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Proposed Budget: Decked out in options no more than 32,000ish but 26,000 would be better if we could find everything we want. New or Used: New probably 2014 is what we will order but we are looking at the 2013's until fall when the 2014's will be released. Body Style: 4 door or 3 door like the Veloster How will you be using the car?: Commuter with 200 mile drives on the weekend to the beach. Married couple with no kids and no plans to have kids. What aspects are most important to you? We need: moonroof, navigation, sporty look, back up camera, would be nice to have leather and heated seats. As much tech as possible! We have been considering the 2014 Veloster Turbo, and the Ford Fusion Hybrid and regular gas version. I really don't know where to go on this, we want the most technology for our money but not a huge price tag. It's also difficult because we are currently living overseas so we can't test drive a lot of cars but we want to have our new car waiting for us when we come back to the states this next winter. Help!
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Mar 15, 2013 11:29
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pokie posted:Oh, I am a dumbass. V6 doesn't even come with manual. For some reason I thought that R/T was V6 too. It's not. I actually meant to ask about the difference between R/T and SRT8. It's a difference of 100 hp and $10k. I could afford it, I guess, but am not sure it would be worth it. I'm a big Chrysler apologist so this is a great excuse for me to post a wall of text but I've never liked any iteration of the Challenger. The styling just doesn't work for me since I'm not an old white guy, and it doesn't fit with anything else in the Dodge lineup. I don't really like the styling of the Charger either, to me the best interpretation of the Dodge design language is the Durango. That the V6 is automatic only is kind of a deal breaker. The other 2 V6 pony cars at least allow you the small dignity of a 6 speed manual but your only choice with the Challenger is a slushbox from a 15 year old E-class (or in earlier models, an A604 from a 20 year old Caravan). That being said, if you can get over those things it's really not as "unreasonable" as the others here are making it out to be. The Mustang CAN be cheaper if you only get the tiny wheels, manual seats, manual fan controls and 2.73 rear, a Mustang V6 premium and a Challenger SXT are about the same price. All 3 pony cars really end up costing about the same, more or less, depending on how much the dealer feels like keeping them on the lot, and if you step up to the V8 they all have 6 speed manual transmissions, you can't really say any one of them is unequivically cheaper or more expensive. Yes, the Challenger is heavier and slower than the other 2, that's because the Challenger is a larger car with more usable back seats and trunk, it's like 10" longer than a Mustang. Some people, like yourself, might just want to sacrifice some speed for that. It hardly makes the Challenger an inferior offering like the AI Ford apologists claim. None of these cars are particularly expensive even compared to anything else on the market either. The Accord Coupe with the 180hp I4 starts at pretty close to the price of a V6 pony car, the V6 starts at 30k, i.e. pretty close to a V8 pony car. The new Accord is a great car, and even the 5 cylinder is alarmingly fast for what it is, but I hardly think it's more "reasonable" a choice, unless fuel economy was your top priority in which case I doubt a Challenger or Mustang would ever enter consideration.
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Mar 15, 2013 13:28
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Mean Bean posted:Proposed Budget: Decked out in options no more than 32,000ish but 26,000 would be better if we could find everything we want. You're willing to drop 30k+ on something you won't test drive first? It's not like this is a limited run car where you don't have an opportunity.
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Mar 15, 2013 13:38
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Proposed Budget: Sub $20K USD. New or Used: Used Body Style: Sedan or hatch/wagon How will you be using the car?: Commute to work, and carting (future) kids around. What aspects are most important to you? I'd really, really, like AWD, as I live in snowy MA. Hatch/wagon to cart around poo poo (new homeowner). Turbo/supercharged is a plus. Is a Subaru the only option I have here? I currently drive a '10 GTI (coupe) and looking to upgrade to a 4dr something.
