|
Twerk from Home posted:That A4 is actually not a reliability train wreck like one a couple years older would be, but if you want a cheap to own economy car you shouldn't look at any generation of A4. A B7 with possibly the BPY 2.0T TFSI, and/or CVT? Pretty sure it's still terrible. If it has the V6, and the previous owner has done the timing belt on time and serviced the transmission at least twice as often as the manual recommends then it might be all right I guess, so it will be merely a car the size of a Corolla with worse fuel economy than an F150. EDIT: The manual probably said the transmission fluid was good for the lifetime of the car though 
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2015 16:30
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 7, 2024 16:30 |
|
|
Radio Talmudist posted:My dad found an 2007 Audi A4 with 130k~ miles on it for 7000$ for me. I told him that while Audis seem like very nice cars, they also seem very expensive to maintain...and they need premium gas. Given that I want a reliable, fuel efficient car that requires minimal maintenance, I feel like going with the Audi A4 is not a smart decision. Counter-counterpoint: A car outside the normal warranty period for unusually cheap has something wrong with it. Counter-counter-counterpoint: The seller is aware of this and is honest. Call the seller yourself and get the low-down.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2015 17:14
|
|
|
ExecuDork posted:Counterpoint: A 2007 A4 for $7K is a really good deal (for my area), so even if running costs (fuel + maintenance) are higher, you'll get your money's worth for at least a few years. 130k miles is 209k km. It's not particularly cheap.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2015 17:23
|
|
|
Ok, so here comes some CA HOV-lane-ready chat. Any opinions on the options below would be helpful! I'm in the market for a car that can get me to work faster. I drive 32 miles roundtrip each day on the freeway and want to get a plug-in or electric car to cut down my commute time. So far, I've narrowed down a couple of options. I haven't driven any of these, but I plan to this weekend. Plug-in Options: These are gas/EV hybrids that qualify for the CA green HOV sticker. The green sticker program is running out soon (by my calculations, they'll run out of stickers in 3 months), so I'd have to buy very soon if I go with one of these. Unfortunately this rules out waiting for the 2016 Volt (due in Fall 2015), which is by far the most appealing car I've seen (50mi range on battery, plus gas engine).
EV Options: These are electric-only cars that qualify for the CA white HOV sticker. There is no limit to the number of white stickers that they can issue, so there is less urgency to purchasing one of these. They all have around 80 miles range, which is more than enough to do my commute, but would be an issue for anything outside of my regular routine.
I'm most likely going to lease this, since I'm sure in 3 years battery tech will be further along and I'd probably want to upgrade then. Given that, these are all within the same lease price range (between $250-300/month). Do you guys have any opinions on any of these cars? I've tried to do my homework on these, I just don't want to overlook anything obvious.
|
|
#
?
Feb 27, 2015 18:05
|
|
|
This was sort of brought up by A4 chat, but in general, the extra spend for premium gas is a tiny component of your overall cost of ownership of a car.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 02:55
|
|
|
KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:This was sort of brought up by A4 chat, but in general, the extra spend for premium gas is a tiny component of your overall cost of ownership of a car. Seriously, this should be in the OP. The cost difference comes out really low. Twerk from Home posted:That A4 is actually not a reliability train wreck like one a couple years older would be, but if you want a cheap to own economy car you shouldn't look at any generation of A4. No, it is LESS of a train wreck. Hope you like carbon buildup. An 8 year old audi is never the reliable choice. nm fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Feb 28, 2015 |
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 03:07
|
|
|
KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:This was sort of brought up by A4 chat, but in general, the extra spend for premium gas is a tiny component of your overall cost of ownership of a car. Might be a regional thing but premium gas is regularly +$.50/gal where I am, +$1 at some stations. I can see that adding up quickly if you drive a lot, though not so significant compared to the cost of am Audi antiga fucked around with this message at 04:36 on Feb 28, 2015 |
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 03:25
|
|
|
