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Guinness posted:Haha, you think they stop once you buy a car from them. Indeed, the dealer I bought my MS3 from still tries to call me repeatedly. Thank god for Google Voice and the ability to block that number.
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Oct 17, 2012 21:49
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AznKwaiJai posted:Proposed Budget: < $20,000ish. I bought a base model manual trans 2012 Ford Focus hatch and have upgraded the stereo myself as well. There is a double DIN kit available from Metra but it's a tad pricey and the buttons they provide in the kit have different colored LEDs than the rest of the stock buttons which irritates me. The back seats fold down flat for plenty of room in the hatch. It's a solid car, I'd recommend test driving one. The one downside of the Focus as compared to something like the Mazda 3 is that I'm pretty sure that the new Mazda 3 with the skyactiv engine has a 6-speed manual while the Focus is a regular 5-speed. It doesn't bother me much, but sometimes on the highway I would like a higher gear. I'm at about ~2750 RPM at ~70 MPH. I get ~32MPG in mixed city/highway driving.
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Oct 17, 2012 22:42
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CmdrSmirnoff posted:Body kit, Roush exhaust, Saleen suspension, CAI, chip. Owner is an old Persian guy who drove it to work in summers (though who knows what his kids were up to). Good condition, but there was some creaking in the suspension that I need to check out. Stay away. Too many unknowns for you take the risk for such a common car. Surely there is a similar year mileage option without the risk. That's my opinion anyway, if you're going into it prepared then more power to you.
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Oct 17, 2012 22:51
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Xguard86 posted:Stay away. Too many unknowns for you take the risk for such a common car. Surely there is a similar year mileage option without the risk. I did some soul-searching and backed off from it today. Gonna keep looking.
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Oct 17, 2012 23:09
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Welp, I walked out of work to a flat tire. Then I bent my tire iron and rounded off a lug nut trying to get the flat off. I had a friend drive to get an air compressor to blow up the flat long enough to limp it home. Shop opens tomorrow at 7AM, so I'll have to wait until morning to find out if the noise that I think is a huge exhaust leak will be fixable or at least fine to drive on. This is why I want a different car. I need to drive 2 hours to a bike race this weekend, and now I have no idea if I'm going to make it or not, and this has happened too many times already. I've already had to cancel races last summer when those wheel bearings and tie rods went bad. This car has ruined too many weekends and I'm angry about it.
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Oct 18, 2012 00:48
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RadioPassive posted:Welp, I walked out of work to a flat tire. Then I bent my tire iron and rounded off a lug nut trying to get the flat off. I had a friend drive to get an air compressor to blow up the flat long enough to limp it home. Shop opens tomorrow at 7AM, so I'll have to wait until morning to find out if the noise that I think is a huge exhaust leak will be fixable or at least fine to drive on. Get a new car  You've worked yourself to the point that you're not really going to be happy with anything else no matter what. Just get the loan or whatever and take a leap!
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Oct 18, 2012 01:51
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RadioPassive posted:This is why I want a different car. I need to drive 2 hours to a bike race this weekend, and now I have no idea if I'm going to make it or not, and this has happened too many times already. I've already had to cancel races last summer when those wheel bearings and tie rods went bad. This car has ruined too many weekends and I'm angry about it. If you don't like your car, want to get a new car, and can get a car without losing your emergency fund and eating cat food, you can get a new car. The winners you're looking for in the used around $8-10k range will be Focuses, Mazda 3s, Chevy Cobalts, and Civics or Corollas but those generally cost more. I don't know how much Hyundai Elantras have depreciated but one of those past 2006-ish should be ok.
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Oct 18, 2012 02:27
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Guinness posted:I'm also going to agree and reiterate this. The used car market is extremely hot. The new car market is less so. For nearly new cars with little deprecation (say a Honda Fit), the prices can be extremely close. Factor that with the obscenely low APRs being offered on many new cars and it can make sense to buy a new car over an old one, particularly if you're financing.
