Buying my first car pls help !!
Posted by Certain-Definition27@reddit | Autos | View on Reddit | 15 comments
Hi! So I’m 17, turning 18 soon, and I’m looking for help finding my first car, I’ve been doing some research and have looked at options like a 2015 Honda Civic and Honda Accord, as well as a 2014 Audi A4. I’m trying to figure out what would be the most reliable and practical choice for a first car, so any advice or suggestions would be really help :,) my price range is about $10k but i could potentially go a bit over that, my boyfriend is very smart with cars and car mechanics but i would like a second opinion from other people :/
lpg975@reddit
Stay away from anything German if you want reliability and ease of maintenance. Accords and Civics are generally pretty good for reliability and ease of maintenance, but it really comes down to how the previous owner treated and maintained the car. Are you dead set on a small sedan, or what else are you interested in? Do you live in an area where AWD would be helpful? Are you looking for automatics or manuals? What kind of fuel mileage are you looking to get? How old are you willing to go for a model year? And what kind of mileage is your cutoff? There are plenty of vehicles from many different manufacturers that would probably fit your budget. Also, a lot of people are going to tell you that "X" manufacturer is good and "X" manufacturer is bad. Other than a few general instances (like most German cars being expensive/more difficult to maintain and generally being less reliable), the reliability of the vehicle is mostly going to be based on if the maintenance was done on time and how often it was done. I've seen plenty of Japaneae cars break and plenty of American cars go 300k+ miles. There is no general rule of thumb for models from ~2000 and up anymore. Don't let anyone tell you differently!
Lava_Lamp_Glob@reddit
This is completely irrelevant, I've been driving for 10 years in the north of Quebec with just a FWD Honda Civic and I never had the slightest issue
HubbaMaBubba@reddit
FWD is fine but AWD is definitely nice to have for certain situations in the winter, like turning right from a red light when there's a pile of slush in the crosswalk area or getting up steep hills in the city.
lpg975@reddit
Speak for yourself. Some of us don't mind AWD or 4WD in the winter. It's a preference, that's why I asked.
Oberst_Reziik@reddit
With good tires even a RWD can be daily driven in winter snow
kmbxyz@reddit
If you're looking at reliability and practicality, then a Honda is a good option and an Audi is a bad option. The quality and simplicity based design philosophies of Japanese manufacturers produce much more reliable cars than the experience-based metrics of European companies or the mass-production motivated American companies. The most reliable cars in the world consistently come from Toyota, Honda is usually in second place. This was true in 1986 and it's still true in 2026.
I think a 9th gen (2011-2015) Honda Civic or a 9th gen (2013-2017) Honda Accord seems like a great choice in your price range. You can own those cars for many years and many miles and never have any trouble.
HubbaMaBubba@reddit
The Honda 1.5 doesn't seem to be a well regarded engine and I think those Civics are also known for AC issues.
mr_lab_rat@reddit
The troubled 1.5 came later, the 9th gen Civic still had good naturally aspirated engines.
HubbaMaBubba@reddit
I was really replying to this.
mr_lab_rat@reddit
The Audi might feel more premium but it comes at the price of maintenance cost. Out of these I would look at the Hondas, they are known to be reliable, sure are practical. I would add Mazda 3 to the list (petrol versions only).
Stabbyglhs@reddit
Honestly go with something that you can go to any junkyard to get parts from. Stay away from complicated computer vehicles for example mid 2000s. Pick something with a larger aftermarket selection of parts too.
That's your best bet for a starter vehicle imo. Helps you learn how to fix and replace parts if you need to.
Elegant_Throat9342@reddit
Go for the Honda accord! Absolute comfort and 100% reliability
SteveMidnight@reddit
Get one of the Hondas as your first car. I would not recommend the Audi as a first car.
People on the internet make it seem like German cars explode after 100k miles but it’s simply not true. The issue is often deferred maintenance. Sure, there are unreliable models. But people neglect maintaining their German vehicles because parts and labor are typically more expensive than Asian or American vehicles. I have multiple friends with BMWs anywhere from 10k-200k miles. The ones with high mileage have owned the cars for a long time and made sure to replace parts when they needed replaced…not necessarily after they’ve failed. It’s much easier to afford a German car if you’re willing to do a lot of the work yourself.
With that said, get a Honda or a Toyota as your first vehicle. Learn how to do the basic maintenance and then slowly learn how to do the not-so-basic maintenance. Then, when you’re ready for a different vehicle, you can decide if you’re willing to buy a German vehicle. It’s a great feeling when you buy the parts and necessary tools for those parts for cheaper than a shop quoted you to fix it. Not only will you save money, but you’ll learn new skills, be more in tune with how your vehicle is operating, and possibly most importantly, you’ll learn about what to look out for when buying new vehicles so you don’t get screwed. Also, people are easily impressed when you tell them you fix your own shit.
Certain-Definition27@reddit (OP)
Tysm!!
_pcakes@reddit
miata