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Okay, I stand corrected, the great state of California thinks spending $1000 to get your car off the road is a good idea. Not sure why, but you can still do better dumping it on CL than $1000. 700-720 is usually good enough to get most, if not all, of the low-interest offers from manufacturers, so you're probably good there. For the repaint, based on the picture you posted (and the general "meh at best" Maaco paint quality) you'd really want to paint the whole car, not just a few panels. Again, it wouldn't look great, but it would certainly look better to have it all the same (Maaco is not known for their ability to properly color-match, for example). If you want to upgrade from your 1999 Civic, do so. Nothing you've said here says you can't afford a newer car, you certainly have some valid reasons to upgrade. If the whole reason you're paranoid about upgrading is you're just put off by spending $20k, go buy the nicest 2003-or-newer Prius you're comfortable spending money on. It will do everything your Civic did, need even less maintenance, and you should be able to find a drat decent one for well under $10k.
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# ? Feb 13, 2015 23:04 |
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# ? Mar 28, 2024 19:10 |
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Needing a used car: Body Style: SUV How will you be using the car?:Mainly going around town, hauling 2 small dogs around (less than 20 pounds, they normally hang out in the back seat) What aspects are most important to you? Reliability is the most important thing, followed by mpg. Ideally it would have bluetooth or at a minimum iPod input Budget: less than 15,000 Do you all have any ideas? SUV is pretty much a requirement. It will be driven in NC, so no need for AWD or anything like that, but the wife likes SUV's because she's up higher.
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# ? Feb 13, 2015 23:13 |
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nwin posted:Needing a used car: I know nothing about SUVs other than disliking them, but you can get a bluetooth cigarette lighter/aux input thing that will do all the hands-free calling and music stuff for about 50 bucks regardless of what you end up with.
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# ? Feb 14, 2015 01:06 |
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nwin posted:Needing a used car: Two wheel drive CR-V.
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# ? Feb 14, 2015 05:02 |
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Proposed Budget: $25,000 unless there is a great reason to spend more New or Used: Used, see below Body Style: Most likely 4-door sedan How will you be using the car?: Daily driver, 300+ mi/week (100 city, 200 hwy) Do you prefer a luxury vehicle My previous car, 2003 Camry XLE, had heated leather seats and I want that feature. Otherwise, ESC and Bluetooth are the only must haves. Backup camera is a plus but not required. I have not been impressed with nav systems, blind spot cameras, etc so far. What aspects are most important to you? Reliability, total cost of ownership, mpg, field of vision. Stylish enough to not be a Prius, but the Camry was honestly fine. I am tall so I've found that I have a very difficult time seeing out the rear windows in some smaller vehicles. My camry broke down two weeks ago and I have decided to replace it. I have viewed/driven a bunch of vehicles and only a few have really jumped out at me so far. The big question I have: what is the sweet spot for buying a used car? I don't want to buy an extended warranty at a dealer, but how big of a risk am I taking if I buy a used car with no mfr warranty remaining? None of the new cars I have driven have been attractive enough to me to spend my max budget for. Test drives/viewing results: 2012 Acura TL - love it. Hesitant about premium gas, maintenance cost, little or no mfr warranty given the purchase price. 50,000 mi, $23k Carmax 2008 Acura TL - Base model. Also liked this one a lot. Not much room in the back seat, but I don't think that's a huge deal. 90,000 mi (too high), $14k dealer 2008 Acura TL - Loaded. Another price point, 75,000 mi for $11800 at an independent lot. This was purchased before I could see it. Mazda6 - Too small, thanks to an oddly placed structural beam. Even with the seat all the way to the floor my head was near the ceiling Camry 2007,2011: Smaller than my old car interior, poor sightlines over my shoulder 2008 Cadillac CTS: Lots of fun, TCO probably awful though. 40,000 mi, $21k Carmax 2012 Accord EX-L 4cyl: Not bad, I could see myself driving this. Felt underpowered after the CTS and the TL but not too different from my old car. 50,000 mi, $17500 Carmax 2015 Accord EX-L 4cyl: Honestly, not impressed. The new tech isn't worth the extra cost. New, $27000, Dealer 2013+ Accord EX-L V6: Haven't found a used one to test yet but it's on my list. 2012 Sonata 4cyl: Nice interior. Not sure how reliable Hyundais actually are. Brakes had an odd amount of travel (had to push a long way before I started to slow down but once I got there it stopped fine). <40,000 mi, $16500 Carmax 2015 Sonata Sport 4cyl: Again, nice interior with lots of features but I fear that I'd get killed if I ever tried to sell or trade in. Didn't knock my socks off. New, $25500, Dealer 2014 Fusion 4cyl: Interior space was good, felt kind of slow to accelerate for something that the salesman talked up as being sporty. I wonder about the reliability and some complaints online about MPG ratings. 30,000 mi, $19900, Dealer 2014 Impala V6 - Mid package: Didn't find the seat particularly comfortable, the one with the premium package was >$30k. As driven ~25000 mi, $25000, Carmax 2014 Taurus V6 - Loaded: I actually really liked the interior on this one and I kind of like the exterior styling. The infotainment seems needlessly complicated though, and I read somewhere that the Taurus doesn't compare well to other cars in its class. I also wonder why this one is so much cheaper than a poorly equipped Impala. 30,000 mi, $22000 Dealer I feel quite lost. The Acuras have been my favorite so far, and if you put a gun to my head and said BUY ONE I'd have picked that '08 TL given how much I liked it compared to its cost. Still, potentially a money pit waiting to happen with nearly 100k miles and 7 years old. Can someone give me some guiding wisdom on how you would rate the danger level in buying a used car (in terms of age and mileage) and maybe some recommendations for other models to look at?
