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My wife is convinced her 99 Camry with 101k miles on it is unsafe and wants a new one. I have a Pontiac Vibe with 150k on it, averaging a bit under 20k miles a year. Am I better off buying the Camry from her, storing it in my dad's barn, then driving it 5 years from now when the vibe is dead? She's convinced she should trade it in. Edit: it's largely rust free due to being driven primarily in the south and we live in Chicago, making it hard to find comparable old cars that aren't rusted out mastershakeman fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Apr 8, 2015 |
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Apr 8, 2015 23:23
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mastershakeman posted:My wife is convinced her 99 Camry with 101k miles on it is unsafe and wants a new one. I have a Pontiac Vibe with 150k on it, averaging a bit under 20k miles a year. Am I better off buying the Camry from her, storing it in my dad's barn, then driving it 5 years from now when the vibe is dead? She's convinced she should trade it in. Sell it private party. You'll never come out ahead storing a car for years. If you love it that much you can buy one just like it for cheaper in a couple years.
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Apr 8, 2015 23:25
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Thanks for the advice all. What budget would realistically get a car which doesn't need as much maintenance? It's more a soft cap than anything else -- I don't really know what appropriate used car prices are.
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Apr 9, 2015 03:25
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Complete car idiot here. Looking for a cheap reliable car for the family. Proposed Budget: Under $20,000 New or Used: New Body Style: 4 door? Anything midsize or under really. How will you be using the car?: General use driving and work commute. What aspects are most important to you?: reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, price over time mainly My dad has pretty much always bought cars by asking his friends what they think he should do. My mom is insisting actual research go into it this time and this has been delegated to me. However I know nothing about cars other than Hondas and Toyotas seem reliable. I was honestly just looking at wirecutter for ideas. I'm not good at this. We just plan to drive it until it dies. Soylentbits fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Apr 9, 2015 |
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Apr 9, 2015 03:30
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Soylentbits posted:Complete car idiot here. Looking for a cheap reliable car for the family. Under $20k and new? Just get a used Prius.
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Apr 9, 2015 03:31
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nm posted:Under $20k and new? They had a bad used car experience and are now convinced that all used cars are scams that will kill them. I'm not going to be able to convince them otherwise.
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Apr 9, 2015 03:37
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Soylentbits posted:They had a bad used car experience and are now convinced that all used cars are scams that will kill them. I'm not going to be able to convince them otherwise. Then they should pay more and buy a new prius. Maybe a baseish Mazda 3. Maybe a fit if that's big enough.
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Apr 9, 2015 03:53
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Spudalicious posted:Update: I pretty much lost. She ended up with a 2006 Nissan 350z. I can't say I'm happy, just slightly less upset. At least she got a 3 year warranty. It's too late but you should have bought a Miata. Grumpwagon posted:My sister is looking for a small hatchback for under around $10 grand. She looked at a Fiesta, but while she was there, also looked at a 2008 Suzuki SX4 with a manual and 32k miles. They were asking $8600. She said it drove well, was fun to toss around, and didn't make any weird noises and stuff. Buy the Fiesta, or look into the Sonic or Fit. What does the SX4 do that the Fiesta doesn't? Nothing. TKIY posted:Did this two years ago but didn't pull the trigger. Back shopping again. If AWD is important, the Nissan Juke isn't too bad to drive, but really you should buy a Focus ST. The Acura TLX and Buick Regal would probably squeak under your budget with AWD too.
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Apr 9, 2015 12:12
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TKIY posted:Did this two years ago but didn't pull the trigger. Back shopping again. You could wait a few weeks and see what ford announced with their 2016 Focus RS, is supposed to AWD 315hp monster.
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Apr 9, 2015 14:18
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Calidus posted:You could wait a few weeks and see what ford announced with their 2016 Focus RS, is supposed to AWD 315hp monster. I've been following the RS with slavering devotion but it won't be out this year, and availability in Canada is supposed to be sketchy at best :/ Throatwarbler posted:If AWD is important, the Nissan Juke isn't too bad to drive, but really you should buy a Focus ST. I'll look at the TLX hadn't considered it. AWD is not super important but nice to have. RWD just isn't going to work for the wife though, she's a cautious driver at best. Focus ST is very much the top of the list right now.
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Apr 9, 2015 14:29
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Soylentbits posted:Complete car idiot here. Looking for a cheap reliable car for the family. get more specific with "midsize or under" - there's a huge difference in size between a Honda Accord and a Honda Fit. Do they want a midsize sedan? Compact sedan? Hatchback? what the gently caress is wirecutter? Buy a Prius. If they won't buy used, in four months you'll be able to get decently hefty discounts on 2015s. Right now, you can get 0% for 60 months with $1,500 on the hood.
