Yahoo Autos Here's $12,000. Buy a car for college
The Class of 2023 has taken the stage, accepted their diploma, thrown up silly hats and set forth for what comes next. If that includes college, chances are they're going to need wheels once away at their new home away from home. And sure, plenty of colleges and universities can be attended without a car, but I attended one of those that is very much car depedent. Oh, they tell you on the Pepperdine tour that you don't need a car, but dude, the school is in Malibu, on the side of a mountain, a two-mile walk up/down that mountain from any commerce, and at least 25 minutes through a canyon or along the coast to anything someone 18-22 would be interested in doing / could afford. You need a car, and that's just an extreme example of many others.
We've settled on $12,000 this week, because I don't know, it seemed about right. A quick glance at classifieds showed we wouldn't be putting our imaginary (or in one case, real) child in a Geo and that there were decent choices out there. Actually our editors were free to ponder what they would get for their children, or what they would get for themselves if they were a member of the Class of 2023.
So, as always with this little game, there are rules ... though they are a bit different this time.
Unlike most weeks, you cannot go over. "Price is Right" rules.
Unlike most weeks, you CAN be under. If you want to only spend $8,000 and blow the rest on beer, whatever.
You actually need to find a used car somewhere of this make/model in question at this price.
Here's what we picked ...
2012 Volkswagen Golf GTI
Senior Editor John Beltz Snyder: For this exercise, I kept in mind both what I would want to drive, and what I'd be cool with my own kid driving. I searched all body styles with a manual transmission and less than 100,000 miles, and browsing used listings in Southeast Michigan, I found a 2012 GTI five-door that fits the parameters. It's fun, and the manual transmission means less temptation to pick up the phone while driving. It's respectable enough for showing up to job interviews or date nights. The utility of the hatchback is enough to at least make those frequent moves a little easier, without being constantly borrowed by friends for the same purpose (especially if they can't drive stick). It's decent on fuel, which will hopefully encourage more visits home. There's a reason the GTI has so often been the answer on the Spend My Money segment of the Autoblog Podcast.
2011-2016 Honda CR-Z 6MT
Senior Editor James Riswick: If I were recommending a car for any college kid, I would choose a Honda Fit or Toyota Prius C. Both are dependable, with the Fit offering unmatched practicality for moving into a dorm and such, while the Prius C (still a hatchback) offers tremendous fuel economy. Alas, this is about my kid, who clearly has inherited the car nut gene and for whom I've spend nearly 3 years curating a fine collection of Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. I'm not going to ruin things now and give him a Prius C. My first thought was a GTI like John's, but the maintenance and repair costs for a high-mileage Volkswagen give me pause (even though I loved the Jetta VR6 I had in college). That brought me to a fun Honda. I originally thought about a Honda Civic Si or Acura RSX Type S, but options at this price range were iffy in terms of age and condition. I was going to keep searching when I found this sucker up there: a 2015 Honda CR-Z. It has a six-speed manual that'll be fun for him and that his friends can't drive. It doesn't have a back seat that his friends can pile into, thereby relegating him to DD duty (the problem with giving your kid one of the giant family vehicles Best Cars for Teens lists always recommend.). It's a reasonably fun-to-drive two-door car, but it's also a hybrid that gets 33 mpg combined. It's a hatchback so it'll be reasonably practical for hauling stuff to/from home. Importantly, this particular CR-Z is surprisingly cool. Larger Honda wheels in black, tinted windows, a crisp white paint job that pairs well with both, along with the standard black-and-red interior and, of course, the always-cool two-door body style. Maybe he'll think a CR-Z is dorky and will hate me for not finding a Civic Si, but for $11,995, I think it's neat. I have 15 years to convince him of such.
2014-2019 Ford Fiesta ST
Road Test Editor Zac Palmer: This is the car that I would buy for myself were I a few years younger and staring at four years of college ahead of me. For the budding car enthusiast, it's an ideal setup. For one, the Fiesta ST checks all the fun-to-drive and fun-to-own boxes. It's shockingly lightweight, has a dynamite engine and slick six-speed manual gearbox. All you need for serious auto-crossing or track days are some sticky tires and brakes. For those interested in modding their car or working on it themselves, the Fiesta ST is a relatively basic vehicle to start on, too. You can tune it with ease and sample from the wide variety of aftermarket parts available for this little ball of fun.
It's also functional as hell being a hatchback. Sure, the Fiesta has a tight rear seat, but nobody you're carrying around will care because they're riding instead of walking. Plus, you'll be able to easily move your things (or a keg) to and from college when you put the rear seats down to unlock a large cargo area. You'll even get decent fuel economy if your college is far away from home, as it gets 34 mpg on the highway. The interior is cheap and kinda sucks, but that just means you don't need to care too much about it and can focus on enjoying life in college. Thankfully, all this fun and practicality is affordable, as I found a well-kept 2014 Fiesta ST in Performance Blue Metallic for just $11,880. With just 97,240 miles on the clock, this little hatchback has a lot of life left in it and will likely get you through the four years ahead without any savings-wrecking repair bills.
2000-2005 Lexus IS 300
Senior Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski: These early Lexus IS 300 sedans and wagons are getting a bit harder to find these days, but their prices haven't launched into the stratosphere either, which means a prospective buyer can cast a wider net and still have some money left over for a plane ticket or to pay a shipper to drop the chosen car off in your driveway. The 2002 Lexus IS 300 sedan above was sold earlier this year on Bring A Trailer for $11,850. At the time of sale it had 152,000 miles, and I have faith in the 2JZ-GE inline-six engine and five-speed manual transmission to last a long time with proper care. The rest of the car is as solid as can be with no serious rust issues to worry about. Score one for buying outside the rust belt, and a father-son or father-daughter road trip with a car from the West Coast sounds like fun.
