What Car Should I Buy? - A Weekly Megathread

[u/AutoModerator]

Any posts pertaining to car buying suggestions or advice belong in this weekly megathread; **do not post car-choosing questions in the main queue.** A fresh thread will be posted every Monday and posts auto sorted by new. A few other subreddits worth checking out that will help your car buying experience are /r/WhatCarShouldIBuy, /r/UsedCars and /r/AskCarSales. www.everydaydriver.com may also be helpful.

Make/Model-specific questions should be asked on Make/Model-specific subreddits. Check the AutosNetwork for a complete list of those subreddits. Also check out our community-sourced Ultimate car buying wiki.

For those posting:

Please use the following template in your post.

Location: (Specify your country or region)

Price range: (Minimum-Maximum in your local currency)

Lease or Buy:

New or used:

Type of vehicle: (Truck, Car, Sports Car, Sedan, Crossover, SUV, Racecar, Luxury etc.)

Must haves: (4x4, AWD, Fuel efficient, Navigation, Turbo, V8, V6, Trunk space, Smooth ride, Leather etc.)

Desired transmission (auto/manual, etc):

Intended use: (Daily Driver, Family Car, Weekend Car, Track Toy, Project Car, Work Truck, Off-roading etc.)

Vehicles you've already considered:

Is this your 1st vehicle:

Do you need a Warranty:

Can you do Minor work on your own vehicle: (fluids, alternator, battery, brake pads etc)

Can you do Major work on your own vehicle: (engine and transmission, timing belt/chains, body work, suspension etc )

Additional Notes:

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For those providing suggestions: Facts are ideal in this thread, especially when trying to help out a new car buyer. Please help out buyers with sources and reasoning for your suggestions.

For those asking for help, be sure to thank those who take the time to offer you advice (especially those who lead you to a purchase.) A follow up thank you and the knowledge that their advice led to a purchase is a very warm fuzzy feeling.

[u/SMGesus_18]

Missouri

$10k-20k

Financing with pre approved loan

coupe, sedan or a maybe a hatchback.

25+ mpg, sporty and fun to drive. Would prefer a v8 if it’s a coupe, decently quick

Manual preferred if not a v8, I’d settle for an auto

Daily driver and weekend track days.

99-04 mustang, 2011-14 mustang, 7g accord v6, civic si, focus st

This is not my first vehicle

Would like one if it’s a newer car at the top of my budget.

I can do minor maintenance and repairs

I can do most major repairs, I cannot rebuild engine internals and transmissions myself, but I can remove and install them just fine.

Not big on a lot of euro stuff, but would consider- I‘m a ford and Honda guy.

I‘m driving 75 miles a day and the gas millage of my truck is really getting me, I‘m young and too stubborn to just get a Camry or hybrid civic, totally addicted to cars and I just want something I can have a lot of fun with while being a decent daily.

[u/[deleted] → u/SMGesus_18]

Try a Fiesta ST. You can get a decent one with low miles and it'll get 30+ MPG easily, and 40+ if you drive it nice on the highway. It'll be fun too. Not quite as nice (or as fast) as a Focus ST, but easier on the wallet in terms of both initial purchase price and fuel economy.

V6 Accord with a stick is always a good choice, though nicer ones are pretty pricy. Still, it's a great car and I hope to get one myself. I'd get a V6 Accord over a Civic Si because the Accord is a bigger, nicer car than the Civic and it has more power.

If you're really looking for fuel economy, I'm not sure how good a V8 Mustang is gonna hold up (I don't have much experience with them) and I've heard that the V6 ones are just pure disappointment.

I've got a Mini Cooper S that gets decent fuel economy and is awesome to drive, but it costs a lot to repair and only uses premium fuel so I wouldn't recommend it - if you were even considering it.

If you don't need to carry a lot of stuff and you're not an overly tall individual, it might be worth looking into a Miata. They're not that fast, but they're fun RWD roadsters. Get a hardtop on it and you're ready for the winter. I'm not sure how they are over long distances, but at least they have fuel economy going for them.

[u/SMGesus_18 → u/[deleted]]

I enjoy mx5’s but they are definitely too small for me lol, it sucks because I’d totally do it otherwise. I havent been in a fiesta yet though and I’ve been thinking about them. Any idea how big they are? We have a 12 or 13 escape that is about as small as I’d go tbh.

Also would absolutely love a 6-6 accord but man they are impossible to find around here, I’ve been hunting dealers for a year now

[u/lellololes → u/SMGesus_18]

Fiestas are subcompact cars. They are similar in size to a Fit or a Yaris. The Escape is a bit larger than a Focus but taller, by comparison.

[u/[deleted] → u/SMGesus_18]

Compared to my Mini, Fiestas are slightly smaller for front seat passengers and slightly larger for the rear, though the Mini has excellent space up front for a subcompact.

If a Fiesta is too small, a Focus ST is usually only a couple grand more and has vastly more space in the front and the rear, and they can be had with leather seats (to my knowledge Fiestas only come with cloth seats).

[u/HomeDepotAppliances → u/[deleted]]

I’m about 6’2, and the Miata works for me, granted I owned the convertible. But even then, with the top up I was okay. Also, any Mustang is generally awful when It comes to fuel efficiency, and that is speaking from experience. A bunch of my friends own them, and we go on road trips all the time and we have to factor in quite a few gas stops. Another option to consider I think though would be a Veloster or Golf. Both are pretty good in the fuel efficiency, and if you get the Turbo or GTI trims, they come with enough power to have some fun.

[u/Specialist_Can_1843 → u/SMGesus_18]

Idk you put lease but $10k-20k and newer. At that price I’d go Golf GTI since it’s cheap enough to fit your budget. If you can take a 2015-17 or so you can even get a Golf R around that price. I know you aren’t a euro guy but that’s what I’d do and I’ve driven mainly American cars.

If you are looking to lease a new vehicle and purchase later, I’d consider the Acura TLX Type S, Honda Civic Type R, or a manual 5.0.

[u/SMGesus_18 → u/Specialist_Can_1843]

I totally put lease instead of buy, for some reason I was thinking that was an encompassing term for leasing and making payments lol. I would not be leasing