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plushpuffin posted:(2 door sedan, 28,000 miles after 9 years) Cleaning is going to vary, but unless you missed a zero on that mileage, twice a year is plenty often to be changing the oil if you're only doing 3100 miles per year. Three month oil changes are straight up bullshit, and even Bob's Discount Slightly Used Motor Oil is good for at least 3000 miles. The only thing that would have me hesitate a bit on a Prius for you is the fact that you drive so little, the mileage might never pay off over a comparably-equipped non-hybrid... but the car is built so well for your use case that if you like it and can afford it, it's a great choice. I'm pretty sure a new Prius will tell you when it needs oil changes - and you'd seriously be looking at probably one change per year with your driving habits.
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Feb 3, 2014 17:39
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plushpuffin posted:Thank you for the responses. I like a smooth and quiet ride, and when I took the Camry and Jetta up on the highway and down a badly paved street, there seemed to be a lot of road noise and bumpiness. I'm not a car person so it's all subjective and probably not even objectively true compared to the M6 and Altima, but I felt substantially less comfortable driving them. Better tires will fix that
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Feb 3, 2014 19:39
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an skeleton posted:Homes in Texas, Houston in particular, are hella cheap (relatively). Not sure I'd recommend the move, though I've never lived in the Northeast. Really? You guys think that's a bad deal for 4500, even if it checks out with mechanics? I wouldn't trust it, no way to know how good/thoughtful the guy(s) working on it were and what possibly dangerous problems may pop up.
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Feb 3, 2014 22:11
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plushpuffin posted:Thank you for the responses. I like a smooth and quiet ride, and when I took the Camry and Jetta up on the highway and down a badly paved street, there seemed to be a lot of road noise and bumpiness. I'm not a car person so it's all subjective and probably not even objectively true compared to the M6 and Altima, but I felt substantially less comfortable driving them. Give the Chevrolet Cruze / Sonic a shot. If you really care about road noise and a smooth/quiet ride, the Buick Verano is probably right up your alley. It's a nicer Cruze. You should be able to get one somewhere near invoice price, decently optioned for about 25K. You could also perhaps swing a Regal which is somewhat bigger. Take a look at the Acura ILX towards the top of your price range. You should also look at the Accord if you are in the market for a midsizer.
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Feb 3, 2014 22:20
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I feel like we should update the basic rules of buying a car again. Rule 1: Do Not Buy A Salvage Titled Car (unless you really, really know what you're doing) Rule 2: Do Not Buy A Modded Car (unless you really, really know what you're doing). Corollary: mods decrease the value of a car. Rule 3: Just Buy A Prius Already
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Feb 3, 2014 22:22
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IOwnCalculus posted:Cleaning is going to vary, but unless you missed a zero on that mileage, twice a year is plenty often to be changing the oil if you're only doing 3100 miles per year. Three month oil changes are straight up bullshit, and even Bob's Discount Slightly Used Motor Oil is good for at least 3000 miles. With stop/start it's important to use matching factory spec oil at interval due to some additional stress on the engine, especially in cold climates. I believe my dad's Altima hybrid, which was a licensed Toyota system, had a five thousand mile interval and used a somewhat uncommon synthetic oil. Can't remember what the rating was, off hand. But yeah, if you're rollin 3K a year you can change your oil on an annual basis.
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Feb 3, 2014 22:26
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I feel like we should update the basic rules of buying a car again. You can probably strip the "unless..." from 1 and 2 because if you have to ask, you don't know what you're doing. And yeah... it's the only thing that makes a CR-V seem vaguely exciting, but it's cheap as all hell to own. KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:With stop/start it's important to use matching factory spec oil at interval due to some additional stress on the engine, especially in cold climates. Completely agreed here. If you're going to spend the very large (relatively speaking) amount of money to buy a new car, spend the very small amount of money to buy the correct oil (or have it serviced at a place that uses said oil). If your manufacturer calls out a specific certification (like GM and Dexeos) then use it. Especially when you're talking about driving ~3k miles per year, that's chump change.
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Feb 3, 2014 22:34
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IOwnCalculus posted:The only thing that would have me hesitate a bit on a Prius for you is the fact that you drive so little, the mileage might never pay off over a comparably-equipped non-hybrid... but the car is built so well for your use case that if you like it and can afford it, it's a great choice. This is a good point, and I feel that I wouldn't get much benefit from a Prius considering how short my drives usually are and how long it would take to make back the investment in mileage. I just test drove a Ford Focus, and I really liked it. It handled well and it had a lot of options in the base model (but since I am in Buffalo, I am of course adding the winter package). I think it's cool that it seems to bundle in as standard or at very little additional cost options that you pay for on the Altima/etc at $10,000 more. Thank you all for your input, I really appreciate it.
