[naj]

Hi,
Thanks for advising me against lease options.

Did a little research on entry compacts.
Can you all pls suggest a compact between-
aa)Nissan versa- great entry level car-great price.
bb)Hyundai accent.
cc)Chevy sonic sedan.

All the above are at an attractive price and I may be able to buy New with some budget stretching.

Please advice.

Thanks- Naj

[ToroRosso]

Help - I flunked my Driving test. The previous day i had practised parallel parking in my colleague's car however on the D-Day, i managed to clip the kerb.

Does it make sense for me to go to a Driving school to get the License?
I think i did the road test Ok, they told me the reason for my failure was clipping the curb.

I am way too traumatized because of this. Also, does it make sense to rent a car and practise?

[NinadJoshi]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Help - I flunked my Driving test. The previous day i had practised parallel parking in my colleague's car however on the D-Day, i managed to clip the kerb.

Does it make sense for me to go to a Driving school to get the License?
I think i did the road test Ok, they told me the reason for my failure was clipping the curb.

I am way too traumatized because of this. Also, does it make sense to rent a car and practise?

Do not be hard on yourself. One too many an expert/experienced driver from India has come here only to flunk right away. Some are ill informed, some are over confident, some just get a grumpy examiner.

As a general suggestion, practice some more and you should be fine. If your error was technical (test car had different dimensions or different turning radius than the car you practiced on) then practice till you get a generic handle on things, is the only answer.

If your error was out of lack of info, then youtube yourself for the theory and practice some more in a vacant parking lot. If you can get a car for rent for a weekend, it may be worth the expense.

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by NinadJoshi

If your error was out of lack of info, then Youtube yourself for the theory and practice some more in a vacant parking lot. If you can get a car for rent for a weekend, it may be worth the expense.

Thanks Ninad. Blame was partly on me, i practised on a Fusion but ended up taking a Sable(Fusion went AWOL).

Driving lessons are costly as well - costing upwards of 100 per class here.

Rental rates have gone so much here - i just got off the phone with Avis/Hertz/Enterprise - the cheapest I can get in Louisville for a Day is around 70 dollars with an insurance.

Would i be able to get any insurance quotes on my Indian license.

[tj123]

Originally Posted by naj

Hi,
Thanks for advising me against lease options.

Did a little research on entry compacts.
Can you all pls suggest a compact between-
aa)Nissan versa- great entry level car-great price.
bb)Hyundai accent.
cc)Chevy sonic sedan.

All the above are at an attractive price and I may be able to buy New with some budget stretching.

Please advice.

Thanks- Naj

Buying a new car is not that a great idea. Here cars just puts on miles but hardly any major wear and tear. Secondly compact cars do not command a very good resale value if you plan to sell soon.

IMO go for a second hand sedan, you can get a good vehicles for 10-12k range, thrown in some more you can get certified vehicles with warranty.

If you are hellbent on hatch have a look at the Hyundai Elanta or Fiesta hatch.

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Thanks Ninad. Blame was partly on me, i practised on a Fusion but ended up taking a Sable(Fusion went AWOL).

Driving lessons are costly as well - costing upwards of 100 per class here.

Rental rates have gone so much here - i just got off the phone with Avis/Hertz/Enterprise - the cheapest I can get in Louisville for a Day is around 70 dollars with an insurance.

Would i be able to get any insurance quotes on my Indian license.

I'd suggest practice with rental and be sure to take the same for your test also. Additionally try and practice in the same route of your test.
I would also suggest to play online parking games, if you have trouble in understanding how to parallel park. It really helps you understand how and when to turn the steering.

Check in enterprise, I think they have a $9.99/day for weekends(100mile Limit). I think budget is running $14.99/day offer.
$70 is normal price but you should be easily able to get cars for cheaper, jus google for coupons.

[chevelle]

Originally Posted by naj

Hi,
Thanks for advising me against lease options.

Did a little research on entry compacts.
Can you all pls suggest a compact between-
aa)Nissan versa- great entry level car-great price.
bb)Hyundai accent.
cc)Chevy sonic sedan.

All the above are at an attractive price and I may be able to buy New with some budget stretching.

Please advice.

Thanks- Naj

Consider this,

I went to truecar.com. I put in 2013 Hyundai Accent Auto GLS (1 model above base) which cost $16k and has $500 in incentives so it is $15500.

If you consider Sonic sedan LS Auto, it cost $16269 and probably similar incentives as Hyundai and it will cost $15700, same as Civic.

Secondly, i chose 2013 Civic Auto LX (1 model above base) and shows $16200 in price. I am sure it has some incentives as there was an article recently which said that Honda has asked to sell all Civics before new one is launched. Lets say, it is same as above - $500 which will make it $15700.

If you consider a 2013 corolla, it will run you $16500 after incentives.

Purpose of above comparison is to show, that jumping a segment up will probably cost you more or less the same ($200 above) but you get a better car that can handle freeway speeds a lot better than a compact sedan not to mention better resale, better standard features, a little powerful engine, suspension and more space.

