Which one would be the best first car based on my needs? 42 members have voted

[Nano]

I'm looking into getting a car and I would want a reliable, comfortable, and good looking car. (Also relatively cheap which is why I'm putting cheap cars and not the INCREDIBLY SEXY Infiniti Q70. Anything with below 80k miles and under $9k would be good for me). I could easily go out and try a whole bunch of cars and do a shit ton of research on them to see which are the most reliable, (for example many people would say a Toyota Camry) or I could say which would be the nicest (many people would say the Nissan Altima or Kia Optima). So, I would like a good balance between reliability, overall comfortableness, and looks of the car. My top choice right now is the Kia Optima just because it is very reliable, nice-looking, and comfortable. But, I would like some more opinions (especially from people who have owned the cars).

 

NOTE: I also want good fuel efficiency and my parents only allow me to get a car with a 4-cylinder engine.

 

Edit: I have driven a 2001 Honda Civic, 2014 Nissan Altima 2.5L S, and a 2015 Nissan Altima S. Out of all of them I liked the 2015 Nissan Altima because its the most well rounded out of the three. The 2014 Altima's leather seats are just too hot and make me feel like I'm sinking into the seat when I sit, and the 2001 Honda Civic is just too old tbh.

 

EDIT EDIT: I would really like a small car to midsize car.

[kabLe]

Id go Honda for first car, they're reliable, last long, and parts are cheap if you have to fix something.

[Kieran]

I drive a Mazda CX-5 and love the look of it. If you have the money to spend the newer Mazda cars have some nice features and are pretty reliable.

 

EDIT: Reread post and you probably should go for a cheaper car lol

[Phoenix_]

For your first car:

 

1) Go with a domestic or extremely popular company like Honda, Toyota, or Hyundai.

2) IF you have a mechanic that isn't one at a dealership ask if you can take the car to be inspected by the mechanic. A local or family mechanic will be honest with you about the car and find any potential problems that will cost you more than you're already paying.

3) When I went car shopping for my first car, I really had a general idea of what type of car I wanted and wasn't dead set on what car in specific I was trying to get. I initially wanted a chevy or a Hyundai, but I ended up with a Ford Fusion that runs great and I got an incredible deal on it, too.

[Gentoo]

Don't buy Korean cars, they look and feel cheap because they are cheap. They're known to be poorly designed and unsafe. The reason they get such good mileage is because the cars feel like they're made of aluminum. For you price range, you can easily afford a nice Civic or Camry that's less than 10 years old depending on where you live. Treat it well and it will treat you well. Honda's have V-TEC, usually the economy kind, so if you aren't driving like a rally driver, you should get adequate fuel efficiency from them.

[delirium]

Get a bike. 9k can get you a lot these days.

[bat]

I'd go with a Civic or Corolla, as both are fairly reliable and maintenance is cheap and easy. Accords and Camrys are better as second cars because they're a little more pricey right out the gate but just as bulletproof as their compact counterparts. One other reason I'd prefer the Civic is the Si trim, which is a great platform to learn manual and get your feet wet in the enthusiast world.

[Nano]

Don't buy Korean cars, they look and feel cheap because they are cheap. They're known to be poorly designed and unsafe. The reason they get such good mileage is because the cars feel like they're made of aluminum. For you price range, you can easily afford a nice Civic or Camry that's less than 10 years old depending on where you live. Treat it well and it will treat you well. Honda's have V-TEC, usually the economy kind, so if you aren't driving like a rally driver, you should get adequate fuel efficiency from them.

 

I mean according to https://cars.usnews.com they rated the 2013 Hyundai Sonata 8.9/10 in safety which seems very good to me tbh.

 

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Although I do agree with the other things you said, I've driven my mom's 2001 Honda Civic and the mileage is great especially considering I may not be the most gas-efficient driver whenever I drive it (I use it when I'm bored and wanna go fast so I just take it out to go eat something lol). Right now though, I'm kinda leaning toward the Hyundai Sonata, specifically the 2013 one because of it's high ratings in most of the fields. I wouldn't pick the Civic over a Sonata just because of how expensive a Civic of the same year is when compared to the Sonata. A 2013 Honda Civic with about 50k-70k miles would cost me easily about $10k+, but a 2013 Sonata (with about 50k-70k miles) would cost me about $8k-$10k, which is in the top of my budget but still affordable.

 

If you or anyone else has some information that may lean me more toward another car, please tell me because I may really like the Sonata but I also want to get the most well rounded car with the budget I have, and at this point the Sonata seems like my top choice right now. Anyways, thanks for the answer man.