antiga posted:Might be a regional thing but premium gas is regularly +$.50/gal where I am, +$1 at some stations. I can see that adding up quickly if you drive a lot, though not so significant compared to the cost of am Audi It is like $.20 here in California.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 07:34
|
|
|
chupacabraTERROR posted:Do you guys have any opinions on any of these cars? I've tried to do my homework on these, I just don't want to overlook anything obvious. My wife was pretty into the Volt when she test drove it. I hated the interior's reliance on touch- everything, but it seemed like a comfortable ride. The little touches, like USB ports in the passenger seats, were nice. Overall feel was roomy. If you have the capacity to install a 240v charger it makes the overnight plug bingo not too painful. And, of course, the ability to toss some gas in to supplement the electric engine is handy as gently caress. If you want something utilitarian and quirky, there's also the Chevy Spark EV, which is a tiny car with almost no storage space. Not sure if its available outside of the west coast though, but its a punchy little ride with about 100m range, so your daily drive wouldnt be cause for worry. FilthyImp fucked around with this message at 08:44 on Feb 28, 2015 |
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 08:35
|
|
|
nm posted:Where the hell are you? CT/NYC. Especially prevalent at rest stops but that's to be expected because the gas is already above market
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 18:31
|
|
|
I'm faced with a dilemma! I currently have a 2010 VW Eos. It's a great little car for my daily commute, but it's due for its 4-year/40k maintenance (even though I'm only at 28k miles). It's about $1000, and because they do a bunch of work on the roof mechanism I think it has to be done at dealership. They are also discontinuing the Eos line in May. I'm roughly $2-$4k in the green on my car loan, which is 0%, and has 2 years left on it. I see that I can likely hop into something like a 2015 Mazda6 also for 0% APR. What would the goons do? If VW is ending the line, is my car's value likely to decrease faster or slower? My original plan had been to hold onto the Eos for another couple of years until there were some more solid EV options (like maybe the new Tesla), but with the super expensive maintenance coming up (and I'm thinking probably new tires in the next year too) am I better off financially by bailing into something new and maintenance free?
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 19:14
|
|
|
cailleask posted:something new and maintenance free? There is no such thing as "maintenance free". A new car will still need tires, oil changes, and the like. I also find it highly unlikely that you could get into something new for less than whatever you get in trade on the Eos, plus the cost of tires and the immediately-due maintenance.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 19:57
|
|
|
IOwnCalculus posted:There is no such thing as "maintenance free". A new car will still need tires, oil changes, and the like. I also find it highly unlikely that you could get into something new for less than whatever you get in trade on the Eos, plus the cost of tires and the immediately-due maintenance. I mean maintenance free over the next few years, at which point I will likely swap into something electric (most dealerships do free maintenance for the first 3 years, and I've never had to replace tires on a less than 4 year old car). I'd still finance, but the idea is to keep out of pocket monthlies roughly the same if that makes sense.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 20:03
|
|
|
cailleask posted:I mean maintenance free over the next few years The point is that no car is going to be maintenance-free over the course of a few years. "Low" maintenance, sure, but new cars need maintenance attention, too and that means that there's usually a service interval every 30-40k miles/3-4 years for various filters and fluids at the very least. And yeah dealerships tend to gouge a bit on those services, an independent shop would probably do it for half that. Even at dealership rates, $1000 is really not that awful for what is essentially 3 years' worth of maintenance and upkeep. quote:still finance, but the idea is to keep out of pocket monthlies roughly the same if that makes sense. You're not going to make many friends in BFC shopping on monthly payments.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 20:17
|
|
|
