Best College Car?

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03Ltd.Windstar

New member
Well I don't usually post here often but i'm having much difficulty getting a decent answer to this question! :confused: I'm a soon-to-be 19yo freshman in college (the fall) and am trying to narrow down the right car for my daily commute (about 20-30 minutes half highway, half city travel with some hills in between). I had an 04 Elantra GT auto but ended up selling it because of reoccuring rear brake issues that no dealer could seem to resolve. I absolutly loved that car with the exception of the acceleration from the 138 hp 4 banger. I sold the car back in June and ever since have been using my parents Windstar (hence the name) as my to school and back vehicle. I'm worried that after driving the van being high up and having the availabilty of a torque happy V6 no car that I am looking at will be good enough for me! I have narrowed it down to these choices:

-04-?? Jaguar X-Type 3.0L (AWD for these lovely Northeast winters which is a strong selling point for me)

-06-07 VW Jetta GLi w/DSG auto/man

-07 Mazda 3s Grand Touring Auto

-OR my uncles 04 Mazda 6s auto with the V6 and everything minus the sunroof, which is the one thing I REALLY want in a car.





The Mazda 6, i know would probably be the most practical since it doesn't use premium fuel, has traction control etc for the winters, and has been very well maintained, I just don't know if thats what i REALLY want (its that blah color green too)



I know i'm picky, but when i'm spending as much money as I will be I want to make sure i'm making the best option possible!

Any advice/suggestions etc are greatly appreciated!!!!

Nick
 
Well, you might not like my advice, but I would just get a beater and invest the cash for later in life. I have a WRX and am in college, and if I had to redo it, I would have done that.
 
The best college car is a 1962 Lincoln Continental. You will join a fraternity, your nickname will be Flounder. Since you have the nicest car, you will chauffeur your brothers around while they drink and puke in the back seat.



Ultimately, your car will be modified into a combination parade float and Deathmobile.



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The Jag is a sure way to be on a first name basis with the local dealer due to problems. Although VW is improving they still have far too many issues to deal with. My choice, providing someone else was paying for it, would be the Mazda 3.
 
How long are you going to be keeping this car? If you're going to get rid of it in a couple years, used is the way to go..especially if you put alot of miles on it. Last thing you need out of college is to be upside down on a car loan (on top of school loans ugh)



Of the choices..I'd say the Mazda3. but I'd opt for one that's 2 years old.



I'd also consider the new Elantra..they look pretty nice, and have a gutsier engine..but only if you're planning on keeping it 4 or more years..
 
:P of course a Gen 7 Accord.



Mazda 3's are no good because of that door problem. Unless you get a brand new.



The ^^ Toyota yaris is a pretty slow car, and I don't think it gets 65mpg.

I think a used EL or Civic is a good way to go, or maybe even a Focus.
 
just get something that runs well. nevermind how good it looks, etc. i've found by experience and reading from other people's experience that nice cars don't survive in school parking lots. i know it's hard if you're a car person and you want to drive something nice, but that nice car could get banged up, keyed, etc. from jealous types and people that don't care. wait til after college to get a car you care about.
 
Kenney said:
Well, you might not like my advice, but I would just get a beater and invest the cash for later in life. I have a WRX and am in college, and if I had to redo it, I would have done that.
Click to expand...



This is really the right answer. Since you live in the northeast, I'd suggest maybe a used Legacy or Impreza. A Camry and some snow tires would work, as well.



Cars get trashed when you're in school, either by your friends or by other stupid people around you. You'd be much better off saving your money now for those school bills you'll be paying off when you graduate.
 
Any chance you can keep the Windstar? They are about perfect for moving in and out of the dorms, and hauling large groups of coeds around! Imagine the float you could make out of the Windstar. I would say get what ever is cheapest. I really don't think gas mileage is as important as cost of entry for a typical collage student. I always look for cars with character but without much loss in reliability. The only thing on your list that has any character would be the Jetta or the Jag. The Jag would be miserable for a collage student as they are going to be maintenance heavy. Perhaps a Subaru Impreza would be good, fun to drive all wheel drive and reliable to a fault (not the WRX). Also if snow is a concern then the Subaru would be a first choice as from my experience they are unequaled by ANY vehicle. You might want to look at the older Legacies also (2.2L). I would be far more interested in spending money else ware than a car in college. Social actives and books and classes are way more important. For me beer is even more so, but of course you have 2 years before you can do that! (no college student has ever been known to drink beer before they are 21)



But what do I know I drove a series of British cars while in collage. I rebuilt my SU carburettors on my desk in the dormitory for my MG Midget while I was in school.



