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Michael Scott posted:^^^ Have to agree a Prius sounds ideal for this guy's situation. No, that type of transmission is fully manual, but with an electronic clutch. There isn't an automatic mode.
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May 12, 2014 16:03
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Gonna preface this with: I've read the past many pages of the thread and it seems like "get a prius" will be the advice here, but I'll ask anyway: Proposed Budget: $10-15,000, maybe slightly north of that New or Used: Either Body Style: Doesn't matter How will you be using the car? Going to work, some business travel, road trips Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? No What aspects are most important to you? Reliable and fuel efficient (I live in relatively rural East Tennessee) Basic story: recent college grad, don't have a car, looking to get something for the commute to work (probably around 10-20 minutes depending on where my office moves to) and for road trips and business travel. I do photo/video stuff on the side, so I'll want something that won't cost an arm and a leg to drive around to shoots/locations. It looks like Priuses around 2010 with 50-75k miles on them are going for around 17.9 listed, which is doable. Is the third gen as reliable as the second gen? Would I be better off splurging for a new Prius C? Is there something else I should do?
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May 12, 2014 16:50
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HolyDukeNukem posted:No, most of the higher end one's you see on like the GT-R are manual transmissions with an electronic clutch. So you control the gear changing completely, you just don't have to control the clutch since the computer will deal with it. They've switch to this since a lot of the electronic clutches can switch in a a matter of 100-200 milliseconds. The GT-R uses a dual clutch system that's quite different from the standard three-pedal/one-stick manual transmission you're used to (or from a planetary gearset and torque-converter automatic, for that matter). There's effectively no way to set it up for conventional manual operation*, and it's fully computer-controlled - you don't row the gears yourself at all. And, since it's all controlled by "shift up"/"shift down" signals from a computer that also knows engine speed, speedo readings, throttle position, and so forth, it's trivial to set up shift points that let it operate like a traditional automatic from the driver's point of view. High-performance cars with DSGs will usually let you hold gears up to the rev limiter in some kind of fully manual mode, but fully automatic modes are also near-universal. *theoretically, you could, but it'd need two clutch pedals, two sticks, and some godlike heel/toe skills between the two clutches (because if they're ever both fully engaged at once, hello grenaded transmission)
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May 12, 2014 17:12
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DO YALL WANT A BOXC posted:Would I be better off splurging for a new Prius C? Is there something else I should do? Pretty sure the Prius C's interior isn't nearly as nice is the "normal" Prius. They're still fine cars, but the thread doesn't recommend them nearly as often or as whole heartedly.
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May 12, 2014 19:10
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The Prius C drives like a Yaris, which certainly isn't a best-in-class subcompact. The Prius is a much more comfortable car with only slightly worse fuel economy.
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May 12, 2014 20:11
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Proposed Budget: $40,000-$60,000 (AUD - we live in Australia) New or Used: New Body Style: 4 door sedan or posibly hatch. Definitely needs to be roomy enough to comfortably seat 4 adults How will you be using the car? This will be our new primary car (but we will be keeping our old car as a 2nd one - a 2003 Toyota Corolla Wagon which will remain our dog transporter). Mostly used for short trips and on the weekend, as my wife and I take public transit to work. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? Gizmos are definitely nice, but aren't required. However, standard of living things are definitely desired. To clarify, something like heated seat warmers or fancy clocks that tell the time in 3 countries not so much, but reverse cam, built in sat nav, and automatic breaking are nice. What aspects are most important to you? 1. Safety - We are upgrading as we are about to have our first child 2. Reliability - We want to make sure that we won't be breaking down every other month 3. Running Costs - We all know that cars eventually need repairs, I don't want to have to pay $1500 to replace a spark plug because they need to order the part from Belgium. PotatoManJack fucked around with this message at 01:14 on May 13, 2014 |
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May 13, 2014 01:11
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I went and test drove a 2010 Prius with ~50k miles on it. Everything looked in good order as far as exterior/interior go. I don't know a lot about cars so I didn't bother opening up the hood or what have you. It's selling for 14.5ish. It was a rental car for about 40k it looks like. My folks are trying to convince me to spend the extra money and get a Prius C or a Yaris or some other small car because they are concerned about the lack of warranty on the used Prius. Advice? There's another 2010 Prius at another dealer with similar mileage with a sticker of 17.9k. This thread recommends Priuses but also recommends avoiding former rentals. Help! DO YALL WANT A BOXC fucked around with this message at 01:43 on May 13, 2014 |
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May 13, 2014 01:12
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DO YALL WANT A BOXC posted:I went and test drove a 2010 Prius with ~50k miles on it. Everything looked in good order as far as exterior/interior go. I don't know a lot about cars so I didn't bother opening up the hood or what have you. It's selling for 14.5ish. Some other car gurus will probably have better advice than me, but I wanted to give back to the thread. If you are interested in the car, ask if you can take it to a mechanic for an inspection. If they say no, then what the gently caress are they hiding? I would take my business elsewhere. Most likely they'll say yes. There's bound to be independent mechanic shops around that will do a used car inspection for a nominal fee. Places near me offer it for about $10-$30 and that's dirt cheap for something you're potentially dropping several thousand dollars on. I don't buy cars often (I was just posting in this thread for advice not too long ago) but I do this with any used cars I'm interested in before I make a final decision. It gives you an expert's opinion about the nitty-gritty of the vehicle so you're less likely to buy something that had a mechanical problem you didn't pick up on in your 5 minute test drive.
