New Or Used? : A Young Driver Wants His Milk & Cookies… Right Now!

Steven Lang
by Steven Lang

I just got a job that involves a fair amount of driving and I am looking to spend about 11-13k on a car that is fun to drive but at the same time practical and reliable.

I have a large dog, bicycle, and significant other that I transport on a regular basis (not all at the same time). I’d like to get a manual but the fact of the matter is that I am very likely to get stuck in a traffic jam one way or another so I am still debating on that. My job covers gas and a modest vehicle allowance that will cover wear and tear maintenance with a little pocket change left over. So gas mileage and little things going wrong are not a big deal. However it does need to be reliable in the sense that it will start everyday and get me where I need to go.

Some cars I have been thinking of are Mazda 3, GTI, Focus, E46 3 series(wagon if I can get it), and Mustang(thats a wildcard). I would prefer that any car I get be 2006 or newer so I can finance a modest amount but I do not want to get in the hole of financing a new car thus my budget. Help out a fellow car enthusiast and let me know what you think.

Steve Says:

Your question reminds me of the all too scary fact that my own soon-to-be 11 year old son may someday be in your shoes.

I hope to hear this in, oh, about 15 years from now.

“Hey Dad! Guess what? I just got promoted to hedge fund manager at Milken, Milken & Dacau.”

“Great to hear it son. Remind me to retire soon.”

“I’m sure you’ll die first Dad (thanks son!). Oh, the bosses boss wants me to trade in the Camry and get something really nice. Like a Lamborghini Flatulencia.”

“Jeez! That will be quite a bit of bitcoins!. Are you sure you can afford it?”

“Sure! I’ll just get a loan with….”

… the uncomfortable thought of a loan on a car is enough to stop that happy daydream dead in it’s tracks. It may not be a good idea quite yet to arrange for a long-term divestiture of your wealth. Why?

You just got a job.

You haven’t made any money yet at this particular job.

You are now what we called in my native state of New Jersey, “working class”. Your financial security is exactly equal to your “new job” security. There is good news and bad news with that.

The good news is that you have work. The bad news is that if you’re smart, you are going to be in saving mode for the next several years and eventually buy those things that are worth keeping. Which means that when it comes to cars you may want to hold off on the late model throttle a bit.

I would go a little bit deeper down the model year range and consider an 03 to 05 model that has 100,000 miles or so and has been furiously depreciated. A stickshift on a medium sized coupe or sedan (Infiniti G35, Lexus IS300, Acura CL/TL) would be a worthwhile consideration. You can even go more into the affordable arena and wait for what we call the “rare birds” in the car business. A supposedly plain jane Solara that has a nice V6 and a 5-speed. Or the last of the Q45’s that often gets blurred out of the car shopping process.

If it were me, I would start nagging friends and associates for a well-kept older car and then tweak the suspension and upgrade the tires over time so that it rides the way you like it to. However I can hear my son in the 15 year distance revving up his Flatulencia and wondering how his Dad became so debt averse. The truth is I was raised that way. Debt to me is still a four letter word. So I’ll leave it up to the folks here to offer some more recent 11k to 13k alternatives with financing in tow.

Steven Lang
Steven Lang

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  • Pete Kohalmi Pete Kohalmi on Jan 12, 2014

    I'm in a similar situation as the OP but at a different stage in life. I'm middle-aged with 2 young kids and a new job that requires me to drive 100+ miles/day. For the last 14 years I've been driving an E36 BMW. It just turned 300,000 miles. I LOVE that car. But it's no longer reliable. I've put $4000 into it over the last two years not including another $1000 in tires (one set of summer and one set of winter). My plan was always to drive the E36 into the ground while saving my pennies over the years in order to buy a car with cash. Unfortunately I didn't account for getting laid off 3 times since the recession hit. Most of my savings are gone. I would love to get an E46 but after going over my repair bills for the past 14 years, I have calculated my yearly average repair bills at $1400--not including basics like tires. BMWs are fun but they are not cheap. So now I think the most sensible thing is to buy a new econobox--$20K max. I'm thinking Focus, Lancer, and a Kia Forte SX. Manual tranny is a must, 4 doors a must--a hatch even better. I like the Golf but I've heard too many horror stories. How on earth can VW be one of the biggest car-makers in the world and produce what appear to be some of the most problem-prone cars out there!?

  • Geozinger Geozinger on Jan 13, 2014

    I would suggest a 2007 or later Saturn Aura, specifically the XR model. It has the long wheelbase and the 3.6 V6 which is pretty snappy. Also, a rather large trunk with a fold down rear seat back that can accommodate mountain bikes (ask me how I know), dogs and a significant other. Due to injuries, I'm not as big a fan of manuals as I used to be, and these models usually have shift paddles and other goodies like Bluetooth pairing. They should be inexpensive enough that you don't need to use the whole $11K budget on it.

    • Geozinger Geozinger on Jan 13, 2014

      Oddly, I can't edit my own post... Also, the car looks like something a young professional would drive to work and something you wouldn't have to feel awkward about if you were asked to ferry any bosses or clients around town...

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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