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Mar 15, 2013 14:31
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Bovril Delight posted:You're willing to drop 30k+ on something you won't test drive first? It's not like this is a limited run car where you don't have an opportunity. If we want to pre-order the car it would have to be before we reached the states, most cars should be found in Europe as well though so I'm not worrying too much about it. Just saying there isn't a dealership on every corner like there would be in the states carrying exactly what we are looking at.
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Mar 15, 2013 14:43
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pokie posted:Oh, I am a dumbass. V6 doesn't even come with manual. For some reason I thought that R/T was V6 too. It's not. I actually meant to ask about the difference between R/T and SRT8. It's a difference of 100 hp and $10k. I could afford it, I guess, but am not sure it would be worth it. You might find that the R/T is enough and the SRT8 is overkill. 10k for 100 extra horses is cool until you think about the 20 seconds of every year you'll care about that, unless you really care then go for it. However, the SRT8 has larger brakes, which I think is an underrated improvement and I believe a different suspension which may ride better or you might find it too harsh. Test drive both and see if the SRT8 inspires you. Also, you could always get an R/T and then put some of the difference towards aftermarket parts, get a growly exhaust or an aluminum skull shaped shift knob. It might be more fun to own a slower R/T that you've customized a little over a faster but factory stock SRT8. Buying car parts is about the same as putting your money in a pile and lighting it on fire, but as long as you don't go insane I think its justifiable as part of your entertainment budget. That last part is some of my own bias because I was toying with the idea of buying a challenger R/T and doing some minor appearance and exhaust stuff. http://www.mopar.com/catalog/
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Mar 15, 2013 16:31
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The rt is probably enough. I haven't driven an srt-8 though.
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Mar 15, 2013 20:14
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The rt is probably enough. I haven't driven an srt-8 though.
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Mar 15, 2013 20:20
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Proposed Budget: 25k New or Used: Preferably new Body Style: 2 door is acceptable but more would be better, compact (ideally shorter than 170inches) How will you be using the car?: Commuting to work, not especially long. Regular driving. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?: Luxury in name? No. Do I want a bunch of gizmos? Yep. What aspects are most important to you?: Right now I drive a GT Mustang, and it's fun and totally awesome, but I want something smaller that gets better MPG. In addition, I'm moving to downtown in Chicago within the next year and I want something significantly smaller and more easily maneuverability around the city. I would also prefer it still look a little cool. Also, nav, backup camera, heated seats, blutooth, my car talking to me, etc... An example of something that caught my eye is the Hyundai Veloster Turbo. Thanks! HiddenReplaced fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Mar 16, 2013 |
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Mar 16, 2013 01:42
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Starting a new job, in a week and one of the "perks" is I am being put on the Runzhiemer program. I am sorting through this program now, best i can tell is they are going to give me a fixed cost that covers a loan payment insurance and standard maintenance and then pay 23 cents a mile for business miles and as long as 75% of total miles are business related it is tax free. I do have to replace the vehicle every 3 years so I am concerned about depreciation They gave me a list of approved cars, and from my napkin math, i figure I am around 40 grand or so on a loan that will be doable with the monthly payments they are giving me. I live in Chicago and going to be driving a lot (est 40k miles a year) in the Midwest winters so as far as sedans go I am thinking awd a must. The list of approved models is as follows, but i am leaning heavily towards the Taurus SHO, as it seems to spoil my inner d-bag who still misses his mustang gt and nice enough to accommodate all the time behind the wheel this job is going to take. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApM1wMAVY5C3dFRfVWk0aXJzb2Jna3Q1UU41MU5FUmc&usp=sharing
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Mar 16, 2013 03:03
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Let's see if I understand everything here. Presumably if you have this thing you are going to be driving a lot of miles for work, you get a fixed amount for mileage you you want the highest possible mpgs, and depreciation is a concern. The car list looks like it was made in 2005 so you might want to confirm exactly what they will approve. Your best bet on that list that get the best mileage with the lowest depreciation is either a Prius or a diesel, which on that list are the Passat, A3 or Touareg. The diesel Touareg is like $50k so that's out, I would be leaning towards the Passat, it's huge and has more useful space than the Prius, gets marginally better crash test ratings, and the diesel with a 6 speed manual can be fun to drive too. EDIT: Oh right missed the part about AWD. Yeah I dunno, you probably don't need AWD? v  v
Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Mar 16, 2013 |
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Mar 16, 2013 03:21
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I am gonna be commuting to school about 3 days a week, about 100 miles a trip. My current car has 215K on the odo, it's a 1997 Honda Accord 4 cylinder. So far in the 7 years I have owned it it hasn't given me any problems, I check the oil, transmission fluid often and change it, check my tires. Is it feasible that the car will last till I get done with school? Ladyfriend wants me to get a Prius for that long commute.
