Good evening, everyone. Just found out about this site. Was turned on to Scotty a few weeks ago and watch as many videos as my schedule allows. I'm looking to buy 1 of the cars listed in the subject line for my daughter. Car needs to be a manual transmission. Told both my kids they need to learn how to drive a manual before we help get them get their "first car". My son hated the idea but soon loved driving the manual (VW Jetta Diesel 406K miles). My daughter is fighting me tooth and nail but I'm not backing down. lol.
I saw a lot of videos on which years are better than other years but the problem I'm having is finding a site that private owners use, most everything I see are dealerships or mom & pop car lots. I've looked at GarGuru's and Auto Trader. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I also tried searching on facebook for Honda & Toyota groups but it seems like most of those sites are for people looking to build their car or looking for a built car. Next question would be is how do I find a mechanic to check out a car for me? I'm in the Metro Detroit area and am willing to travel for a good car but don't want to waste a ton of money and time traveling from town to town before I find a good one, would rather pay a mechanic to scan it, test drive it and give it a once over. All guidance is greatly appreciated. This is what I'm looking for incase anyone has any leads or different opinions on years or models:
Civic 2006-2012 or Corolla 2003-2008
4 cylinder
manual trans
preferer 150K miles or so
service records
minimal body damage
no engine light
1 or 2 owner
heat and ac work
good clutch
Both cars are good, I think civics seem to attract more people that want a fast car, and may be inclined to drive it harder.
Manual transmission makes the choice between the two, very close I would say. Toyota has better air conditioners overall.
Try craigslist, I have always done well with it.
Don't forget that a matrix is just a hatchback Corolla, and I have seen some around me with manual transmissions.
Thanks, Nlord.
Scotty said the same thing about the ac in certain years.
Didn't even think about the Matrix. May look into those as well.
The eighth generation Civic (which falls in the years you cite) is my personal favorite Civic, especially the 2.0L variants with the K-series engine.
And you can’t go wrong with the Corolla for the most part.
As for finding a used one, that’s the toughest part. Best is usually a friend or a friend of a friend.
The eighth generation Civic (which falls in the years you cite) is my personal favorite Civic, especially the 2.0L variants with the K-series engine.
And you can’t go wrong with the Corolla for the most part.
As for finding a used one, that’s the toughest part. Best is usually a friend or a friend of a friend.
Dupes
- For used cars from private owner I usually go to Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace
