I am planning to buy my first car and looking for car model recommendations.
Used car - Price range $3,500-$5,500
Used for weekend outdoors activities
Good trunk space - 4 large backpacks or 6 ft long skis
4 doors, Fit in 4 people comfortably
Drive reasonably well on Snow/Icy conditions (north east)
Heat/AC/Auxiliary audio input Low cost of ownership - For both parts & repair
I am 6'2'', so looking for a car that is comfortable for a tall person
Nice to have:
1. Decent music system
Last edited by Bharat on Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
At that price look for anything with less than 125,000 miles that is preferably a 4-door sedan or hatchback. Stick with vehicles that were more likely driven by someone older than 30. It will tend to be more reliable and have lower insurance costs.
Thinks boring and unloved...switch out the radio if needed. Not important enough to factor IMHO.
For the money you're talking, you are going to be looking for something front wheel drive with 4 good snow tires and a roof rack for skis.
Any Subaru in that price range is going to be ready to self destruct, so let's just get that out there.
Honda Accord 4 door, 4 cylinder manual would be a great option. If not, an auto is fine. Get the best snow tires you can find. A roof rack will fit skis and with enough bunji cords, the back packs too. These cars will not be an "enthusiast's car" which is good because it won't have been driven to an inch of its life and then put up to dump. Note: I'm extremely familiar with Subarus, having run several of my own on the racetrack and on the street. The Subaru culture is to modify it unreasonably, develop a problem, meticulously revert the car back to stock, clean it like a creme puff and dump it on a dealer before it explodes.