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May 13, 2014 01:48
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I am seeking a car right now and the buyer wants it inspected. I said sure, knock yourself out. At the same time it is a 12 year old car that we agreed on for $1800.
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May 13, 2014 01:57
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DO YALL WANT A BOXC posted:I went and test drove a 2010 Prius with ~50k miles on it. Everything looked in good order as far as exterior/interior go. I don't know a lot about cars so I didn't bother opening up the hood or what have you. It's selling for 14.5ish. It was a rental car for about 40k it looks like. There's like 20,000 used priuses on the market right now. Don't buy a rental one. Also, priuses basically never break, so a warranty isn't a huge worry. If you want a smaller car, get a Prius C, but get a Prius and don't worry about it. Don't buy a loving yaris. nm fucked around with this message at 04:28 on May 13, 2014 |
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May 13, 2014 03:19
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nm posted:There's like 20,000 used priuses on the market right now. Don't buy a used one. A new Prius is out of my range. The Prius C is out of my range, too. I don't really feel comfortable going above 15, maybe 16k total purchase, hence my confusion  Any other recs on a car around 10-15/16k, new or used?
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May 13, 2014 03:51
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DO YALL WANT A BOXC posted:I went and test drove a 2010 Prius with ~50k miles on it. Everything looked in good order as far as exterior/interior go. I don't know a lot about cars so I didn't bother opening up the hood or what have you. It's selling for 14.5ish. It was a rental car for about 40k it looks like. Don't buy a used rental car no matter what it is. Imagine buying a car from a guy who just let hundreds of random people drive it for a few days at a time.
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May 13, 2014 03:52
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DO YALL WANT A BOXC posted:(I live in relatively rural East Tennessee) IMO Prius's (Priuii?) sell for a premium in rural areas VS the city because in-town is where you really get the mileage. I just bought a CPO 2011 Prius (trim 2) with 55k miles for ~16k in Columbus Ohio a couple months ago. It has some off color paint on the driver side mirror from scraping someone when they backed out (I imagine). Perfect condition 2010's are going for the same price in my area.
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May 13, 2014 04:25
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DO YALL WANT A BOXC posted:A new Prius is out of my range. The Prius C is out of my range, too. I don't really feel comfortable going above 15, maybe 16k total purchase, hence my confusion Uhm, where i said "used," meant "rental." Hope that clarifies things. . . Don't buy a rental car. Do buy a used prius owned by someone who isn't hertz et al.
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May 13, 2014 04:28
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The only things that are driving me away from just getting a Prius myself are A) that stupid bar across the rear window (seriously, what), and B) the horrible drone of the engine at 70+mph (which is pretty much bog standard on local freeways, anyway). I know I'm not supposed to expect power out of the thing but drat, my old Civic sure didn't make that much noise under acceleration.
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May 13, 2014 04:52
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btw the plural of Prius is Priuses if you're a normal person, or Priora if you're a Latin teacher like me.
