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Chillyrabbit posted:Thanks for the advice! So I'll probably look into good used cars and follow the advice in the OP about it. And in regards to financing I was aiming for 0% since some new car dealers have 0% for 3-4 year "deals". It's not always a bad idea to finance a car, just don't approach it "I can afford $x in monthly payments". Spend as little as you can for a car that meets your needs, and if you can find a low enough rate (especially these days as used car loan rates can be barely higher than the subsidized new car rates), consider financing that cost.
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Aug 19, 2015 03:44
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nm posted:Neither of them will probably be particularly reliable. High output small turbo motora rarely are. The VW is well a VW and reports from ST owners is that ford dealers are a bit confused by them. What is a reliable, small-ish, fun to drive car that I could get slightly used for around $20k? I'm thinking about replacing my '06 RSX type S and was considering the ST, but I like Civic reliability. I was thinking about the BRZ/FRS, but based on what I've read it's too small (no Scion or Subaru dealers here so I haven't seen one in person). I need a back seat that a real person can fit in and at least some cargo space. Is a Civic SI about it?
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Aug 19, 2015 15:24
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The Civic Si blows.
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Aug 19, 2015 15:30
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Has it always or did they do something to gently caress it up recently? I think my RSX is basically an Si and I'm okay with it. I guess I'm really just looking for something slightly more fun than Camry/driving appliance. Really I want a Miata or an S2k, but I don't want two cars now and I need more room than either of those has.
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Aug 19, 2015 15:49
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The Civic Si was tolerable when it was first released, though significantly down on power. It got even less fun to drive as the years progressed, and everything else got way better. The current Si is a shittier version of your nine year old RSX. Honestly, just get an ST. The increase in maintenance won't be that significant, and it's not like the car is going to leave you stranded.
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Aug 19, 2015 16:03
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Soup in a Bag posted:Has it always or did they do something to gently caress it up recently? I think my RSX is basically an Si and I'm okay with it. I guess I'm really just looking for something slightly more fun than Camry/driving appliance. Really I want a Miata or an S2k, but I don't want two cars now and I need more room than either of those has. GTI is also worth a look. It's less powerful but probably a better overall daily driver than the STs. If you wanna go fast, get an ST!
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Aug 19, 2015 16:20
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mastershakeman posted:Is leasing a good decision if you drive very low mileage? My wife refuses to consider anything but a camry, so I'm wondering if it'd make sense to lease for 3 years then buy it ? She drives less than 5k miles a year. No, this is not a good idea at all. If you want a new Camry every 3 years, go ahead and lease. If you want to buy a car and keep it for 6 years, buy.
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Aug 19, 2015 17:01
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Unless things have changed, leasing a toyota is rarely a good idea as they don't subsidize thier leases.
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Aug 19, 2015 17:10
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nm posted:Unless things have changed, leasing a toyota is rarely a good idea as they don't subsidize thier leases. It's pretty obvious when comparing leases across manufacturers who subsidizes and who doesn't. My dad was cross shopping a CRV and a Hyundai Sonata and the CRV was getting numbers ~$400 /mo from Honda and ~$250/mo from Hyundai. The funny part is MSRP on the Sonata was $4k higher and Hyundai predicts it will hold its value far better than a CRV. Numbers are so high because he put 0 down, 0 first month payment, and rolled sales tax into the lease payment. Needless to say, he got the Sonata and it's a perfectly good boring car with heated leather everything and rear a/c vents.
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Aug 19, 2015 17:36
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I had a classmate who was leasing a CRV for 650 a month...in 2002.
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Aug 19, 2015 17:57
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Twerk from Home posted:
For the record this was a deal breaker on at least 2 cars I've purchased. Nothing worse than a whiny child in the back who is too hot or too cold. I literally went up a package on my Escape to make sure I had it.
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Aug 19, 2015 20:34
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hanales posted:For the record this was a deal breaker on at least 2 cars I've purchased. Nothing worse than a whiny child in the back who is too hot or too cold. Ignore the horrible web design, but this really does work.  One of these days I'll figure out how to design / 3D print an adapter that better fits the vents in my cars, but this still makes a lot of difference.
