So... my car is dead. What should I buy?

[Hanzii]

I bought my first car ever the day before yesterday. A 2002 Fiat Punto... nice in a sensible kinda way.
Soon I'll get my driving license too...

[Strazos]

Damn Europeans, and your Functional and Sensible Public Transportation Systems. 

[Shockeye]

A friend of mine buys only two year old cars that didn't have a major engine or transmission change in that year and only keeps them for three years before trading them in on another two year old car.  He also does a 60 month loan to keep the payments low and the interest low.

I think he's on to something.

I went with an '03 Chevy Malibu LS with all the bells and whistles on it. I also go it for over $2000 less than Kelly Blue Book. I'm satisfied and since it's just a means to get back and forth from work, I think it'll do its job just fine.

[Polysorbate80]

Damn Europeans, and your Functional and Sensible Public Transportation Systems. 

Also don't forget some of those little European countries are maybe ten feet wide; you can just walk across.

[HaemishM]

Fiero's had trouble with snow and ice.

And crashes and gas mileage and normal driving.

EDIT: My first car that was actually mine was a goddamn nightmare car. It was a 1976 Ford Fiesta, chickenshit mustard yellow. I swear this thing was the absolute least amount of things you could put in a means of conveyance and still call it a goddamn car. It was a stick shift, with no radio (we put a tape deck in - this was the late 80's), only a fan for AC/heat and seats. Oh it had a steering wheel. Manual rolldown windows. The goddamn thing shook like a recovering crack addict when it hit 60, I mean some violent "the fucker is coming apart" type of shaking.

[Numtini]

The logical answer to "what car should I get?" is almost always a used Toyota Corolla. How used being how much money you have to spend.

Frankly, I can't think of a car I think is duller though. I look enough like an office lady as it is.

I was all set to buy a Scion Xa until I found out Honda's bringing out the Fit/Jazz in the US. I'll drive both and see which one I like. (Yes, Kathy has very plebian tastes in automotive lust.)

[Jimbo]

You know, one of my biggest downfalls is I have a long memory.  The local Honda dealer dicked with me hard when I was 18 and fresh out of bootcamp.  I did get the Jeep that was on their lot, and I paid cash for it on the spot to, but I won't forget how they were a bunch of assholes to me, same with the Toyota salesmen.  I know I shouldn't let first impressions get to me, but they sure do.

I keep hearing rumors that Jeep is going to get some neat new diesels, since Mercedes-Benz Diesel Engines just got 49 state approved (that is a screwy since I thought there were some states going to Cali-emission standards) on the 3.0 L engine (have to look that up again).  The Jeep Liberty is a Mercedes-Benz design I found out too, to bad the fuckers won't sell it in the states.  Bah, I'm starting to sound bitter...and dang it, I just went and got a Dodge too.

[voodoolily]

Too

[Margalis]

I use my two legs.

The other night I walked home from my workplace - 12 miles starting at midnight. Good times.

[TheWalrus]

Thats a good choice Shockeye.


And Jimbo, if you want a Jeep so bad, just find a bunch of parts off of every other carline out there and build your own. Jeep got away with that for years.

[Fargull]

Shockeye,

Buy this Little Gem.  Just as much as a cheap car and more bang for your buck.

[Furiously]

Everybody says
Save a horse, Ride a cowboy