When going to college most of the students either get a car handed to them by their parents which they might have already used for a couple of years. This way they can go for a newer model and still be able to give a reliable and tested family car to their child. Else many of the youngsters end up purchasing a used car from a private seller. If you are purchasing a car at this age from your hard earned saving or from the amount which has been given to you by your parents you would like to use it in the most optimum manner.
Ideally all college students are looking for some general characteristics like reliability, low maintenance, good fuel efficiency, good exterior design, spacious interiors for accommodating friends, good build quality and overall having an ability to take some amount of beating. The cost of the car is always a big question. Ideally if you go for a very reliable model you might even go for a 90's model car and with a few modification it will still be a good car for the next few years and will cost less than $5,000.
Following are the ideal cars when it comes to being good on earlier characteristics:
1. Honda Civic:
An early 90's model can cost around $1,500 increasing to about $4,500 for a 99 civic model according to Kelly Blue book. They are by far one of the most reliable cars and you can be assured that you will have a great time with it during your college time. However as with all used cars you need to make sure you do not end up with a lemon. You can find these only from a private party like a friend of a friend or a senior who might not be interested to take it back home as dealers don't sell cars which are this much old because of low margins. If you are sure that the car is being sold for genuine reasons and not because it is lemon it can be a very option.
2. Subaru Legacy:
This is another great model with very good reliability. You can easily get many more miles from even a 10-15 year old model. The mileage is good and one of the best things is the All Wheel Drive(AWD). Hence if you are in one of the northern states this might be of real great use.
3. Ford Taurus:
This is a decent model with a V6 engine. You can make some modification after you leave college and this can be a good daily driver if the car is doing good on the maintenance side.
4. Toyota Prius:
If you have a bit higher budget you can go with this hybrid version. The mileage it gives is really great. Something close to 35mpg in city and 41mpg on highway. Besides it has great design and looks. However the problem is you might not find one that easily like the Civic and the price will be much higher. Besides you have to question why would someone sell a good functioning car like Prius which is just 7-8 years old and still has lot of life in it.
5. Volkswagen Golf/Jetta:
You can find a lot of these on college campuses. They are sturdy and reliable. They have good cargo space and good reliability.
When going for a car it is very necessary to make a informed decision. Although you might never be 100% sure with used cars and most of them are sold “AS IS” thus giving no future guarantees you can prevent getting duped by getting the basic knowledge about cars or getting one of your friends to test drive and inspect the car. A few hours spent extra on inspection and choosing the correct model might in the end save you hundreds of hours of sweat in a mechanics shop.
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