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Mar 16, 2013 03:32
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Mean Bean posted:Proposed Budget: Decked out in options no more than 32,000ish but 26,000 would be better if we could find everything we want. I would say go for a 2014 Mazda6 or wait for the Skyactiv-D engines to come so you can see if you like the gas or diesel engine. The 2014 is a seriously nice car: http://mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=modelsMain&vehicleCode=M6G e: quick rant, why do manufactures put poo poo like HIDs on their top trim only and then make it not possible to get with a stick? 
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Mar 16, 2013 04:11
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b0nes posted:I am gonna be commuting to school about 3 days a week, about 100 miles a trip. Is it feasible that the car will last till I get done with school? What program/duration is the school? Have you been maintaining the car on the prescribed schedule, extrapolating the maintenance intervals as needed?
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Mar 16, 2013 04:35
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kimbo305 posted:What program/duration is the school? Yes.
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Mar 16, 2013 11:36
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b0nes posted:I am gonna be commuting to school about 3 days a week, about 100 miles a trip. My current car has 215K on the odo, it's a 1997 Honda Accord 4 cylinder. So far in the 7 years I have owned it it hasn't given me any problems, I check the oil, transmission fluid often and change it, check my tires. Is it feasible that the car will last till I get done with school? Ladyfriend wants me to get a Prius for that long commute. It's quite feasible. If you want to feel extra safe, you can pay $25 to have an oil analysis done every oil change, and see if your wear metals are out of bounds. http://www.blackstone-labs.com/
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Mar 17, 2013 00:22
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b0nes posted:Yes. How many years is your school? At 4 years, maybe. At 7 years, maybe not.
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Mar 17, 2013 01:05
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Here's my deal: I'm coming back from an Army deployment later this fall, and looking to buy a new car. My last car was a Chevy Aveo which was a decent car, but a bit too small (and my budget is way higher now). I'm looking at all available midsize cars, but there are so many options I just have no idea what I'm really looking for. Proposed Budget: Somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000. I have wiggle room on the budget, I can probably go as high as $25,000 New or Used: Used, either 2012 or 2013 model year, preferably with less than 10,000 miles and the factory warrant intact. Body Style: (e.g. 2 door? 4 door? Compact/Midsize/Fullsize Sedan? Truck? SUV?) 4 door mid-size sedan or a little smaller. 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? ) I plan to use it primarily for commuting to and from work / school. I won't have a very long commute, but I go on road trips quite a bit (up to 700 miles one way sometimes) so fuel economy is very important. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? I like a lot of gizmos, but I plan on sinking around $2,000 into a new stereo, subwoofer, amp, and mount an Android tablet to the dash in place of the original car stereo. What aspects are most important to you? (e.g. reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, import/domestic, MPG, size, style) Interior styling / materials, fuel economy, and resale value are all pretty important to me. I plan to hold onto this car for around 3 - 5 years and then resell it when I am comfortable with where I'm at in my career (when I can get my Camero I've wanted for a long time). 3. If you do not live in the U.S. you should probably say so because what's available can vary a lot. I live in the U.S.