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May 13, 2014 04:56
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Thanks for the advice, posters. There's a 2011 CPO Prius for 17.7k available, 52k miles, not a rental car. That's looking like it's a decent bet atm but goodness, all this is hard. Out of curiosity, what's the consensus around here on the Matrix/Vibe? My folks have an 03 that's done incredibly well. There's currently some used Matrixes (Matrices?) with not crazy mileage for around 8-11k which seems like not a terrible deal.
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May 13, 2014 05:03
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DO YALL WANT A BOXC posted:Out of curiosity, what's the consensus around here on the Matrix/Vibe? My folks have an 03 that's done incredibly well. There's currently some used Matrixes (Matrices?) with not crazy mileage for around 8-11k which seems like not a terrible deal. Matrix/Vibe is a good car. If you go with the higher model (is it GT? I can't remember) you need to run premium fuel. I looked at them before I bought my Prius. Edit: to Ciaphas point, I haven't noticed this with my model year. I know they made the engine bigger in 2010. Makes me wonder if he/she drove an earlier model and this an issue. Could just be that I'm an idiot or don't notice it. My previous car was a Subaru Impreza and though I miss having a rocket ship in comparison, this isn't a complaint of mine from switching. ifuckedjesus fucked around with this message at 05:22 on May 13, 2014 |
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May 13, 2014 05:16
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DO YALL WANT A BOXC posted:Out of curiosity, what's the consensus around here on the Matrix/Vibe? My folks have an 03 that's done incredibly well. There's currently some used Matrixes (Matrices?) with not crazy mileage for around 8-11k which seems like not a terrible deal. The matrix/vibe isn't a terribly good bang for the buck because you still pay the toyota tax (everyone knows the vibe is a matrix at this point, so that savings is mostly gone). If that is the goal, something in a ford focus or a Mazda 3 will do you better.
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May 13, 2014 05:33
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How does this thread feel about a 2005 prius with around 150k miles? I've always sold my cars when they get near 100k miles so I'm a little hesitant to own one with high miles.
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May 15, 2014 15:43
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FlyWhiteBoy posted:How does this thread feel about a 2005 prius with around 150k miles? I've always sold my cars when they get near 100k miles so I'm a little hesitant to own one with high miles. Modern cars go 200-300k miles nowadays if they are maintained well. The Prius is engineered very well, and Toyota took great care to make sure that they would last. If the interior is beat up, and the engine bay looks nasty then pass on it. If it drives well and everything works, and the owner has maintenance receipts then go hog wild. Nocheez fucked around with this message at 15:56 on May 15, 2014 |
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May 15, 2014 15:54
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Proposed Budget: $8-$12k New or Used: Used Body Style: 4 door sedan, ideally. Possibly a small SUV. I'd like to fit four or five comfortably if need be. How will you be using the car? Honestly, not a whole hell of a lot outside from my home to work commute which is less than twenty miles round trip. I rarely stray further than that. Gas mileage isn't a huge concern. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? Hey man with my budget I'll take what I can get What aspects are most important to you? Reliability is obviously first and foremost, but comfort and size aren't too far behind. I've spent too long stuck in a dinky Mazda Protege and I'd like something that has more to offer in terms of quality of ride and versatility. I just want something comfortable with low mileage to tool around in and have minimal concerns with for a few years while I save some money and build some credit. At this point I'm strongly considering a buying a boat. Probably an 06-08 Mercury Grand Marquis or Lincoln Town Car. They were always reasonably easy and fun to drive when I was a valet and the market is completely saturated with them where I live (Florida). As far as I can tell, they're fairly reliable, and parts certainly wouldn't be hard to come by in any worst case scenario. Is there any reason that I should avert my gaze from either of these two? Or is there something else in my range that would fetch a stronger recommendation?
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May 16, 2014 11:25
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Proposed Budget: 20k to 30k New or Used: new Body Style: preferably not a minivan or SUV, but willing to consider. How will you be using the car?: Daily driver (very short commute), hauling twins, long distance trips with twins and wife Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos?: Nice to have, but secondary to my other needs. What aspects are most important to you? Gas mileage, reliability, cargo space, safety. My wife and I have 10 year old cars with small back seats that worked beautifully for 10 years. Now with newborn twins, those small back seats are making for uncomfortable driving. In addition, we plan on taking some long distance vacations with the little buggers, and our cars lack the trunk space for a twin stroller, suitcases, and two fold-up bassinets. Hence, we are starting to look into a new car. We've looked into a Prius, and it definitely looks good. We just want to be certain the trunk can hold everything. If it doesn't, our options get slim. The Prius V looked promising until it failed IIHS's slight offset collision test. I've looked at the Volkswagen Jetta Sportswagen TDI and love the cargo space and gas milage, but reliability may be an issue. I've also considered the Toyota Camry hybrid. Anyone have other suggestions?
