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Are the 10-14 Priuses less reliable? Im considering one. What makes the second generation stand out?
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Oct 3, 2014 23:36
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Planet X posted:Are the 10-14 Priuses less reliable? Im considering one. What makes the second generation stand out? Mostly the fact that there are so many and they've been on the road for a long time now, with no real problems. Newer ones are realistically just fine as well, they just haven't been around as long. Cars don't get the reputation for "unkillable and dead reliable" until they get old enough for there to be a lot of 150k-200k+ mile examples that still work fine.
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Oct 3, 2014 23:59
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Basically they sold a huge number of 2nd gen priuses, and they're all still on the road, so the used market has plenty of them around. That helps to keep the price down, which means they're a very very good value. They are also solidly in that dude's price range, and in the price range of a lot of people who come to this thread asking about what car they should buy. Udelar posted:I have $16k in total savings, half from an inheritance. I think this might have gotten missed a bit. If you only have $16k in savings, and you have a wife and two kids and a dependent adult, you can't afford to spend $14k cash on a car. You need way more than $2k in your emergency savings, especially since your wife is "just starting a new job" (e.g., it's not reliable income yet and there's higher chances it might not work out). What will you do if you lose your job? Are you in a career and region where getting another job that pays just as much will be trivial? What will you do if Grandpa suddenly needs expensive medical care? What will you do if one of your kids needs braces? I don't know what your cost of living or the rest of your budget looks like, but if I were in your situation I would probably be looking for a $5k car, and feeling pretty scared about dropping to only $11k in savings at that price point. You should get your van's problem assessed (white smoke = its burning coolant, which could indeed be a head gasket or cracked block, but you should find out for sure) and then sell both of your lovely lovely vehicles and buy one reliable $5k beater and drive it while you build your savings back up and work on your bad credit.
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Oct 4, 2014 00:05
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You're going to fit 3 adults and 2 carseats into a Prius? They're pretty roomy but I don't know that they are *that* big. Get the Olds checked out first. It is very possible that your problem is not a head gasket or cracked block but a leaking lower intake manifold gasket, Which isn't quite as bad, but that at this point seeing as how the car was such a piece of poo poo even when it was working properly and now isn't worth the soviet steel that it's made out of, You're better off trying to get rid of it for $800 as-is or something. The intake manifold thing is fairly well known at this point and there's a cottage industry of handy shade tree mechanics who buy up those old GM cars for a pittance, do the work themselves and then get a reliable beater for cheap. GM was eventually sued successfully in a class action lawsuit, but then went bankrupt/was nationalized almost immediately before anyone got paid, and I don't know where that thing is at right now - probably not good for the consumers, I bet. After that, if you're needing to transport that many people you should really look into something larger. Can you fit car seats easily in a Crown Vic? They are quite big but I've never really looked into that aspect before. If so then it might not be a bad deal to look for a detective's car or something for $6k or whatever. They get really awful fuel economy being a big ol V8 with a 4 speed trans but maybe you could just not drive as much. Other cop cars like the Impala could be considered too. In both cases you need to do your research and be an informed consumer because there are specific models/years you should look for/avoid. Another option would be to look for the cheapest, most poverty spec Dodge Caravan you can find, and doing a lot of reading on the quirks of those vans to make sure you are getting a good one. HOG ILLUSTRATIONS posted:Proposed Budget: 20-30k 2013-14 V6 Mustang with performance pack. Don't buy an FRS. If you hate power so much buy a Miata.
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Oct 4, 2014 01:10
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Throatwarbler posted:You're going to fit 3 adults and 2 carseats into a Prius? They're pretty roomy but I don't know that they are *that* big. We did half a dozen cross-country drives with 2 adults, 2 booster seats, and a (skinny) teenager in a prius no fuss no muss. If the carseat-kids don't mess with eachother too much, you can strap one of the carseats to the middle seat, and leave one of the back seats with enough room for 85% of an adult for 7 hours.
