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Think About It Thursday: What Car Do You Drive?

I am a week away from turning 21 and about to become the owner of a new (to me) car. Since I turned 16 I have been driving a 1992-1993 (I’m not a car girl…) Chevy Lumina which was purchased for about a grand with 250,000 miles on it. It was in mint condition considering it was just over ten years old and had been driven a ton. It was a dear friend of mine, but it has gotten to the point where I have to record when and how much gas I put in because the gas gauge doesn’t work and I have to know what to do when it unexpectedly shuts off while I’m driving down the highway. Not exactly the safe car anyone wants to be driving…

I’m now on the hunt for a new one and want to know if you have any recommendations. I’m looking for something used and pretty inexpensive (think around five grand or less). I want something I can haul a good amount of stuff in because I will be moving a lot in the next few years, but I don’t want a gas guzzler. All wheel drive or four wheel drive would be great since, let’s be realistic, Minnesota is not seventy degrees all year long and many accidents happen in the winter (which lasts six months around these parts).

I’m thinking a station wagon, a midsize SUV, or a ’stylish’ (I hope you know I’m kidding) van. I don’t mind being a college student who drives a van. All in the name of practicality…

So, what do you drive? And even if you don’t drive anything that fits my description, I’d like to hear about it because I like to be educated! And, just for fun, what car would you drive if you could take your pick from any car ever made.

I’m thinking either one of these…

Rolls Royce
Rolls Royce

Or a restored one of these…
vintage car
Vintage Car

Note: My AC Adapter for my laptop has seen its final days, so my blogging will be sporadic until I get a new one. It should come next week, but you never know when buying things online.

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8 comments to Think About It Thursday: What Car Do You Drive?

  • Kim

    Our daughter (with the help of her dad) found an older Mercedes Benz diesel on eBay a few years ago. It was a Florida car and in good shape, body wise, even though it’s an ‘82. The thing is a TANK. lol
    But what makes it economical is that she runs on a 50/50 mixture of diesel and WVO (waste vegetable oil) in the warmer months (she lives in northern Indiana so that’s about half the year). Our old next-door neighbors in Michigan own a drive-in restaurant and save their waste vegetable oil for Tina, and every time she goes back to visit she picks up whatever they have.
    Before we moved overseas my husband built a filtering system that she runs the WVO through before putting it in her car. This means she didn’t have to do an expensive retro-fitting to use the WVO. When she’s gone on longer trips, she takes several 5-gallon containers of already filtered WVO along in the trunk of her car (it’s a BIG trunk).
    It’s more work than just pulling up to a gas station and filling up, but she feels it’s been totally worth it. She just graduated from college so she’s had to pinch her pennies where she could :-)
    Anyway, if you can find a free source of WVO, I’d suggest trying to find a car that runs on diesel so you can do the same.

  • *Sorry if this posts twice!*

    Exciting! I love car shopping. :) I wanted a car for my senior year of college, as I was graduating and moving, and was tired of depending on other people for car rides all the time (when living in an apartment that was not-so-fun). My parents told me, during high school, they’d buy me my first car if I got a full scholarship to college (which was a really good incentive and motivator!), but I had decided to wait a few years before buying, since I wouldn’t really NEED a car at college. Of course, “needing” is a bit different from “wanting”. :)

    So the summer before my senior year of college, I shopped and searched with my parents looking for a good used car, not too many miles, in good shape, and was around 5K. My requirements: black or silver, sedan, backseat, trunk, spoiler (haha!), and it looks cool. My dad’s requirements: all the bells and whistles, sunroof, leather, tinted windows, body and engine in good condition. Combined, we were pretty picky, haha! Eventually we found a ‘99 Buick Regal LS, which met all our requirements – and then some. It’s pretty luxurious (I think, anyways!), and we call it the Lexus, lol. But even car-know-it-all mechanics are surprised by the whistles it has: one even argued with me that my car didn’t have tire sensors! I was so mad! Sure I’m a girl, but seriously – I KNOW that my car dash is telling me my tires are low! It frickin’ says: LOW TIRE. Dur.

  • LOL Okay, I’m done ranting about annoying car mechanics and giving you the life story of my car! :) All-in-all, my car was a superb find, and was very well taken care of (a grandpa had owned it previously) and I LOVE IT.

    If I could have any car? Brand new Mustang red convertable with racing stripes. OR… a ‘69 SS Camaro with marine paint and racing stripes (my parents actually had one but sold it when me and my brother wouldn’t stop arguing over who would get it! … I’m still upset by this, actually. lol)

    Sorry for the super-duper-long comment! :)

    ~Chelsea

  • I drive a 2003 Saturn VUE (mid-size SUV). I bought it new… now it’s got over 100K miles and I’ve never had any problems with it. Unfortunately, the Saturn brand has been discontinued so buying used is the only option. Good luck with your search!

  • Sounds like you need a hatchback! You wouldn’t believe what kind of stuff we can fit in the back of our Nissan Versa. It’s also super economical for gas mileage. It’s one of the cheapest cars on the market, but I like mine quite a bit. Similar cars are the Pontiac Vibe or the Toyota Matrix, but you will have a hard time finding a used one for under $5k that doesn’t have high mileage (in our area, anyway). For the record, the Matrix and Vibe are the exact same car engine and build but with different bodies. I wanted a Suburu Outback for the all-wheel drive capability, but they were also out of my price range. You could also check out Ford Focus hatchbacks. They are reliable and decently-priced.

  • Sarah

    Micah,

    How weird! I just logged on after test driving a Saturn Vue and what do you know – you responded saying you drive a Saturn Vue! It was a 2004 and a gorgeous blue. It drove really well, was a good price, and was beautiful inside and out. The only downside is that it already has 150,000 miles on it. I’ll definitely be considering it though.

    -Sarah

  • My car doesn’t fit any of your criteria, except the good on gas part (it’s diesel, actually). It’s a smart car!! In fact, we have two of them, one coupe and one convertible. You’d actually be surprised how much you can fit into it — just takes a bit of creativity and sometimes removing things from their boxes ;-)

    Hondas and Toyotas are pretty reliable cars. How about a Honda Fit??

    Kelly

  • Valerie

    I drive a Jeep bought new in 2001 and have had very little go wrong with it except the normal maintainence. It gets ok gas mileage not super. I have loved it since I bought it.

    If I could have any car I wanted it would be a BMW.

    Good luck on your car search and hold out till you find one that seems right to you in every one of your criteria!

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