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Mar 17, 2013 07:28
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You've got a sizeable budget and you're looking at one of the largest, most competitive segments. I can't think of a true stinker out there (except perhaps Mitsubishi, because they're being lazy). Also, don't write off new. With your budget and that segment, you may be able to get enough of a good deal by haggling / better interest rates on financing to make new actually a better choice. One and two year old used car prices have been jacked up for a while now. At the very least there's the 2014 Mazda6 to consider.
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Mar 17, 2013 07:36
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ryan_woody posted:Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? I like a lot of gizmos, but I plan on sinking around $2,000 into a new stereo, subwoofer, amp, and mount an Android tablet to the dash in place of the original car stereo. Note that this is harder in certain cars because the radio and HVAC systems are integrated. On my car, to do it properly, you're $700 in the hole just to get a DIN slot if you want your AC to work. Also, modern car stereos are so much better than you got 10 years ago (or in any aveo). If you really want to do something like this, you need to figure out what still has standard DIN slots.
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Mar 17, 2013 08:29
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nm posted:Note that this is harder in certain cars because the radio and HVAC systems are integrated. On my car, to do it properly, you're $700 in the hole just to get a DIN slot if you want your AC to work. Thanks for the heads-up, it would suck to get a car only to find this out afterwards. What website / resource can I use to look this up? Is there any further advice you can give me going forward? Ultimately I may decide against the tablet idea (though I want to do it really badly), but I'm positive that I'm at least going to upgrade everything as my last car had two 12 inch sub woofers, upgraded Alpine speakers, etc. I can't see going back for any extended period of time.
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Mar 17, 2013 16:08
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HiddenReplaced posted:Proposed Budget: 25k The Nissan Juke has also caught my eye, if anyone cares to weigh in.
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Mar 18, 2013 04:57
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Some Zero posted:Starting a new job, in a week and one of the "perks" is I am being put on the Runzhiemer program. You're going to want something comfy, quiet, and easy to maintain. 3 years and 120,000 miles is going to put a huge hurting on anything you buy when it comes to resale value. If I was in your position I'd go with the Lexus ES or Toyota Avalon personally for maximum resale value and comfyness. If you're not concerned with resale, I'd then go Taurus Limited/SHO or whatever mid/full sized Buick is on the list. The Genesis might be worth a look as well. I'm personally not a fan of Nissan/Infiniti vehicles. They're very nice, just not my cup of tea. Honestly go drive them. You're going to be spending a ton of time in them, you'll find very quickly creature comforts and a nice quiet interior to be the most important thing to you. Make sure you account for maintenance costs as well. Tires are expensive, as is factory recommended major service.
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Mar 18, 2013 17:58
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Proposed Budget: Looking at around 19-24k, give or take some. New or Used: 2012-2013 model year Body Style: 4 door sedan How will you use the car: 90 mile round trip to work 6 days a week, occasional road trips across Virginia, so I'll be putting a lot of mileage on it Luxury car with gizmos: I love gizmos, I'd like the car to have as much tech as possible What's important: I drive an SUV right now and the gas is killing me. I live in Virginia, so while it does occasionally snow heavily, it's not that often and I have a truck I can take to work in that case. Reliability is very important to me as well. I've been looking at a 2013 Dodge Dart fully loaded, although I will freely admit that it might be all the gizmos and some of the commercials drawing me in, so that's why I'm coming here for a sanity check. A local dealership that my family has a pretty good relationship with also has a 2012 Mazda 3 that they suggested as an alternative, but it doesn't catch my eye as much and doesn't seem to have all the bells and whistles that the Dart has. I'm planning to go test drive both of them this week, but I figured I'd ask here to see if anyone had other suggestions or experiences with the ones I'm looking at. Thanks in advance!
