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Realjones posted:Here's a dumb question I can't seem to find a google answer to: Just went through the process. You need the car sale contract signed and car registered to your name (not neccessary driven off the lot). Then the deal is considered done. I recommend not driving the car off the lot without the financing done. That way it doesn't give the dealer leverage if the financing doesn't go through. Plus it's easier to back out of the car deal.
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Nov 14, 2012 17:34
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Throatwarbler posted:Q: I am a girl and I know literally nothing about cars. Which 4 year old out of warranty VW/Audi should I buy? Works for me  Seriously like everyone is saying I need cars that do/have X/Y/Z or I'll die or whatever, and I'm thinking back to how perfectly adequate that $3000 Kia Sephia I had when I was super poor would be for what I need right now. Seriously I need to drive the drat thing 4 miles a day, and if it breaks down I have mutliple other options to get to where I need to go. The things that make cars good also make them cost more than $10k :P I never thought I'd say this about an American car but if I was looking for a car that I wanted to keep a long time and drive more than 10 minutes a day, I think I'd get a 2013 Dodge Dart, the reviews are glowing as far as handling and driving it goes, it has cool electronic features and I can get it in creamsicle  I'm still holding out for an affordable electric car though.
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Nov 14, 2012 17:55
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Can you clarify "reliability nightmare" because when I think of anything that really meets your needs, they're all going to require an intense amount of preventative maintenance and things will in fact break. Both cars you suggested are obviously quite out of your proposed budget. After owning the car for about a year, it would be a coin toss if my car would actually start. Some days my car would just refuse to start after sitting overnight, or even for as little as four hours. After multiple trips to the dealership and many parts replaced, the issue went away. I assume is was an electrical issue. A few months after that, my windows would act like they were possessed, randomly lowering / raising while driving. Not good for when you're driving in the rain. That took another two months to diagnose and fix. With only 43k miles on the car, the transmission had a "catastrophic failure" (words of the Infiniti tech, not mine). I use the ranger method to cycle in fresh clutch fluid every six months, and paid Infiniti to do a complete flush / refill as part of the recommended 30k maintenance. They also noted that the rack and pinion (on both sides even) have already started to leak. I'm on point with my preventative maintenance, but is it too much for me to ask that my car stay together for atleast 50k? I understand things break, but I feel like this is a bit absurd. quote:I think it's funny that someone with vehicle reliability issues mentions 3 VAG products in the same post as potential new cars. At this point I'm pretty sure anything else would be more than my G37.
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Nov 14, 2012 19:05
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Boten Anna posted:Works for me If you're really going to use the car that little, is it really worth buying anything thats not just a decently maintained econobox? Its not like you're going to get a chance to enjoy or hate anything about the car in that short amount of time.
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Nov 14, 2012 20:14
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kimcicle posted:At this point I'm pretty sure anything else would be more than my G37. You really might want to consider an exorcism, the G35 / 37 have been incredibly reliable cars from everything I've seen and some friends own 2004-2007 ones that have held up great to 100k miles. I want to say the best decision would be fixing your G37, hopefully the stuff that you fix stays fixed. I feel your best best is a used BMW 3-series. Many are out there with manual transmissions, and they're a solid well-understood platform. It'll be less reliable and cost more to maintain than a G37, though.
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Nov 14, 2012 20:48
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kimcicle posted:After owning the car for about a year, it would be a coin toss if my car would actually start. Some days my car would just refuse to start after sitting overnight, or even for as little as four hours. After multiple trips to the dealership and many parts replaced, the issue went away. I assume is was an electrical issue. I think your car must be a flood car that either wasn't totaled or had a washed title. Infinitis generally have reliable electrics. I'd either take it to a better mechanic or trade it on a non-cursed g37. Get a PPI this time.
