17 year old looking for first car
Posted by Jidbi@reddit | Autos | View on Reddit | 51 comments
I'm stuck between these two cars. I need something that's both decently reliable and cheap to maintain, while also being something fun to drive around when modded. I don't mind doing any minor/major fixes myself, but something that will remain relatively cost-effective is what I'm looking for
Conedddd@reddit
between these two, the mazda. but a honda or toyota is better than both and makes a far better first car
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
Trust me I've looked there is absolutely nothing in either good condition or that I like looking at within 5 hours of me which is th limit for me
Conedddd@reddit
I get you’re a kid and it’s hard to convince you to not want a cool car but trust me, I wish my first car was an ugly cheap beater. I’d have been a lot richer. a few years with a honda now in exchange for a corvette a few years later (or whatever else you want to spend money on) is better than many years in a mazda 3, in my opinion
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
We used to have a mazda3, it lasted us many many years and never had issues. This is the next generation, so I'm hoping it lasts longer
Clomaster@reddit
My ex girlfriend had that exact same Subaru. Same year and all, just it was an auto. I absolutely LOVED driving it. Very smooth, and absolutely bonkers in the snow. It was a hoot even though it felt pretty anemic.
However it was a meticulously maintained, one owner car, and the head gaskets failed at 90k miles. Then the interior fell apart (literally). Very unreliable. Sucks because otherwise it’s great.
Sadly every single person I know with a pre 2014 seem to have the absolute worst times. Engines seize randomly, head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, they just ain’t it. Everyone else with a 14 and up seem to have no issues whatsoever, even with the CVT’s.
If you choose the Subaru, you’d probably love it, but the interior is not great and just be prepared to deal with engine issues. Or find one with all the major stuff done already and you may get lucky.
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
That's the thing I'm confused about. My grandma had the same car for over 250,000kms and never had a head gasket issue or anything like that. She might've just got super lucky but it gives me some sort of faith
Imaginary_Act_3956@reddit
Get the Mazda3......or a Renault Mégane.
wrinkleydinkley@reddit
Je me souviens!
Honestly I'd buy the Mazda. Subaru Impreza with a manual, I wouldn't trust it. Every single friend of mine who has owned an Impreza, especially with a manual. Has thrashed the car. I mean, who wouldn't. But you don't want the fallout of someone else's fun.
There is probably some typical Mazda rust on the wheel wells, but it's a first car. Check to see if you need to replace the windshield before registering (I'm not from Quebec, so not sure about registration rules).
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
That is true, but I also want a car that I'm able to thrash around. Now that i truly think about it a mazda3 would make more sense since there's very very little rally competitions around me
D4ng3rd4n@reddit
You won't want to rally in your daily driver
mr_lab_rat@reddit
I would take the Mazda for reliability. They are also easier to work on.
WatersEdge07@reddit
I've got to recommend a Honda Fit. It has great handling, can carry a ton of stuff, and has a proven, reliable platform. Sure, it's not fast in a straight line, but driving that kind of car is its own brand of fun.
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
I was seriously considering a Honda fit for a while, but I really took a good look at one in person and I don't totally like the boxiness of the rear end, I prefer the roundness on the Mazda/impreza
dark-green@reddit
Both are great and have enough pep to get you in trouble. Had almost the exact same Impreza as my first car, my sister had the Mazda.
Imo the Mazda has a nicer interior making it nicer day to day. The Subaru boxster + symmetrical awd make it a blast in the snow. It made me excited by snow on the road lol.
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the asvice
Specialist-Fly2471@reddit
Mazda
Dangerous_Weird_7329@reddit
I’ve owned both. I miss my 3.
ctrlaltcreate@reddit
The mazda is what you want, but it sounds like it's in somewhat worse shape.
What it sounds like you want is a mazda mps that hasn't been totally trashed or modded out of reliability. There's used to be a big community of people into the mazdaspeed 3/mazda mps (how it was sold in europe), so there should be lots of advice online about maintenance and mods.
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
Believe me, I've checked and there isn't a single mazdaspeed3 around me that isn't either knocking or has a lack of piston in cylinder 2 😂
ctrlaltcreate@reddit
alas, sad times.
