Recommend me a car.. 4k is the budget

[tero]

I got a $4,000 budget to buy a used car. This will be my first car. I'm looking for power, but still some decent gas mileage, space, a sunroof, and most importantly manual transmission... any suggestions?
So far I've had my mind on 95'+ Nissan 240sx, 99-03' Acura TL , 00-02 Honda Civic.. just to name a few. 

and 2nd gen TL's don't come with a manual transmission.. 

 

[jewseejay]

meh. keep saving.

spending that little on a car is kinda like throwing money away... odds are the car you get will have problems in a few years.

id lease somethin crazy cheap until your moneys right to spend 7-8k. then youll find plenty of reliable whips

my $.02

 

[tero]

^ yea i feel that, but.. i kinda need the car ASAP, just got a job and need to find a mode of transportation

anyone know of any good auction places? around the DMV or PA regions

 

[tizoni]

honda prelude, you'd be overtaking mustang gt's 
or an integra gsr, both cars are fun and good on gas.

craigslists deals dude, but run a carfax

 

[oidreez]

$4,000 is a good price for a first car

 

[al audi]

1998 Lexus Es300

 

[alchemist iq]

honda civic crazy good on gas, currently driving two right now both 2001(2 door) and 2002(4door) (well the other one is my dad) since your in the DMV area getting something economical is a great idea cause your gonna do a lot of driving, if you can try to get a VTEC.

 

[josednk1068]

Late 90's/ early 2000's honda civic or accord

 

[tero]

@tizoni prelude's are dope and i am def gonna get the carfax and get the family mechanic to check it out before i bring it home...

@alchemist V-Tech engines are 

I only mess with 98-2000 civic's. everybody's gottem though lol. but i do know that those engines last forever

 

[we get money]

Also recommend taking any used car you're gonna buy to a mechanic for a prepurchase inspection. It's a pain to do but saved me from buying a lemon with serious transmission problems. Worth the peace of mind and will also give you leverage when negotiating the price

 

[fac3 tak30v312]

1. Take to car to a mechanic beforehand like poster above said, but never buy a car from a mechanic
2. Stay away from late 90s - early 00s accords especially the v6. While they look nice and run smooth, they're known to have ****** issues, as well as several other "little" issues. ( I own a '98 V4)
3. Personally I would go with a Civic or even a Camry
4. While it's frowned upon here, if you can afford to do payments on a car, you should look at new cars. Some of these cars are getting 40 - 50 mpg, and best believe as soon as the election cycle has passed gas is going to go through the roof
5. If you're going the used route make sure the seller has documented evidence of having proper scheduled maintenance done. There are many minor things that a mechanic will miss, that'll cost you in the end. For example something as simple as regular cleaning of the EGR passage can cost you hundreds in frustrating mechanical labor if left undone and is something most mechanics will miss

 

[tero]

EGR passage 

 eh?... i did some googling and it seems pretty serious. any other problems that I should check for that mechanics could overlook?

 

[mmg]

2000-2004

Volkswagen GTI/GOLF


between 3-4K , great on gas and fun to drive

 

[oh you mad]

4k? That will barely get you a pair of yeezys. cmon fam.

 

[imaginaryone]

Acura Legend.

 

[ins]

Originally Posted by Josednk1068

Late 90's/ early 2000's honda civic or accord

negativo... I currently push a 99 accord coupe v6. The car is 

 fast as hell and is everything you are looking for. But Accord coupes are known for have $#@%@$ ******s, My ****** is all types of @*#+*! and i am dreading the day it dies on me and have me be out 5k. Got the accord about a year ago for 5k with about 130k on the engine. But gas is another problem seeing as i commute to work with is about 30 miles and i probably fill up 2-3 times a week.

 I would go with the civic for the time being until you stack another rack or two

 

[kanyewestjayz4life]

Originally Posted by WE GET MONEY

Also recommend taking any used car you're gonna buy to a mechanic for a prepurchase inspection. It's a pain to do but saved me from buying a lemon with serious transmission problems. Worth the peace of mind and will also give you leverage when negotiating the price

This guy speaks the truth, but dont just rely on a mechanic, make sure to get the "CARFAX". I took my lemon to a mechanic and the car was still a piece of crap, couple thousand down the drain.
Id say just find a decent honda accord, corolla, or like a dodge ram1500

 

[dam itz lou]

00-03 Maximas

 

[thunderchunk69]

Originally Posted by oidreez

$4,000 is a good price for a first car

these threads are borderline useless.
although $4,000 is good enough for a decent car, it's enough to go around picking and choosing by model and make 

these threads should already have a few options OP found himself, asking for opinions.

 

[ebay dostres]

Originally Posted by Oh YoU MaD

4k? That will barely get you a pair of yeezys. cmon fam.

But seriously, go wit da hemi

 

[iluvjordanxi]

Originally Posted by ThunderChunk69

Originally Posted by oidreez

$4,000 is a good price for a first car

these threads are borderline useless.
although $4,000 is good enough for a decent car, it's enough to go around picking and choosing by model and make 

these threads should already have a few options OP found himself, asking for opinions.

 I have to agree. Its like going into McDonald's and browsing through the dollar menu when you already know the McDouble or McChicken gets the most bang out of your buck.

 

[tero]

does anybody have any info on a Acura CL?

 

[beacon ave south]

^ for both generations, the transmissions are known to crap out. Go with a 2nd gen 6 speed and youll be good.

 

[ham city]

Originally Posted by Beacon ave south

^ for both generations, the transmissions are known to crap out. Go with a 2nd gen 6 speed and youll be good.

How bad is it? I'm in love with the 2nd gen TL but I'm always hearing about the ****** issues.  Worth the risk?
Also anybody got any info on the 3rd generation Lexus ES300 reliability issues? Anywhere near as reliable as a Camry?

Those two Lexus and Acura's are two of my favorite cars. For some reason I've always loved the 96-01 Camry too but I want leather seats.

 

[scientific method]

Get a Hyundai. My first car was a Hyundai Accent in I think 99, paid 3500 for it and it lasted with literally no problems at all until 05 when I got my Grand Prix.