Quote:
Originally Posted by impulseX
Does it HAVE to be a brand new car? I personally would recommend an older, used car that's fuel efficient especially if he's going to be travelling that far every day.
Not only will you save from just the price of the car, but depending on the vehicle itself and how much your friend really cares about it, that rock chip might not be so big of a deal, as compared to say a brand new car and first thing you come across on the highway on the commute is a nice fat rock chip
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The nice thing about a new car is that you can finance one and that you have 3+ years of warranty. Unless the OP's friend has a line of credit, it's hard to put down 15-20K in cash for a car. It sounds like the OP's friend is not mechanically inclined either, so any used car will require some work which means more money upfront.
If the OP's friend is planning to keep the car a while (5+ years), I would opt for a standard transmission. Less potential headaches and typically more fun.
However, if I were in the OP's friend's situation, I would definitely go used - preferably something mid-90s and Japanese. Toyotas of this era are truly bullet-proof (family's owned 2 Camrys from this period) and even Hondas are okay as long as they're rust free and you can deal with squeaks and rattles (from my experience owning 2 Integras). Hondas and Toyotas from this period are dirt cheap and require next to no maintenance other than fluid changes and wear-and-tear items.