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Aug 19, 2015 20:44
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IOwnCalculus posted:Ignore the horrible web design, but this really does work. This looks pretty cool for people that have cars that don't have the vents back there, especially in hot climates where it can take 15+ minutes to cool a car down, but this picture on their website is killing me.  The vent is right above the kid... no need for a 50 dollar hose when there's a vent literally above his head.
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Aug 19, 2015 20:57
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That's probably a speaker?
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Aug 19, 2015 21:00
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Nah that's a closed ceiling mounted A/C vent, looks just like the ones in my Explorer but in a different color. Here's a better view 
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Aug 19, 2015 21:13
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skipdogg posted:Nah that's a closed ceiling mounted A/C vent, looks just like the ones in my Explorer but in a different color. That vent is where the monsters live. Never open that vent.
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Aug 19, 2015 21:20
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LeeMajors posted:What features in the limited really appeal to you? The auto climate control kind of sucks, and I wish I had the conventional stuff from the SR5. The bodycladding looks nice--but the interior faux wood stuff doesn't appeal to me personally too much. Of all things, the abundance of 12v adapters built in. I do spotlighting for black footed ferrets with AZ game and fish a couple times a year. (official population assessment and study) So having all the outlets for lights would be nice. It's a small thing, but I'm looking for an SR5 just as much. I'd take whichever came up first. I really like having cruise control, so the base model is out for me personally.
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Aug 20, 2015 19:02
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vanilla slimfast posted:In the market to replace our lease that is ending this month on a 2012 VW Tiguan SE. It's been a great car, but I'm not interested in buying out the lease (lol) or buying a German car in general. Still have PTSD from the maintenance costs of my 2001 Audi A4. Selfquoting here. We test drove both a 2015 Outback and a 2015 Forester XT last weekend, and really liked the Forester. I did quite a bit of searching around about the oil burning/head gasket issues but can't seem to get a clear read on if this issue only affects the 2.5 non-turbo engines or also affects the 2.0t that is in the forester xt? Also can anyone tell me why getting a 2015 model financed at 0% on a 36 month term is a bad idea when we can meet the requirement of making 1/3 down payment (which we were going to do anyways)? Thanks!
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Aug 20, 2015 20:17
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Shouldn't be head gasket issues on 2015s. 2015s are too new to know what horrible issues are in store! 0% for 36 is a great rate. Just put enough down that you are never underwater on the loan and you'll be fine. Make sure that you would not get a better deal by accepting cash on hood in lieu of financing and BYOF.
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Aug 20, 2015 20:51
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Aren't the turbo engines chock full of their own issues too? You should buy a 3.6l Outback instead.
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Aug 20, 2015 23:12
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Throatwarbler posted:Aren't the turbo engines chock full of their own issues too? You should buy a 3.6l Outback instead. The ej255/7 (2.5l) turbo does. The 2.0 turbo has many fewer issues as far as I know. That said, the 6 is the reliable choice. So is a 2010+ na motor as they got mls headgaskets then.
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Aug 20, 2015 23:15
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nm posted:The ej255/7 (2.5l) turbo does. The 2.0 turbo has many fewer issues as far as I know. Looks like the 2014+ Forester XTs have the FA20F engine. Prior years had the EJ So....devil you know vs the devil you don't?
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Aug 21, 2015 17:24
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vanilla slimfast posted:Looks like the 2014+ Forester XTs have the FA20F engine. Prior years had the EJ The devil we know often needs a rebuild within 100k mi. I go with the devil I don't know.
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Aug 21, 2015 17:32
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nm posted:The devil we know often needs a rebuild within 100k mi. I go with the devil I don't know. Consumer Reports, with their reliability surveys, says there's no devil at all since 2010, and only a little one in 2009. 2008 and earlier is definitely a devil, and one you know perfectly well.