Either way, I think you'll be best off with the most reliable japanese car makers. Honda, toyota, mazda, lexus. European engineers seem to be fatally allergic to making cars cheap/easy to work on, American makes tend to be less reliable, and with an old car, those things are necessary qualities. The modding communities for the japanese makes are huge.
I'm in the US, so there may be other good options local to you that I'm just not aware of, but I think that advice can safely be applied globally.
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
I can get behind your point, it's mostly that I live in Canada and I go camping so having a car that's lowered wouldn't work well for me. That's why having something like an Impreza that wouldn't look bad being lifted is something I think would make sense
ctrlaltcreate@reddit
Ahhh, if camping is a thing, an old toyota RAV4 might be just the ticket. My partner's car is a 2004 I gave her when she moved out here, and that's got 180k miles on it and still going strong.
It doesn't feel sluggish like the newer models do, has decent enough ground clearance and cargo capacity. It's never gonna be a performance car though.
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
I've tried looking for them but there's nothing. I settled with an Impreza since it still looks nice when lifted and it already comes with roof racks for extra storage
ctrlaltcreate@reddit
Okay, I hope it works out well for you!
evodooder@reddit
Subarus are not cheap to maintain. Unless you can do an engine swap or rebuild by yourself.
The Mazda would be the better choice. These are very reliable cars when taken care of and reasonably cheap for parts.
AdditionalMixture697@reddit
This has not been true for a decade.
Subaru will have a better build quality, plus it's a manual. Can you drive manual? If not, this is a good way to learn.
yeti5000@reddit
Except this particular Subaru DOES come from the bad headgaskets era.
EJ25 belted with single layer graphite gasket.
AdditionalMixture697@reddit
Oop, thought it was OP that was 17 years old, not the cars. Which years are in that group, 2009 to 2014?
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
I am 17, but the subie is an '08, forgot to mention that 😅
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
I am 17, but the subie is an '08, forgot to mention that 😅
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
I have many friends and they've all agreed to help with any maintenance or mod I need help with so I have many many people able to help with any issues
fallout76sucks1@reddit
Can they replace a blown head gasket? And besides, just because the solution may be easier you still dont want the problem
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
Most of us have experience with using our hands on stuff like this, th others are there to hold the cylinder heads 😂
TheDutchTexan@reddit
Neither. Get a civic or a corolla.
far_beyond_driven_@reddit
I wouldn’t buy a car from someone who can’t be bothered to spell the model name correctly in the listing.
AdditionalMixture697@reddit
Lol
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
Both are translated from French so that's probably the issue since it's spelled right in the post title
far_beyond_driven_@reddit
… is it spelled properly in the initial listing then?
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
Yeah it's only the description since it's translated
yeti5000@reddit
It's also spelled properly on the car itself, and the title, and the insurance, and the registration.
HDvisionsOfficial@reddit
Get a honda or toyota
apaulogy@reddit
honda is trash in the past 15 years
JoelinVan@reddit
This x1000! Shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as Toyota.
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
I've already checked believe me
MudrakM@reddit
Out of the budget?
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
No there's truly none around me that are in good condition/that I'd enjoy driving. I'd much rather take a manual Impreza that could have engine issues that o can learn to fix myself than an automatic Honda that I hate looking at. If I need a safe commuter my parents let me drive one of their cars, o just need something o can drive to and from uni when I graduate
ctrlaltcreate@reddit
They hold their value to an unjustifiable extent by dint of reputation.
04limited@reddit
Those narrow body 08-10 WRXs(can’t tell if that’s a hood scoop) are wack. Regular Imprezas are ok. Personally don’t think it’s worth paying the premium for WRX on those years.
Jidbi@reddit (OP)
It's the hatch Impreza not a wrx, I believe the guy who owns it swapped the bumper and maybe added a hood scoop
FabOctopus@reddit
A Volvo 240
Altruistic-Fun5062@reddit
Mazda is more "cooler" but at samw time more reliable (Actually Mazda is most reliable brand with Toyota/Lexus). Mazda will also be better to drive/has better driving dynamics -more fun.
At end if your bad driver and probably gonna crash out then buy Subaru -Mazdas are some kind of car what has some soul.