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May 17, 2014 21:00
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Pendragon posted:Proposed Budget: 20k to 30k This is anecdotal, but my sister who recently had kids got a Mazda 6 and loves it. I'm not sure how big the trunk is, but I think it hits every other requirement of yours.
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May 17, 2014 21:54
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Get a Prius and a snip, or just get a minivan now.
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May 17, 2014 22:23
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A Mazda 5 is almost not a minivan. I happen to like the way they look (and if you were ok with a Prius V, so do you!).
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May 18, 2014 01:03
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a nigga who smoke posted:Proposed Budget: $8-$12k Well the other cop sedan right now is the old Impala. It gets marginally better fuel economy. Other than that it's probably just personal preference. Pendragon posted:Proposed Budget: 20k to 30k If you limit yourself to models that get a "good" rating on the small offset test(not a bad idea) then your choices are nicely pared down. - Subaru Forester - Nissan Rogue - Mazda CX-5 - Chevy Equinox/GMC Terrain - Mitsubishi Outlander Out of those I think I would be leaning towards the Equinox/Terrain, just because they are somewhat larger than the others and it sounds like you have a bunch of poo poo to haul. Maybe consider a slightly used Volvo XC60 too. For within your budget you can probably get a 2 year old model that will still have some new car warranty left.
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May 18, 2014 02:03
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Even though I'm probably going to buy new anyway, I looked around for local CPO Priuses. Found a 2012 top trim (the "Five") with 35k miles on it... for $26k, or only about $5k less than a new 2014 of the same trim.  Is that normal for Priuses or Toyotas or something? What the hell.
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May 18, 2014 04:00
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Those vehicles are know for strong resale value so yeah that's pretty normal. It somewhat depends on where you live but in general....yeah
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May 18, 2014 04:05
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Pendragon posted:Proposed Budget: 20k to 30k The regular Prius's trunk isn't exactly small. I suspect it has more usable space than a camry hybrid.
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May 18, 2014 06:03
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Proposed Budget: $3,000-$6,000 New or Used: Used Body Style: 4D - preferably a hatchback. How will you be using the car? Daily commuter to work, occasionally moving stuff since I live in an apartment with other people, occasional short road trips (100-500 miles) Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? Not necessarily, however anti-lock is a must as I live in Vermont and the landscape resembles Hoth 6 months out of the year. What aspects are most important to you? 1. Cost of ownership / maintenance - I'm working my way through college and I just can't afford something that is going to break down or require me to put 1000+ dollars into it every 6 months. 2. Reliability - Vermont has weird weather, and it has to be able to function properly all year without needing much more than winter tires and windshield blades. 3. MPG - I know my options are most likely slim for this category, but I wouldn't like to dent my wallet too bad at the pump. I was looking into a used Pontiac vibe, as my parents have had one for about 130k miles and haven't had any issues with it outside of general maintenance. Other than that though it looks as if my options are limited to early 2000's volvos (there's a ton in vt) or Toyota's which typically haven't been taken care of well and are overpriced here because "it's a Toyota and it'll run forever". Great White Hope! fucked around with this message at 14:52 on May 18, 2014 |
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May 18, 2014 11:52
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Ciaphas posted:Even though I'm probably going to buy new anyway, I looked around for local CPO Priuses. Found a 2012 top trim (the "Five") with 35k miles on it... for $26k, or only about $5k less than a new 2014 of the same trim. The whole losing half the value when rolling off the lot is pretty much a myth these days, especially for small/cheaper cars from good makes. Cars last longer and people now realize this, plus the fact that the last 5 years the new car injection rate to the market was about 75% of normal.
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May 18, 2014 19:18
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Ciaphas posted:Even though I'm probably going to buy new anyway, I looked around for local CPO Priuses. Found a 2012 top trim (the "Five") with 35k miles on it... for $26k, or only about $5k less than a new 2014 of the same trim. When I was looking at Tacomas recently, year-old models with 40k miles were less than $1k off new models.