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Nov 14, 2012 20:52
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I highly doubt that the G37 was a flood car since I purchased it new in May 2008 with 9 miles on the odometer. I'm the only owner, garage kept in Texas (but just recently moved to California). The electrical issues popped up after a year of ownership. I'm starting to accept the fact that my car may be a fluke and once I get the transmission sorted out it may become as reliable as when I first bought the car. I guess I'm jaded by the fact my mom's E-Class is still going strong despite not doing any maintenance on it for 60k miles (aside from the two oil changes I did for it), and my sisters C Class is approaching 100k without breaking a sweat.
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Nov 14, 2012 21:07
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How bad of an idea is a Ferrari Testarossa? '87-88 for $40k.. 
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Nov 14, 2012 22:29
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You might be able to afford the car, but probably not the maintenance. The 3 year or 30K service runs something absurd like 8 to 11K and requires dropping the engine out of the car. Unless your a skilled mechanic and can do the work yourself you can't afford it.
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Nov 14, 2012 22:41
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Ganon posted:How bad of an idea is a Ferrari Testarossa? '87-88 for $40k.. buy buy buy then spend spend spend on maintenance
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Nov 14, 2012 22:51
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I think I made this exact post somewhere in the thread before: Quit rubbing it in you jerk.
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Nov 14, 2012 23:46
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Ganon posted:How bad of an idea is a Ferrari Testarossa? '87-88 for $40k.. If you have a lift in your garage and want the world's coolest project car, buy it. Just realize that it's not fast by modern car standards, a $28k Mustang GT will smoke it in every way. Oh god please buy this thing and post pictures of it. That's a car worth spending endless hours wrenching on just to keep running.
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Nov 14, 2012 23:52
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You guys really think a Testarossa is "the world's coolest project car"?  Maybe if he was going to also drop a 13B or LS1 in it too. Otherwise, he's just some rear end in a top hat spending large amounts of money keeping an old luxury car on the road because he can't afford a newer luxury car. It just seems poseur-ish. I know for $40k I'd much rather buy a reasonable sports car, tires, a helmet, and time on a track to actually tear it up and go fast instead of some beat-up Italian lawn ornament.
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Nov 15, 2012 01:52
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Boten Anna posted:Works for me The New Beetle is in a class of its own when it comes to reliability, and this is also in comparison to its platform mates on the A4 platform, which are some of the least reliable vehicles made. A Testarossa isn't a project car, it's a car that's a project. Key difference. If you love it, and can afford it, buy it. Like Throatwarbler, I'd put my 40k somewhere else, but if it floats your boat, that's really all that matters.
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Nov 15, 2012 05:13
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Budget: ~$20-25k or less, less is better of course New or Used: New preferably Body Style: 4 door Midsize or Compact How will I be using the car: Mostly driving to/from work (a ~20 minute highway commute). Also some road trips every so often, including camping trips Location: New Jersey What aspects are most important to me: Reliability, low maintenance, gas mileage, long lasting, automatic transmission, can handle occasional winter conditions I'll be buying a car for the first time. I was never a big car person, I'm really just looking for something reliable with good gas mileage that will get me to/from work for a long time, basically a 'sensible' car. I'm open to pretty much anything that's a 4 door, but it needs to be able to handle the occasional winter conditions of central NJ. Need an automatic transmission as well
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Nov 16, 2012 17:04
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BigBobio posted:Budget: ~$20-25k or less, less is better of course You can get a base model Subaru Impreza which fulfills all your requirements plus has AWD for the winter. Alternatively there is something like the Hyundai Elantra which doesn't have AWD but gets slightly better highway fuel economy. The Hyundai will probably be a bit cheaper with the same level of equipment, but the Subaru will retain its resale value better down the road, so it's largely a wash.
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Nov 16, 2012 17:19
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BigBobio, there's literally dozens of cars that meet your criteria. Anything else to go on? Any particular style of car you like? Basically every auto manufacturers midsize or compact offering fits your bill. If you really don't care that much just go buy a Toyota Camry in the color you like. Reliable, low maintenance, good gas mileage, holds resale value well. I could write 3000 words about the merits of different models across the line but you should just take a weekend, go to different dealers and sit in and look at different cars until you find one you like more than the others. Hyundai is making some really nice cars right now, as is Ford. The new Chevy compacts and subcompacts are great. The new Dodge Dart is supposed to be a pretty nice car for the money.
