Looking For A New(ish) Car, Opinions/Reviews?

[91 EX-R]

After driving my 2000 Forester S for the past couple years, I’ve decided it’s time to get something newer and more reliable. It’s a great car when it’s working, but it’s at the age where major repairs could end up being more than the car is worth. I’ve already replaced the head gasket, front brake calipers, and both wiper motors (all common problems) and now I need a new cat and crank sensor to pass my emission test, and I just can’t justify dumping any more money into this thing. If it was manual I’d consider it more, but right now I’m done with it.

So I’m considering a few cars, nothing’s set in stone yet, but I have a few cars in mind with some criteria:

- 10-12k is the most I want to spend
- Reliability is key
- Manual transmission is a near-must ( It would really depend on the car)
- Somewhat fun and sporty
- Practical would be nice, but that would depend how far into the fourth criteria I get


My first choice is a 2008-2012 Accord V6 Coupe. They’ve grown on me a lot over the past year or so, and I would love to get back into another Accord. They’ve got pretty good reviews, I love the interior design, and while the V6 may hurt gas mileage a bit, I drive 75% highway and I figure the 6th gear will help me out a bit there. The things I don’t like are the fact that it’s a pretty big car, it’s a coupe (kind of limits it’s practicality), and that they all come with leather interior (I’d really prefer cloth). But so far, that’s my top runner.


My next choice is a 2008-2011 Civic Si sedan. The coupes just don’t do it for me, but I love the sedans and they’ve gotten pretty great reviews. It has the cloth interior I want, it’s high revving and fun, and the four doors are nice if I have to move things or people. I don’t like the fact that it takes premium gas, but you pay to play with a high compression engine like that. Another problem is it’s hard to find one around my area that isn’t modded, high mileage, or both. I’m completely against buying modded vehicles, and the majority around here for sale are.


Next in line is a Hyundai Genesis Coupe. I’ll be honest, I don’t know too much about these, but from the reviews I’ve read, they seem to be fairly problem free. I could go with either the 2.0T or the 3.8, as I’ve found both in my price range with fairly low mileage. I don’t like the fact that they’re basically all leather interior, or that they are basically an all-out sports car with the small back seats and trunk areas, but they seem like fun cars, and either engine would be fun to drive around with. I’ve also never owned a RWD car before, so I’m not sure how things would go in the winter.


Those are just the cars that I’ve been considering. I’m mostly just looking for opinions and reviews (preferably first-hand) on the cars I’ve listed, and suggestions that fit my criteria are always appreciated.

Thanks everyone!

[ol blue]

Would you be interested in a 2008 turbo x Saab? I have had good luck with mine. Come in manual and autos, also get decent mileage.

[deevergote]

Honestly, for $11-12k, you're not likely to get very good examples of any of the cars you mentioned. The Genesis Coupe especially tends to run a bit pricey still, and any that fall that low are likely to have been abused. Maybe not... but be VERY careful!
I bought my old Grand Prix GTP (top of the line model) when it was 5 years old for $11,000. It lasted 50,000 miles, and was in need of more repair than it was worth by the time I had it 18 months. From my experience, that price range is the sweet spot for cars that are still worth something, out of warranty, and ready to have something major break.
I would say get a lesser car... maybe avoid the Si, AV6-6, or any sports car, unless it's not going to be your sole vehicle. If it'll be doing shared duty, then perhaps it'll be ok... but don't blow your whole budget on the best you can buy within your range, or you'll likely have to compromise a bit on condition, and have nothing left to fix it when it breaks!

If you have 12k to spend, drop 9 on something decent, and hold onto 3 for an emergency repair. For the sake of reliability, it might be wisest to stick to a lesser model Civic (granted, comparing a Honda to my Pointiac is laughable... night and day quality differences!)
Can't go wrong with Civics of any trim when it comes to an enjoyable drive. Corolla is the next comparable car, but those just aren't fun. The Mazda3 is also a great car, though I believe not quite as reliable as the Civic (I found the driver knee room was lacking in the 1st gen as well... still loved the base model automatic that I rented, so I assume a manual would be a blast!) If you consider Mazda, definitely stay away from the Mazdaspeed3. You'll only find grenades at your price range.

Being against buying modded is VERY wise.


I love Saabs. Even the later ones that are essentially just badge-engineered (Opel, Chevy, Subaru...). They can be found cheap, since the brand is defunct (and the badge-engineered aspect is actually good in the fact that the source companies are still in business.) Saabs tend to be hit or miss, though. Find one that was babied by an adult owner, complete with service records, and you might have a winner.
If Saab is a consideration, I would also suggest Volvo. Ford-owned Volvo wasn't really the greatest, but they still had some fantastic cars. Some of the most comfortable cars ever. And very safe.

[Raf99]

You could get a good VW gold/rabbit for that price. They are very good reliable cars but the repair bills are more than average.

[sonikaccord]

The AV6-6 are pretty good. Here are my experiences:


Pros
Fast
Mod potential with the j35z3
Supposedly reliable, YMMV*
Gets about 30 mpg at 75 mph
Heated seats
Looks great with a mild drop, 20s and HFP kit
Large trunk, still not a wagon though.
Stock sound system isn't bad

Cons (Mainly opinions or personal experiences)
So far as repairs I've had done, transmission synchro replacement, (wife learned stick in this car), crank sensor replacement, ps hose o-ring, A/c has a huge leak, interior is falling apart (leather peeling, tearing on armrest and seat). I've owned the car for about 4 years now. I'm not impressed with the reliability, especially when I compare it to my 300k, 24 year old CB.

Too loud on the highway, road noise could be fixed with deadening.
Tires are an odd size 235 something 18
Feels big and heavy as far as handling.

This sums it up nicely:
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/A..._quality.shtml

[91 EX-R]

Wow, that's really disappointing to hear about the 8th gen. Accord. As much as they've been growing on me, they're out of the search, as is the Genesis coupe. They don't seem to have the best reviews either.

The Si is still in consideration because I see them going for around my price with fairly low KM's, but if I do decide to get one, I'll be VERY picky about it.


I've been considering an 06-07 Accord V6-6 coupe as well. The interior seems a bit dated compared to the Civics during those years, but they seem like good cars, and their reviews have been far better than the newer generation. They have their share of issues, but not as many, mostly just small amounts of complaints about rust on the hood and the brakes warping.

I've even found one near me from the original owner with all paperwork, and only 95,000 KM's, the price is kind of high for what it is, however:

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Honda/Ac...O&orup=8_15_13


You guys are right though, there's no point in spending all my money on a car then have none left over to fix it. I'm going to be a bit more realistic in my searches. The 8th gen. Civic is nice, my dad has one and I've enjoyed driving it. I'm not a VW fan and couldn't see myself owning one. I've considered Volvo before as well, I would love a V70R wagon!

[Kev1990]

The only thing I can contribute to your post is. Two friends of mine one had a 08 Accord and one had a 09 Accord both Sedans and under 75k miles. Their cars were in and out of the shop more then my cb7 was at the time with 200k on it. Very problematic cars as far as I'm concerned. As they both bought new and excepted Honda's reliability but wound up complaining about how the car always needed something repaired on a weekly basis.

Use this website to help with reviews. And as you can see this website declares the 2009 Accords clunkers.
http://m.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/2009/