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Oct 18, 2012 02:35
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Just heard back from the shop. It's not an exhaust leak, turns out the engine mounts are broken. ~$350 parts and labor for that, plus I'm having them replace the front brake rotors and pads because I'm sure they've got less than 5000 miles left in them. It's going to cost pretty much exactly what I expected, so I'm going to do exactly what I planned: Get this fixed now and keep driving it, and keep an eye out for something to replace it some time inside of 6-12 months. Thanks for the help, guys.
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Oct 18, 2012 16:54
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CmdrSmirnoff posted:I did some soul-searching and backed off from it today. Gonna keep looking. Good call. You can always mod it yourself if you get the bug.
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Oct 18, 2012 17:03
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RadioPassive posted:Just heard back from the shop. It's not an exhaust leak, turns out the engine mounts are broken. ~$350 parts and labor for that, plus I'm having them replace the front brake rotors and pads because I'm sure they've got less than 5000 miles left in them. It sounds like everything you are replacing are things that wear around and need to be replaced after a decade of hard life. I really think if you ride out this chunk of maintenance and repairs then you'll have years to come without stuff constantly going wrong.
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Oct 18, 2012 17:09
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RadioPassive posted:Proposed Budget: $8,000 I guess? Boy I wish I didn't have to borrow money for this. RadioPassive posted:I'm actually really mechanically inclined and completely not intimidated about doing my own repairs, I just don't want to spend the time. At all. At this point in my life, it's worth it to me to pay money to a mechanic rather than pay time to my car, but of course I'd rather not have to do either. I don't think these two things go together. If you have to borrow money to replace your car, then it sounds to me like saving hundreds of dollars on each repair would actually be well worth your time. Depending on the car (and I haven't done it on a focus) replacing a rotor might take you an hour if you're really hesitant and slow about it. Just as an example. Stuff like engine mounts and exhaust work, sure, have a pro do it. But I bet if you pick up a shop manual and look up each repair, you'd find that it's well worth three hours on a Saturday to avoid a $500 bill now and again.
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Oct 18, 2012 18:44
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Leperflesh posted:Depending on the car (and I haven't done it on a focus) replacing a rotor might take you an hour if you're really hesitant and slow about it. Just as an example. I have done brake rotors on a Focus and they are very easy, and I'm far from a mechanic.
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Oct 18, 2012 22:32
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I don't know what to tell you; You're absolutely right. I still don't feel like working on a car right now. And I will still pay handsomely for the privilege not to.
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Oct 18, 2012 23:05
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Does anybody have a personal recommendation for a car shipping company? I've got to ship two cars across the country, and I'm really not looking forward to it, with the car shipping industry's well-deserved lovely reputation.
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Oct 19, 2012 19:11
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Costello Jello posted:Does anybody have a personal recommendation for a car shipping company? I've got to ship two cars across the country, and I'm really not looking forward to it, with the car shipping industry's well-deserved lovely reputation. LloydDobler said this to me: "I used Demoise Trk-ing as they were recommended over on Swedespeed, by guys hauling S60Rs around. There were 3 companies recommended in a specific thread, and these guys were the lowest cost of the 3. I paid $1300 to get it from Roanoke VA to Denver CO, about 1500 miles or so. The other guys quoted $1500."
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Oct 19, 2012 19:14
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My search for an around-town car for $5k turned up a couple things, need some opinions before I arrange to see either. My car needs are reliability and fuel economy over speed by the way. 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer OZ-Rally - 104k miles - $5,600 2002 Chrysler Sebring Lxi - 105k mi - $3,000 I'm leaning toward the Lancer based on what research I've done, but I don't know what to expect with either car.
