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carticket
Jun 28, 2005

white and gold.

Snow tires are cheaper than AWD, and if you pay for AWD, you'll still need snow tires. I don't really think there's much debate: if you live in an area where it snows and you want to reliably and safely get somewhere in the snow, you need snow tires. Beyond that, yeah, RWD should probably be avoided. AWD will get you out of some spots where other cars might be stuck, but it also responds differently than some people expect in sliding conditions. FWD is dandy.

Modern cars have features designed to take the fun or anxiety out of driving in the snow.

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KYOON GRIFFEY JR
Apr 12, 2010



Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22

MaxxBot posted:

Proposed Budget: $30k
New or Used: New
Body Style: Don't care but given my needs it probably won't be a truck or SUV.
How will you be using the car?: Commuting, driving around, usually no more than one passenger and a small amount of junk.
What aspects are most important to you? 1. Performance 2. Winter driving ability 3. Everything else is much farther down the list.

My engine blew up and totaled my old car just a couple days ago so I'm just starting the planning stage.

So far I'm considering the WRX and the GTI, is there anything else I should consider?

I like the Mustang GT but I got a ride in one during a snowstorm once and it was loving terrible, some people tell me with better tires this won't be as bad. What is the thread opinion on this?

Focus ST. Camaro. Toyobaru. Miata? Since your car blew up you probably can't wait for any of the hot Hondas or I might suggest seeing how the Civic Si / R turn out.

RWD is fine, I used to have a 128 with snow tires and it did very well in the snow in actually cold and snowy parts of the Northeast.

I Love Topanga
Oct 3, 2003

Thermopyle posted:

People sometimes forget that for vehicles (really anything you buy) are not just about the utility they provide but about the emotions they cause you to have. There's nothing wrong with preferring an SUV over a minivan, particularly if you acknowledge what you're doing.

Often buying an SUV isn't about "fooling" other people into thinking you're cool and hip. Personally, I find SUV's much better looking (especially that classy as poo poo new CX-9) and with the right values for value-of-utility vs value-of-aesthetics I would purchase the SUV.

This is good life advice.


I have another question that is probably more BFC than AI. I currently have a 2005 Prius with 100k miles. It's an awesome car, but we live in the city and won't really need two cars. I will likely be moving away from the city and will need a 2nd car in about a year. Should I trade this thing in or hold on to it, park it on the street, pay insurance for it, and drive it maybe once a month? The logical side says "Trade it in, and buy another one in a year. You can find the same car for $500 less and save the $500 in insurance you would waste". The other side says "You know the history of this car, you know its a great car, it's the worth $1,000 to not have to go through the car buying process and uncertainty of trying to find a reliable and affordable car in a year". Someone keep me sane.

Twerk from Home
Jan 17, 2009

This avatar brought to you by the 'save our dead gay forums' foundation.

I Love Topanga posted:

This is good life advice.


I have another question that is probably more BFC than AI. I currently have a 2005 Prius with 100k miles. It's an awesome car, but we live in the city and won't really need two cars. I will likely be moving away from the city and will need a 2nd car in about a year. Should I trade this thing in or hold on to it, park it on the street, pay insurance for it, and drive it maybe once a month? The logical side says "Trade it in, and buy another one in a year. You can find the same car for $500 less and save the $500 in insurance you would waste". The other side says "You know the history of this car, you know its a great car, it's the worth $1,000 to not have to go through the car buying process and uncertainty of trying to find a reliable and affordable car in a year". Someone keep me sane.

Do you have sales tax in your state? If you're in a state as lovely as Texas, when you re-buy a car in a year you'll have to pay sales tax on what the state says the car is worth, which can be shockingly high and has nothing to do with what the car is actually worth.

If you love the car, keep it.

skipdogg
Nov 29, 2004
Resident SRT-4 Expert

I Love Topanga posted:

This is good life advice.


I have another question that is probably more BFC than AI. I currently have a 2005 Prius with 100k miles. It's an awesome car, but we live in the city and won't really need two cars. I will likely be moving away from the city and will need a 2nd car in about a year. Should I trade this thing in or hold on to it, park it on the street, pay insurance for it, and drive it maybe once a month? The logical side says "Trade it in, and buy another one in a year. You can find the same car for $500 less and save the $500 in insurance you would waste". The other side says "You know the history of this car, you know its a great car, it's the worth $1,000 to not have to go through the car buying process and uncertainty of trying to find a reliable and affordable car in a year". Someone keep me sane.

I'm of the opinion that keeping a known vehicle is worth the 1000 dollars in this case. Don't drive it once a month though, have whoever is driving the other car alternate vehicles every few days. Cars don't like to sit for long periods of time.

IRQ
Sep 9, 2001

SUCK A DICK, DUMBSHITS!

Make sure you report to your insurance that you're not actually using the car, it should go down by a lot.

Blitter
Mar 16, 2011

Ultimate Mango posted:

I had to rule out a bunch of stuff because of either headroom/visibility or the seats would not go down far enough. I am the 1%. In height.

You should consider checking out some Volvo's - they tend to have really excellent seats and fit taller people really well. My 6'7" buddy was blown away at being able to get in, and sit comfortably in a car that had a powered sunroof. The current S90 and V90 have 42" of head and legroom.

