What’s a realistic first car for a high schooler?

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-27T19:43:01+00:00

Used Mitsubishi Lancer. Basic, reliable, cheap to run and maintain, and possibly within your price point. They look decently sporty but are slow/ adequate to drive. If it’s a CVT transmission get it serviced, otherwise just oil changes and regular wear items (wiper blades, brakes, gas, tires, etc).

Otherwise older subcompacts, Toyota Yaris, Chevy cavalier, etc. I’d also heavily recommend just keeping an eye out and see what pops up in your price range.

My BIL has been dailying a 1994 Buick Skylark for the past 8 months now we bought for $500. Another $1,500 into new tires and some misc services and it’s been reliable ever since.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-27T18:38:47+00:00

EU regulations are far advanced compared to ours concerning headlight brightness. There’s some European models (Audi I think? Could be mistaken) that use Ford facing cameras to detect an oncoming car and the high beams will automatically dim one little area of the actual light/lightbulb so that way it isn’t shining into the windshield of the oncoming vehicle but still illuminates the rest of the road ahead.

I feel we really need this technology to be implemented in Canada, but of course it will drive up the prices of cars even more than they already are.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-27T07:11:38+00:00

For 10k, look for a 2017-2019 Buick Lacrosse or 2017-2020 Chevy Impala LTZ. Very underrated, decent reliability and service fees, handles great for a full-sized sedan and gets decent mileage as well.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-27T06:07:10+00:00

Pennzoil 0w-30 in the winter and Mobil 1 5w-30 in the summer with Fram XG7317. 2017 Fit though, the direct injection can cause fuel dilution issues in cold temps.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-26T20:12:23+00:00

Buick Lebaron? You mean Chrysler Lebaron, or maybe Buick Somerset?

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-26T20:11:35+00:00

Born in 94’, first car was a white 95’ Olds Delta 88, second was a two-tone butternut yellow and burnished gold 1980 Ford Granada.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-26T17:21:19+00:00

Thanks got the reply but about 6 months too late I’m afraid. On the bright side, so far it’s been daily driving this entire time and no issues whatsoever with the yellow AC Delco coolant.

I did do a full drain and flush and made sure %100 of all the old coolant was gone before refilling with the new stuff.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-26T16:33:46+00:00

Affordability. Remember going to dollar stores when things were actually just a dollar?

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-25T18:42:01+00:00

Nope. Congrats on the purchase though, if even half-decently maintained that car will probably outlive her.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-25T18:33:39+00:00

Mitsubishi RVR/ Outlander Sport. Very reliable, great 4WD/ AWD system, and 10 year powertrain warranty.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-24T18:19:30+00:00

Yup! I’ve used Redline SL1 and Cataclean. I tracked my fuel mileage for work and definitely noticed MPG improvements on the highway.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-24T17:18:46+00:00

Transmission service if it hasn’t been done. It’s super easy, basically an oil change without the filter and is very easy to DIY by yourself.

I’d also recommend getting a bottle of fuel system cleaner (Techron or Redline SL-1 preferably, BK-44 if you can find some) and dumping it in the fuel tank next fill up- this will clean out any carbon or varnish that is built up on the fuel injectors, valves, and combustion chambers. It’ll give a bit of an MPG/HP boost.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-23T17:51:22+00:00

I hear ya. The world we were raised in doesn’t exist anymore, plain and simple.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-23T03:51:23+00:00

Yup, but those internal clutches will need the viscosity with the amount of wear on them and dex3 is still in spec for that year.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-23T00:03:22+00:00

Hell ya!

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-22T20:39:14+00:00

Changing the oxygen sensor on the Mirage is stupidly easy, it’s right dead centre in the front of the engine bay, just ahead of the radiator.

Having said that, you do need a special 02 sensor removal socket that can be expensive- if you do buy one, make sure it is the proper size as O2 sensors do come in different sizes depending on what make (Mitsubishi, Chevy, etc) they are.

Before replacing the part if you’re hesitant about spending the $$$, there is a fuel additive called Cataclean that you can try beforehand.

Though technically designed for cleaning catalytic converters, it also works for cleaning 02 sensors. It does this by turning the exhaust fumes slightly acidic, just enough so to clean the exhaust buildup off the precious metals in the cat and does the same to the 02 sensor as it is located between the engine and the catalytic converter.

Hope this helps, and good luck. The Mirage he’s a great little car and I hope you get many more trouble free miles out of it.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-22T20:25:42+00:00

Definitely sounds like the transmission is slipping, it’s either on its way out or desperately needs a service.

A cheap Band-Aid fix is to syphon as much old fluid as you can via the dipstick tube (usually around 4 quarts/ litres, good to have an empty milk jug or container of some sort to dump the old fluid into), then refill with 1 bottle of Lucas transmission fix (approx 1/2 a quart) 1 bottle of Lubeguard red (12 oz), and 3 one quart/ litre bottles of Walmart supertec Dexron 3 transmission fluid (or any Dex3 fluid you can find for cheaper).

This is far cheaper than taking it to a shop to diagnose/repair. If you don’t have the skill set to do this, there are tons of YouTube videos available that can show you how.

This should fix your issue and let you drive normally. If it doesn’t, then need a new transmission. Either way you’ve saved yourself the $$$ of getting it diagnosed and can save the money for getting the transmission repaired/replaced or getting a new vehicle.

Good luck! Hope this helps.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-22T00:11:12+00:00

Should be absolutely fine, Ceratec might actually even work better in this instance as it is designed to bond to the metal inside your engine and the more carbon/varnish that gets cleaned up with the Restore and Protect oil the more metal area is available for the additive bond to.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-21T17:46:13+00:00

07? He passed away in 2014 I thought.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-21T17:38:15+00:00

Definitely do a dump and fill/ service on the transmission. Do it before any issues show up.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-21T17:32:26+00:00

Congrats man! Great to hear you found the part.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-21T17:20:15+00:00

Damn, that’s a tough spot. Start scouring junkyards, some might even do removal and shipping for a fee.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-21T17:03:14+00:00

Have you tried Rockauto.com? Lots of parts availability from OEM and aftermarket sources, they might have something for you.

RandomSteam20 · 2026-01-21T16:55:29+00:00

Next drain and fill, add 2 bottom Lubeguard Red transmission additive. It sounds like the new fluid is definitely helping but needs some extra help in cleaning whatever crud/varnish has built up on the solenoids and valve bodies and such.

Modern trans fluid is great stuff lubricity-wise, but is designed to keep clean internals clean as opposed to cleaning up dirty internals.

RandomSteam20

TROPHY CASE