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Oct 20, 2012 05:20
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In my neverending quest to buy a car (maybe I just fukken love rentals) I've thought of making An Adult Decision. Rather than piss away my next 4 years on a car loan, I should get a winter beater now - with cash. There are two that I'm eyeing: 2002 Impreza 2.5TS, 160k (km), manual, $4000 CDN. I could use it to learn stick and gradually turn it into a rally car! 2001 Impreza RS coupe, 115k (km), auto, $4000. Also rally car candidate, though no stick, it would probably be a bit more liveable. To recap from earlier: lawyer, driving 80 - 200km/day, replacing a Lexus and was hoping for something a bit smaller and city-friendly but super-fun. CmdrSmirnoff fucked around with this message at 13:35 on Oct 20, 2012 |
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Oct 20, 2012 12:49
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Saint Sputnik posted:My search for an around-town car for $5k turned up a couple things, need some opinions before I arrange to see either. My car needs are reliability and fuel economy over speed by the way. Pass on both. OZ-Rally is just a F&F gofast appearance package, and the Sebring is pretty terrible.
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Oct 20, 2012 15:42
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CmdrSmirnoff posted:In my neverending quest to buy a car (maybe I just fukken love rentals) I've thought of making An Adult Decision. Rather than piss away my next 4 years on a car loan, I should get a winter beater now - with cash. There are two that I'm eyeing: The ts will likely do a better job repelling rust. Worth checking both for rust. I think the rs has an rlsd, but don't quote me on that. Edit: just noticed the rs was an auto. Get the TS. 4 speed auto is boring as hell. The awd system is also different and less good.
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Oct 20, 2012 16:46
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Can someone help me estimate the difference in total cost of ownership between buying a new 2013 Mustang V6 Premium vs a 2012 GT Premium that has 7000 miles on it? Price before TTL is the same on both cars, between $23k and $24k. The new car has an MSRP of $28k, and the 2012 an MSRP of $35k.
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Oct 20, 2012 17:07
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Screw TCO, you want the five-oh.
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Oct 20, 2012 17:31
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nm posted:Screw TCO, you want the five-oh. I want the 5.0, but this is supposed to be my big comfortable soft car, I'm keeping the Miata for a fun car. I'll be driving at least 30 miles in stop and go every day in this car, and intending to use it on road trips. I'm trying to justify the higher fuel, insurance, and tire costs by telling myself I let someone else eat the 1st year depreciation. I really just want an excuse to grow a mullet and drive around revving at things that have LS3s in them. I'm going to be keeping this car for 8 years at least. Will the GT hold its value on that time scale, or won't both be worth very little then? Part of me worries that gas will be $9 and I'll be sitting on something that does 15 MPG in the city. Twerk from Home fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Oct 20, 2012 |
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Oct 20, 2012 17:45
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Pass on both. OZ-Rally is just a F&F gofast appearance package, and the Sebring is pretty terrible. Thanks. I gathered as much about the OZ, but wasn't planning on racing it for slips anyway. How is it aside from that?
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Oct 20, 2012 17:56
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Weinertron posted:I want the 5.0, but this is supposed to be my big comfortable soft car, I'm keeping the Miata for a fun car. I'll be driving at least 30 miles in stop and go every day in this car, and intending to use it on road trips. I'm trying to justify the higher fuel, insurance, and tire costs by telling myself I let someone else eat the 1st year depreciation. The V6 is plenty powerful if you already have another "fun car" anyway. The 2013 V6 is more powerful than the 2010 GT already. Crunch the numbers based on how far you intend to drive in stop-and-go and see what the break-even point is based on the relative fuel economies, and then decide which one you want. I drive a 2011 V6 and I don't think I've ever seriously thought, "this needs more power." It would be fun it if did, I suppose, but the V6 already makes enough power that you have to be careful not to break the law or do stupid poo poo with it.
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Oct 20, 2012 19:36
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PT6A posted:The V6 is plenty powerful if you already have another "fun car" anyway. The 2013 V6 is more powerful than the 2010 GT already. Crunch the numbers based on how far you intend to drive in stop-and-go and see what the break-even point is based on the relative fuel economies, and then decide which one you want. My understand has been that the fuel economy difference in V6 vs V8 muscle cars isn't that huge, I have a friend with a 2009 Bullit who has proven to me that it can do 27 MPG highway and ~22 in mixed driving.
