes with a corresponding increase in price. Sigh.

Comments

[rensong.livejournal.com]

Honda and Toyota are both good choices when it comes to reliability. I also like Chevys - they also tend to last a little bit longer, though if you get one thats more than 10 years old - or, well, any car more than 10 years old - there's a good chance that you might have to make a few expensive repairs to some of the basic systems like breaks and transmissions and what not.

Also, I hear Suberu (only spelled right) is a pretty reliable car, but if you get one with an automatic transmission you are going to have issues after about 140 thousand miles.

[icepixie]

Our last three cars have been Chevys, and the've been money-sinks as far as repairs go (apparently we don't learn after the first two). I do like the Malibu--it's a renamed version of the Corsica, the car I learned to drive in--but seriously, our Lumina goes to the shop at least three times a year now, and the truck only a little less, probably because it's three years newer.

I would love a Subaru (although I don't really need all-wheel drive...would be great to have, though), but alas, even the used ones are out of my price range.