Obviously, my best suggestion is to get a pre-owned midsize or full size sedan for that price range but if you are against getting a used one, i suggest you jump a segment and get a corolla/civic/mazda3/focus.

The above example is just a random sample taken. You can substitute any sedan in that segment and you get same thing. I have tried to keep it at same model level, that is one model above base in all which is best balance of features and price. Also, i haven't consider any taxes and fees as it varies from state to state and will be standard for all.

And finally, test drive and chose the one you like. For me, its either the Ford Fiesta or Hyundai Accent in compact sedan. Else, i had any day take better cars even if it is pre-owned.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by naj

Hi,
Thanks for advising me against lease options.

Did a little research on entry compacts.
Can you all pls suggest a compact between-
aa)Nissan versa- great entry level car-great price.
bb)Hyundai accent.
cc)Chevy sonic sedan.

All the above are at an attractive price and I may be able to buy New with some budget stretching.

Please advice.

Thanks- Naj

If your travel is going to be restricted 95% within city roads and at non freeway speeds, these cars are alright. However if you plan to take them on road trips and long freeway drives, they are not very comfortable cars to be in with tons of road noise and not so good NVH. A 2 year old Mid/full size sedan with under 30k miles should be available at around the same price range and in my opinion, is a much better choice than any of these. The 2012 Civics are going on clearance as Honda is planning to introduce the 2013 refreshed Civic this month. That would be a great option to get as a new car if you insist on buying new.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Thanks Ninad. Blame was partly on me, i practised on a Fusion but ended up taking a Sable(Fusion went AWOL).

Driving lessons are costly as well - costing upwards of 100 per class here.

Rental rates have gone so much here - i just got off the phone with Avis/Hertz/Enterprise - the cheapest I can get in Louisville for a Day is around 70 dollars with an insurance.

Would i be able to get any insurance quotes on my Indian license.

If you want a cheap driving school-this is the one my wife used.

http://road-skills.com/

Driving lessons are $50 per hour and they teach you on a 2011 Mustang GT. You have the choice of mustang/ camaro in the background/ jeep wrangler. It might be a bit of drive from louisville though ~around an hour. The pic is of my wife about to start her lesson. The instructor seems he genuienly wants to teach you, unlike others who just want to run with your money.

[amitoj]

On a few occasions i have indulged in, umm, rapid acceleration with another fellow car enthusiast. Or just some swift lane changes, with proper indications, in tandem.
On all these occasions, we have parted ways with a thumbs up or a wave and a smile.

This is in stark contrast with how such acts would normally lead to road rage back in Bangalore. And i am still getting used to it. I dont know if i ever will!! I think i will always find it odd. In a good way though.

[ToroRosso]

Originally Posted by Jomz

If you want a cheap driving school-this is the one my wife used.

.

Thanks Bro..
I am going to rent a really small car next week and give it one more shot, If I flunk again, then i am going to go via proper driving school.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by ToroRosso

Thanks Bro..
I am going to rent a really small car next week and give it one more shot, If I flunk again, then i am going to go via proper driving school.

Instead,
Look up craigslist in your area.

There are people around who will give you a day or two of lessons in their car and take you for the driving test in the same car.

You're more likely to find someone if there's a university around your area, mainly one with a large international student population.

[naj]

Hi!!

We had been hunting for some used cars.Please can you folks advice on the below prices-
aa) 2005 Toyota Matrix Manual miles 70 k Price - 8500 car fax available .
bb). 2007 impala -miles73k - price- 10250 car fax available
Cc) 2004 Mitsubishi out lander - Miles- 130 k- Price -7000 inclusive of title
& plates. The condition of the outlander is a little suspect.

Cheers,
Naj

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by naj

Hi!!

We had been hunting for some used cars.Please can you folks advice on the below prices-
aa) 2005 Toyota Matrix Manual miles 70 k Price - 8500 car fax available .
bb). 2007 impala -miles73k - price- 10250 car fax available
Cc) 2004 Mitsubishi out lander - Miles- 130 k- Price -7000 inclusive of title
& plates. The condition of the outlander is a little suspect.

Cheers,
Naj

The outlander has already done 130k, and you feel condition is suspect. Stay away if you can. I feel the Impala is a good bet, it is a good size car. The matrix is a size smaller.

[SchumiFan]

Thanks to all of T-BHP members who provided their suggestions, I brought the '99 Avalon this October. Done some 700 miles already and it is performing as expected (touchwood).

Gives me decent average (got 23MPG in last run) for a mix of mostly city + some airport runs. Did an evaluation from Firestone before buying and it turned out to be mostly good without any major/urgent issues to be fixed in the car. Finished the deal at $4K which seems to be a little higher but I was getting it from a person I knew and a car which I have some experiences with. Hence decided to go ahead and bite the bullet.

Once again, thanks for providing me with useful info and also helping me make a decision.