Is a 1.8T a good car?

Good reliable car for a 20 year old girl?

• So yes, I know there are 50 million questions about what's a good reliable car but I really don't feel like searching through all of them and I want to put in certain specifications. My grandma was going to be giving me her Ford Crown Victoria (not sure what year, '98 I think that's been sitting in her garage for a year) but turns out she may be spending time in Arizona a lot since she gets lonely and family always goes down so she needs a car down there. Most of my family didn't want her to give it to me because yes it's a good safe car but it's really big and just not a good starting car. Not the mention it's not the greatest on gas. So I want to know what a good car would be for me to get. She'll help me get it because she said she was gonna give me hers so she'll help with the finances. I want a good, small safe car. And like, what is good mileage to have on a car that's say between 1995 and 2000? And a good price?? I've already asked this question before but haven't gotten the answers I wanted. So if anyone has some input and/or suggestions such I would love to hear them!! :) Thanks!

• Answer:

  Honda's Civic/Accord and Toyota's Corolla/Camry are legendary first cars. They're a great size, great on gas, dependable, and very safe. They might not look as sporty as an equivalent Mitsubishi Eclipse, but they're known for their superior quality. Used ones from 1995-2000 won't run any higher than $5k (if you don't mind the older years, you could get for $1-2k), and generally, you don't have to worry too much about maintenance costs. I'm not sure about MPG, but it'll be close to 30 for any of the cars mentioned above. I don't mean to say I don't recommend American cars, since many are very good (Ford's putting out some great ones). But, for used cars (particularly for the years you've specified), you should stick with either Honda or Toyota. They're just all around great used cars that can't be beat, quality and price wise. Our very own Yahoo Autos is a great tool for used car shopping - even if you can't buy a car because it's halfway across the country, it gives you an idea of what you're looking for.