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 01:47 |
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Acura is not a potential money pit. It is a honda with leather.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 02:01 |
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antiga posted:Can someone give me some guiding wisdom on how you would rate the danger level in buying a used car (in terms of age and mileage) That used car: medium in the short term, low in the long term. It's either just had or will soon need a timing belt at about 600 bucks or so. Don't negotiate a price without knowing for certain whether it's been done.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 02:34 |
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nm posted:Acura is not a potential money pit. It is a honda with leather. Well they do need timing belts at around that age. It seems odd to me that you list fuel economy as a priority but insist on a V6 over a 4 cyl, but if you liked the TL then you should actually get a 2011-12 Infiniti M37.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 02:45 |
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nm posted:Acura is not a potential money pit. It is a honda with leather. I know it's a dolled up Accord, but it's still 90,000 miles with no coverage. Maybe the right question is: how many miles (or years) is too much before you'd start to feel uncomfortable? MPG question: I know I can't have it all, but it's a factor. I'd want a SUV or truck if mileage wasn't a consideration. I'll look into the Infiniti, I do not have a dealer close by like many of the others so it wasn't at the front of my mind.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 02:59 |
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antiga posted:I know it's a dolled up Accord, but it's still 90,000 miles with no coverage. Maybe the right question is: how many miles (or years) is too much before you'd start to feel uncomfortable? 250,000
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 03:08 |
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Ok, re-examining my priorities Proposed Budget: $3500-$9500 New or Used: Used Body Style: 4 door midsize/full size sedan (Camry/Accord/Prius) How will you be using the car?: Would like to tow 900-1200 lbs of 1 person sailboat + trailer (this is the correct weight I've looked in to it) over flat ground (Texas is __flat__) Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? I would prefer leather seats, manual everything else because it just breaks and I'm too cheap to get those things fixed. What aspects are most important to you? Reliability, Air Conditioning, then > 24 mpg highway, then leather seats, then not goofy looking 3. If you do not live in the U.S. : I live in north Texas (Dallas), happy to travel up to 7 hours for a smoking deal I would prefer to buy 100% up front in cash so $3500-4000 I priced out a 2004 Honda Accord DX with 120,000 miles in "Very Good" condition with Leather Interior and the 4 cylinder engine, came out to $5268, 6 cylinder is $5667. I would prefer a wagon for the extra space but I'm not willing to pay a $2-4,000 premium to get one. What else is in the Camry/Accord range that's also reliable and not crap? I was thinking possibly an Accura TL in the $6500 range which is going to be easier to find with leather seats. Ideally I would like to sell it in a year or two for 50-60% of what I paid for it and buy a brand new base model Honda Accord or Camry Hadlock fucked around with this message at 03:32 on Feb 16, 2015 |
# ? Feb 16, 2015 03:29 |
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Hadlock posted:I priced out a 2004 Honda Accord DX with 120,000 miles in "Very Good" condition with Leather Interior and the 4 cylinder engine, came out to $5268, 6 cylinder is $5667. That car has major problems: http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/2004/
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 05:49 |
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Throatwarbler posted:It seems odd to me that you list fuel economy as a priority but insist on a V6 over a 4 cyl, but if you liked the TL then you should actually get a 2011-12 Infiniti M37.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 05:51 |
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EugeneJ posted:That car has major problems: The auto does, the manual's OK.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 05:53 |
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Throatwarbler posted:The auto does, the manual's OK. Also, I'm pretty sure only the 6 has transmission issues.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 06:15 |
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Is there any reason I shouldn't buy a 2012 or 2013 Infiniti G37x? Also, would the maintenance and/or repair costs be closer to a Nissan or a BMW?