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Apr 9, 2015 15:35
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:what the gently caress is wirecutter? http://thewirecutter.com/ They're generally well regarded when it comes to electronics (need a router or Blu-ray player? Check there!), but I never gave their car recommendations a good look.
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Apr 9, 2015 16:10
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Throatwarbler posted:It's too late but you should have bought a Miata. Possibly AWD. Supposedly pretty good AWD, too.
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Apr 9, 2015 16:33
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I posted on here a ways back where I think I mostly settled on a Mazda3 but due to hesitation, my job ending and some other things that didn't happen Proposed Budget: <$17k, starting to like the idea of getting something decent that holds value for 3 or so years and saving up to get something nicer. New or Used: most likely used Body Style: Sedan or similar How will you be using the car?: Daily driver, hoping to get an apartment close to work soon but right now have a terrible hour+ 30mile commute. Also regularly do long country roads and will likely include out of state trips once settled. What aspects are most important to you? value, efficiency, needs to be relatively attractive and fun to drive Currently have: a '99 Taurus that's ready to retire. Visiting the lots from last year seems the mazda3 and other similar cars have jumped in price while leaving very little savings buying used, especially since I don't particularly care for vehicle bluetooth and dislike touchscreen controls. Still like the Mazda3 and Focus ST but don't really feel as good of value anymore, thinking I should find a Cruze or Corolla to try, anything else I should make sure to visit? My new boss has a dealership and brought in what seems like a nice '04 TDI Passat with 83k miles that seems to fit those wants better then I would've thought. Assuming I can get over the gas pedal delay what would be the bad, decent, and "Take that offer right now" price on that? keeper fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Apr 9, 2015 |
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Apr 9, 2015 17:01
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:get more specific with "midsize or under" - there's a huge difference in size between a Honda Accord and a Honda Fit. Do they want a midsize sedan? Compact sedan? Hatchback? I think they want a compact and just have no idea what a midsize sedan or hatchback actually are. They'd probably consider a hatchback honestly as it's been getting harder for them to park. Prius in four months actually sounds like a pretty good idea though.
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Apr 9, 2015 17:03
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So I currently have a 2003 Subaru Forster with about 160,000 miles. The tires need replaced, the water pump needs replaced, and the head gasket will likely need to be replaced as well. About $3000 in repairs. Car was purchased for $6000 in 2012. Additionally, the car has very serious rust issues and was likely water damaged at some point. Rust is more or less eating away at the body and suspension components. One mechanic even told me that the suspension components were crushed/bent slightly as the car was being lifted up in the shop. Who knows how much that will cost in the future. I've been looking at Chevy Cruze's online in the 14k range. I can put down about 7k for a down payment and afford up to $200 for monthly payments. Haven't really looked at other models, but I'd prefer something within the past 3 years that's nice and reliable. Definitely want to make this car last if i'm buying a different car. Should I bother continuing on with my Forester or take the plunge on a new car?
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Apr 9, 2015 18:01
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George Zimmer posted:Additionally, the car has very serious rust issues and was likely water damaged at some point. Rust is more or less eating away at the body and suspension components. ... No. The rest is fixable (and should be way less than 3 grand) but rust basically isn't.
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Apr 9, 2015 19:22
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Yeah, if there's significant structural rust and the potential for previous water damage, it'd be better to get out of the car while it still has some residual value other than parts and scrap. Buy a Prius.
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Apr 9, 2015 19:25
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As long as a it runs the a dealer will most likely give you a at least a grand for it. kbb ballparks it trade in value between $1k and $2k. Depending on your state, trading in might also lower the tax you play on your purchase.
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Apr 9, 2015 19:43
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semicolonsrock posted:Thanks for the advice all. What budget would realistically get a car which doesn't need as much maintenance? It's more a soft cap than anything else -- I don't really know what appropriate used car prices are. Starting at your initial $2,500 budget point, anything is going to require something, probably tires plus a handful of wear parts or common-failure-by-age parts (brakes, clutch, windshield, cooling system components such as radiator or water pump) and keeping $1000 on-hand to deal with that for the first year of ownership seems like a good idea. Up around $4,000-$5,000 you get a few nicer things, like non-astronomical mileage and conspicuously missing rust (rust is dependent on climate and age, and is as constant as death and taxes in some climates  ). You also get into car brands / models that started at higher values (luxury) or have higher depreciation floors because enthusiasts like them; for example, BMW and Audi. A BMW 325 in basically the same condition (age, mileage) as a Honda Civic will cost around twice the price of the Civic and still have twice the annual maintenance costs.Get into the $8,000-$10,000 range and your options open up dramatically. Huge choice here. Most non-enthusiast / non-exotic cars at this budget range will be very reliable for at least the first year or two of ownership, and you could probably expect to get by on just oil changes and tires for a few years. Set a budget - nothing wrong with $2,500 - for the purchase and a second budget (I suggest AT LEAST $1000) for whatever happens in the first year. Zero maintenance is not realistic, but cheap and relatively painless maintenance is possible if you buy the right car / get lucky. You always need new tires. Always. Just get a good set and be happy for a couple of years. Personal suggestion: 3rd gen Honda Prelude (1988-1991). I bought one in 2009 for $1,300, it needed $1,500 worth of work two months later but I drove that $3,000 car for two very happy years. Who doesn't love pop-up headlights?