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May 18, 2014 19:52
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Makes sense, I guess. It was just a bit of a shock. I feel like I'd still rather buy new, though, if the savings is that slim, just for peace of mind.
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May 18, 2014 20:28
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Ciaphas posted:Makes sense, I guess. It was just a bit of a shock. I feel like I'd still rather buy new, though, if the savings is that slim, just for peace of mind. I dunno, 5 grand is not a small amount of money. But depreciation varies a lot outside of constants like Honda/Toyota commanding a premium. One thing I wish I had personally thought more about was that loans on new cars tend to have better terms than on used.
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May 18, 2014 21:02
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Proposed Budget: 20-25k, or 150-250 monthly New or Used: new, or low miles used Body Style: any, really. How will you be using the car?: driving. What aspects are most important to you? (e.g. reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, import/domestic, MPG, size, style) pick any of the choices I'm spending out the rear end on the car2go service, so I'm looking to cut that out almost completely. I'm looking at lease options that don't exceed $250 a month, so that means about a 25K car. I know this isn't necessarily a great path to go down, what with sometimes 6% apr's and money down, but I don't really want to take a risk on a high mileage used car that doesn't have a warranty. Basically, I want an actual car. I have kind of a short list that I'm adding to as I go along, so here's a couple of cars: -2014 Kia Optima LX. -2014 Toyota Corolla The 132 hp engine of the Corolla kind of worries me a little bit. The Optima has just shy of 200 and just looks pretty cool. fake edit: I live in Portland where the public transportation system is fairly decent, however, I can't rely on taking two buses to school/two to work every day. I need a car, damnit.
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May 19, 2014 05:51
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With cars like that a lease is probably flushing money down the toilet. Leases work best on highly subsidized brands like bmw. You can get roughly that payment on a slightly used car which will still have the bulk of its warranty and you'll own it. Unless you buy something stupid like an audi the repairs should be way less than a car payment. That said, the car the leases the best in cheap cars is the fiat 500. Bonus, it is the one car you want nothing to do with when the warranty expires. If you have somewhere to park it (and put a charger) and can finagle it the fit EV is a steal at a touch over 250, but it comes with some insurance. Need to see if range works though. Also, remember insurance in your budget. If your budget is that tight, note that some cars might cost you quite a bit more to insure. I'd get uotes before you buy. Also, even with leases, negotate on the price. That said, it can be hard as poo poo to get residual values.
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May 19, 2014 06:41
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polpotpotpotpotpot posted:When I was looking at Tacomas recently, year-old models with 40k miles were less than $1k off new models. How does this make any sense to anyone at all?
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May 20, 2014 03:53
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Proposed Budget: This part is my biggest problem. I don't really know how much car I can afford. I'm a fresh college grad, single, no student loans or any debt except my current car note (275/mo). I'll be making about 80k a year in the Florida panhandle. I'm looking to buy a nicer car, so on the upper end of whatever budget makes sense under that situation. New or Used: New, although I'm open to used if it is highly recommended Body Style: I'd like to keep it in the range of 2 dr coupe to small SUV. No real preference on which end of the spectrum, though. How will you be using the car?: Daily driver. 15ish minute commute to work and driving around town. Handling/performance is important, but comes second to the gizmos and doo-dads. I listen to a lot of music on my drives, so a decent sound system is a must. Definitely looking for a backup camera as my current car (2012 Nissan Juke) has me hooked on them. Really looking for a car with a nice array of features. What aspects are most important to you? 1. Features. Maybe not the most responsible thing to list first but whatever. Apple CarPlay looks cool! 2. Reliability. The less time/money I invest between scheduled maintenance visits the better. 3. Handling/Performance. I'd definitely like something that's a blast to drive on top of all that other stuff, but I can make sacrifices here if need be. I haven't done a lot of research, but the Audi Q5 has caught my eye as a possibility. I'm not very knowledgeable of car brands, though, so I'm not sure if that's a good one or not.
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May 20, 2014 04:59
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:How does this make any sense to anyone at all? People who honestly still believe that "OMG IT DEPRECIATED BECAUSE YOU DROVE IT FIVE FEET" so used must be a better deal, and don't ever actually shop for a new car because of it.
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May 20, 2014 05:42
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