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 06:48 |
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I would be a very happy man if I could find a leather interior 5 speed manual V6 Accord but I don't think that's likely to happen Thanks for the heads up, I think the 2001 civic had some weird issues with the transmission as well, I'll have to make sure and research before pulling the trigger. Probably will purchase mid-March or April.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 06:54 |
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Tublicane posted:Is there any reason I shouldn't buy a 2012 or 2013 Infiniti G37x? Also, would the maintenance and/or repair costs be closer to a Nissan or a BMW? Drivetrain-wise, Nissan in terms of parts cost. It shares a lot of parts with the 370Z and the VQ is a fairly simple and tough motor. The rest of the car will be a little more complex and probably have higher costs when things break. Note that consumer reports shows the V6 Infiniti sedans (except for the newest G replacement) to be quite a bit more reliable than Nissan. Nissans these days are pretty poorly built, Infiniti sedans (the SUVs are a different story) are some of the best in the business.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 07:04 |
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antiga posted:Proposed Budget: $25,000 unless there is a great reason to spend more The fusion Hybrid might be something to look at. Good MPG, more pep than the 4cyl Fusion, and they essentially licensed their engine from Toyota. I got a Lincoln MKZ (same car) with heated/cooled seats at 17k miles for under $20k.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 14:03 |
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Speaking of the fusion hybrid, what are general thoughts on those? Anyone have one? I'm considering one, along with a standard fusion see or accord. (2013) still not sure if I'm going hybrid or not.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 18:27 |
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I drive one as my work vehicle, and while I've always found it comfortable and a good daily driver, I feel like the viability is limited and it has enormous blind spots compared to my civic. It definitely is the most comfortable car I drive on a regular basis though. Much better than the Ford Focus we have, though the focus has way better visibility. Edit: Oh, and the hybrid feature does seem be pretty well integrated with much less annoying brake resistance than out older Prius, and we get decent mileage out of it.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 18:40 |
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So the thread title says "no rentals." But how do you all feel about leased vehicles? I'm in Florida and https://www.offleaseonly.com has blown up huge. They even state if there was an accident not on carfax (apparently at the auction where they buy them they are told if there was ever a reported accident, regardless if it's on carfax or not). I'm liking the idea of a 3-4 year old car priced like a 6-7 year old car.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 18:43 |
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Off-lease is fine - leased cars don't usually get the same treatment as a rental car since it's not 300 different people driving a car for 1-7 days at a time, it's one person driving it for 2-4 years at a shot.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 18:47 |
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Off lease cars can be excellent values. You get some of the best years of the car (years three through 6) during a really good part of the depreciation curve. Leased vehicles tend to be better taken care of since they need to be turned in in top condition. edit: drat, there are some really good deals on that site. edit 2: I was looking at a few of the Audi's, and MB's on that site and quite a few of them had accidents on their CarFax report, I would double check the vehicle history before buying anything from there, and also have a qualified body shop check the car out for unlisted accident damage. I was wondering why a 2012 Audi S4 was listed for many thousands less than it would be anywhere else. CarFax showed a collision with a deer and airbag deployment. Cars that are repaired properly are no problem, but I personally would probably pass on the car unless the savings were significant. skipdogg fucked around with this message at 19:28 on Feb 16, 2015 |
# ? Feb 16, 2015 19:13 |
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Planet X posted:Speaking of the fusion hybrid, what are general thoughts on those? Anyone have one? I'm considering one, along with a standard fusion see or accord. (2013) still not sure if I'm going hybrid or not. I freaking love mine. Mine is technically a Lincoln MKZ(ephyr), but it's the exact same car with a dolled up interior. Of course, my point of reference is a 2004 Civic I got for less than 3k while a student.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 20:59 |
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I did a test drive with a new 2015 Prius and I really liked it. My credit qualifies me for 0% APR for 60 months. This would be my first time buying a new car and I'm terrible at negotiating; can I expect to get the price much lower, given that it's already the President's Day sale event and it's an in demand car? And what should my angle be- just give them a number I was hoping to pay and see how far down they'll come to it? I don't want to toss out a number only to find that it's completely unrealistic. Also how do they make money off a loan with zero percent APR?