cailleask posted:I mean maintenance free over the next few years, at which point I will likely swap into something electric (most dealerships do free maintenance for the first 3 years, and I've never had to replace tires on a less than 4 year old car). Stop thinking in terms of monthly payments. When that's your basis for comparison, it's not obvious that once the Eos is paid for, your monthly out of pocket expense is going to drop dramatically, even if you have to set aside some money for maintenance every month. Car payments are not a fact of life. Yes, $1,000 for a maintenance item is a lot. Tires might be another $400-500 on top of that, and that isn't cheap either. But, if you buy a new car, you're probably going to take on somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 in debt to save maybe $1,500 in maintenance money. That's absurd. If you go with an over-the-top estimate of $1,500 more in maintenance every six months, where a dealership would give you totally free maintenance for three years, that still only tilts the numbers in favor of a new car by $9,000 - not nearly enough to make up the difference. If you have a car that works for what you need it to do, that only needs standard maintenance, it's almost always a bad financial move to buy a new car. In this case, it's unquestionably a bad financial move. Space Gopher fucked around with this message at 20:37 on Feb 28, 2015 |
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 20:28
|
|
|
I'm not sure if I'm just explaining myself that poorly or if you guys are being pedantic with me. I understand that all cars need a big service right around the 4 year mark. That's what prompted my entire question. I have a 12k, 0% interest loan on a depreciating asset that is also about to require roughly an additional 15-20% of its total value worth of work over the next 12 months. I will be paying on that loan for the next two years. There are two questions I have: given the model is being discontinued, is my asset likely to depreciate at a faster or slower rate than previous? And, if it were to be depreciating faster, would it be worth it to roll my existing $2-4k of equity into a new ( again, 0%) car for another 3-4 year term? I understand perfectly well what the cost of my car has been for the last four years. I'm having a harder time estimating what it's cost will be over the next three-- specifically with regards to what it will require additional in for maintenance and what I will be able to get out of it with regards to resale value at the end of the time period. Does that make more sense as to what I'm asking about?
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 20:43
|
|
|
Thanks Space Gopher, that helps me understand where you guys are coming from a bit better. To modify-- I'm concerned about total cost-versus-value because I'm not going to keep this car forever. For various lifestyle reasons, it's really going to have to be replaced at the end of the next ~three years if I don't do it now. So it's a question of total value now versus total value in three years, including the extra costs Im going to incur with regards to tires, service, and whatever else needs to be replaced in that interval?
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 20:50
|
|
|
cailleask posted:given the model is being discontinued, is my asset likely to depreciate at a faster or slower rate than previous? Is the manufacturer going out of business? If not, then no.
|
|
#
?
Feb 28, 2015 23:02
|
|
|
My brother is used car shopping with too much concern for image to take my advice of "buy the nicest small, FWD Japanese, American, or Korean car you can afford." I've already shot down BMWs, Audis and a fading green Range Rover. He found this 2003 Caddy CTS 3.2l 5-speed on Craigslist, which initially I admit is a much better choice than any similar Euro car. 100,000mi and very clean with no undercarriage rust (pics)--claims to be garaged and Summer driven. I suspect the drivetrain should be reliable to high mileage with little maintenance (timing belt changed 8000mi ago). I told him, being a Caddy, that it'll be stupid little things like dash and trim, lock/window actuators and catastrophically failing HVAC that will nickel and dime him. Still, it's the first year model of a (relatively well-reviewed) RWD midsize luxury. Are there any comparable Infinity, Lexus, or Acura that will provide the same value as the CTS's steep depreciation? EDIT: Fixed a few details. goku chewbacca fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Mar 1, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 02:40
|
|
|
goku chewbacca posted:My brother is used car shopping with too much concern for image to take my advice of "buy the nicest small, FWD Japanese, American, or Korean car you can afford." I've already shot down BMWs, Audis and a fading green Range Rover. The ad says it's a 3.2l with a 5 speed, which makes sense since the 6 speed didn't come until 2005 and anyway the 3.6l wasn't DI until the 2008 generation. The 3.2l has a timing belt, it even says in the ad that the seller has already had it changed.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 02:47
|
|
|