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Oct 4, 2014 01:39
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Following up I found a dealer with a 2012 avenger with the 3.6l v6 with low miles that looks nice. Any thing I should be on the look out for. 28k miles listed for 16k. I suppose I could talk them down to 14k or so.
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Oct 4, 2014 04:19
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If it's the R/T (in "Clean" condition, silver, no added options) Edmunds says in my (expensive) zip code it's worth $14.5 private, $15.8 dealer retail, so $16k is too much. The SXT Plus is $13.3 private / $14.8 dealer retail, so that would be way overpriced unless it is optioned-up a bunch. Here's what Edmunds says about this car. Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 07:01 on Oct 4, 2014 |
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Oct 4, 2014 06:56
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Throatwarbler posted:You're going to fit 3 adults and 2 carseats into a Prius? They're pretty roomy but I don't know that they are *that* big. Only one is a carseat kid. The other is 12 and skinny as a rail, and just about as tall as her mother already. How they grow. quote:Get the Olds checked out first. It is very possible that your problem is not a head gasket or cracked block but a leaking lower intake manifold gasket, Which isn't quite as bad, but that at this point seeing as how the car was such a piece of poo poo even when it was working properly and now isn't worth the soviet steel that it's made out of, You're better off trying to get rid of it for $800 as-is or something. The intake manifold thing is fairly well known at this point and there's a cottage industry of handy shade tree mechanics who buy up those old GM cars for a pittance, do the work themselves and then get a reliable beater for cheap. GM was eventually sued successfully in a class action lawsuit, but then went bankrupt/was nationalized almost immediately before anyone got paid, and I don't know where that thing is at right now - probably not good for the consumers, I bet. Nah, not worth it to me. If the dealer offers $500 in trade, I'll take it. If not, I can list it on CL or something, no problem. quote:
The Vic really sounds like the opposite of what we need. We do quite a bit of solo driving, or with just 2 of us in the car. and while we often invite the father-in-law, he rarely takes us up. Now, we would like to pile everyone into a car once and go up to TN to see my grandfather, but I don't know if the FIL would be up for that or not. A van would make that option more attractive but it's at the cost of lugging around an extra few thousand pounds of vehicle every single time it's just me driving downtown to visit the gaming store. Really, we already know we can squeeze into his Accord, so if we're planning a long family trip and the Prius is just a bit too small, that's at least an option. Leperflesh posted:
Yeah, pretty much. Math teaching isn't the most financially rewarding job, and for social respectability I'd sometimes rather tell people I collect bull semen instead, but it's not hard to find work, if you're willing to move. "Oh, you teach MATH? I hated math in school!" I still get calls every other week from resumes I put into the statewide system the beginning of last school year. I'm not too worried about my prospects if the state decides not to renew our charter, and we're pretty high-performing for our kids' SES. I've got awesome evaluations and I get on well with my boss and my boss's boss. It's easier to get hired without moving in the fall, though, naturally. Right now he's only socially dependent. He can't vacuum the house but he can still drive and perform hygiene tasks. He can use the microwave but can't be trusted with the stove. Of course, that could all change and realistically, it's likely to. quote:What will you do if Grandpa suddenly needs expensive medical care? We've accepted that this is more of a when, not if. It is my understanding that he has prepared for this eventuality. Since he is a retired and pensioned Army Corps of Engineers man, I'm inclined to believe him when he says he's covered on this front, though admittedly I haven't probed too deeply into his finances. quote:What will you do if one of your kids needs braces? From my dental plan--Patient charge for 24 months: $2270 + $515 install + $345 removal. Ouch! That'd take a bite out of our savings, but we'd be able to cover it. quote:
I won't get into particulars here since this isn't a political thread and I've no desire to make it one, but there are at least a few ways in Georgia in which no job, a beater, and $11k in the bank leaves fewer options than no job, a sturdy car, and $2k. Regardless, $15k of car leaves us cash broke, I agree. We're looking at an '07 Prius that's just a bit north of $12k on the sticker tomorrow that we're hoping to talk down to $11.5 or so. They might even throw some pittance at us for the scrap heaps in our driveway, and I won't ever have to face the person who ends up buying them. Getting the van assessed at this point seems more like throwing good money after bad. I should have got it assessed when I bought it, like a smart, responsible adult making a real purchasing decision.
