$17k - $18k to spend on car

[riverbowman]

Trying to decide on a car for my daughter. Needs to last from 16 yrs old through college.

Brand new, small sedan, hatchback or compact SUV.

Not interested in the little tiny cars such as the Nissan Versa.

I really like the Honda Civic, but they're a couple grand too proud of them.

Which one and why?

Go....

[SmTx]

Don't see how any car can get the nod over a corolla in that price range.

They're boring and dependable. What I'd drive if I had to buy a car

[WItoTX]

Fairly certain a versa is the same size as a civic, just a slightly different wheelbase length. For small car, Focus hatch or the Chevy version of the same car, or a Subaru Impreza hatch. You may struggle to find a Impreza for that price, but it would be first on my list.

[30-30]

Don’t know if a new one will fit the budget, but my wife and I have been thrilled with her Chevy Trax. Compact, torquey 4 cyl turbo, and steering smooth as butter. Ours gets 28mpg even: city, highway, or mixed.

Decent cargo space for a compact suv.

[Drycreek3189]

You can get a pretty nice Ford Escape for that. We bought our son one for $17k that had 11,000 miles on it. Looks brand new, and gets good mileage.

[myway]

Same boat ..daughter turned 16 in May. I looked at several makes and models primarily Honda, Nissan, Toyota. I ended up with a 2015 Nissan Altima with less than 30,000 miles for 12gs. There were several at that price point just find the right one with low miles.

[riverbowman]

Thanks everyone. Good stuff. I have been in the Chevy Cruz, Nissan Altima (2018's can be had at that price), Honda Civic, and Hyundai Elantra so far. Chevy Cruz was by far the most comfortable and smoothest. Civic was the most solid and tight feeling. Hyundai Elantra seemed to have the best fit and finish, surprisingly.

[Mike D]

Don't see how any car can get the nod over a corolla in that price range.

They're boring and dependable. What I'd drive if I had to buy a car

Yep.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[deerplanter]

My wife loves her civic, maybe find one a year old

[CaptainDave]

For compact SUV, Ford Escape and Mazda CX-7 are both in that price range. New you are looking around $23K, slightly used in the $15K range. Also, don't overlook Subaru Forrester, which is close to that price point and get's rave reviews on reliability and safety.

I would also say Honda CRV, but the price point is higher, for in my opinion, a pretty comparable vehicle to the above ones; at least if looking at base trim model.

There's a few other options with compact cars like Toyota corolla, Honda civic, etc. Personally, I'd rather a compact SUV if I was thinking 16 year old through college. Better visibility when driving, bit more room in back seat and nice trunk area; all around just a more diverse vehicle.

[Mayhem]

Nissan Altima

I drive one for a commuter car and it has been a great car. I paid 17k plus TTL new for it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[friscopaint]

We love our Kia Optima, paid right at $18 and 108,000 miles with zero problems. Not a stripped down model either, leather, etc....

[ColoradoTexan]

Can't go wrong with a Toyota or Honda.

[refugioco]

We love our Kia Optima, paid right at $18 and 108,000 miles with zero problems. Not a stripped down model either, leather, etc....

I just sold a 2014 Kia, that was well appointed and looked great. The car was driven by my wife and always performed well. It just had some hard parts while I was driving that made it uncomfortable for me. We went to California and rented a new one for a week. They fixed everything I did not like about it. I would buy a new one in a minute. I think you can find a deal on one.

[StrayDog]

I’ve got a 2015 Honda Civic LX 4 door with 30K miles. It’s a standard transmission but I’d sell it for $11,000.

I have a clear title in my name.