Type of car (sporty, luxury, economy, SUV): Regular, 4 passenger sized.
Price range: ~ 10,000- 20,000
New or used: New
Manual or automatic: Automatic
Years of driving: Teenage driver =P
Cars currently suggesting: Accord or Altima
Needs and other info (do you need passenger room, cargo space, AWD, etc): Well... this would be my first car, and considering I'm a teenage driver (I do have my license though), I don't have that much knowledge on cars. I live in New York, and I notice a lot of teenagers driving around Altima's nowadays... The 2010 Altima 2.5s looks REALLY appealing to me, but I've not been in one yet. This car will also be shared with my mother and father. We want a car that has not too much interior space (we're not trying to fit like a family of 10 in here), but at the same time, we want something with enough space inside that it won't get too stuffy if we drive around with the windows up.

I also want something thats exterior looks nice... I really like the design of the Accord and Altima (they both look so petite!), and I've been inside my friends Maxima, which I think is really comfortable, and fast too.

I hope thats enough information. Thanks for any and all help

The new accord is nowhere near petite. if anything, its bloated

the new hyundai sonata!!
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/me...9/09/160138.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/me...9/09/160139.jpg
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/me...9/09/160141.jpg

well i like it..and since its a hyundai it might be cheaper with insurance but i am not sure

the current accord is nice as well
can't really go wrong with the accord or altima though, both are reliable midsized sedans

^ wow they sure did upgrade the look on the sonata~ looks good.

i've driven both accord and altima, i say i'd like the altima better ..to me, the altima picks up quickly and smoothly and doesnt seem as heavy as the accord, not knowing the exact weights of the cars ..ithey're both roomy inside and comfortable ..but i really like the altima more imo. (:
good luck.

Gotta Agree with the Altima. When I worked around the 09 models, they seemed really clean and reliable cars for the price range. However, if you want to break the mold from other Altima drivers, The Mazda 3 (hatchback or sedan, doesn't matter really) would be a decent choice, particularly considering the hatchback has storage space if you need it, if you can get over the new model's overly-happy but aggressive styling.

Seems like a lot of people like the Altima... yeah, it's been like my first choice too. I kinda posted on soompi to see if people have better options, haha. Does anybody know the price of the Altima (without all that added specifications and whatnot)?

By the way, my parents will probably buy from an asian car dealer... we're not sure yet (just cause they can't negotiate in English). Do you know if the asian car dealers tend to be more cheaper or expensive?

Base Model Altima is from $19,900 not counting all the taxes, so if you're budget isn't flexible above 20k, it'll be pretty tight.

I'm not 100% about Asian dealerships, but some may try a rip-off, others are honest and leave good ground for negotiations. A lot of the main dealerships (up here in my part of Canada anyways) have sales reps that speak other languages, so check local Nissan dealer websites to see if they have anyone who can talk with your parents.

both the accord or altima are fine choices.

No matter what dealer you go to, don't think the sales people are your friends. Just because they speak your language or are from where you're from doesn't mean they'll automatically give you a good deal. They're sales people. They're there to make money. Your best bet is to find out how much the optioned vehicle you're aiming for is normally sold for, that way you're armed with information. This will give you more ground to negotiate.

what about a impreza. The altima + accord are good options too.

I was gonna suggest the Impreza, but I wasnt too sure about the US MSRP, which is 17k for the base model. Even the Legacy is pretty much up there.

If you're only going to pay up to 20,000, I don't think you can get the Accord or Altima. With tax and everything (such as add ons or having full option/fully loaded), you're gonna be going over the 20K limit.

The Civic sedan starts at $15,655 for the base model. It's pretty roomy too since it's a sedan. The Toyota Corolla starts at $15,350 for the base model, too. You can check those out.

In my family the situation is that out of the six people in my family, only two drive. My dad drives our new minivan as his work vehicle, which he works nearly everyday. When my family needs to go places, like my mom needing to go to Costco or do some heavy Safeway shopping, then I have to drive. For that reason I had to buy my own car, that is appealing to me and to driving my family around.

What I think would make a good family car depends on the following:

Size. Size of the car makes a big difference. Can it hold 4 ppl + a drive comfortably? How big is the trunk? Is it suited to hold lots of stuff and/or big objects? Another important consideration, is how the parking situation in the area where you live? Having too large of a car can making finding a parking spot a nightmare when parking is bad. If you have a house and/or a garage this shouldn't big a big problem.

Reliability. If the car is constantly in the shop and unavailable for you or your other family members to use, it doesn't really serve its purpose of getting you from A - B. Also, maintanance costs and repair costs is something you should factor in.

Safety. If your family is riding along in the car, and lets say its fully loaded with people, you want something safe in the event of a accident (because they do happen). Having one of those sub-compact cars isn't gonna help too much in this case.

The list goes on (sorry, i'm just getting lazy with my thoughts here). But this pretty much boils it down to some of the cars mentioned above. Typically regular midsized cars.

The car I have now is a old Volvo S70 T5, a mid-sized car. It has a decent interior size, comfortable, big trunk and reasonably compact on the outside (in comparison to other midsized cars), and for my own enjoyment, its also turbocharged putting out quite a bit of power. This car is one that I had purchased on my own and i'm to be honest i'm quite satisfied with this car as it strikes a balance of something I like and something that serves my family well too.

an altima/accord seems over 20k after taxes and etc.
look into the civic, impreza, and mazda 3. those all start below 20k.

Living in New York, you shouldn't actually need a car, but sure.

I suppose you're set on buying new, most asians are.

Anyhow, I'd suggest going with the Honda Fit, Honda Insight (I actually forgot how much this costs...), Mitsubishi Lancer (Not Evo or Ralliart), Toyota Matrix, Mazda 3, Mazda 6 (Again, I forgot how much this costs), or Nissan Sentra.

I live in New York, so I don't see much Asian car dealerships anyways? I will call up dealerships though, and ask them if they have any Chinese speaking people who work there.



Haha, yeah, I know. I like to do my research online when I buy something that I'll be using for a while (it's dumb to buy something for a 50 dollars only to have it last a week, as opposed to buying a better brand for 75 dollars and having it last a year)




This was really helpful, thank you



I looked at the Civic and Mazda 3... they all look very nice (I personally think the Mazda 3 is beautiful inside).



Haha, well, I'm going to college next year and I'm looking at cars considering I might go to school somewhere far or go to a school in somewhere like Long Island, where I might just drive back and forth.

It's been really helpful, guys, thank you =)

What about a VW Jetta? I just bought my SE 09 2 months ago and I'm absolutely in love. They're built well and they're reliable, plus it should fall within your budget range. I bought mine for just under 20k.. it was a steal.

The first day I got her (try to ignore the crap camera-phone quality):

VW. Reliable.

Hehe.

^ Haha, they've gotten much better. Truth is, most modern cars will be reliable. Take good care of it and you'll be fine.

fix'd for you

Sounds about right.

-Now doesn't know what to expect out of his Audi. -