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 22:42 |
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Negotiate by emailing or faxing (yes, faxing) a couple dealers within a distance you are willing to drive to buy a brand new car, asking for bids. Let them know the make, model, year, packages, color, etc you want, and see what they ask for. You can open by quoting the Edmunds listed price and see if they can beat it. Once you have a few better quotes, start pitting them against other dealers with previously quoted prices. An hour or two of footwork should shave at least a couple hundred off. Who is offering the credit, the dealer? If so, they make money off you purchasing the vehicle from them at a price that makes them money. If it's your credit union or something, I have no idea, but I doubt that is the case.
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# ? Feb 16, 2015 23:55 |
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Thanks for the advice. Mocking Bird posted:I drive one as my work vehicle, and while I've always found it comfortable and a good daily driver, I feel like the viability is limited and it has enormous blind spots compared to my civic. Viability because it's simply not proven long term like the Accord is, or do you have some other info you can share? One thing that appeals to me about the Fusion is the noise cancelling technology in it. I'm not sure if that works on the highway though, or to get rid of some weird rumbling with the hybrid drive. I want a really quiet car but don't want to spend as much for say, a Lexus. As I understand it, both modern Fusions and Accords are improving on road noise.
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# ? Feb 17, 2015 02:00 |
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Planet X posted:Thanks for the advice. Typo! I meant "Visibility" through those silly slit windows, which is probably not substantially different from an Accord. I am also 5'9 and sit tall, so ymmv. And it certainly is quiet, I take it on 6 hour drives once a month, and it's like manning a yacht - quiet, takes up a lot of room, very comfortable. I prefer something smaller and zippier myself.
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# ? Feb 17, 2015 02:03 |
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Planet X posted:Thanks for the advice. The Accord has this I think? Could be another Honda I am thinking of but pretty sure it does.
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# ? Feb 17, 2015 02:30 |
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Clockwerk posted:You can open by quoting the Edmunds listed price and see if they can beat it. Once you have a few better quotes, start pitting them against other dealers with previously quoted prices. How accurate are Edmunds listed prices? Clockwerk posted:Who is offering the credit, the dealer? If so, they make money off you purchasing the vehicle from them at a price that makes them money. If it's your credit union or something, I have no idea, but I doubt that is the case. The dealer is offering, it's one of the incentives for the Presidents Day sale event. edit- Also who do I email, the guy I talked to originally or should I look on the website for someone else? I don't know which guys at a dealership are empowered to make the final decisions.
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# ? Feb 17, 2015 03:14 |
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I've driven an '06 Lexus RX400h for ~5 years. My wife drove an '08 Dodge Caliber until about a year ago when we got her a '10 Infiniti EX35. I've never been in love with EX35 and I'm flirting with the idea of selling it and getting something else. My biggest disappointment in the Infiniti is that, even though it's 4 years newer, it feels cheaper than my Lexus. The doors/handles feel flimsy, the struts can barely hold up the hatch (even after being replaced), the fuel lid door is thin wobbly metal, etc... And despite having some ridiculous technology (4 cameras with birds eye view that is pretty amazing), it lacks some of the simpler features that the Lexus has (automatic wipers, power lift gate, integrated garage door opener, and a bunch of other little stuff). Don't get me wrong, it's still a great car and super fun to drive, but every time I drive it I find myself comparing it (unfavorably) to the Lexus on basically everything other than its engine. So, I'm trying to decide between a couple possible cars: Lexus CT200h and Audi A3 (wife is set on a hatchback). My budget is around $20k-$25k, so I'm probably looking at a 2012 or 2013. Fit/finish is super important, as are the features (definitely needs to have navigation). I know both of these cars will have most of the features I'm looking for, although it looks like the A3 might not have an option for a rear-view camera (which is just ridiculous). If I can't get an A3 with a rear-view camera (or install a decent aftermarket one that integrates with the screen), that's probably a deal-breaker. Gas mileage is important, so the Lexus has a slight advantage there (I know the A3 TDI probably gets slightly better real-world mileage, but the price of diesel makes the Lexus cheaper to drive). AWD would be nice, but the CT200h is strictly FWD and only the gas A3 can have AWD. I live in Madison, WI and plan on test driving a CT200h sometime soon. Unfortunately, the local Audi dealer doesn't have any 2012-2013 A3's and it looks like there was a significant remodel in 2014 or 2015. Overall, the CT200h seems to have all the features/etc... that I want, but it's basically a fancy Prius. The A3 seems more fun and supposedly has great fit and finish, but I can't fathom how a 2013 Audi would not have a backup camera. Any input would be appreciated.