My final word on the Ultimate College care would have to be a Mazda Miata (1992-1998) They are reliable, more fun to drive than anything under $50,000 reasonably safe (better safety ratings than Hyundais of the same era) as they are slow enough to keep you out of trouble, and with snow tires very good to excellent in the snow, unless it gets too deep. I have driven mine in 18 inches of fresh snow where I was the first one on the road and had to plow myself out went like mad. (left 5 inches for the others to deal with!) Of course you can tell my user name I am biased. You can get one really cheap and cheap to insure. They normally will drive like new until they have around 200,000 to 250,000 miles on them. I used to drive 150 miles a day on mine, it was a joy coming out of work and looking at the Miata thinking I get to really decompress on the way home.



I would suggest to buy what ever you can without a payment. Having a payment while in college does not make sense to me. You have plenty of time for that after graduation. If you have to work full time just to make a car payment you will miss out on a lot as College life is a lot more than just going to classes. Also it helps to keep your options open, like moving on to campus or transferring schools away from home. As far as my daughters go one went with a VW Jetta and the other one went with a Nissan Sentra. The Jetta was a hand me down from me and it was around 12 years old and had around 275,000 miles on it. The Nissan was also around 10 years old and had a 4 speed manual, no power steering or power brakes and both got through school no problem.
 
Wow i wasn't expecting such a wide array of responses! :bounce How long I will keep the car will depend on how the car holds up...I had my elantra for two years and just couldn't deal with the problems anymore even though I loved the car to death. I would love to keep whatever i get to last me through the 4 years of college so long term reliabilty is important! As for the Windstar is out of the question for keeping because its lease is up in the fall and my parents are already planning on getting a new car before that. As for college....i got a full scholarship thank god so thats not a big deal and my uncle runs his own body shop so any damages that WILL occur, he'll fix (he had to do it several times on the elantra). The Miata, my neighbor has one and even though that car will probably NEVER stop running and would be very economical, there is no way i could drive that thing on a highway everyday and my parents would disown me if I ever went with something smaller than an Elantra! As for the Civic and the Accord....4 of my high school friends have them...two 04 Civic Ex's, an 05 Accord EX-L, and a 00 Civic Ex and to be honest, I hate the way the Civics drive and the two 04s have been problematic since they bought them (failing alternators, check engine lights, brake line issues, gas cap door release wires snapping etc) so they are all out too. I guess i'll just have to wait it out a little longer and see what comes up...hell maybe i'll get something that i never even thought i would buy! Thanks for all the input guys!

Nick





P.S. After having a $225 car payment plus paying for insurance and gas starting at age 15 i look at money WAY differently now than I did before buying the Elantra. My mom warned be before she signed the paper and never gave me hell about having all these unneccesary expenses because she knew it would be a learning experience for me. Because of it, i know how to manage money, friends, life etc without being stressed. I run my own car detailing business and have been doing it since I was 12 years old. I have over 100 customers with about 80% of them being repeat customers and doing over 225 cars from March thru December. So i'm not exactly your "average" high school senior and thats would explain why I have a Jaguar on my list of possible college cars! I do all types of cars and talk with many owners and I have eliminated many cars based on the info i've gotten over the past few months.

Thanks again, i really appreciate the responses! :woot:
 
I drove a JC Penney yellow 10-speed for my first three years of college. My senior year my Dad gave me his 72' Plymouth Valiant. That was in 1984.
 
A reliable POS. A small, reliable POS that's a smaller target for poor drivers. A small, reliable POS that can sneak out of being triple parked. areagagwwg
 
I say go for the Mazda6, no contest. I'm currently a highschool senior, too, and I practically begged my parents for that car (they never allowed me to run a real detailing business :nixweiss ). I got to test drive it, and MAN it is a fun car. The V6 isn't torquey down low, but it likes to rev quickly and it's a blast to drive. I had to go with the family Lexus ES300 (similar engine, but horrible transmission, handling, braking, exterior design...), but since you have the choice...GO FOR IT.
 
Oh no! Not the family ES300!



:) Be happy with what you have. And be happy it's reliable. Not having to care about a car is more important in college than having a neat car. I'm really happy that my car is reliable enough so I can have a life while going to school. Especially with my current workload and diminishing checking account.



YIKES. I have to go to sleep.
 
This hasn't been considered yet: How is college being paid for? Out of pocket, student loans, grants, scholarships? Most of the money should be towards education, not the ride there. If you are paying out of pocket for most of the expenses, there's nothing wrong with a late 90s early 00s model, and I'm partial to Acuras, Hondas and Toyotas that seem to last for a good amount of time with fewer repairs (seemingly) than other brands.



But of course if you have scholarships, grants, getting other sorts of financial aid, by all means, get a nicer, newer car. I hear the Mazdaspeed Mazda3 is going to be quite a vehicle.
 
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