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Mar 19, 2013 04:04
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2014 Mazda6
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Mar 19, 2013 04:45
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I like the Mazda6 and am lukewarm about the Dart but if tech and gizmos are your thing then the Dart is unquestionably the segment leader right now. You can get it with a heated steering wheel, blindspot monitoring, dual zone AC, stuff that you only got on luxury cars 5 years ago, and the uConnect system with the 8.4" screen is widely regarded by the mags as the best system on the market, for any price. I think it helps that Chrysler has basically outsourced the nav interface to Garmin. http://blog.caranddriver.com/chrysler-introduces-updates-to-uconnect-infotainment-system/ http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/09/chrysler-uconnect-wins-aol-autos-tech-of-the-year/ http://www.leftlanenews.com/spotlight-on-chrysler-uconnect.html http://www.edmunds.com/about/press/dodge-charger-wins-edmundscoms-2012-breakthrough-technology-award.html The Hyundai Elantra comes pretty close to the feature list, and it's the only one in the segment to offer heated rear seats too. Mazdas have great suspension and manual transmissions, but never had very good in-car tech so I doubt they would move you much.
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Mar 19, 2013 05:20
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Proposed Budget: $35-45K CDN New or Used: New preferable Body Style: Flexible, 2 door, 4 door or hatch How will you be using the car?: Daily commuter (30m in the city) but something fun to drive on the weekend with a great exhaust note Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos: Not necessary, but a good stereo with an iPod hookup is good What aspects are most important to you? This is a second vehicle and I have an SUV for lugging the kids around with my wife, so I want something that is great to drive in the summer, can handle a Winnipeg winter (AWD, AWD, AWD!) and good reliability. A/T if possible because the wife can't drive a stick. Contenders: 328i Xdrive, WRX/STI, Lancer Ralliart, G37X (used), Focus ST?
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Mar 19, 2013 05:32
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TKIY posted:Proposed Budget: $35-45K CDN I doubt you'll like the exhaust on the Subaru very much, Boxer engines are just like that, and the STi is manual only. The Lancer Ralliart is slow as gently caress and you might as well stretch and get the Evo. How about a 09-10-ish Audi S5 coupe? The VAG 4.2l V8 has a pretty nice exhaust. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Mar 19, 2013 |
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Mar 19, 2013 05:48
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Throatwarbler posted:I like the Mazda6 and am lukewarm about the Dart but if tech and gizmos are your thing then the Dart is unquestionably the segment leader right now. You can get it with a heated steering wheel, blindspot monitoring, dual zone AC, stuff that you only got on luxury cars 5 years ago, and the uConnect system with the 8.4" screen is widely regarded by the mags as the best system on the market, for any price. I think it helps that Chrysler has basically outsourced the nav interface to Garmin. Thanks for the help! I'm definitely going to add the Mazda6 and the Elantra to the test drive list.
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Mar 19, 2013 07:28
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Throatwarbler posted:I doubt you'll like the exhaust on the Subaru very much, Boxer engines are just like that, and the STi is manual only. The Lancer Ralliart is slow as gently caress and you might as well stretch and get the Evo. I'm a big fan of Audi styling and I know they are on the roads year-round here. Maybe I'll look in to them. Surprising that the Ralliart would be slow. On paper it looks decent. Sadly I'm mostly in love with the RWD coupes in the price range (Genesis GT, 370Z, BRZ) but I know I'll be kicking myself the first time we get a heavy snow and there are 6" deep ice ruts on the road for a month. Edit: Just looked at inventory here on S5s, 2012 w/ 5k for $74k and a 2010 w/ 35k for $57k. Ouch. TKIY fucked around with this message at 15:07 on Mar 19, 2013 |
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Mar 19, 2013 14:06
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I have a question about a car I already own. I bought a 2004 BMW 330Ci at CarMax about 2.5 years ago. I owe roughly what the trade in value on the car is now. I just got a substantial raise at work and plan on buying a different used car probably around the end of this year at the soonest, but probably within 12 months from now. My question is, would it be better to start paying off the loan faster so I owe less on the loan, or would it be better to just save up that money I would be using to pay it off and make a bigger down payment on a car purchased later? Or I could do a little of column A, little of column B.