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Oct 4, 2014 08:11
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How are Peugeot these days? Considering picking up a 2nd hand RCZ, but the only thing putting me off is Peugeot's reputation for reliability. That said, I can't find any record of mechanical problems with the model, it's a pretty widely used engine, and supposedly Pug have raised their game a bit in the last few years. Anyone have any experiences / nightmares with their recent machines?
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Oct 4, 2014 12:55
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euphronius posted:Following up I found a dealer with a 2012 avenger with the 3.6l v6 with low miles that looks nice. Any thing I should be on the look out for. 28k miles listed for 16k. I suppose I could talk them down to 14k or so. Being a terrible car? This is just another body on that terrible Chrysler Sebring. The only Mopars you should be looking at are LX platforms (300 and Charger).
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Oct 4, 2014 18:03
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Oh well I bought it. Not at 16 k. Under 14. Oh well NM.
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Oct 5, 2014 01:48
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euphronius posted:Oh well I bought it. Not at 16 k. Under 14. I am a known Chrysler apologist so take it with a grain of salt but the 200 isn't a *bad* car, just kind of old, small, ugly and without any particular redeeming features compared to other newer cars on the market at the same retail price. For a significantly cheaper price, it's a very good choice. Quite reliable mechanically, acceptable handling and suspension (the suspension was comprehensively retuned when it went from the Sebring to 200) with good crash test ratings for the time. It wouldn't have been my first choice based on your original criteria because even the V6 version isn't really that fast, nowhere near as fast as a CTS-V，presumably you test drove it and found the fastness acceptable so otherwise I think you made a good decision.
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Oct 5, 2014 02:35
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Yeah it was plenty fast enough. I didn't see any cts vs in my price range anyway. Same with anything Japanese or Korean. I saw a decent 300 but I did not like the look. The nearest g8 gt was 400 miles away. euphronius fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Oct 5, 2014 |
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Oct 5, 2014 04:02
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euphronius posted:The nearest g8 gt was 400 miles away.
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Oct 5, 2014 08:18
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Are those 2008-2010 Civic and Altima Hybrids worth considering for around $10-12k? Debating between something like that and a 2nd gen Prius. The sportier cars are definitely more appealing but to me the Prius wins some on reliability. This is just from a small bit of research on my part though.
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Oct 5, 2014 22:59
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Neither the Altima nor the Civic has any sort of claim to sportiness, and they both do significantly worse than the Prius at all of the hybrid benefits: being reliable as gently caress, giving great fuel economy, being a useful car. Plus, IMA (Honda) sucks all kinds of dick compared to Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive. Upside: the Altima uses HSD so it's relatively better, but if you want a HSD sedan, why not a Camry?
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Oct 6, 2014 00:02
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Also iirc the Altima was only sold in like 10 states because it wasn't compliant with California emissions for some reason so it couldn't be sold in all the states that used Californians emissions standards, which might make finding one and later selling it a bit of a pain?
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Oct 6, 2014 00:17
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Camry is an option too -- I was just talking of relative sportiness compared to the Prius :p I haven't driven any of them though so I can't speak from experience. I'm actually moving back to CA after being in CT for awhile and it looks like the Altima hybrid is only available in states with CA's emission laws, which is fine for me since I don't plan moving away from CA... pretty much ever. There are a lot of Altima hybrids up for sale around Sacramento where I'm looking
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Oct 6, 2014 00:27
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Throatwarbler posted:Also iirc the Altima was only sold in like 10 states because it wasn't compliant with California emissions for some reason so it couldn't be sold in all the states that used Californians emissions standards, which might make finding one and later selling it a bit of a pain? I don't think that is true. I had a new one as a rental once in CA with CA plates. It sucked and the real world fuel economy wasn't great. None of the cars, including that camry, are sporty. I wouldn't buy a non-Toyota hybrid really. Their system is so much better and more reliable than the others. The Prius makes the most sense because the hatch arguably makes it more useful than the Camry and it gets better FE too.