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# ? Feb 17, 2015 05:27 |
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Accord Crosstour?
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# ? Feb 17, 2015 06:22 |
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Throatwarbler posted:Accord Crosstour? I didn't mention it, but the car needs to be pretty small. My garage is stupidly small and it would probably be pretty tight trying to squeeze a Crosstour in there next to the RX. Also, I assume the Crosstour would be a step down in quality from the Infiniti.
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# ? Feb 17, 2015 13:22 |
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This is more geared toward the AI folks. Proposed Budget: <10k New or Used: Used Body Style: 2 door/4 door/Compact/Midsize/Fullsize Sedan How will you be using the car?: Street/road course/project car. I want A/C, heat, cruise and all the normal creature comforts. What aspects are most important to you? RWD or AWD, manual or DCT I don't want a Miata because I don't want a roll bar in a street car. It'll make me want to drive it less on the street, which is why I sold my last one. I live in Michigan with terrible roads so I don't want anything with a super rough suspension. I love turbo cars but it doesn't have to be turbo'd. I really want something to work on with a good aftermarket since I haven't had to work on anything for quite awhile (MY13 DD). I'm fine swapping engines, but I can't figure out something that would be a cool combo. Really, I want a coupe Miata that costs <10k.
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# ? Feb 18, 2015 15:56 |
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Larrymer posted:This is more geared toward the AI folks. Have you considered a Camaro / Firebird with an LT1 or LS1? Big aftermarket, not a rough suspension, OK to work on except for getting at things near the back of the engine, and you should have a huge variety available under $10k if you don't mind doing some work yourself. If you really want to do it cheap and swap an engine for fun, you could get a V6 car with engine troubles and swap in any of the LS family V8s, including the dirt cheap 5.3s from Silverados and have a good time. They're big fat floppy cars, but certainly enthusiast cars. F-bodies are great.
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# ? Feb 18, 2015 16:16 |
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A C5 Corvette would be closer to a Miata coupe than a F-body.
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# ? Feb 18, 2015 17:41 |
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I'm starting to look at a kouki 240sx but it's difficult to find one that doesn't have a welded diff and zip ties. I don't know how well Fbody's handle, but I do love the LSx. It probably wouldn't be that great on a road course is my guess though. Corvette is probably out of reach money wise but is a good suggestion. I don't want something too expensive in case I have a fun off track excursion.
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# ? Feb 18, 2015 19:11 |
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I asked in AI but just wanted to check in here too... I just moved to Canada and so don`t have a credit rating yet but someone mentioned that I could get finance from the dealer when they have a `no credit check month` or something similar but that the interest rate would be higher because they havent verified my payment history. Is that true? Should I just get a loan through my bank? Could my fiance co sign the loan and then the interest rate would come down? (even though she earns less than me). I make 1300 a fortnight after tax.
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# ? Feb 18, 2015 19:18 |
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# ? Mar 28, 2024 19:10 |
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Larrymer posted:I'm starting to look at a kouki 240sx but it's difficult to find one that doesn't have a welded diff and zip ties. The F body is better than anything else you could possibly get for that price if you want handling, except for the Corvette? Two trailing arms and a panhard rod is a pretty good way to set up a live axle. KBB on a 1998 Corvette is like $9k.
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# ? Feb 18, 2015 20:22 |