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Mar 19, 2013 18:57
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GentlemanofLeisure posted:I have a question about a car I already own. I bought a 2004 BMW 330Ci at CarMax about 2.5 years ago. I owe roughly what the trade in value on the car is now. I just got a substantial raise at work and plan on buying a different used car probably around the end of this year at the soonest, but probably within 12 months from now. It depends on the interest rate you're paying now, and the interest rate you'll pay on the car you buy. You'll want to put your cash towards the higher of the two. I'd suggest you get a quote from your bank or a credit union for a used car loan for the amount you intend to buy at the end of the year, but interest rates could change a lot between now and then so that quote wouldn't really tell you much. You just got a raise: once your first car is paid off, you'll have more money per month and be in a better position to budget for your new car. If the loan on that new car is slightly higher, OK, but your new income will be affecting your credit rating in a year (whereas right now it's not) so maybe you'd qualify for a slightly better interest rate, depending on how your credit looks right now. But other things could affect your rating, and if your credit is already good this may have no effect at all. Between the two options, and without anything else to go on, I tend to favor paying off debts first, then accumulating cash for purchases second. Being more debt-free = more better than, in general. Makes your financial life more flexible, so you can better handle life's little (and major) setbacks. Of course all of this is assuming you have already accumulated a reasonable emergency fund. If you don't have at least three to six months' expenses saved (including rent/mortgage), do that first before putting extra money into cars. e. I just realized you might mean you intend to sell your BMW and replace it; I was assuming you meant you'd be buying a second car. If you are going to sell the BMW, paying it off gives you more flexibility and makes it easier to sell private-party. Which is what you should do to get better value from it, since trade-in is usually a worse deal. If you can't pay it off in 12 months, maybe you are paying too much money for your cars, because you've already had this car for 2.5 years, and you just got a raise too. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Mar 19, 2013 |
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Mar 19, 2013 19:07
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Check your loan payoff terms. On my Chase loans, paying them sooner has the benefit of charging less interest, so if you have extra money and no pressing need for it, pay the car off. Leperflesh is absolutely right, it's a lot easier to sell the car if there's no lien on it (especially if you decide to go private party instead of trading it in).
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Mar 19, 2013 19:14
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Ok, thanks. And yeah, I would be selling/trading in the current car towards the purchase of a different one. I think based on what you've both said, I'll pay the loan down faster, sounds like it will give me the best benefit/flexibility.
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Mar 19, 2013 19:37
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Hey I'm helping a friend buy a car again soon Proposed Budget: 3-4k, shopping around for a long time is okay. New or Used: Used Body Style: Wagon or sedan How will you be using the car?: He delivers pizzas and he's a rave promoter/bitch/etc. He hauls around a car full of people, or a car full of DJ gear regularly. And he commutes/drives a lot. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?): I don't think he really cares, if anything the less poo poo to go wrong the better. What aspects are most important to you? A lot of room to haul around a lot of stuff. Something that will hold up to getting driven a lot. Reliability and a low cost of ownership are probably more important than gas mileage but both should be a factor. He basically needs a cheap reliable workhorse wagon or sedan. Another friend and I are going to teach him how to maintain a car & such so something that isn't a complete headache to work on would be nice, for my own sake  He would really really really prefer it to be a manual transmission. He's in the US I recommended him a Volvo 240 wagon but I'd like to hear what else you guys might think would fit the bill. If it makes any difference he has a VR6 from a jetta with 100k miles lying around In fact I think he has an entire late 80s jetta GLI lying around, but he's convinced it's too far gone to be worth repairing. Personally I don't agree but he said he'd rather buy another jetta and start over if he was going down that road. To be fair every single thing that could possibly go wrong with it unrelated to the engine, is wrong with it, including every electrical gremlin imaginable on an 80s era VW. Drunken Lullabies fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Mar 20, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 15:36
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Proposed Budget: $19 - $24,000 New or Used:New Body Style: 4-Door Compact or Midsize Sedan How will you be using the car?  aily city commuterWhat aspects are most important to you? Reliability and total cost of ownership, followed by comfort & styling I've been considering three cars - The 2013 Elantra, Corolla LE, and Fusion S or SE. The things that appeal to me with these models are: Elantra: Cost, favorable reviews, the warranty, and styling. Corolla: Cost, proven reliability Fusion: Domestic make, styling, favorable reviews I definitely would prefer a car with a timing chain rather than a belt, thats probably the only "must have" I'm looking for. I'm also curious about whats in store for the 2014 Corolla as I've read it may be getting an overhaul, and am considering holding out for it. However, I drive a 1996 Mitsubishi Galant now (original owner) and its pretty much past due for some major repairs -- timing belt, suspension and head gasket. So yeah, I'm not really feeling the urge to have that work done on a car closing in on 200k miles. (I will add that it has been a pretty reliable car though.)