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Apr 9, 2015 21:18
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Pop up headlights love to break.
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Apr 10, 2015 00:26
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keeper posted:My new boss has a dealership and brought in what seems like a nice '04 TDI Passat with 83k miles that seems to fit those wants better then I would've thought. Assuming I can get over the gas pedal delay what would be the bad, decent, and "Take that offer right now" price on that? However, it will have all the usual B5 problems, including an extremely complex, fragile suspension system that is also very expensive to fix. They also issues with water intrusion, mostly from the sunroof on later cars (mostly from the front on earlier cars), that can mess up the ecu, ccu, and tcu and related electronics, creating a nighmare. The transmissions also have issues, but if you changed the ATF now and changed it every 30k mi from now on, you might be ok. If it has green or orange (pink is ok and may look similar) coolant, run. Also, they have a fatal oil pump issue that is a 8+ job if you catch the squeak and a new (hard to get) motot if not. Maybe I should have started with that. Basically a 1997 to 2005 Passat is never a good ideam
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Apr 10, 2015 00:53
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Test driving the ATS tomorrow. Infiniti dealer has a 2014 show floor demo Q50 Hybrid with a $12k discount up for sale. Only 220km. However it has the adaptive steering which is apparently just awful. Still I'm tempted. lovely pearl white colour but it's loaded, has AWD, 360hp and makes 7.8L/100km in the city.
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Apr 11, 2015 00:35
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Just got a Nissan Rogue 2012 SL... pretty sweet as it came loaded with leather interiors, navigation, rear camera and blind-spot camera, all for $18k. Pretty good shape too... The only thing that needs updating is the Navigation software SD card, (Nissan LCN2 KAI Navigation System 2015 Year SD Card v.6.0) Everywhere I have seen it listed it's at $99. If I could find it at $50 id buy it but dunno yet if it's worth $99.
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Apr 13, 2015 06:58
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semicolonsrock posted:Proposed Budget: <$2,500 I know this is from the previous page, but thought I'd chime in since I have some experience here. Look for a cheap truck, especially a Ford Ranger. I picked up a '00 Mazda B2500 (rebadged Ranger) for $800 in excellent mechanical shape. The engine is old as piss (first used on the Pinto and parts are cheap as hell for it), 5-speed manual, 2WD. I see them all over Craigslist in the $1500ish range in reasonably good condition. Expect rust and dents, actually try to look for those because they'll drive the value down while not affecting the useability (unless it's really bad). They don't come much more bulletproof than that, and it's a truck so it gives you some added utility. The downside is they only get about 25mpg on the highway. The upside is that headroom seems to be enormous. CornHolio fucked around with this message at 16:16 on Apr 13, 2015 |
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Apr 13, 2015 16:11
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My wife and I are in the market to purchase a car. Our Budget: $10k New or Used: Used, but would like 2008 or newer if possible Body Style: 4 Door SUV. We want something that is higher up but not a tank. How will you be using the car?: The car will be the family car. We are expecting another baby and need something bigger that 2 kids and 2 adults can fit in. We go on frequent road trips, anywhere between 3 - 12 hours drives. Having room for my wife or I to slip in the back where the kids are sitting and deal with them would be amazing. What aspects are most important to you?: Safety, MPG and reliability are the most important to us. We have talked about what we want in a car and every time we come to the conclusion that a minivan fits our needs; we would like 3 rows with the second row being captain chairs. However, we do not want a minivan so are open to ideas of other cars that will be spacey enough for long road trips for a family of 4. Thanks in advance!
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Apr 13, 2015 18:37
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Why wouldn't you want a minivan? Have you tried it out, or are you susceptible to the image issue of owning a minivan?
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Apr 13, 2015 22:53
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Proposed Budget: ~$10k before taxes, maybe ~12k before taxes if it'll mean a good leap in quality New or Used: Used Body Style: 4 door, although I'm not picky at all on it aside from it has to be a car. How will you be using the car?: To and from work every day (30 km) and driving around a lot of the day from site to site (around 400 km a month +/- 100) and every day driving. What aspects are most important to you?: Fuel economy, price, be half decent in snow and on ice (though I will have winter tires), reliable. Don't need anything flashy or anything with all the bells and whistles. I've been considering something like a 2012 Kia Forte but I'm open to suggestions. One of the guys I work with has access to a weekly dealers-only auction that seems to have good prices, so I'll probably go through him. So far I've seen 2011 Nissan Sentra, 2012 Kia forte, 2010 Mazda 3, and 2011 Chevy Cruz all with around 50k km and for around $10,000. I've heard so so things about Kia and other than that I'm clueless. I really am going to try to have it bought at this Thursday's auction, so if anyone can suggest makes/models/years I should go for before then I'd really appreciate it. Gringo Heisenberg fucked around with this message at 23:37 on Apr 13, 2015 |
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Apr 13, 2015 23:18
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Gringo Heisenberg posted:Proposed Budget: ~$10k before taxes, maybe ~12k before taxes if it'll mean a good leap in quality Unless you have something against them, you should probably buy a Prius.
