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Need Help Picking First Car
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Need Help Picking First CarPosted:

HDSpins
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My parents will buy me a car around $15000.

I'm looking for a sedan that looks sleek, whilst being good on gas, insurance, reliability, etc. It doesn't have to be a brand new model, but I would like something 2013+

Some brands I have interests are:
-Subaru
-Lexus
-Infiniti
-Nissan, Honda
#2. Posted:
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I'd recommend a Nissan or Honda outta those, they'd fit your budget the best.
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$15,000 for a first car is great starting money. I'm going to guess you're going to be looking for a used car?


Subaru:
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The 2013 Impreza WRX can give you from 19 MPG in the city / 25 MPG on a highway. On cars.com, the car is listed to be in between $15,566-$32,786 (this is the Hatchback model). It has a 2.5 litre engine, 265 horsepower engine; the issue with this is that it takes premium gas but due to its MPG, I don't think you'd have any issues. Maybe you can find a good deal in your area on Craigslist and see if you can find one in your price range.


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The 2013 Subaru Legacy can give you anywhere from 18 MPG - 32 MPG, depending on which model you select. There's a 2.5 liter engine (comes in Manual, CVT, Premium, Sport and Limited packages) and there's also a 3.6 liter engine (3.6R and 3.6R Limited packages). Depending on the package you select, it has from 172 horsepower up to 256 horsepower. The 2013 model was valued, on Edmunds.com, at $9,995+ which is in your price range and maybe you'll have some money to spare for mods if that's in your ballpark.



Lexus:
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The Lexus ES350, even with its 6-cylinder engine, can give you 21 MPG city and 31 MPG on the highway. This car holds 17 gallons of gasoline and takes regular unleaded gasoline, much cheaper than premium. The range of this car, speaking in terms of miles, is 361.2 (city) and 533.2 (highway). It's a great looking car and from what I've read, can be quite dependable in terms of gasoline. On Edmunds.com, this car is listed at $18,000+ but I'm quite sure you can find a good deal in your area on Craigslist.



Infiniti:
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The Infinity G37 sedan has a 3.7 litre, 6 cylinder engine with 328 horsepower. The combined MPG are at 20 miles to the galon; in the city, the EPA estimate, is at 17 miles to the gallon and on the highway, it's at 25 miles to the gallon. This tank does take premium gas but it's range (city/hwy) are at 340.0/500.0 miles. The price of this car, listed on Edmunds.com, is at $18,995+ which is a bit out of your price range but again: Craigslist could be your friend.



Nissan:
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The 2013 Nissan Altima has two packages: the S and the SV. These two packages gives the same MPG (city/hwy) which are at 19/26 miles to the gallon. It has a 3.5 liter, 6 cylinder engine with 290 horsepower; it is recommended to use premium unleaded gas in these vehicles. The fuel tank can hold up to 20 gallons of gas. On Edmunds.com, this car was priced at $12,995 which is within your price range.



Honda/Acura:
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The 2013 Acura TSX is valued at about $12,900+ which is within your price range. The combined MPG on this 2.4 liter, inline 4 engine is 26 miles to the gallon; in the city, it can give you up to 22 MPG and 31 MPG on the highway. The TSX has 201 horsepower in it; not really a speedster anyway.


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The 2013 Acura TL is listed on Edmunds.com at $16,900 but Craigslist should have its fair share of good deals. It has a 3.5 liter, 6 cylinder engine with 280 horsepower; the combined MPG are 23 miles to the gallon. In the city, you'll get up to 20 miles to the gallon and on the highway, you'll get up to 29 miles to the gallon; this engine is recommended to be used with premium unleaded gasoline so the cost of the gas for this one is a bit higher.


That's really all of the cars I could think of, I'm sure I missed a few. Good luck on your car search, OP!
#4. Posted:
002
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280z wrote I'd recommend a Nissan or Honda outta those, they'd fit your budget the best.


They would all fit the budget....

OP, stay away from Lexus and Infinity as they are more often than not really expensive to repair compared to say a Nissan. I personally don't think Subaru has a sleek looking car past the BRZ, but to each their own. Only issue with the BRZ is that it's 2 door so insurance will be more expensive and of course it's not a sedan.

The Ford Fusion (2013+), Mazda 6, Hyundai Genesis, Chevy Malibu, Chevy Impala, and Volvo S (60, 80, and 90) are all good looking cars that for the most part are reliable and will be cheapER on insurance.
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I am not really gonna comment on what car you should get as I don't know the american market and what prices are like for new and second hand cars. If you are buying a second hand car privately i.e not through a dealer. I highly recommend you take someone who knows a decent bit about cars (and by knowns about cars I mean the mechanical side of things) maybe a relative or something. Otherwise I would try to take the car to a mechanic to give it a look over before committing to a buy. If you are buying through a dealer you should have some sort of warranty and you should be covered a bit more by consumer laws.
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002 wrote
280z wrote I'd recommend a Nissan or Honda outta those, they'd fit your budget the best.