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Mar 20, 2013 19:54
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Drunken Lullabies posted:Hey I'm helping a friend buy a car again soon The best you can do is probably some kind of former fleet vehicle that has high miles but has been maintained properly. A Dodge Caravan sounds like it would suit your needs best, but I don't think many fleets used them other than cabs. After that, ex-police cars, probably a Crown Vic but maybe also Impala, depending on where you live. Chrysler LH cars are also a good bet. Obviously none of these are going to "reliable" compared to anything newer so you'll have to do some research to understand each car's weakpoints and shop accordingly. It helps that these are all cars that sold in huge numbers of many years, so parts and the knowledge to fix them should be abundant and cheap. lotion posted:Proposed Budget: $19 - $24,000 If you click the question mark beside my AV you'll see a bunch of previous discussion about relatively the same subject. I'll point out that you're probably the first person to serious look at the Corolla though, since even none car people seem to realize that it's hopelessly outclassed by everything else on the market. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Mar 21, 2013 |
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Mar 20, 2013 23:59
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Drunken Lullabies posted:Hey I'm helping a friend buy a car again soon Old plastic saturns are pretty reliable. $3k would get you the best condition Saturn SL2 in the world.
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Mar 21, 2013 06:13
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Throatwarbler posted:The best you can do is probably some kind of former fleet vehicle that has high miles but has been maintained properly. A Dodge Caravan sounds like it would suit your needs best, but I don't think many fleets used them other than cabs. After that, ex-police cars, probably a Crown Vic but maybe also Impala, depending on where you live. Chrysler LH cars are also a good bet. Obviously none of these are going to "reliable" compared to anything newer so you'll have to do some research to understand each car's weakpoints and shop accordingly. It helps that these are all cars that sold in huge numbers of many years, so parts and the knowledge to fix them should be abundant and cheap. The only thing that would hold me back is that I would imagine by the time the Post Office looks at a vehicle and says, "wow... this is a real piece of poo poo. We should auction this one.", that is one WORN-OUT vehicle.
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Mar 21, 2013 07:22
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photomikey posted:The post office had about a million custom Ford Windstars with no back seats and cages on the back windows, they are rotating them out and auctioning them, you can find them on various low budget car lots and on e-bay. They were going for $1k-$2k the last time I looked (about 1.5 years ago). I almost bought one, and spent $6k on a used Chevy Express 2500 instead. Ford Windstar/Freestars all had massive transmission problems due to various manufacturing defects. They were eventually forced by the NHTSA to recall and replace pretty much every single one they sold in 2004-05, but the problem was very common throughout the whole life cycle. It wasn't a maintainance thing either, they were just straight up badly built junk. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/11/us-ford-recall-idUSTRE80A1QX20120111 On the other hand what kind of mileages do these postal vans have? Maybe you can count on survivor bias and figure that if it's a high mileage unit and the trans hasn't poo poo itself yet, maybe it's one of those cream puffs built on a wednesday that will actuall hold up.
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Mar 21, 2013 07:55
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