Calling all car experts, a little help please!

Anderton Prime

Anderton Prime

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Hey everyone. I need a little help choosing a car for a female friend. She's only got a few days left on her lease, and she's looking to take out a new lease on a new car. She doesn't want domestic, nor does she want a Kia or a Volkswagen. She's looking to for a car in the $18,000-$25,000 CDN range ($15,000-$20,000 USD). She wold prefer something with power windows and locks, A/C, CD player, and possibly remote keyless entry.

Any suggestions would be appreciated, I don't think she's too concerned with style, since she drives a Nissan Sentra right now (bland!).

Thanks!
 
A Mazda 3 GS with the power package should be a very good car to look at. With the package, it's $18,950. The sport package for $1,395 would be a good idea too. You get alloy wheels, power moonroof, and most importantly, ABS. Keyless entry and a CD player is standard with GS trim.

*edit* Or, if she's willing to buy nearly new, there would be a lot more options out there; a good mid size sedan would be a very feasible prospect.
 
What about a Honda Civic? They are really cheap and get great gas mileage, which I would assume is important looking at the rising cause of oil. For 20k you can get a nicely equipt Civic.
 
Just go PM Doug. :p Someday we need to put his brain on DVD (like Famine).
 
Why lease?

Anyways Civic and Corolla S from EXPERIENCE I recommend. My dad got my sister a Corolla S since she liked it so much. It is a pretty nice car. Great on mileage. I got to drive it around a few times as well. The interior layout I really love! I really think that car is great for the price!

And the Civic I have a friend who got an 05 red Civic for christmas and he thinks its pretty nice as well. I dont think I have driven it yet but sat in it a few times. Its a great car for a girl or gal. The interior to my suprise is preety huge! (He has the Coupe) I dont like the layout of the interior though......it looks weird as hell IMO. Reminds me of a Maruti. (SP?)

This is a close one but I am sure your friend will take the Corolla S over the Civic since she is a girl and alot of girls like that car. This is probably the first time I would pick another car over Honda! And I really like Honda's!
 
im no expert, but.....

if she has had no problems with the car she is turning in, and has maintained the car, why not just buy that one.

leasing is not smart. if she had agreed to buy that car when she leased it, she still would have had to pay for whatever maintenance the car needs, but it would be 2/3 paid off probably.

buying a new car only makes economic sense when your current car costs more to repair annually than making the payments on a car.

for example, i bought my 1976 BMW 2002 in 1995 for $1800. i spent about $4500 in 1999 refreshing the entire drivetrain. the ownership cost for the car in the ten years i have had it works out to just over $50 a month. maintenance i dont count as an expense since every car needs maintenance; oil changes, tune ups, tires, etc.

vs paying ~$200 a month into perpetuity? i'll take $50 a month everyday.

when the car keeps breaking down and needing expensive repairs (air conditioning, power locks, sunroof, suspension bushings, etc etc etc) should one consider replacing a car. my general limit is if the annualised cost of repairs is more than the annual cost of buying a small car, then go for it.

mi dos centavos
 
Actually if someone likes to drive different cars often, leasing is a great thing. Plus you always have your car under warrenty and if you don't drive a million miles you are fine.
 
Not to mention you don't have to drive a piece of **** like a 1976 BMW 2002. :p

Truth be told, if I were your friend (Anderton) I'd tank out a bank loan and straight purchase a car under those stipulations. That way, she'd own the car and owe the bank, rather than not own a car and owe a dealer. It's more expensive to pay the bank, but the car is yours in a much larger sense than if you're leasing. Obviously her call but from an economic standpoint, as neanderthal said, leasing is a horrible idea (not that borrowing isn't - but at least once it's paid off, the car is yours).
 
my 02 may look like a piece of ****, but thats the theft deterrent system :)

as for buying a new car, my thoughts are based solely on economic sense. the process of buying a car involves far far more than economics.

i did not mean to mislead anyone. ive edited my post and highlighted that part accordingly.
 
lucky person lasing a car in this day and age when they start at 20K (even in the US) nowadays. some of us have to purchase 150k mile/200+k kilometer junkers that need a couple grand in overdie maintenece items just to run.

I'd personally suggest a compact of some sort...or, if their isn't a 30 km line for it, the Prius is getting rave reviews. with gas at Horrendus levels even in the US (which doesn't care anymore, it's just a fact of life, now), something that's scroogy with the fossil fuels is a good bet.
 

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