Proposed Budget: 28k or less New or Used: New Body Style: 4door, suv or crossover How will you be using the car?: Work commute 25miles round trip, weekend wine tours, Costco trips, general transportation, live on the side of a mountain with a gravel road What aspects are most important to you? Reliability, needs to have some guts, cargo space (4 cases of wine or more) and ground clearance, would like 20mpg or better. Also needs to have very adjustable driver seat, husband has extremely long legs and I am short. Thinking AWD required, no mud but snow occasional. We have been driving manual Subaru Outbacks (2001, 2006) for the last 15 years and we are done with manuals as I've developed clutch toe and a bunion. We are thinking possibly the Crosstrek, Jeep Cherokee or a Mazda CX5 or 7 so far. What else should we be considering? We will be paying cash and wondered if we a dealer would consider us trading in both Subarus? I've never heard of anyone trading in 2 cars at the same time. Nutella fucked around with this message at 07:01 on Mar 1, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 05:37
|
|
|
Nutella posted:live on the side of a mountain with a gravel road Regarding the mountain section of your commute: Snow or no snow? All gravel, or are there muddy sections? If there's no snow and no mud, you can consider AWD an option. If there are either of those things with any regularity, consider it a necessity.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 06:44
|
|
|
VideoTapir posted:Regarding the mountain section of your commute: Snow or no snow? All gravel, or are there muddy sections? Thanks for pointing that out, edited my post. It's a necessity.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 07:02
|
|
|
How do people feel about Suzukis? They seem to rank really high with consumer reviews and reliability charts. You seem to almost never seem to see them for sale used. Is maintenance expensive? There must be some catch.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 07:48
|
|
|
Reason posted:How do people feel about Suzukis? They seem to rank really high with consumer reviews and reliability charts. You seem to almost never seem to see them for sale used. Is maintenance expensive? There must be some catch. They're out of business in the US. Also, the only Suzukis that are worth buying are the ones made in Japan, the Korean ones are total piles. Basically Kizashi was a pretty good car, but it was let down by bad marketing, the fact that Suzuki only put a small engine in it, and that no one buys Suzukis. The SX4 isn't terrible if you need AWD and care about nothing else. Any other car sold in the US should be avoided. Also, it is going to be increasingly difficult to get parts in the US.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 08:11
|
|
|
Reason posted:How do people feel about Suzukis? They seem to rank really high with consumer reviews and reliability charts. You seem to almost never seem to see them for sale used. Is maintenance expensive? There must be some catch. The catch is that most late-model Suzukis sold in the US were rebadged Daewoos. While Daewoo may be putting out acceptable stuff now (after a few years of schooling from other GM divisions), during that period they were producing unmitigated poo poo. I am not exaggerating even a little when I say that Daewoos of the mid-late 2000s had inferior build quality to Chinese cars of the same period (first-hand experience talking). They probably had better crash structures and better steel, though. These models (the Forenza, Reno, and Verona) are not likely to persist on roads very long, and they utterly ruined Suzuki's reputation in the US. The SX4, Vitara, and older Suzukis were okay, and supposedly the Kizashi was drat good. But by the time the Kizashi came out it was too late. Tons of Suzuki dealers had closed down (both due to the damage done by rebadging Daewoos and by the financial crisis) by then, so they weren't going to sell much of anything. That's why you almost never see them for sale used: they didn't sell many of the good ones new in the last few years. The catch is that most of the cars they did sell were garbage.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 08:16
|
|
|
VideoTapir posted:The catch is that most late-model Suzukis sold in the US were rebadged Daewoos. While Daewoo may be putting out acceptable stuff now (after a few years of schooling from other GM divisions), during that period they were producing unmitigated poo poo. I am not exaggerating even a little when I say that Daewoos of the mid-late 2000s had inferior build quality to Chinese cars of the same period (first-hand experience talking). They probably had better crash structures and better steel, though. Thanks for all the great info on the Suzukis. Finding a used mid-size SUV under 10k is tough work. Is sticking with the CRVs and Rav4s pretty much what people recommend?