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Nov 16, 2012 17:34
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skipdogg posted:BigBobio, there's literally dozens of cars that meet your criteria. Anything else to go on? Any particular style of car you like? Basically every auto manufacturers midsize or compact offering fits your bill. Through work I can get discounted gas, so mpg is a little less important than reliability and low maintenance needs. I don't want something that's constantly breaking down (but I guess, neither does anyone else). But yeah, the choice of car is more a utilitarian one for me than anything else. I used to drive a hand-me-down accord, but that was over 5 years ago. It worked well, but I've read that Hondas are overpriced compared to other equivalent models. At this point, is there really that much of a difference in reliability between the different major brands now as opposed to 15-20 years ago? I'm guessing no?
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Nov 16, 2012 19:21
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BigBobio posted:At this point, is there really that much of a difference in reliability between the different major brands now as opposed to 15-20 years ago? I'm guessing no? Correct, almost any new car that follows the factory scheduled maintenance will run to 150K+ miles easily. Wear items will still wear out and need to be replaced, but the car won't fall apart like some of them back in the 80's and 90's did.
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Nov 16, 2012 20:25
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Since this is so open ended, just get a Dodge Dart because they're cool and I want one but can't justify spending over $20k on a car  They have really cool electronics, and you can get a creamsicle one (orange outside, white inside). Also according to all the reviews they drive well and all that stuff.
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Nov 17, 2012 01:38
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I need to get a second car for my wife so she can get to work and back and do some driving around town in Los Angeles. We were thinking about a new car but got scared off by the whole financing and insurance thing, so we're going to go with something used. I drive a Ford Focus, and we want something similar. We like having ample room for loading it up with poo poo from Ikea or werever from time to time. I'm told Honda Civics are one of the most stolen cars in Los Angeles, so we want to avoid those if possible. Proposed Budget: $3000 - $4000 New or Used: Used Body Style: Something smaller, like a hatchback How will you be using the car?: ~20 minute commutes in Los Angeles/Hollywood and some brief highway driving. What aspects are most important to you? Safety, trunk space, being able to drop it off anywhere for repairs (no obscure foreign parts), Automatic transmission Also, what's the common protocol for getting a car inspected? Do I check out the car and then just tell the owner where to take it? Do I arrange things with the mechanic first?
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Nov 17, 2012 20:46
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I'd recommend another focus. CA got the 2.3 PZEV motor, which is excellent in older models. As for a PPI, find the shop. How it gets there is owner's choice. Some deliver it themselves. Other have you do it with a deposit.
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Nov 17, 2012 23:38
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I ended up getting a yellow beetle, a 2002.  The one I was planning on getting was sold by the time we could get there, but I found another one! It is fun as h*ck to drive and whatever it takes to maintain it shouldn't be too bad considering it was only $5k. More than that I'm relieved to be done with going to car lots. Car salesmen are the worst, ugh. It's so tiring when they won't let you leave when you keep telling them they don't have what you're looking for. I also visited lots today where like nobody came out to help or even high pressure sales us at all, and another where it was obviously like the owner's son who didn't want to be there on Saturday morning and was really unhelpful It was fun never giving any of them a solid number on what I want "my payment" to be and watching them squirm though 
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Nov 18, 2012 02:43
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Boten Anna posted:I ended up getting a yellow beetle, a 2002. You are the best poster. Please tell us it was the 1.8T.
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Nov 18, 2012 02:48
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what the gently caress
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Nov 18, 2012 20:24
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So is that the second or third person in recent history of this thread that ended up buying a Beetle against all sane advice? Why do people even ask for advice if they're just going to ignore it?
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Nov 18, 2012 22:10
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Guinness posted:So is that the second or third person in recent history of this thread that ended up buying a Beetle against all sane advice? Why do people even ask for advice if they're just going to ignore it? Yeah, why isn't don't buy a new beetle not in the op?