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Oct 20, 2012 20:03
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So I'm footsteps away from selling 2 of the 4 cars I was looking to dump so it's reasonable for me to pick up a new DD. Protoge's were highly recommended before when I was looking for the girlfriend and I've been fond of them for a while. Several Protoge5's have popped up locally, all for under $4K so I ask, other than potential rust issues as pointed out by Sockington should I look for anything in particular when checking them out?
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Oct 20, 2012 22:25
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Rhyno posted:So I'm footsteps away from selling 2 of the 4 cars I was looking to dump so it's reasonable for me to pick up a new DD. Protoge's were highly recommended before when I was looking for the girlfriend and I've been fond of them for a while. Several Protoge5's have popped up locally, all for under $4K so I ask, other than potential rust issues as pointed out by Sockington should I look for anything in particular when checking them out? If it is an auto, I've heard grumblings about that.
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Oct 20, 2012 22:53
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So I may be moving back to a city and getting a real job again after I finish my graduate degree, and here's what I'm thinking of getting so I can return the Ford Escort I've been borrowing to its rightful owner. Assuming this job thing happens, of course, and I don't foolishly sign up for 5 more years of graduate school. Proposed Budget: Under US$20,000, ideally around $18,000 or less New or Used: Either new or late-model (2009+) used Body Style: (e.g. 2 door? 4 door? Compact/Midsize/Fullsize Sedan? Truck? SUV?) 5-door hatchback would be my top choice, almost certainly compact. How will you be using the car?: (Do you tow things? Haul more than 5 people on a regular basis? Have a super long commute? How are you going to use this vehicle? Living in a city, almost certainly street parking. Daily commute to the suburbs most likely (20 miles or less, I hope), road trips of 1-6 hours each way every few weeks carrying a few people, camping and sports equipment, miscellaneous crap, etc. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?) Not all the gizmos, but being able to hook up iPods and other devices, and getting good radio reception, are important for long drives What aspects are most important to you? (e.g. reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, import/domestic, MPG, size, style) Miles per gallon, manual transmission (I feel really uncomfortable driving automatic for some reason), reliability, small enough to park comfortably in a city but large enough to haul a decent amount of stuff. I'm thinking a Honda Fit might be the best choice. Ford Focus looks good but is a bit out of my price range, and Ford Fiesta seems a little too small. I know the Nissan Versa is cheap, but it screams "uncool" to me and I don't think I'd enjoy driving it. VW Golfs are cool, but everything I've heard makes them seem overpriced and unreliable. Maybe a low-mileage used Mazda3 would be a good option too? Or a Chevy Sonic?
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Oct 20, 2012 23:04
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nm posted:If it is an auto, I've heard grumblings about that. It's a 5-speed, relatively low miles for a 2002. It's also yellow which might be a deal breaker.
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Oct 20, 2012 23:12
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Weinertron posted:My understand has been that the fuel economy difference in V6 vs V8 muscle cars isn't that huge, I have a friend with a 2009 Bullit who has proven to me that it can do 27 MPG highway and ~22 in mixed driving. I've got ~36 MPG highway out of the V6 when I'm careful about it, and I routinely get 22-24MPG in the city while driving the piss out of it, and basically driving in the exact opposite way you would if you care about fuel economy.
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Oct 21, 2012 01:52
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Rhyno posted:So I'm footsteps away from selling 2 of the 4 cars I was looking to dump so it's reasonable for me to pick up a new DD. Protoge's were highly recommended before when I was looking for the girlfriend and I've been fond of them for a while. Several Protoge5's have popped up locally, all for under $4K so I ask, other than potential rust issues as pointed out by Sockington should I look for anything in particular when checking them out? I have a 2003 automatic Protege5. I bought it a year and three months ago with 49k mi on the clock and have driven it up to 70k now. I can answer any specific questions you might have, look things up in the service manual, etc. Send me a PM or email me at my username at gmail.com.
