Top 5 Cars for any High School Student to Consider

If you ask any high school student what they want for their birthday or holiday, chances are they'll respond in an enthusiastic way by saying, "I want a car!"... at least I would.

While there are those few that are lucky enough to have a car and hold the luxury of driving to and from school, a lot of high school students simply day dream about the vehicle that they could one day proudly own.

Many of the cars high school students own are modest, and rightfully so. Putting it bluntly, nice cars are not cheap. However, it is possible to purchase a good car within a high school student's price range (if they have a job or source of income that is).

I will now list the top 5 cars that should be considered by any high school student in the market for a vehicle. Each choice comes in at around or under $4,000. This means that are mostly pre-2002 vehicles. Don't worry though, they are good options. Do your own research as well because there are other good options out there, however, these five are the best choices, in my opinion.

(Pricing is based off of local listings on cars.com; will vary depending on mileage. The problems to watch out for were found by looking through consumer reviews on Edmunds.com)

# 5 – 1997-2000 Buick Century – Approx. $3,000

While it is definitely not the hottest car around, the Buick Century is a very good deal. You might see a few elderly people in the community driving Buick’s now defunct flagship, it still may appeal to the teenage driver. Equipped with a responsive V6 engine, the Century has enough pick-up power to pass those other elderly drivers whom are driving the same car.

The styling is admittedly obsolete and the interior has somewhat of a bland feel. Mind you, this car was marketed towards the 65+ year old crowd. Due to this, the ride is very comfortable and the seats are like plush sofas. The sound system is adequate and the layout of the dash is functional.

Overall, this car might appeal to the older crowd, it is something to check out due to its bank for the buck and comfortable ride.

Problems to watch out for: Power windows tend to fail after a certain time period (labor costs are high to fix) and some isolated transmission issues.

#4 – 1998-2002 Chevrolet Prizm – Approx. $3,200

The Prizm is a very small and economical car. Equipped with an inline four engine, it is peppy but somewhat slower than other cars.

Quite possibly the most appealing aspect about the Prizm is that it is virtually a Toyota with the Chevrolet name on it. Almost identical to the Toyota Corolla, the Prism is solely based on it. With the praised reliability of the Toyota brand, you can buy one with the Chevrolet name plastered on it, possibly saving over $1,000 instead of buying the Corolla.

On the inside, the car is very basic. You may choose between a manual or automatic transmission. Expect to search more thoroughly for manual transmissions as they are rare. Also, expect to pay a bit more for features like automatic windows, power locks, and other features that are now standard on today’s cars.

Problems to watch out for: Nothing worth mentioning.

#3 – 1998 Honda Accord – approx. $4,000

The Honda Accord has been a very good choice for families for years. It is also a good choice for first cars. With the well-known reliability of Honda, this car fits the bill for practically anyone who wants reliable no-frills transportation.

Both an inline four engine (more common) and a V6 are available. The V6 version is more powerful but harder to find because most Accords are equipped with an inline four engine.

The ride may not be as comfortable as an American counterpart; the Accord handles very well and has an overall composed ride.

Problems to watch out for: A few reports of transmission problems have occurred.

#2 – 1998 – 2002 Ford Crown Victoria – approx. $3,200

A flagship for years for Ford, the Crown Victoria is the standard definition of an American car. It’s big, it’s powerful, and it’s comfortable. Did I mention it’s huge?

As you probably already know, this vehicle has been used by police departments for years due to its very good reliability.

While the gas mileage is somewhat poor and the car is big, it has its perks. For someone who wants a powerful car, this is your opportunity to get one. You can even buy a official police “interceptor” version with the stronger engine and bigger brakes that were only originally sold to police departments.

This car is a very inexpensive option and the parts are very inexpensive to replace as well. In that respect, upkeep is very good. The interior is pretty bland and has standard amenities (basic radio, automatic transmission, etc.).

Problems to watch out for: There have been a few recalls regarding the gas tank, so make sure to check that it has been taken care of, especially on police “interceptor” models.

#1 – 1996-2000 Honda Civic – approx. $3,000

You may have guessed it, but the Honda Civic is at the top of the list. This is because it is a very economical car, it is reliable, and is very customizable.

Don’t forget however that the older the car is, the more primitive the safety features, which mean that by today’s standards, the older Civics are not as safe as they were once found to be. However, the year range specified and newer is relatively safe.

The interior is small but feels roomy enough. The engine, a four cylinder, is peppy and can get you from point A to point B.

Problems to watch out for: None worth mentioning.

Overall, this is the best option for what you can get in a car at or under the price of $4,000. However, all vehicles on this list are excellent choices for anyone that wants a car in this price range.

GMC Envoy vs. GMC Terrain

Back in 2002, during the time dubbed the “SUV craze,” GM began production of the Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy SUVs, based on the new at that time GMT360 platform. These SUVs were a huge improvement over their predecessors which were the Chevrolet Blazer and the GMC Jimmy. However, as the year 2009 came around with all of the GMT360 SUVs receiving virtually no changes since 2002, the company decided to go in a new direction.

For Chevrolet, they came up with a new crossover named the Traverse (based off of the defunct Saturn Sky, and also the current Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia). On the other hand, for GMC, GM came up with the Terrain, a car-based SUV, based off of the new Chevrolet Equinox. Confusing, right? Well, let me explain further.

