For a student, what first car do you recommend? 2011 Hyundai Accent or 2009 Toyota Yaris?
I don’t quite know where to turn.
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Hello Melanie,
Everything depends of course on the budget, but as you seem to believe, a subcompact remains the best option. Now, if the idea is to buy a car in order to keep it for a long time, it may be worth paying more to get a slightly newer car. That said, some cars like the Yaris (which has a very good reputation) are expensive on the second-hand market. We currently pay the same price for a 2018 model as when buying it new. And you have to go back almost ten years to get a Yaris that would sell for under $10,000.
Fortunately, there are more affordable cars like the Accent, the Rio or the Mazda2: small, solid, fun and very inexpensive to maintain, they can do a good job at a reasonable price. However, I have a fondness for the 2015-2016 Nissan Micra, which you can also pick up at a decent price.
Photo: Michel Deslauriers
One of the most reliable products in the Nissan family, technically very simple and particularly fun to drive. A car whose ownership costs are minimal and with low depreciation, as long as it is properly maintained.
For a 2015 Micra with around 100,000 km with automatic transmission, air conditioning and electric group, you will have to shell out between $9,000 and $10,000. A price certainly more acceptable than that of a Yaris which, for an equivalent model, would easily get you an additional $4,000 to $5,000…
If your budget is limited, opt for the Accent, the Rio or the Mazda2, taking care to have a mechanical inspection performed. Because with cars that are over ten years old, no matter how good they start out, neglected maintenance over the years could lead to big expenses, which you obviously don’t want.