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Oct 6, 2014 01:56
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Throatwarbler posted:Also iirc the Altima was only sold in like 10 states because it wasn't compliant with California emissions for some reason so it couldn't be sold in all the states that used Californians emissions standards, which might make finding one and later selling it a bit of a pain? It was only sold in CA emissions states. My dad had one, which was definitely bought in a CA emissions state.
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Oct 6, 2014 02:43
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I have a 2008 BMW 335xi that is draining me financially right now. I still owe 18k on it (I've only had it a year, and it was ~27k). I've put 22k miles in one year on it, and have spent untold amounts of money in gas on it. It's been very reliable, other than the cooling system exploding as expected. But when I'm putting 50ish bucks a week buying Premium gas, it's killing me. My insurance isn't too bad, especially for them labeling it as a sports car. Payment - 403/mo Gas - 50/wk or 200/mo Insurance - 95/mo So I'm at 700ish a month for the privilege to drive this thing. It's the best car I've ever even driven, and it still makes me happy as hell no matter where I'm going. At least I got to drive there. Well reality is, I'm engaged, we're saving for a wedding, a house and a child. I can't live like this anymore. My first consideration is a Ford Fusion Hybrid, like a 2010/2011. I want a sedan, I want a hybrid and I'd love to have the option of getting navigation in whatever I'd drive. I realize, I'm not going to get 18k for my car. It has 65k miles on it, and I've broken down and smoked in it for the past couple months. So my next car is going to have to have the gap between the value and the loan rolled into it. I feel that 375 as a max monthly payment would be acceptable, since most hybrids get 40mpg's roughly, and my insurance will probably halve, I'll save a good amount from that alone. Also losing the looming feeling of a turbo exploding someday is fairly priceless. I don't want a Prius, or a Nissan Leaf or something. I don't want a small "economy" car, nor do I want an SUV. I'll worry about sportiness and power when I'm happily married and a father in a house.
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Oct 6, 2014 02:56
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I don't think switching cars is going to save you as much money as you think it is. I ran some numbers, maybe a 150 bucks a month or so less, but you'd lose about 2 grand trading the BMW in. This is more of a BFC suggestion, but if 150 a month is make it or break it for you, take a look at your budget... or quit smoking. How much do you spend on smokes every month? Are smokes in NY really 14 bucks a pack?
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Oct 6, 2014 05:50
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Udelar posted:Nah, not worth it to me. If the dealer offers $500 in trade, I'll take it. If not, I can list it on CL or something, no problem. Having your vehicle assessed by a mechanic should be free, or at the most, the cost of a tow (and if you have AAA or towing coverage from your insurance policy, a tow to a mechanic should also be free). If the news is as bad as you think, then fine, get rid of it for whatever you can get. But it's possible that for $200 or so in repairs you could convert your probably-worthless van into a $2500 van, and that would definitely be worth it. At least bother to find out. This sort of pound-foolish approach to finances is a bugbear of the perennially bad-with-money. E.g., you're willing to raid your savings for quite a lot of money to buy another car, but you're not willing to do a basic simple thing that could save you a couple grand like finding out what is actually wrong with your existing car. RE: the sticker price on that Prius, do not start your negotiating at only $500 off sticker. You need to understand that even with something as easily sellable as a Prius, the sticker price at a dealership is a hilarious markup for suckers. If it's listed over $12k I would offer $10k, with the assumption I'll wind up paying maybe $10.8, and I would insist that negotiation on price be inclusive of all "out the door" costs including paperwork, taxes, and whatever other line-item bullshit the dealership will try to foist on you. Maybe you'll get talked up to $11k or something, but if there's less than $1k of wiggle room on a dealership-priced >$12k car, that'd pretty unusual.
