Best College Car?

I agree with what other have said, but a vehicle under $13k or so and just pocket the rest. Just save that money for after college, or college expenses now. A lot of people could care less what they see other people driving on their way to work or school...If you are looking for the "Best" college car to answer your question it won't be any of the cars you listed, buy yourself a used Honda or something and enjoy the reliability.
 
This will probably fall on deaf ears, but I vote for a Saturn... new or used. They're cheap, reasonably well built, have rust-free/dent-resistant polymer panels, & get good mileage. I admit it's not something most high school/college students would buy on their own (it's just not cool enough), but I think they'd make ideal college cars...
 
Corey Bit Spank said:
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.
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Sorry if I came off badly...I'm happy I have a solid reliable car. It's been in four accidents in the four years we've owned it (yeah my mom's a GREAT driver) and it's still holding up OK. It's just that my friends take shots at me for its pretentiousness and "smiling whale" ugliness, especially because I'm known as "the car guy"...so I guess I let that frustration loose whenever I talk about it. LOL



Nick--you have the resources to choose between some great college cars...and I say that Mazda6 is perfect. You'll have to evaluate how important that sunroof is...personally I don't care for them; IMO they mostly just eat up precious headroom, but some people like them.
 
Slick61 said:
This will probably fall on deaf ears, but I vote for a Saturn... new or used. They're cheap, reasonably well built, have rust-free/dent-resistant polymer panels, & get good mileage. I admit it's not something most high school/college students would buy on their own (it's just not cool enough), but I think they'd make ideal college cars...
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Nothing wrong with a Saturn! I think the ION was rated a top 10 for college students. And you can probably pick a 2 year old one for a good price. My VUE would be a great choice as well (just avoid the CVT tranny..as with all cars!) I've got the 250 HP V6..and it's a rocket and gets respectable mileage



I initially thought an old S Series Wagon when I thought of what would have been the most practical when I was in school...good on gas, can shove alot of stuff in it..



I wouldn't mind one of the new Astras they're about to sell!
 
I would go for a Toyota truck with the 4 cylinder engine. Extremely cheap to maintain, good gas mileage, helpful in moving things (college, you'll find out) , will only seat 2 or 3 which does away with unnecessary personnel, can be made to look really cool, bullet proof engine, you will set out in the crowd (great in College) because everyone has what you were talking about, you will probably fall in love with it !



Changeling
 
03Ltd.Windstar- Welcome to Autopia!



I agree, cheap and reliable, with money left over for snow tires. IMO when you're in college the last thing you need to be thinking about/spending time on is your transportation, what matters is that you get where you're going on time and in one piece.



While your friends have had bad luck with Hondas, that's unusual- most of 'em are very reliable.



I'm a big fan of AWD, so I'd recommend a used Subaru, despite both of my Subies being unreliable (again, that's unusual and you gotta go by the overall trend not idividual cases).



A new/newish Mazda might be *too nice* for this application. Would you be able to "neglect it" (in the Autopian sense) when you're busy with schoolwork?



Make sure that your choice can be conveniently serviced, this gets back to the whole idea of not making your transportation a big priority for the next few years.
 
I had a WRX through my 4 years in undergrad, and it got beat to sh*t in parking lots throughout Gainesville. If you want something tough, get a beater. If you "need" a nicer car, my brother got a FJ Cruiser (he's 18, starts in August). It's got tons of cladding, good motor, 4wd, decent price, no carpet (easy to care for interior in general).
 
Changeling said:
I would go for a Toyota truck with the 4 cylinder engine. Extremely cheap to maintain, good gas mileage, helpful in moving things (college, you'll find out) , will only seat 2 or 3 which does away with unnecessary personnel, can be made to look really cool, bullet proof engine, you will set out in the crowd (great in College) because everyone has what you were talking about, you will probably fall in love with it !
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Have you seen the TopGear video of the Hilux getting abused and still running? Bulletproof is right!!!



I agree with Accumulator...if you want AWD, go with an old Subie. Leave the Jaguar to break down on someone else...
 
Volkswagen FTW, has the great interior, great commuter car, and has the power if your in the mood to kick ***. You won't be disappointed.



I'd go for a cheaper car though. Don't waste money on a new car, when you can get a used and older one that will last through college. Once your out of college and have a decent job, then I would start thinking about newer things IMO.
 
Accumulator said:
03Ltd.Windstar- Welcome to Autopia!



I agree, cheap and reliable, with money left over for snow tires. IMO when you're in college the last thing you need to be thinking about/spending time on is your transportation, what matters is that you get where you're going on time and in one piece.



While your friends have had bad luck with Hondas, that's unusual- most of 'em are very reliable.



I'm a big fan of AWD, so I'd recommend a used Subaru, despite both of my Subies being unreliable (again, that's unusual and you gotta go by the overall trend not idividual cases).



A new/newish Mazda might be *too nice* for this application. Would you be able to "neglect it" (in the Autopian sense) when you're busy with schoolwork?



Make sure that your choice can be conveniently serviced, this gets back to the whole idea of not making your transportation a big priority for the next few years.
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I will def. look into the Subarus when the time comes, perhaps a GT Limited (00-03)????

As for the Mazda, i could certainly get over the sunroof issue with time and it would be the type of car that i wouldn't kick myself in the *** if a ding or a dent came up on it...whereas with the others i listed I don't think i could fathom seeing damage being brought upon a 24,000 Jetta or Jaguar or any car that would be that much! So i will def reconsider my choices yet again and go for something a little less expensive and use the money for snow tires and other stuff....as you mentioned. Thanks for all the advice and suggestions...:thx
 
03Ltd.Windstar said:
...[I'll look into].. the type of car that i wouldn't kick myself in the *** if a ding or a dent came up on it...whereas with the others i listed I don't think i could fathom seeing damage being brought upon a 24,000 Jetta or Jaguar..
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That was something I thought about posting but didn't. If/when something happens to it, or you get busy with schoolwork (note that I'm a retired college instructor), you might have some issues with leaving a "nice" car neglected/undetailed while you attend to more important things.



When I got serious about my own education (heh heh, way back in the day) I decided to drive a reliable beater and I ran it through carwashes- I considered it a disposable car. I had to put my automotive interests on hold until I got the degree, just couldn't do both.



And yeah, a performance-oriented Subaru would be a great choice. I must be the only person in the world who ever had a troublesome one. If there's a chance you'll be hauling stuff, I'd look into their wagons or even the Forester.
 
If you look hard you can find nice cars for 3 to 5 thousand dollars. Have it inspected by a good mechanic. If it breaks get another one . At your age and going to college you do not need car payments. Look at some Caddys and Lincolns, nobody wants them . Ive seen 1997 Caddys for $2500.00 to $3200.00. These were nice cars . Everybody else at your age wants Hondas and Toyotas. Its hard to get a good price on them cars. Also since you liked Elantras, look at a different year.
 
sneek said:
Mazda 3's are no good because of that door problem. Unless you get a brand new.
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What door problem are you referring to? I have an '05 Mazda3 and frequent a Mazda3 message board. I've never heard of a door problem. They are actually very low maintenance. For the money, I think the Mazda3 is very hard to beat.
 
Geez, maybe I'm too old. Or maybe not a trust fund brat. But I had to pay my own way thru college/grad school (had the GI bill to help with undergrad).



For me, a college car was one that was inexpensive to operate and dependable. For me that was a Toyota Corolla. I bought a used one about 1 yr old and drove it for about 50K miles. Other that routine maintenance, the only repair was a $15.00 oil pressure sensor.
 
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