They would all fit the budget....

OP, stay away from Lexus and Infinity as they are more often than not really expensive to repair compared to say a Nissan. I personally don't think Subaru has a sleek looking car past the BRZ, but to each their own. Only issue with the BRZ is that it's 2 door so insurance will be more expensive and of course it's not a sedan.

The Ford Fusion (2013+), Mazda 6, Hyundai Genesis, Chevy Malibu, Chevy Impala, and Volvo S (60, 80, and 90) are all good looking cars that for the most part are reliable and will be cheapER on insurance.
Subaru?
#7. Posted:
002
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280z wrote
002 wrote
280z wrote I'd recommend a Nissan or Honda outta those, they'd fit your budget the best.


They would all fit the budget....

OP, stay away from Lexus and Infinity as they are more often than not really expensive to repair compared to say a Nissan. I personally don't think Subaru has a sleek looking car past the BRZ, but to each their own. Only issue with the BRZ is that it's 2 door so insurance will be more expensive and of course it's not a sedan.

The Ford Fusion (2013+), Mazda 6, Hyundai Genesis, Chevy Malibu, Chevy Impala, and Volvo S (60, 80, and 90) are all good looking cars that for the most part are reliable and will be cheapER on insurance.
Subaru?


What about Subaru?

Based on a lack of explanation here, I'm assuming it's the price point.

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HDSpins wrote My parents will buy me a car around $15000.

I'm looking for a sedan that looks sleek, whilst being good on gas, insurance, reliability, etc. It doesn't have to be a brand new model, but I would like something 2013+

Some brands I have interests are:
-Subaru
-Lexus
-Infiniti
-Nissan, Honda


Wow, your parents must really spoil you. I was lucky to get $500 from my parents to match me on my first car.

But really if you can find WRX STI with low miles and no signs of beating I'd definitely jump on it.
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002 wrote
280z wrote
002 wrote
280z wrote I'd recommend a Nissan or Honda outta those, they'd fit your budget the best.


They would all fit the budget....

OP, stay away from Lexus and Infinity as they are more often than not really expensive to repair compared to say a Nissan. I personally don't think Subaru has a sleek looking car past the BRZ, but to each their own. Only issue with the BRZ is that it's 2 door so insurance will be more expensive and of course it's not a sedan.

The Ford Fusion (2013+), Mazda 6, Hyundai Genesis, Chevy Malibu, Chevy Impala, and Volvo S (60, 80, and 90) are all good looking cars that for the most part are reliable and will be cheapER on insurance.
Subaru?


What about Subaru?

Based on a lack of explanation here, I'm assuming it's the price point.

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I was talking brand new from the dealership I would NEVER EVER buy a car off someone I didn't know. I would only go to a minimum of a 4 star rated dealership. That way if my car has a problem, I know exactly who to go after.
#10. Posted:
002
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280z wrote
002 wrote
280z wrote
002 wrote
280z wrote I'd recommend a Nissan or Honda outta those, they'd fit your budget the best.


They would all fit the budget....

OP, stay away from Lexus and Infinity as they are more often than not really expensive to repair compared to say a Nissan. I personally don't think Subaru has a sleek looking car past the BRZ, but to each their own. Only issue with the BRZ is that it's 2 door so insurance will be more expensive and of course it's not a sedan.

The Ford Fusion (2013+), Mazda 6, Hyundai Genesis, Chevy Malibu, Chevy Impala, and Volvo S (60, 80, and 90) are all good looking cars that for the most part are reliable and will be cheapER on insurance.
Subaru?


What about Subaru?

Based on a lack of explanation here, I'm assuming it's the price point.

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I was talking brand new from the dealership I would NEVER EVER buy a car off someone I didn't know. I would only go to a minimum of a 4 star rated dealership. That way if my car has a problem, I know exactly who to go after.


OP is talking 2013+. All used cars are bought as is with no warranty unless you buy one, it doesn't matter what dealership it is. The only difference is you will pay more at a dealer than person to person because it's a business that charges more for the product. Just because you buy a car that has issues weeks after you bought it does not mean the dealer will help you out even if they have a 5 star rating. Most dealers simply won't because it eats their profits. The ones that will are usually smaller dealerships trying to grow a good name.
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