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 19:12
|
|
|
My friend who is an avid car guy (maybe too much of a car guy, he told me he would stop talking to me if I got a Prius, and I'm not entirely sure he's kidding) was waxing poetic about the glories of Subarus. Are they good cars? I like the older, wagon-looking outbacks.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 19:54
|
|
|
Radio Talmudist posted:My friend who is an avid car guy (maybe too much of a car guy, he told me he would stop talking to me if I got a Prius, and I'm not entirely sure he's kidding) was waxing poetic about the glories of Subarus. Are they good cars? I like the older, wagon-looking outbacks. Define old. lots of them have issues. Just get the prius.
|
|
#
?
Mar 1, 2015 20:37
|
|
|
I've recently realized that I'm not as poor as I thought I was so I've decided to get a second car to complement my current Suburban 2500 because that's a beast as a DD. I had been aiming for a fast and comfy flying sofa for under $10K but it occurred to me that I can comfortably afford a new car so I've decided to get something more sensible for the money. Proposed Budget: $20,000 or so (assuming a $3000 down payment and 48 month loan) New or Used: New Body Style: Compact hatch or wagon How will you be using the car?: Daily driver for boring local stuff What aspects are most important to you? Manual transmission is preferable. Cruise control is nice, especially if it works at 25mph. I'm not really worried about reliability, just so long as it's not awful it oughta be okay. Preferably no touchscreen radio. Absolutely no sunroof. I'm used to handling best described as "try not to flip it over, okay?" so sharp cornering isn't important. Plus I've gone without A/C or a usable stereo for ages, so I'm glad it's just about impossible to find a new car without both of those. I've become dependent on the versatility of a 4x4 Suburban over the past couple years so I really can't go without one, and now that I've got one that can tow its own weight that's even better. But although I'm genuinely unconcerned with fuel economy ($125 for a tank of gas doesn't phase me in the least) I do recognize that bad fuel economy is still bad, whether I care about it or not. My current favorite is a Focus SE hatchback with the 2.0 and 201A package, but that's not set in stone yet. As far as styling goes, I love the 2015 facelift for the Focus. If I stick with that, would the 1.0T be worth the extra money? I'd consider the Mazda3 if I was looking for a sedan but that body style is a waste of metal if you ask me, and the hatchback seems really out of proportion with the huge front overhang, plus they get expensive quick with options. I like the Impreza too but I don't need AWD since snow doesn't exist in Georgia, and the Suburban works great off road anyway, so is there an advantage over the focus other than AWD that I'm missing? I drove a Jetta with the new 1.8T once and I liked it a lot so I might get a Golf with that engine, but it is a VW and AI has taught me to give them the stink eye when it comes to reliability. I'd prefer a wagon over a hatch but they don't really exist in America, so I'm guessing it's not worth the wait to get the Golfwagen when it comes out, plus the whole issue of a brand-new design without time to work out early issues. There's also the Forte5 and Elantra GT but IMO the Koreans still aren't quite up to snuff yet, there's a whole slew of subcompact hatches but I'd prefer not to have something that small, and the Prius is too expensive. Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 00:37 on Mar 2, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 00:29
|
|
|
Friar Zucchini posted:I've recently realized that I'm not as poor as I thought I was so I've decided to get a second car to complement my current Suburban 2500 because that's a beast as a DD. I had been aiming for a fast and comfy flying sofa for under $10K but it occurred to me that I can comfortably afford a new car so I've decided to get something more sensible for the money. I don't think I would be afraid to own either a Golf, Beetle or MINI with a new car warranty, and the MINI's warranty is 4 years too. But all those plus the Mazda and Subaru are probably going to edge over $20k while a Ford Focus is more like $16-17k OTD. The Impreza with the CVT actually doesn't have much of a fuel economy penalty compared to other compact cars, but the manual transmission does. If you're looking at VWs the Passat with the 1.8T is really the one to get. It's a way nicer car than the Jetta (haven't been in a new Golf yet) and OTD a Passat is probably within $1k of a Jetta/Golf - the discounts on them are much deeper because they are made in Tennessee in a dedicated plant that can't make anything else except this one car that only sells in the US, unlike the Mexican plants that make the Jetta/Golf/Beetle that are more global cars, and VW was far too optimistic in their sales targets. EDIT: I know you said hatchback but have you seen the Passat? It's a huge car, unless you are a professional transporter of potted plants or grandfather clocks I can't imagine anything that would fit in the back of a Golf but not a Passat. Also just use the Suburban when you do need to move a grandfather clock. Throatwarbler fucked around with this message at 01:19 on Mar 2, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 01:17
|
|
|
Friar Zucchini posted:I've recently realized that I'm not as poor as I thought I was so I've decided to get a second car to complement my current Suburban 2500 because that's a beast as a DD. I had been aiming for a fast and comfy flying sofa for under $10K but it occurred to me that I can comfortably afford a new car so I've decided to get something more sensible for the money. Have you looked at the Honda Fit?