When the Trailblazer was introduced, it was widely praised by many car review outlets. One of these, Motor Week, was very impressed by the new characteristics of this new SUV. Here is a road test they put out when they were still a syndicated television show, back in 2002: (Skip to 1:00 to see the review)



The majority of the praised aspects about this car included the fact that the ride was very soft, yet it drove well.

One recent consumer review on Edmunds.com, a car review website, says that they had a positive experience with their GMC Envoy (please excuse their grammar):

“I purchased this vehicle when there were no others on the road. I was 1st impressed with its individual styling. Very soon after I was delighted with its interior appointments and comfort. I now have 125,000 miles and still no mechanical issues what-so-ever!”

(To see more consumer reviews, click here)

While there was mainly praise for the newcomer to the SUV market, there were a few criticisms. The main one seemed to be that the gas mileage was dismal.

The Environmental Protection Agency rated the gas mileage for the Trailblazer/Envoy as 14mpg in the city and 20mpg on the highway, which are dismal numbers for an SUV that is considered to be mid-sized. To add insult to injury, the SUV has an inline-six cylinder engine. The available V8 engine for this car only received one less mile per gallon when compared to the smaller engine.

Many, including myself, speculate that the main reason for why GM ditched the GMT360 platform is because of the more expensive gas prices, as well as the shift away from inefficient SUVs to smaller, more efficient cars. However, we may never know the exact reason for why GM got rid of, at least in my opinion, one of the best cars they have ever produced.

Looking ahead, the most appealing newcomer to replace the platform looks to be the GMC Terrain. While Chevrolet has the new Traverse, the Terrain has better looks and isn’t as large.



Click here to see a review conducted by Edmunds.com on the new GMC.

The Terrain is much smaller than its predecessor and is not built on the traditional truck platform that the Envoy and Trailblazer were built upon. It is almost classified as a “cross over” SUV, but it still appears to share qualities with the traditional boxy SUVs.

Thankfully, GM was able to fix the most common gripe with the Envoy. They addressed the gas mileage problem. The standard engine on the Terrain is a new inline-four cylinder engine. While less powerful, this engine achieves a mixed gas mileage rating of 26 miles per gallon, leaps and bounds better than the Envoy. The new optional V6 also delivers modest numbers in comparison to the Envoy’s engine.

On the road, according to Edmunds.com, both engines are good choices. While the inline-four might take a bit of encouragement to accelerate in a timely manner, it is an economical choice that will keep you moving- but slightly slower than everyone else. The V6 will move the Terrain much more quickly than the standard engine, especially because the Terrain only weighs 3,788 lbs. This is much lighter than the heavier 4,404 lbs. Envoy.

I’m very impressed with what the new GM is putting out for their new 2010 product lines. Starting with the Malibu, they have really stepped up to the plate by producing more competitive and reliable vehicles. Another piece of evidence, the Terrain, will bring GM much success.

While I always have and will be a huge fan of the defunct GMC Envoy and Chevrolet Trailblazer twins, it is time for a change. With fragile gas prices that are ready to sore at any second, this was a good move for GM. GM will appreciate this move in the future when the next surge in oil prices occurs and leads to another gas crunch.

The base starting price (MSRP) for the Terrain is $24,250.

Here are some additional pictures of the Terrain (Courtesy - Edmunds.com):

Welcome to 101 Car Talk

For many people, cars that have huge price tags are the most interesting. I believe this is true- to a certain extent. Many car related blogs and websites report on these vehicles of which the majority of people cannot afford. However, these types of cars will not be the subject of this blog. Instead, I will be posting about cars that are more affordable. Sure, they may not have vertically opening doors or 10 cylinder engines, but I will be posting about gems within the market. Did I mention that every car that I will write about on this blog will have a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $35,000 or less?

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Zach Ribert, and I am currently a senior at Rush-Henrietta Senior High School in Henrietta, NY. I have a strong interest in journalism, which has led me to enroll in a journalism class at my school. As a class project, I am creating this blog. In regards to journalism, I believe that blogging is a very interesting channel to explore. Blog popularity has exploded within the past 10 years since the number of personal computers equipped with Internet have sky rocketed. I will be attending college next year to pursue a degree in broadcast journalism.

Back to the subject of cars, I have a strong interest in what the middle class of the United States can afford. I strongly believe that there are a plethora of options when it comes to buying an exceptional car in this price range. I hope to inform readers about the expanding options of cars available today.

As most of us know by now, the car industry has evolved dramatically within the past decade. From the SUV craze to the government “take over” of General Motors, a lot has occurred. There are stories like these that I will also plan to talk about or reference in certain posts. I am placing an emphasis on the American car manufacturers, as well as some popular foreign brands, such as Toyota or Hyundai.
If you feel the need to comment on any post, don’t hesitate to do so. I enjoy listening to the opinions of others, especially regarding the subject of cars.

For my first post, I will be discussing the evolution of GMC’s Envoy SUV and the GMT 360 SUV platform overall. Since 2002, the GMC Envoy, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Oldsmobile Bravada, and later on, the Saab 9-7x, Isuzu Ascender, and Buick Rainer have all shared the same platform and virtually the same characteristics.

The entire platform was discontinued in 2009, and so were all of these vehicles. I will give a short review on those now obsolete platforms as well as what has replaced each vehicle in their own lines. As General Motors tries to consolidate, especially by limiting the “rebadging” (badge engineering) of similar vehicles to multiple brands, there are quite a few changes to mention.

Welcome to 101 Car Talk.