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Apr 14, 2015 00:24
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IRQ posted:Unless you have something against them, you should probably buy a Prius. Would but they start at around $18k - 20k (without taxes/fees) for a 4 year old used model here. Really leaning towards the 2011 or 2012 Mazda 3.
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Apr 14, 2015 00:40
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Claverjoe posted:Why wouldn't you want a minivan? Have you tried it out, or are you susceptible to the image issue of owning a minivan? I do not like how minivans drive. I have driven the Nissan quest and Kia Sorento and hated them. The image is also an issue, however a small one (bigger issue for my wife).
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Apr 14, 2015 00:54
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Claverjoe posted:Why wouldn't you want a minivan? Have you tried it out, or are you susceptible to the image issue of owning a minivan? This. Seriously, I've rented minivans (most recently a new Toyota Sienna) and the amount of room inside is absolutely unparallelled. They're comfortable, safer than SUVs (not as susceptible to rollovers) and handle far better. If you don't like how the ones you've been in drive, try out the rest. Try the Toyota, the Chrysler Grand Caravan and a newer Kia Sorento (I think they just redesigned it, the old one was rubbish).
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Apr 14, 2015 16:59
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CornHolio posted:This. Seriously, I've rented minivans (most recently a new Toyota Sienna) and the amount of room inside is absolutely unparallelled. They're comfortable, safer than SUVs (not as susceptible to rollovers) and handle far better. Also, if you don't need anything huge, the Mazda 5 has 3 rows (but the third row is for children only) and drives like the Mazda 3 it is. The Honda also drives really well, but for $10k, you're looking at an old and abused one as they hold value.
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Apr 14, 2015 17:14
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CornHolio posted:This. Seriously, I've rented minivans (most recently a new Toyota Sienna) and the amount of room inside is absolutely unparallelled. They're comfortable, safer than SUVs (not as susceptible to rollovers) and handle far better. Ah, I imagined an SUV would be safer because it is higher up. I am looking at mini-vans now, wife is gritting her teeth but that is manageable. Never saw myself driving a mini-van, darn tootin kids. nm posted:Also, if you don't need anything huge, the Mazda 5 has 3 rows (but the third row is for children only) and drives like the Mazda 3 it is. The CX-5? The MX-5 is THE BEST!!! My wife wants to avoid Honda like the plague. Why? I have no clue.
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Apr 14, 2015 17:46
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Fixit posted:The CX-5? The MX-5 is THE BEST!!! No, the Mazda 5, not the CX-5. It's a Mazda 3 wagon with sliding doors.
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Apr 14, 2015 17:52
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Mazda 5 has significantly lesser IIHS ratings than the Mazda 3. IIRC it hasn't been updated as recently.
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Apr 14, 2015 17:56
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VideoTapir posted:Mazda 5 has significantly lesser IIHS ratings than the Mazda 3. IIRC it hasn't been updated as recently. He's shopping 10k cars. A 10k mazda 3 isn't going to be the new one either. I wouldn't be recommending a new one, but compared to other 10k cars, it is just fine. The last gen mazda 3 or the last gen virtually everything will do poorly on small overlap. The only newish minivan he might be able to get is a t&c and it sucked at the small offset. The last gen kia failed roof strength and didn'y do a small overlap. nm fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Apr 14, 2015 |
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Apr 14, 2015 18:07
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Twerk from Home posted:No, the Mazda 5, not the CX-5. It's a Mazda 3 wagon with sliding doors. Oh, when I did a search of "Mazda 5" the first two cars were the CX-5 and MX-5. I now see just the 5.
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Apr 14, 2015 18:08
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The Mazda 5 seems to have about the same space behind the 3rd row as my GTI, which seems way too small for the giant strollers people have. Anyone have experience with them? (my sis is expecting a third kid and will probably need a double stroller at some point)
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Apr 14, 2015 18:11
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Uthor posted:The Mazda 5 seems to have about the same space behind the 3rd row as my GTI, which seems way too small for the giant strollers people have. Anyone have experience with them? Go with a giant stroller and find out. Somehow Europeans have managed with polos and golfs for years.
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Apr 14, 2015 18:15
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