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Oct 6, 2014 06:05
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Binge posted:I have a 2008 BMW 335xi that is draining me financially right now. I still owe 18k on it (I've only had it a year, and it was ~27k). I've put 22k miles in one year on it, and have spent untold amounts of money in gas on it. It's been very reliable, other than the cooling system exploding as expected. What percentage of your income are you spending on your car?
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Oct 6, 2014 12:55
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skipdogg posted:I don't think switching cars is going to save you as much money as you think it is. I ran some numbers, maybe a 150 bucks a month or so less, but you'd lose about 2 grand trading the BMW in. Yeah NY is like 10 to 12/pk. But I do get them from our nearest Indian Reservation for a fraction. Smoking is my next thing, I've been given a time limit to our wedding to quit. I think the part where if anything goes wrong with my car, I have no warranty, and that would be a disaster at this point. I have 2 jobs so my monthly income varies from 2k to 2500ish a month. Of my bills, my car is the only thing I can work with payment wise. Rent, utilities, cost of living etc is all pretty much set in stone. The cost of it was fine until I suddenly found myself getting married and looking at a new house.
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Oct 6, 2014 13:48
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You take home 2-2.5k a month and you bought a 27k, 6 year old, German performance car with no warranty? Ouch.
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Oct 6, 2014 14:25
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Internet Explorer posted:You take home 2-2.5k a month and you bought a 27k, 6 year old, German performance car with no warranty? Ouch. Yup, which is why I'm now in this situation. When I bought it, I was single and lived with my parents and had little in the way of bills. Now reality has arrived. It was fun while it lasted!
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Oct 6, 2014 14:49
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Not counting maintenance costs, you are paying 28%-35% of your income towards your car. I would advise selling the car, taking a hit on it and buying a beater.
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Oct 6, 2014 14:50
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Binge posted:Yup, which is why I'm now in this situation. When I bought it, I was single and lived with my parents and had little in the way of bills. And yet you still couldn't pay down enough of the principal on the loan to avoid being underwater.
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Oct 6, 2014 14:51
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For the first 5 or 6 months I was paying 100 over every month, but you're right, I was pretty bad about my finances and spent money pretty stupidly.
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Oct 6, 2014 15:07
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Are there any current issues with the 335? What makes you think you could only get $16k for it? Are there any DIY projects you could do on it yourself instead of using a dealer? Also, find an Indy shop on (Bimrs.org) that may be cheaper and less shady, then you can buy the needed parts on the internet when you can afford them and then take them in to the shop for the work. Pulling out $2k cash just to sell it and then have to spend even more on another car doesn't sound good. Even if (not the best long term strategy but more short term minded) if you could refinance that $18k and get your $700 payments down to something more reasonable (5 yr loan) until you can sell the car next year - might be a better fit "month-to-month" thinking wise. Look for a credit union if possible. Also, keep your foot out of the boost......you should be able to get 30mpg in that car at highway speeds.
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Oct 6, 2014 15:52
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Keyser S0ze posted:Are there any current issues with the 335? What makes you think you could only get $16k for it? TMV with no options gives a private party price of about $13k.
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Oct 6, 2014 16:03
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It is fully loaded, and the miles are low for the year. I have new brake pads and plugs to install it yet. I've also been using dedicated summer and winter tires and wheels so I can throw the oem back on it. If the dealership I'm going to try first low balls me a trade in, I'll try selling it privately. I really shouldn't of smoked in it, so I'm going to try and detail the interior best I can.
