Find New And Used Cars

Q.here's the quandry....next year, i'm going to law school and will need another car...preferrably not a used one, but rather a *small* *economical* and *reliable* new car. as cheap as i can find such a car with all three qualities just mentioned. and i've been pondering the purchase of a geo metro....anyone have any suggestions on this pondering or any nominations for the kind of car i desire?

A.First of all, why not used? The second you drive a new car off the lot, it loses a -whole- lot of value. You can get a good used car that's only a couple of years old for a -lot- cheaper than a new car. If you get a car that was leased, you're essentially guaranteed that it'll be low-milage and pretty well maintained {since they have to give it back}. Plus, there's a glut of returned leased cars on the market right now, so you can buy one of those even cheaper. While I'm here mentioning leases, do yourself a favor and don't even consider it. It's good under certain conditions (you like a new car every couple of years, you drive 10K or less a year, etc [1]), but it blows for 'bout everyone. Anyway. The Geo Metro, as I understand it, is pretty good. It gets great mileage {esp if you get the manual}, I'm not aware of any recalls, and everyone I know with one is pretty pleased. My husband and I both drive Saturns, and are very pleased with them. Be aware that they often have to have their starter replaced during the warranty period. Other than that issue, we've not had any trouble with either of our cars. The Pontiac Sunfire {and its twin, the Chevy Cavalier} is generally rated quite well in reliability, IIRC. I don't know a thing about foreign cars, I refuse to buy them [2]. Consumer Reports does an issue, in April I beleive, about purchasing vehicles. They rate both new and used cars. I highly recommend checking out what they have to say -- they're quite reputable. They'll have all sorts of information on reliability, gas mileage, and other stuff you might not've thought of.

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