Carfags, help me buy a car

Does it have to be 4 door?

>>18503261
Preferably. I hate doing groceries in the trunk. I usually forget about them and then wonder why my car smells like a dead body a few days later.

I have a whole list of very picky bullshit, but Small is top of the list, v6 is second, 4 doors is probably third lol.

Other smaller wishes but I'll fucking deal without is like, cloth seats and power seats. A back up cam would be sweet too but I know you're not really gonna get much of that in my price/year range.

>>18503249

You need to move into a luxury brand that's rwd, which is your problem. That car was built in a time when things were built to be reliable and comfortable. New cars are built like tin cans and will end up costing you more in the long run.

There's not a whole lot on that car to "nickle and dime" you. It's pretty simple. Why not fix it and keep it?

Otherwise I'd look into a 2008-2012 Lexus.

DO NOT buy a VW. They're the ghetto trash of Germany. And the Ford Focus has serious transmission issues. It's also a tin can.

To answer your question, all cars will kill your wallet, unless you know how to work on them.

If you're worried about your finances, fix the Accord and keep driving it.

>>18503302
Yeah the issue is I know nothing about cars and even the most minor of things I'd need to pay someone else to do for me,
Like recently I somehow royally fucked my car just putting a can of refrigerant in it. Thought that would be simple enough to do on my own, just reading instructions on the can and also watching a youtube vid.

AC is completely fucked now. My fan runs basically 24/7 even then the car is off and it'll spit out cold air for like 15 minutes and then quit until I turn off the car for a few hours, then it'll work for another 15 mins and start the cycle over.

I suspect my transmissions getting ready to go, it's always shifted gears kinda hard, but lately it seems to almost just short of stall when I try to get from about 45 to 60 mph. It's an automatic so I don't have much control over it.

Thanks for the info on the VW's and fords though, I guess what I'll ask then is what cars will kill my wallet the least as a total novice car owner with little to no skill in mechanics lol. My accords been a little trooper, been multiple accidents and bounced back just fine. Only thing I ever had to replace on it was the fucking radio lol. Though when it was my sister's car she wrecked it and had to put a radiator in it.

Buy a low mileage, one-owner example of your Accord. IIRC, they were made from 1997 to 2002.

>>18504312
The next generation Accord(2003-2008?) and Acura TL(rebadged european Accord) are also good choices.

>>18503249
look for something with an inline 6 cylinder. probably hard to find at this point, but the i6 is hard to kill even if youre trying to kill it

>>18503249
Get a Nissan Sentra SE-R, just make sure that either the motor has been rebuilt, it has low miles, or that the owner put an aftermarket header on it. They have issues with the factory exhaust manifold.

Not a V6, but a 2.5L straight 4. It puts down the power pretty well, with the header you should be faster than a tC. If you can find a Spec-V model they will often have Brembos on the front and a stiffer suspension. Car is super light and has 4 doors.

>>18504347
>look for something with an inline 6 cylinder
this so much.

>I know nothing about cars and even the most minor of things I'd need to pay someone else to do for me
get gud girl (assuming)

also you really need someone to teach you how to adjust a seat properly or you are like 4'11"

also, just get a low mileage 3 series, make sure it's 2010ish when they reintroduced having an actual dipstick, make sure the coolant system hoses were changed out and the composite water pump was changed out for the aftermarket all metal one, buy from a little old lady, make sure it's got the inline 6

bam, perfect car. manual or automatic is up to you. bmw parts are about the same price as honda and owning my bmw has cost me about as much as my civic did way back when. if you get leather seats, make sure you keep up on them. I need to look into some racing seats some time soon, the leather is getting old and starting to show it.

>>18505161
also, for like 20k you can get a Z4MC. no backseat but one of the best cars ever made and incredibly underrated. stiffer chassis than almost anything else on the market requiring something like 32k newtons per degree of chassis deflection. some of the best suspension engineering available, one of the best performing engines ever made, and some of the sexiest most unique styling you can get. there is no better driving car in that price range imo.

>>18505182
I take it back, prices have skyrocketed in the last 4 years. cars that were like 20k back then are 40k now.

>tfw the z cars are getting the recognition they deserved all along, now.

>>18504312
>>18504340
I don't know the specific year they actually fixed it, but those auto transmissions are going to crap out on you; don't do it, OP. Unless you can drive stick, don't get another early 90's/late 00's Honda.

If you're just looking for something occasionally fun then you could get a turbo-4, like a WRX. If it's the torque or something then never mind, though

>>18505248
>like a WRX
good luck finding one that hasn't been ruined though.

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>>18503469

Gotcha. Well. Having the AC professionally fixed will cost $300. And it will last another 20 years.

The transmission is a $2000 job. Hondas and Acuras in that year all have transmissions that eventually go. If I were you I'd have the transmission replaced with a certified rebuilt one (with warranty), have the AC flushed and recharged professionally, and take care of the car.

The V6 of that era was special. I know why you want to keep it. Maybe look into an Acura if you want something a little more luxurious.

If you can't afford to maintain that car, then you can't afford anything else, it's really the bottom line. Without knowing how to work on cars yourself, there's no point in switching to anything else. I know everything about cars and regularly get incredible deals, but its because I know what I'm looking for and the true value of things. I wouldn't even know where to begin with you.

People buy new cars because they don't like fixing them. That and they can't afford anything, so they take out a payment on something they can't afford. Your Honda is better put together than most newer cars, so upgrading gets you a newer car, but not a "better" car.

All of the other posts in this thread are stupid. DO NOT buy a BMW. I own two, they're very very expensive to maintain. Worth it, but you were very clear that you want something nice on your wallet (DO NOT DO IT). Nissan's aren't reliable like Toyo and Honda. The Sentra SE-R has an engine that's twitchy, and a cam drive chain that likes to break. The inline 6 is a great American and European motor. The Japs use the 1JZ and 2JZ which is expensive to maintain because it's complicated.

You definitely want a Japanese car with a V6 in it. I used to own one, I know what you're after. I highly recommend you keep yours or upgrade to a little better kept one if you can find one. The 1998+ LS400 had a similar feel to your honda, but it will be a V8 and more expensive to repair because its RWD.

what you got now is going to be cheaper to keep than making payments and maintaining a different car.

>>18505321
>they're very very expensive to maintain
I've spent 5k in 5 years on mine. I spent 3k in 3 years on my civic. same $/year breakdown. you have to be smart about what models you buy. bmw didn't win every year or model but most cars with their I6 engines can go 300k miles just like a honda. you have to know the quirks for some models or have someone that knows them to tell you when you're car shopping.

I'm not saying you're wrong, you can get into deep shit with a bmw if you don't know what you're getting into and know what to look for, but the bmws are expensive trope is a meme.

>>18505253
If his high limit is $20k he can absolutely get a good condition second gen. Maybe a third.

That being said, if he's dead-set on the V6 then eh. If you've got $20k, just use it to deal with the issues.