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Aug 21, 2015 18:41
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Help me, thread. I've been driving a 1998 Camry for 15 years--my entire adult life, give or take--and I would be happy to drive it 15 more except the struts/suspension is gone, it rattles like a bag of bones, and it's so rusted that I'm probably slipping away from CO2 poisoning. I've gotten used to not having a car payment for 10 years, so the idea of a $200 to $300 monthly payment doesn't necessarily thrill me. I'm also a freelancer, and finances can be unpredictable. I've heard leasing is a terrible option in most cases, but lowering the monthly to essentially "rent" a car isn't totally out of the question. Just need an automatic sedan. Don't care about anything else. I drive it around town. No road trips. Some possibilities: 2015 Chevy Cruze Currently leasing at $147/mo. with $0 down. Financially the most attractive deal for me in the short-term. It's for two years, and hopefully I'd be in a better position by then to invest in a purchase. 2015 Hyundai Elantra/Sonata Leases for $159 to $189 a month and $1500 down. Alleged to be reliable, and probably the most reasonable lease option if the Cruze is a bust. Buying Certified A few--but not many--Honda Accords, Civics and a Sonata locally around the $11-$12,000 mark. If I can get a decent financing offer, it would probably keep me under $200 monthly. I understand Certifieds to be warrantied for 12 months. Still slightly apprehensive that I'd run into some kind of unforeseen expensive repair after the year is up. Thanks in advance.
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Aug 21, 2015 23:45
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How tall are you. Those are very small cars.
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Aug 22, 2015 01:00
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If all that's wrong with the Camry is the suspension you can get a lot more out of it; the suspension on my '94 was gone for about 5 years before real issues (transmission, electric gremlins, body parts falling off) started killing it to the point I had to get rid of it 3 years ago. lovely suspension alone isn't a reason to replace a car if it is mechanically sound if you really can't afford it. It's noisy and clunky to feel the shocks bottom out on minor bumps but not that bad.
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Aug 22, 2015 01:01
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IRQ posted:If all that's wrong with the Camry is the suspension you can get a lot more out of it; the suspension on my '94 was gone for about 5 years before real issues (transmission, electric gremlins, body parts falling off) started killing it to the point I had to get rid of it 3 years ago. lovely suspension alone isn't a reason to replace a car if it is mechanically sound if you really can't afford it. It's noisy and clunky to feel the shocks bottom out on minor bumps but not that bad. There's a lot wrong with it, but the struts/shocks/suspension, or some combination thereof, was written up as a $2k repair. And I was only semi-kidding about the rust: it's pretty bad. I had to seal the window shield last year because rain was getting in. It also makes a horrible rattle when I brake and leave it in drive without putting it in park, like at a drive-up window. Embarrassing. And if the floor is pockmarked, I think CO2 is actually a real concern. It's got car leprosy. I'm only 5'9", so compacts aren't out of the question. But I'm realizing that an effective car lease is really about $200 by the time you roll in the "down payment" at signing. I kind of resent paying a lump sum to rent a car. So it comes down to a $200 lease on a new Civic/Mazda 3/Sonata or maybe $160 a month (depending on APR) for a 4-5 year old certified used car. Unless I'm missing something, buying used makes more sense at this price point. My only hiccup would be that I'd like to refinance my mortgage soon, and I'm not sure how a car loan will ding my score vs. a lease.
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Aug 22, 2015 01:13
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Embarrassing, whatever, I looked like I was stealing my own car when I had that camry because the driver's side door didn't have a loving handle. That car was held together with duct tape and hope. I dealt with it until the parts that actually mattered started going. The problem is it sounds like you're shopping on payment (don't do that) and can't really afford another car. You didn't post what you can realistically afford and are for some reason looking at leases, these are red flags and at the very least make it extremely difficult to recommend anything to you.
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Aug 22, 2015 02:08
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I just wrote off my car. Talk me out of going and buying a Mazda3 Sport GT tomorrow. I am not a car person I only have one because my dog refuses to learn to ride a bike really. Budget is $30k (except I'm going to finance because interest rates are ridiculously low right now) but I could go higher if someone convinces me I am missing out by not buying something fancier.
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Aug 22, 2015 04:16
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euphronius posted:How tall are you. Those are very small cars. I'm 6'4", I owned a 2006 Sonata and have driven some 2013 models, never found them too small. In fact, rear seat legroom is pretty spacious actually. Have they gotten smaller? (Agreed about the other make/models)
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Aug 22, 2015 04:28
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the talent deficit posted:I just wrote off my car. Talk me out of going and buying a Mazda3 Sport GT tomorrow. I am not a car person I only have one because my dog refuses to learn to ride a bike really. Budget is $30k (except I'm going to finance because interest rates are ridiculously low right now) but I could go higher if someone convinces me I am missing out by not buying something fancier. But if it's a small dog go nuts, it's a silly good car in my opinion.