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Oct 6, 2014 16:12
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NADA clean trade in on the car is around 16K... He could probably get 18 for it private party pretty easily. I too would take the hit on trading it in. It was fun while it lasted, but time to move on 
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Oct 6, 2014 17:38
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Last week I wrecked my 2003 Malibu that I've had since I was a poor grad student. Still waiting to hear back on my insurance claim, but they're probably going to declare it a total loss. I was planning on purchasing a new car soon anyways, but this forces me to do it in the next week or so. This will also be my first new car purchase, and I've only heard horrible things about car dealers. I invite any advice applicable to my situation, thanks! Proposed Budget: $200-300/mo financed after putting down whatever I'm compensated for the 2003 Malibu. Generally I'd prefer to spend less but the budget is flexible. Alternatively I could pay ~$15k cash if there was a really good incentive to do so, otherwise I'd prefer financing. Not interested in a lease. New or Used: New, last-year models are fine. Body Style: 4 door mid to full; the 2003 Malibu was just the right size. How will you be using the car?: My job is in a different city from where I live, 200 miles away. I work from home most days, and travel to work (400 mi round trip) once a week at most. My commute is almost entirely rural Interstate, so freeway fuel efficiency is something of a priority, with city fuel efficiency being much less of a concern. Otherwise I do occasional errands at home as short-distance quick trips. I think this means I should probably go with a smaller engine option (although I like to have some ability to accelerate), and a hybrid wouldn't offer enough utility to be worth the extra cost. I do have a few priorities about vehicle features:
As for maintenance, I'm good about doing scheduled maintenance as necessary, but I do dislike having to regularly replace defective/design-flawed parts of which my Malibu suffered a number (replaced the blower motor resistor three times, AC head unit twice, hazard switch (which resulted in my turn signals going out intermittently!), etc.). At this point, I'm still trying to figure out which vehicles I should look at more closely. I've driven a number of rentals in the past year and I'm currently renting a 2014 Malibu. In general I like modern Chevys well enough having also recently rented a 2014 Impala. I have yet to drive a Cruze though, which I feel might be a bit closer in size to my 2003 Malibu despite being a compact, although I might be wrong on that. In general the Chevys have a good manual shift option, the center-console UI is tolerable, and the turn signals work normally. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the electro-mechanical (switch activated) parking brake as I'm worried that it's inherently less reliable (and more costly to replace) than a regular old hand brake or pedal, but it's not a deal breaker. I've driven recent model Altimas and don't like them at all, mostly due to the bullshit shifter and compact side mirrors that have unusually limited range. I didn't like the Ford Taurus either as it had a goofy turn signal that I couldn't get used to. The 2014 Camry is OK, but I'm avoiding Toyota due to the bullshit around their mid-00s in-house ECU firmwares recently discovered to be buggy life threatening messes. Even if the new models are better, I don't feel like rewarding the policies and behaviors of that company (although admittedly, GM is only marginally better on that front, so I don't take that attitude too far). I haven't had the chance to drive any recent Hondas, and I've never been inside a Korean car. Edit: Any opinions on the USAA (Zag?) car buying service? ExcessBLarg! fucked around with this message at 18:34 on Oct 6, 2014 |
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Oct 6, 2014 18:05
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USAA is pretty well regarded, I think. You're out of your mind if you think that GM is marginally better than Toyota on the murdering-people-and-covering-it-up front. That being said, I will suggest: Mazda3 Hyundai Elantra Chevy Cruze In no particular order.
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Oct 6, 2014 18:53
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ExcessBLarg! posted:Turn signal lever that maintains position when activated, like they all did until a couple of years ago. This is news to me, what do modern cars do now?
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Oct 6, 2014 19:07
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plester1 posted:This is news to me, what do modern cars do now?
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Oct 6, 2014 19:16
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plester1 posted:This is news to me, what do modern cars do now? Ford is doing it to save a couple cents, paired with a feature for changing lanes where you can tap the stalk up or down to blink 3 times then stop.
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Oct 6, 2014 19:17
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:You're out of your mind if you think that GM is marginally better than Toyota on the murdering-people-and-covering-it-up front. Perhaps it's really a moot point. I would consider buying a Camry if it was absolutely the right car in every other aspect. ExcessBLarg! fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Oct 6, 2014 |
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Oct 6, 2014 19:24
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