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 01:18
|
|
|
Cruise control at 25mph sounds hazardous - you'd have to test cars to see if it works. I've never tried it that slow in my Focus, but I can tomorrow in the interest of Experimental Research.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 01:49
|
|
|
goku chewbacca posted:My brother is used car shopping with too much concern for image to take my advice of "buy the nicest small, FWD Japanese, American, or Korean car you can afford." I've already shot down BMWs, Audis and a fading green Range Rover. I would be a little concerned that it's a pretty oddball engine/transmission combo that was only built in very low volume, so getting parts and service for it might be slightly difficult. A guy in AI bought a Catera(same drivetrain) with a broken timing belt for a couple hundred bucks, put in a new engine, and it seemed to work reasonably well for him. That one does look like it's in pretty good shape too. I think I would probably be OK with it personally, but unless there's something particular about this car that appeals to him, there are probably cheaper and more reliable ways to get from A to B. Nutella posted:Proposed Budget: 28k or less RE: the height difference, having a telescoping steering wheel helps a lot with that problem and I think all the choices you list do have that at least as an option. I don't think I would bother with the CX7 though, it's pretty old and anecdotally the turbo engine/AWD isn't very reliable.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 02:27
|
|
|
Throatwarbler posted:Passat Space Gopher posted:Honda Fit KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Cruise control at 25mph sounds hazardous Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Mar 2, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 02:30
|
|
|
Any thoughts on the 2002 Lincoln Continental? I've narrowed my beater search down to either a 2002 Toyota Prius for $5000 or a 2002 Lincoln Continental for $4000 - both have around 100,000 miles
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 04:25
|
|
|
The 2002 prius is the old, old style. Not as good as the gen2 in both usefulness or quality. They do have smattering of battery issues and I'm not sure how much they cos5 to fix. But a 2002 fwd lincoln? Ew.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 04:42
|
|
|
Well, I just got into my second major accident in three years by losing control of my Honda Fit while driving over sleet in some Pennsylvania boonies. I managed to flip the car so I'm starting to think I should pay a lot of attention to safety features in my future cars. Since the fit is totaled this is a pretty immediate consideration for me. Budget: 5k or less, below 4 would be good New or Used: Used Use case: Mixed city driving. I put about 10k miles a year on my car for the past two years but that will probably go down a bit soon. Or maybe not! Priorities: The car has to have a low total cost of ownership balancing upfront price, gas, and maintenance, and be safe. All else is secondary. If you tell me loading a yugo with manure accomplishes these goals I will grin and bear it. I live in Baltimore which salts roads and stuff, are there any special considerations regarding that when looking for cars?
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 09:11
|
|
|
Stability control and get some winter tires. 2 accidents in 3 years, invest in drivers school. 5k, your fit should be worth more than that. 5k is hard, because esc only became wide spread recently. nm fucked around with this message at 16:24 on Mar 2, 2015 |
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 16:21
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 7, 2024 16:30 |
|
|
I found a 2007 Prius for under 7k from a private buyer. I'm going to check the car out this weekend with my mechanic dad. Any tips for a private car transaction? Also, how much is it to replace the bigger Prius battery? Oh and it has 100k miles on. Seems like a steal, quite frankly.
|
|
#
?
Mar 2, 2015 17:58
|
|