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Nov 18, 2012 22:46
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Guinness posted:So is that the second or third person in recent history of this thread that ended up buying a Beetle against all sane advice? Why do people even ask for advice if they're just going to ignore it? Goons don't want advice. They want people to validate their questionable decisions.
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Nov 18, 2012 23:30
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Oxford Comma posted:Goons don't want advice. They want people to validate their questionable decisions. To be fair, it's not just goons. It's pretty much all advice-takers everywhere. "I know what I want to do; can you please agree with me that I should do it?"
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Nov 19, 2012 00:24
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I was always for buying the Beetle. The only person against it was KYOON who works for Ford and is just trying to flog the Focus. So at best she got advice that wasn't 100% unanimous. Look, I'm going to steal a line from a car review somewhere about German cars. There are 2 ways you can measure your car experience, "Things gone wrong" and "Things gone right". Sometimes You buy a car and have a great time because the latter exceeds the former and the net experience is is still more positive than if nothing ever went wrong. She and Rhyno's wife obviously love the Beetle and know what they are getting into, so why all the berating?
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Nov 19, 2012 00:51
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How much does it cost to own a car, taking into consideration costs like maintenance, insurance, etc.?
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Nov 19, 2012 01:08
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Throatwarbler posted:I was always for buying the Beetle. The only person against it was KYOON who works for Ford and is just trying to flog the Focus. So at best she got advice that wasn't 100% unanimous. The problem is that it is a 2002 MKIV (not a 2004 or something). A pretty terrible year for VW. They aren't even as nice inside as a MKIV Golf in my opinion.
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Nov 19, 2012 01:31
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If someone posted "I want my car to be cute and fun, what should I buy?" I would totally recommend the New Beetle. However, when someone says "I want a reliable A to B commuter which is good on gas!" I will not recommend a New Beetle. I strongly doubt that people actually know what they're getting in to when they get a New Beetle, but that's neither here nor there. I don't work for Ford
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Nov 19, 2012 02:17
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In her initial post she was asking about buying a SMART, which then turned into a salvage Kia Rio. You can't win them all, people don't have their minds changed overnight, just appreciate the small victories when you can get them.
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Nov 19, 2012 02:19
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Throatwarbler posted:In her initial post she was asking about buying a SMART, which then turned into a salvage Kia Rio. You can't win them all, people don't have their minds changed overnight, just appreciate the small victories when you can get them. I think I'm like 0-fer other than the people I've told to buy a Prius. Hey everyone go buy a loving Prius.
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Nov 19, 2012 02:25
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What are your thoughts on the 2012 Subaru Legacy? I heard some diverging opinions before purchasing mine, but I have to say I love it.
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Nov 19, 2012 02:55
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Safe and Secure! posted:How much does it cost to own a car, taking into consideration costs like maintenance, insurance, etc.? Kelley Blue Book has a TCO calculator that will estimate the 5 year total cost of ownership for a vehicle. It's pretty useful
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Nov 19, 2012 03:31
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Safe and Secure! posted:How much does it cost to own a car, Somwehere between zero dollars and thirty million dollars. quote:taking into consideration costs like maintenance, Somewhere between a hundred dollars a year and a million dollars a year quote:insurance, quote:etc.? Somewhere between zero dollars a year and a million dollars a year. Hope that helps. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Nov 19, 2012 03:36
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Guinness posted:So is that the second or third person in recent history of this thread that ended up buying a Beetle against all sane advice? Why do people even ask for advice if they're just going to ignore it? I didn't buy it! The girl bought it herself!
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Nov 19, 2012 04:45
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faarcyde posted:What are your thoughts on the 2012 Subaru Legacy? I heard some diverging opinions before purchasing mine, but I have to say I love it. They're fine, if a little big. The 05-09 was just right (which is why I own one). The 6MT (which is not related to the STI 6 speed) may be a problem in turbo cars, but with the non-turbo it will be fine. Everyone's curious to see how long term CVT reliability will be, but they haven't been bad so far.
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Nov 19, 2012 08:58
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