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Feb 4, 2014 02:20
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If most of your drives are short and in-town type driving, you'll actually benefit more from the hybrid powertrain. Highway driving sees relatively little benefit for hybrid vehicles. Anyhow go to a Buick store and check out my suggestions! I swear to God Buicks aren't just for old people any more. Also thought of the Impreza. Not sure if that was mentioned.
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Feb 4, 2014 02:35
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plushpuffin posted:This is a good point, and I feel that I wouldn't get much benefit from a Prius considering how short my drives usually are and how long it would take to make back the investment in mileage. The real benefit of a Prius in your situation is that it's bulletproof reliable and does well in short drives (which are rough on a lot of cars - most wear happens when the car is still warming up, but the Prius keeps its coolant in a giant thermos to help with this). The gas mileage is just a bonus.
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Feb 4, 2014 02:59
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Space Gopher posted:...but the Prius keeps its coolant in a giant thermos to help with this)... More info on this? [EDIT] 2010+ Prius III models replaced the coolant thermos system with a heat exchanger attached to the exhaust. Previous models stored hot coolant in an insulated tank on shutoff to be pumped to the cyl. head manifold area on startup to increase warm up time and cat. converter efficiency. Tank keeps coolant hot overnight and warm for 3 days. How does the Honda Insight compare to the Prius? Worth considering at all? goku chewbacca fucked around with this message at 03:35 on Feb 4, 2014 |
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Feb 4, 2014 03:17
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So I'm going to be taking a peek at a 2008 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport this week. Just under 77k miles, but the dealer ad lists a STi short throw shifter as one of the add-ons. Should this be a point of concern that someone has been hooning around in it?
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Feb 4, 2014 07:38
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Casu Marzu posted:short throw shifter as one of the add-ons. Should this be a point of concern that someone has been hooning around in it? Sure....but that in and of itself doesn't mean it's been beat on. It does raise a flag that you should be looking deeper and mention it to the qualified mechanic that you were already going to hire to do a proper PPI on the car before you so much as made a counter offer.
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Feb 4, 2014 08:13
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Casu Marzu posted:So I'm going to be taking a peek at a 2008 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport this week. Just under 77k miles, but the dealer ad lists a STi short throw shifter as one of the add-ons. Should this be a point of concern that someone has been hooning around in it? I wouldn't be too concerned because a) the stock shifter is a raging piece of poo poo and the STi one is tremendously better and b) it's a dealer-installed accessory provided by the OEM. If that's the only 2fast2furious type thing, I wouldn't worry about it. On the other hand, if it's got that, and sick rimzzz and an aftermarket head unit and a cold-air intake, I would be concerned.
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Feb 4, 2014 13:06
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plushpuffin posted:
Why are you buying a car at all? You can't walk 4 blocks to work? Wtf
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Feb 4, 2014 15:32
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Math You posted:Why are you buying a car at all? You can't walk 4 blocks to work? Wtf I'm in the suburbs of Buffalo, and 3,000+ miles per year is obviously more travel than ~260 round trips to work.
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Feb 4, 2014 16:01
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plushpuffin posted:I'm in the suburbs of Buffalo, and 3,000+ miles per year is obviously more travel than ~260 round trips to work. I'm just going based off what you provided. A 10 minute walk to work doesn't really warrant driving. You go on to state that your parents are walking (easier to bike or bus at that distance though) as well. Then you top it off with "I don't really leave town or go far away at all". It sounds like your money is burning a hole in your pocket and that is why you want to buy a car. I'm not trolling. You should honestly try not using your car for a few weeks and determine if you actually need it at all. If your "uses" were misleading I apologise, but your situation sounds a lot like mine. I do not use my car at all except for driving up to the mountains and visiting all my family who are several hours away. Neither of these are issues for you, so I have a hard time seeing why you want to drop 25k + all the associated costs just cause. Unless you really hate walking or something? For user requested content: get something with a hatch. 18thing the Prius recommendations as they really do well just putting around town. Math You fucked around with this message at 16:21 on Feb 4, 2014 |
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Feb 4, 2014 16:16
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Well, my girlfriend is twenty minutes away by car and I see her several times a week, depending on the grocery store and other stores I visit it's a two to ten minute drive, and my neighborhood is boxed in by four main thoroughfares which makes it difficult to get anywhere outside of it on foot. I appreciate that you're trying to help, but my town isn't that great for walking anywhere outside of residential areas.
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Feb 4, 2014 16:25
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plushpuffin posted:Well, my girlfriend is twenty minutes away by car and I see her several times a week, depending on the grocery store and other stores I visit it's a two to ten minute drive, and my neighborhood is boxed in by four main thoroughfares which makes it difficult to get anywhere outside of it on foot. I appreciate that you're trying to help, but my town isn't that great for walking anywhere outside of residential areas. That sounds like pretty crappy city planning. I totally understand now. I also feel really spoiled being able to walk to work, 3 different shopping centers and like 20 restaurants living in burbs.
