Good reliable small car

[Mercy]

My son's car which he inherited from his grandmother just died

He needs another car, he's 19, goes to college and has a part time job. So we were looking at maybe a new Hyundai Elantra, they are inexpensive and have a good warranty, or maybe a used car of some kind.

Any recommendations?? I would love to get him a Corolla, but they are more than we want to spend, even the used ones are high because they retain their resale value.

 

[babytrees]

Our little Ford Escort is wonderful!! We've had it almost 5 years.....bought it used after it was a rental. Only regular maintenance needed so far and wonderful gas mileage!!

 

[ducklite]

I just sold my Saturn ION quad coupe to a guy who bought it for his daughter to go off to college with.

It does very well in crash tests, and Saturn is offering 0% financing again, so on a base model the payments would be affordable--plus they are getting 2007 models in and trying to unload the 2006's.

It was a very reliable car, I sold it with 36K miles on it, and never had it in for a single repair, just oil changes and tire rotations. The only reason I sold it was because I bought a SKY.

Anne

 

[Holly]

Volkswagons.

We just bought our second Jetta, and I can't say enough good things about them.

 

[CheshireVal]

I drive a Scion xA. It's a real value.... you get Toyota's reliability record but with a slightly smaller price tag. I LOVE mine!

 

[Desiree]

I have a 2006 Scion tc. We bought it last December for about 18,000. What's nice about these cars are all the extras that come with them and it's all included in the price. So far we've had absolutely no problems and it's a really great little car!

 

[LadyLuc361]

I have a Hyundai Accent. The warrenty has been great because a lot things are covered. It is a really, really small car though so the elantra sounds like a good choice to me. I would say for a college car don't get anything more expensive than an elantra. I just graduated last year from college and many bad things can happen to your car at college. My car has lots of dings from people slamming their doors into mine.

I am looking for my next car now and I am looking at a Passat or Jetta. My fiance has a VW and I am in love with it (but him too! )

 

[ducklite]

Volkswagons.

We just bought our second Jetta, and I can't say enough good things about them.

Until you have an accident and they can't get the parts ot fix it. That's why mine went bye-bye. Well, that and the absolutely atrocious way I was treated by the dealership.

As much as I loved that car, I"ll never buy another VW.

Anne

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

My dh sold his Corolla for a Honda Fit (he got the Sport model). Its a sporty looking subcompact with a smaller price tag and has LOTS of features (ABS, Side Impact Air Bags) standard that are hard to find in small cars. And amazingly it feels more spacious inside then either our 2005 Corolla or our old (1998) Honda Civic despite being a smaller car and is much more fun to drive. The Toyota Yaris is comparable in size and style and reliability and starts around $12,000. We only went with the Fit because dh drives about 1000 miles a week (yes a week) and also drives with the kids alot so I wanted him to have all the safety features. The Yaris offers them but they are not standard and by the time you add them it costs more then the Fit (which has a higher, I think $14,000 base price) also the Fit requires less matience I think (not sure but besides oil changes and fluid checks the Fit needs no major service till 100k miles). These models are both new to the American market for 2007 but have had extreme success in Europe and Asia for years. Also they get amazing gas mileage, my dh has gotten 44 mpg on a regular basis (freeway miles). Both dealers will tell you the Yaris and Fit sell well over sticker because they are new and hard to fiind but don't buy it. We got ours for a couple hundred over dealer invoice (based on KBB invoice pricing) and got all our matience for 100,000 miles thrown in (oil changes and tire rotations).

We also have friends who LOVE their Hyundais.

 

[fireman17]

Toyota Yaris Sedan...Traded in a 1993 Tercel sadly, but very happy with the Yaris!

 

[horseshowmom]

Chevrolet Malibu

We got DD one for college, and it's great.

Our niece had one that had about 200,000 miles on it when she sold it. It didn't have any problems, she only sold it because she was driving 60 miles one way to work, and due to the high mileage, she was a little concerned about being on the highway alone. The individual who bought it is still driving it.