What 2008 car would you recommend?

Honda Accord.

Toyota Camry

A Jetta. The most basic models come with a lot of stuff like power windows, cd players, etc – the stuff you normally have to add packages on to get. And they’re awesome. I had a Civic because they are so damn safe, but I can’t begin to tell you how much I hate them, and all Asian cars, because of how they design the inside.

@MyNewtBoobs: I worked several years for VW after I enjoyed my old 70’s Beetles so well and was disappointed at the product. We sold VW and Subaru side by side at the store and the back service lot was filled with VW’s, very few Subarus. Consistently bad surveys from customers for the first year of service, the time most buyers expect the least amount of service issues.

The Consumer Reports The best used vehicles for under $20,000

Almost every Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Subaru is in the list year after year.

For people who sneer that Japanese cars aren’t built in Japan anymore, look up the VIN # and a J in the sequence will verify a Japanese factory or not. Some models of Japanese brands are still built there.

@MyNewtBoobs Agreed, VWs are spiffy. I had a Jetta (assembled in Mexico) and it was a very tough transition when I bought a Subaru. The VW interiors are a very big notch up from the plastic from Japan. But at about 5 years old, the repair bills started adding up.

So get a 2008 VW and sell it in a couple of years, or get a Honda and drive it until you get tired of looking at it.

Why the hate for the Civic? They are no longer the racer rocket they once were; they don’t even make the hatchback any more.

But if you still hate the Honda, I would say that Toyota is the way to go.

As has been stated, avoid VW like the plague unless you like repair bills, electrical gremlins, or other things that I personally could do without. Subarus are nice and generally reliable, but when something does go wrong, it tends to cost you.

My parents got my sister a Honda Civic, and I like it, but it’s not really for me, and also my sister is allover the civic and so they’re considering getting me a new car, and I want something different. I prefer an Si but my parents don’t want me to have one. the civic we have is an ex. and yeah.

and I’m more into Asian cars…
I hear Hyundai’s have become good cars…
How do you guys feel about them? or even Kia’s?

Myself and my parent’s are completely unfamiliar with them

Hyundai Elantra. I drive one from 2008. They’re very highly rated in Consumer Reports. I love mine. It’s very conventional, 4 doors, gets good gas mileage and is very easy to drive, has a good turning radius and doesn’t have much in the way of blind spots (when you turn around to make a head check) Huge trunk space and the back seats fold forward so if you need to haul something long (that starts in the trunk). Good sized comfortable back seats. Dials are easy to see and read.

Hyundai has improved greatly since they first came out, and are now up there with Honda for reliability. Not quite my style, especially since I prefer older cars, but decent.

Kia… I’ve always been a bit wary of them. They are reliable and all, but I just never liked them and I’m not sure why :/

What country are you in? What is available for what price depends on where you are.
A Ford Focus is best value for around that money here in Australia. Great car, but underrated, and therefore good value for money. Also a Mitsubishi Lancer would be a good buy. Avoid anything Korean like the plague. Might seem like good value now, but you’ll think again in a few years time when the cheap plastics crack and fall off, and the thin panels have become full of little dents. A Toyota Corolla is a reliable car, but about as exciting as buying a new refrigerator. You should not rule out the Civic- it is the best quality you can buy.

@Neizvestnaya @jerv Both my sister and I have had Jettas, and neither of us had any issues (well, that we didn’t cause ourselves). It’s the most popular car for drivers under 25.

@MyNewtBoobs That sounds like luck to me. Still, I would take my Corolla up against it for reliability any day. I can change my head gasket easier and cheaper than you can replace your spark plugs, and after sinking an ‘02 Jetta into a road that every other car I had skipped right down, I don’t like the Jetta.

@jerv So, wait, anything bad that happens is a defective design but anything good that happens is luck? That’s not right.

@MyNewtBoobs No, but I will say that your experience is not typical amongst the Jetta owners I know. That is where the luck comes in; your Jettas haven’t had the sort of issues I’ve seen others have. It is possible that I’ve only seen the bad ones, but (at least for certain years) the reviews back me up.
There is also the fact that VW has generally gone from being a “People’s car” to a low-end luxury car (an Audi with cloth seats instead of leather), and become more difficult (and in some cases, impossible) to work on yourself.
That is my opinion, and you are free to have your own.