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Aug 22, 2015 04:34
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the talent deficit posted:I just wrote off my car. Talk me out of going and buying a Mazda3 Sport GT tomorrow. I am not a car person I only have one because my dog refuses to learn to ride a bike really. Budget is $30k (except I'm going to finance because interest rates are ridiculously low right now) but I could go higher if someone convinces me I am missing out by not buying something fancier. You only want a car because your dog refuses to learn to ride a bike so you want to buy a $30k Mazda3? What does it do for your dog that a $16k Nissan Sentra or VW Jetta doesn't?
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Aug 22, 2015 04:35
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Throatwarbler posted:You only want a car because your dog refuses to learn to ride a bike so you want to buy a $30k Mazda3? What does it do for your dog that a $16k Nissan Sentra or VW Jetta doesn't? see you're doing what he asked people to do, talk him out of it. Go man go! e. honestly if dog transport is your only criteria get a prius. If you actually are interested in having a car that handles insanely well for its price/fuel economy then yeah the GT is fine.
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Aug 22, 2015 04:40
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euphronius posted:How tall are you. Those are very small cars. The chevy cruze is the only sedan I can think of that I don't have to putcthe seat all the way back in. Exterior size seems to have little to do with driver comfort, and in fact, small cars have more thought paid to ergonomics. Edit: my standard sedan advice is the mazda 6. It is sexy as hell, fun to drive, gets like 40mpg hwy, and you can get one for $22k. nm fucked around with this message at 04:44 on Aug 22, 2015 |
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Aug 22, 2015 04:41
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They do make trailers for bikes.
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Aug 22, 2015 05:06
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Pander posted:My 2015 Mazda3 sport is a really fun car. The GT is probably great. I don't know if it'd be a good dog car if your dog is above like 25 lbs though, since the front seat's awkward for a dog, the rear seats aren't exactly spacious, and it's somewhat of a low ceiling if you bring the seats down. I have a 70 lb lab mix and there's no way he'd really fit in it. He's a cardigan corgi, so he weighs like 35lbs but handles smaller than that. Throatwarbler posted:You only want a car because your dog refuses to learn to ride a bike so you want to buy a $30k Mazda3? What does it do for your dog that a $16k Nissan Sentra or VW Jetta doesn't? There's a 16k Mazda3 too, but I am easily taken in by options. Also I just like the Mazda3 more than the Sentra or Jetta. I might consider a Prius though, I will have to test drive one.
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Aug 22, 2015 07:16
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How do existing manufacturer warranties work with used cars that don't have comprehensive maintenance records available? A 2013 or 14 Hyundai Accent/Kia Rio with 30k+ miles left on the warranty can be had for relatively cheap. Can I count on that warranty without maintenance records for the time I did not own the car? I plan to get it checked out by a mechanic before buying, shouldn't anything that indicates poor maintenance come up? I figure if that's the case, I can just do good upkeep and if I ever need work there shouldn't be any signs of poor maintenance that would lead to records being needed. Thoughts?
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Aug 22, 2015 12:41
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jarjarbinksfan621 posted:How do existing manufacturer warranties work with used cars that don't have comprehensive maintenance records available? A 2013 or 14 Hyundai Accent/Kia Rio with 30k+ miles left on the warranty can be had for relatively cheap. Can I count on that warranty without maintenance records for the time I did not own the car? I plan to get it checked out by a mechanic before buying, shouldn't anything that indicates poor maintenance come up? I figure if that's the case, I can just do good upkeep and if I ever need work there shouldn't be any signs of poor maintenance that would lead to records being needed. Thoughts? Hyundai and Kia warranties don't transfer, it gets cut roughly in half (5 years, 60k miles vs 10 years 100k miles), so those with 30k miles left you'd be SOL.
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Aug 22, 2015 15:40
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IRQ posted:Hyundai and Kia warranties don't transfer, it gets cut roughly in half (5 years, 60k miles vs 10 years 100k miles), so those with 30k miles left you'd be SOL. No, I meant it has 30k miles left on the 60k mile warranty.
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Aug 23, 2015 00:25
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