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Oct 21, 2012 02:51
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I'm in the process of selling my 07 GTI in order to get something with a bit better MPG and have a bit of cash to sit in the bank as I decided to return to university this past September. My budget is 5-6k (Canada). I'm currently eyeing a couple 01-03 TDIs, as they seem to meet my need of being small and efficient on fuel. I'm 6'4", have a giant dog, and like to take off on the weekends during the summer so something that has a fairly large cabin and won't blow up climbing BC highways is a plus. Any others I should be looking at that are comparable?
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Oct 21, 2012 05:58
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renzor posted:I'm in the process of selling my 07 GTI in order to get something with a bit better MPG and have a bit of cash to sit in the bank as I decided to return to university this past September.
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Oct 21, 2012 07:14
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renzor posted:I'm in the process of selling my 07 GTI in order to get something with a bit better MPG and have a bit of cash to sit in the bank as I decided to return to university this past September. How many miles do you drive a year and what's your actual fuel usage with the Mk. 5?
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Oct 21, 2012 15:25
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Apollodorus posted:I'm thinking a Honda Fit might be the best choice. Ford Focus looks good but is a bit out of my price range, and Ford Fiesta seems a little too small. I know the Nissan Versa is cheap, but it screams "uncool" to me and I don't think I'd enjoy driving it. VW Golfs are cool, but everything I've heard makes them seem overpriced and unreliable. Maybe a low-mileage used Mazda3 would be a good option too? Or a Chevy Sonic? Fit, Sonic and Fiesta is what I would consider in this segment. The Focus hatch is 19,6 and you should be able to roll in under that, though Ford doesn't discount as heavily as they once did.
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Oct 21, 2012 15:28
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Proposed Budget: $8k-$25k New or Used: Used, probably recent Body Style: 4 door, midsize. I am open to going smaller or maybe even a bit larger. How will you be using the car?: I will use it to drive places. Literally. Long, long road trips once or twice per year, short drives daily. It will often be just me in it, but I would like to be able to seat 4 people comfortably with a fifth kind of comfortably. I plan on owning and maintaining it for a long time. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? I don't care. More features is always a plus, but there's nothing I prioritize that couldn't be added in easily after buying it. What aspects are most important to you? Reliability, MPG. With respect to MPG, it doesn't have to be the absolute best. I was looking at something like a 2010 Hyundai Sonata. There's nothing too worthwhile in that department available near me, so I should likely look at other similar cars. I'm pretty lost on what to buy. I'm looking to spend on the lower end of my budget, ideally $15k tops, while still getting something with decent gas mileage and reliability. $25k is the budget though, and if there's something new that really fits my criteria I'd be open to it. edit: I drive a 1989 BMW 525i with 220k miles on it right now. It has a thousand problems and needs more work than it's worth to me. Especially after it was keyed twice. It's also way too tight of a fit for me. Super awkward at 6'1. Never had that problem in a more recent car, though, because I'm not fat or freakishly proportioned. Khorne fucked around with this message at 17:54 on Oct 21, 2012 |
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Oct 21, 2012 16:51
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Khorne posted:Proposed Budget: $8k-$25k Hyundai Sonata = Amazing Warranty Mazda 3 = What you are looking for + fun to drive if you get a stick Ford Fiesta = Same as above KIA Soul = Quirky but fits your criteria. There are three used ones locally for under $18K each. Toyota Corolla (BORING) You could easily fund a used new Focus in your budget as well and those are wonderful cars.
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Oct 21, 2012 17:27
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Going to go against Rhyno's grain and nix both the Fiesta and the Soul, since you can't really fit four fullsize adults in those. If you're looking at midsizers, the Camry, Fusion and Accord are also good choices. The late model used car market is kind of hosed right now so it might be worth it to look for MY2012 cars since you can probably get well below invoice on them.
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Oct 21, 2012 18:26
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Going to go against Rhyno's grain and nix both the Fiesta and the Soul, since you can't really fit four fullsize adults in those. Jeremy Clarkson fit 3 Royal Marines into a Fiesta.
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Oct 21, 2012 18:32
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