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Feb 4, 2014 16:31
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I'm looking to buy a car, and trying to decide if I should buy a used prius or wait for the new 2015 Honda Fit. Proposed Budget: ~$15,000 or ideally less New or Used: Either Body Style: I'd mildly prefer a hatchback, but only if my 50lb dog will fit. How will you be using the car?: I have a long commute, but not so long that I absolutely need a hybrid. I plan on keeping the car for as long as it runs. What aspects are most important to you? Safety, reliability, low costs over the years, an input plug for my phone. My husband is 6'5" and it'd be great if he'd fit in the car too. Currently I drive a beat up $500 Corolla, so at this point anything would be an upgrade.
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Feb 4, 2014 23:00
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Emasculatrix posted:I'm looking to buy a car, and trying to decide if I should buy a used prius or wait for the new 2015 Honda Fit. I'd go with the Prius unless you care about "the driving experience." It's hard to beat, it will be quieter and more comfortable than the Fit, probably.
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Feb 5, 2014 00:21
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Faceless Clock posted:I'd go with the Prius unless you care about "the driving experience." It's hard to beat, it will be quieter and more comfortable than the Fit, probably. I negotiated a 2011 Prius 2 with 30k miles and powertrain warranty to $15,000. This is probably around the base price of the new 2015 Fit. I was thinking that if it's the same price, it might make sense to buy the new car though. I don't care about the driving experience- I care that the car is safe and won't cost a lot.
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Feb 5, 2014 00:27
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On the Prius - $15k plus everything else, or $15k out the door? If it's the latter, then even a $15k Fit is going to tack on $2k worth of sales tax, registration, bullshit dealer fees, and the like.
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Feb 5, 2014 00:31
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IOwnCalculus posted:On the Prius - $15k plus everything else, or $15k out the door? If it's the latter, then even a $15k Fit is going to tack on $2k worth of sales tax, registration, bullshit dealer fees, and the like. Plus everything else. That's a good point. I've never bought a non-beater car before. Maybe I should be looking at older models. Are there certain prius generations to look for/avoid?
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Feb 5, 2014 00:42
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How does this car look: http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/cto/4315756390.html It's Black and an Acura with less than 120k miles so I'm obviously in love. What is a fair price to try to talk this down to? I was thinking 5k.
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Feb 5, 2014 00:46
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Emasculatrix posted:I negotiated a 2011 Prius 2 with 30k miles and powertrain warranty to $15,000. This is probably around the base price of the new 2015 Fit. I was thinking that if it's the same price, it might make sense to buy the new car though. I don't care about the driving experience- I care that the car is safe and won't cost a lot. That's a nice looking deal even after the bullshit tax/tags/fees/whatever and keep in mind that "base price" on a brand new Fit will be a manual with bone stock everything.
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Feb 5, 2014 01:05
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an skeleton posted:How does this car look: Too expensive for a 11 year old tl plus the tires look beat and unevenly worn which is more $$$. Why do you want an acura so bad?
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Feb 5, 2014 01:22
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an skeleton posted:How does this car look: Try more like 4.3k, since you'll need tires and the like. http://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/2003/Acura/TL-V6/Sedan-4D-3-2/Values EDIT: I'd also like to give a shout out to this thread for the help and guidelines on buying a used car. Got a 2004 manual Civic with 161k miles on it for 2700. All it needed was a CV axle and some tires, and the mechanic said it was good to go. Thanks Goons! The Dipshit fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Feb 5, 2014 |
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Feb 5, 2014 03:15
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I'm moving more towards looking at a c6 z51 corvette (06-09) though I'm still considering a newer 5.0. I want to do track and autocross as well as normal driving (I have a dd). The issue is I found a 08 1lt car at a pretty good price (probably just under $24k) with 60k miles. I'd rather 2lt for the airbags, seats, and steering wheel. My two question are, 1 is z51 worth it or would I be replacing it all anyway for track use, and 2 is this such a good deal that I should ignore the little luxury features that are missing?
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Feb 5, 2014 16:51
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Emasculatrix posted:Plus everything else. That's a good point. I've never bought a non-beater car before. Maybe I should be looking at older models. Are there certain prius generations to look for/avoid? If you don't mind the soul-sucking boredom (or actually enjoy making the MPG number go up), you can't go wrong with a Prius of pretty much any vintage. Sadi posted:I'm moving more towards looking at a c6 z51 corvette (06-09) though I'm still considering a newer 5.0. I want to do track and autocross as well as normal driving (I have a dd). The issue is I found a 08 1lt car at a pretty good price (probably just under $24k) with 60k miles. I'd rather 2lt for the airbags, seats, and steering wheel. That seems unusually cheap to me, enough that I'd question the history of the car a bit. I know there are still some desirable shock upgrades to make on the Z51 (my old man put some revalved Bilsteins on his '06 Z51) but other than that, I think the Z51 package tends to be more useful than not.
