What would the experts in here recommend as an ideal car for a young College student in here? I mean in a general sense. Reliable, Affordable, Fuel Efficient, Good looking, fast.....? If one were to wish to buy a car that'd fall under catagory. would his/her options be limited to Honda Civic's or Toyota's Sedans or are there anything else? Pictures are welcome as well.

P.S. I only seek to know what cars appeal an ordinary college student. I personally am ruing the mistake of buying a SUV thanks to my shitty driving record which has kicked my Insurance to over $1000/ 6 months and it is NOT fuel efficient at all. I might even think about trading in after going through the responses in here.
Thanks in advance

civic 00 will fit in. if you're lucky u may get it for below 5000. but don't take chances...normally i don't recommend buying cars for below 5000 else it's maintenance cost for the next two years will equate to what u might have spent buying a 7000 car upfront.

g'luck

I am in the same kind of situation as Balbhadra. I am looking into the Mazda Miata or the Mitsubishi eclipse but don't know much about their reliability. Any suggestions?

Balbhadra, go for acura integra...they dont make it these days and its really good looking although its older model. That is why you will get it for cheaper price. And it gives me 30 miles a gallon in city limits. more than 30 in highways. So, if possible and if you get it go for Acura integra.

Sparrow

Balbhadra,
What size cars are you looking for?
If you are looking for a compact sedan--- the best option is Nissan Sentra (not Toyota Echo because it is not in production anymore)...you can easily get a 2003 Nissan Sentra for $6500
Below is the Nissan Sentra I am talking about

BTW i have a sentra aswell and it small annd sexy

Now, looking at a mid size sedan, you basically have two choices to make ..just like many others i would also say that it is kinda difficult to choose between HONDA CIVIC and TOYOTA COROLLA ...But lemme help you a bit
Balbhadra, In the 6500 range that you are talking about you are precisely looking at 2002 Corolla(8th generation) or 2001 Civic(7th generation)...
2002 corolla may give a higher gas mileage, the reliability is the same as Civic's but the most striking difference that will make you wanna choose the CIVIC is that it looks very CHIC as compared to the Corolla(which is plain dull).
From 2003 onwards, Corolla introduced its new 9th generation Corolla, that showers the American roads today but it will not meet your 6500 budget..anyway Toyota is taking out an all new 2008 Corolla which marks its 10th Genearation.
As for Honda, the DAMN HOT CIVIC that adorns the US streets today was introduced in 2006 and is the 8th generation.
HAVE A LOOK..BELOW IS THE 2001 CIVIC SEDAN

2002 Corolla is below
AGAIN THE PROBLEM WITH THE COROLLA IS THAT YOU MAY BE RIDING A 2002 COROLLA ..BUT PEOPLE MAY THINK THAT YOU DRIVE A 1998 MODEL..BECAUSE ITS THE SAME GENERATION COROLLA FROM 1998 TO 2002 WITH JUST MINOR CHANGES IN DESIGNS
BUT IF YOU DRIVE A 2001 CIVIC, YOU FEEL AS IF YOU ARE THE DRIVING THE 2005 MODEL, CUZ AGAIN IT IS THE SAME BASIC DESIGN

2003 corolla ...which is not for your budget (just to show you the difference between the 2002 and 2003 or the 8th and 9th generation)

Ill be back with my view on the large Sedans and the Coupes

Now after going through your suggestions @ Sahayog, I'm seriously forced to wonder about Nissan Sentra and Honda Civic..... but again, I want to remind you that Insurance is the main issue in here...If I didn't have to worry about insurance then I'd still be driving my SUV....1300 / 6 months..

And by the way, Muri Muri Dhanyabads for those invaluable suggestions @ Sahayog.... Keep 'em coming.

I'd like to ask something else...Accord or Civic?!?! I mean which one's better..

get mr2...

honda Accord costs a little bit more than Civic... but i think both are good quality.. accord is marketted towards families while civic is more towards young drivers.

Nothing on an Eclipse? Damn.

How about Mitsubishi Galant ?
I have been driving it for a while and it is really good. Previously I had Mitsubishi Eclipse..it was just awesome

Hey Spitfire,

How easy is it to get spare parts for Misubishi. Also, is it quite expensive to maintain or is it like Toyota and Honda. Aali bistar ma lekna paro afno Misubishi experience.

Thanks bro

True dat---- but Eclipse doesn't appeal to me anymore because of it being branded as a girly car. So much so that lots of people told me - "Ever seen a guy driving an eclipse?"

http://www.forbes.com/2006/06/26/car-sales-gender_cx_dl_0627featA_ls.html

It depends upon your wallet size, willingness to pay, you own choice as well income your are and will make in future. Better you should have got your own answers.
I will say accord Ex, other mayl say Infiniti fx35? Acura MDX is nice too.

Balbhadra,

I am back
Talking about Coupes and Sports Cars might not be in your best interest because of the so called INSURANCE THING that you are talking about

Anyway here are some choices that you would consider if you wanna add that OMPH value to your life by going for a sporty BABY.

How many guys have i seen driving a Eclipse...oh lots ..i dont think its a girls car at all..it is good looking and runs pretty well ..but thats all to it ...and you will have to deal with so many problems with a used ECLIPSE...the famous problem with most eclipses is the TRANSMISSION problem and yeah there are so many other engine problems..the other dangerous thing about it is its big BLIND SPOT..that is kinda dangerous ..overall the 2001 Eclipse is a BIG NO NO from my side...there are better ones to go with if you are looking to be SPORTY

I would have seriously recommended the 2000 Toyota Celica if it were still to be in production..but the sad news is that Toyota stopped making CELICA'S i believe from 2005 or 2006 ...the Celica is reliable but if something does go wrong than you might be giong places to find parts....
It is a lot roomy than the ECLIPSE and your accompanying frens will not have to think twice to sit in the back seat of your CELICA (believe me the ECLIPSE is like a two seater with two virtual back seats)
The design specially the back is comparable to Mustang but overall at least it has the best exterior apperance and you get that apperance to go with the Toyota reliability ..what more do you need brother!!!!!!!! ..have a look at the CELICA