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Feb 5, 2014 17:19
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Claverjoe posted:Try more like 4.3k, since you'll need tires and the like. How did you ascertain that the CV axle/tires were the problem? Do you feel like you saved a lot of $$$ fixing it yourself vs. finding one in better condition? kmcormick9 posted:Too expensive for a 11 year old tl plus the tires look beat and unevenly worn which is more $$$. I don't know, I feel like the only reliable cars are toyotas/lexus and honda/acura, and I think corolla/camrys are insanely boring so I'm trying to get something of the honda/acura variety, but its tough. Any other brands you think I should check out?
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Feb 5, 2014 22:11
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an skeleton posted:I don't know, I feel like the only reliable cars are toyotas/lexus and honda/acura, and I think corolla/camrys are insanely boring so I'm trying to get something of the honda/acura variety, but its tough. Any other brands you think I should check out? Mazda 3 post.
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Feb 5, 2014 22:35
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IRQ posted:Mazda 3 post. Post what
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Feb 5, 2014 22:42
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an skeleton posted:Post what A post recommending a Mazda 3! (They're kind of frequent.)
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Feb 5, 2014 23:02
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an skeleton posted:I don't know, I feel like the only reliable cars are toyotas/lexus and honda/acura, and I think corolla/camrys are insanely boring so I'm trying to get something of the honda/acura variety, but its tough. Any other brands you think I should check out? You should definitely look at Mazdas, and probably look at newer Hyundai / Kia and Ford cars.
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Feb 5, 2014 23:03
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an skeleton posted:Post what He means you should buy a Mazda3. They are fun and as reliable as a Corolla or Civic.
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Feb 5, 2014 23:03
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Any particular year to not get? I'm kind of on a <$7,000 budget edit: Since this is on the top of the page, I guess I should specify this post is regarding Mazda3's
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Feb 5, 2014 23:10
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an skeleton posted:How did you ascertain that the CV axle/tires were the problem? Do you feel like you saved a lot of $$$ fixing it yourself vs. finding one in better condition? The CV axle was leaking when I took a look at it when inspecting the car myself. I did the CV axles on my old car, so I knew what to look for. In the OP there is a strong suggestion to take any used car to a well-known mechanic for a prepurchase inspection (30 for a cheap one, 100 for the most expensive one I got while shopping) so I did that as well. The mechanic mentioned a couple of other minor issues, such as the oil change was almost due, one of the valve gaskets was leaking and needed to be tightened (somebody didn't put it back on correctly when it was done at 145k miles, if the maintenance records are to be believed) the power steering belt needed to be switched out soon and I'd probably need a timing belt at 180k, but whatever. Bringing the inspection checklist along with a written estimate of the work needed was my negotiation tool when I went to the owner and made my offer (neglecting the fact that I would do the work myself and not pay such a bill), since they initially asked for 3550. I just essentially took the NADA "clean trade in" price, and offered them to pay for that minus the work that the mechanic quoted me on, which seemed like a reasonable way of doing things. EDIT: Specific to Honda Civics, do not get automatic trans Civics for year 2001-2002. They have a habit of making GBS threads the bed. The Dipshit fucked around with this message at 23:15 on Feb 5, 2014 |
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Feb 5, 2014 23:11
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an skeleton posted:Any particular year to not get? I'm kind of on a <$7,000 budget I looked at the Mazda 3, but I've seen multiple posts here in this thread and comments on the web saying that its anti-rust coating is atrocious. AFAIK that's true even for the most recent model? Since I'm in Buffalo NY, that kind of ruled it out for me.
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Feb 5, 2014 23:19
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Claverjoe posted:The CV axle was leaking when I took a look at it when inspecting the car myself. I did the CV axles on my old car, so I knew what to look for. In the OP there is a strong suggestion to take any used car to a well-known mechanic for a prepurchase inspection (30 for a cheap one, 100 for the most expensive one I got while shopping) so I did that as well. The mechanic mentioned a couple of other minor issues, such as the oil change was almost due, one of the valve gaskets was leaking and needed to be tightened (somebody didn't put it back on correctly when it was done at 145k miles, if the maintenance records are to be believed) the power steering belt needed to be switched out soon and I'd probably need a timing belt at 180k, but whatever. Bringing the inspection checklist along with a written estimate of the work needed was my negotiation tool when I went to the owner and made my offer (neglecting the fact that I would do the work myself and not pay such a bill), since they initially asked for 3550. I just essentially took the NADA "clean trade in" price, and offered them to pay for that minus the work that the mechanic quoted me on, which seemed like a reasonable way of doing things. God damnit, I was just about to check this one out: http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4320004215.html Now I'm scared to buy any car ever
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Feb 5, 2014 23:40
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