Fuzzie Dunlop
Apr 14, 2013
I think I found my Prius. 2010 with 150k miles. This is pretty high but we'll only be taking it 5,000 mi per year so I think it's a good fit. The only red flag on the CarFax is that it was in an accident 5 years ago involving rear impact and had to be towed. The car has since driven over 100,000 miles. Is this a non-starter? Is there anything specific I should ask about what happened and repairs to cover myself?

AriTheDog
Jul 29, 2003
Famously tasty.
What's the price? If the vehicle had to be towed after an accident I would say avoid. 150k miles is a lot, even for a Prius. Why are you interested in this specific car?

Ultimate Mango
Jan 18, 2005

Blitter posted:

You should consider checking out some Volvo's - they tend to have really excellent seats and fit taller people really well. My 6'7" buddy was blown away at being able to get in, and sit comfortably in a car that had a powered sunroof. The current S90 and V90 have 42" of head and legroom.

XC90 was nice, they didn't have the S90 yet. I have read numerous concerns about that shared turbo and super charged power plant. I get that packaging requirements mean this is the power plant for Volvo for some time to come but I'm worried about reliability. Am I off base there?

The XC90 seats were great though, and nice materials. The S90 is largely the same so far as I can tell from that side of things. I hope the trend of having what looks like a tablet stuck on or protruding from the dash dies in a fire.

Volvo does really nice 'Thor's Hammer' full LED headlights, too.

IRQ
Sep 9, 2001

SUCK A DICK, DUMBSHITS!

AriTheDog posted:

What's the price? If the vehicle had to be towed after an accident I would say avoid. 150k miles is a lot, even for a Prius. Why are you interested in this specific car?

Yeah I'd be worried about frame damage at least if it had to be towed after an accident. At least get a PPI if the price is accordingly low enough to make it worth looking at at all.

JnnyThndrs
May 29, 2001

HERE ARE THE FUCKING TOWELS
Just FYI, being towed after a rear-ender can mean anything from 'massive frame damage' to 'the taillight are all busted and the cops say it's unsafe to drive',* so it could be anything.

If it's gone 100K since then, drives OK, tires look OK and the hatch shuts/fits OK, I -might- take a chance on it if the price was right.

*source: I used to work a second job at a tow company and it was common for cops to order everything involved towed away.

tater_salad
Sep 15, 2007


Yeah I mean how else can those tow companies afford those large donations to the PBA if they don't just tow everything and put them in their "well you left it here so even if you take it somewhere else we're going to have to charge you tow plus storage" lots.

Fuzzie Dunlop
Apr 14, 2013

AriTheDog posted:

What's the price? If the vehicle had to be towed after an accident I would say avoid. 150k miles is a lot, even for a Prius. Why are you interested in this specific car?

Not going to get it as the guy selling it was not the original owner, was associated with a dealer but wasn't the dealer, bought it at a dealer auction, and when I directly asked if it had been in any accidents he said no.

It was for $5,700 and was a higher trim than I'd seen for that mileage, year, and price. The listing and Carfax had made it seem like the original owner was selling it, so I thought it might be a good deal, but seeing it was this dealer guy I figured there's probably something up, or at least too much risk to go for it.

Thanks other folks for the responses as well.

Zeth
Dec 28, 2006

Cluck you say?
Buglord
Proposed Budget: 20k or less, will be paying cash.
New or Used: New
Body Style: Small hatchback
How will you be using the car?: Daily drive to work, roughly 15 miles round trip. Driving between the Cedar Valley in Iowa and the Chicago area once or twice a year. I live in Iowa so weather is definitely a thing.
What aspects are most important to you? Long-term reliability, decent gas mileage, lots of storage space- ideally I'd be able to fit a whole bicycle in the back without taking off the front wheel, but this isn't vital. Screamingly bright paintjob that isn't red (though if I find something good that doesn't come in a color I like I can always have it repainted later so this is also not vital). Pretty much every gizmo I would actually want seems to come standard on a lot of things now. I'd like it to be able to hook up to my phone somehow- usb, bluetooth, etc. Built in nav screens and whatnot are not something I care about.

I currently have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt with around 106,000 miles on it that I got as a hand-me-down from an aunt in 2012. It's generally served me pretty well but has been racking up repairs this year and since I am now actually in a position where I can afford to get a car that I actually choose myself, I would like to do so. Also the thing is the dullest possible slate blue-gray and I do n ot care for that one bit.

clam the FUCK down
Dec 20, 2013

Proposed Budget: $8000
New or Used: Used
Body Style: 4 door, easy to clean / sanitize interior.
How will you be using the car?: Commute, within state travel, transporting 3 passengers, no need for luxury / gadgets.
What aspects are most important to you? reliability > MPG > safety > cost
US - Northwest (Oregon)

I recently inherited a 2002 Ford Explorer. I plan to sell it soon and with the help of a car loan buy a car that will hopefully last me 6-8 years. I regularly travel within the Northwest (2-3/month), so MPG is important to me. I also probably clock 10-15miles/day on work travel. I would also like to get into car maintenance and do most of the easier tune ups and repairs myself. Last model I was looking at was Toyota Prius.

Nitrox
Jul 5, 2002

Slur, your fighting style is extremely problematic!

JnnyThndrs posted:

Just FYI, being towed after a rear-ender can mean anything from 'massive frame damage' to 'the taillight are all busted and the cops say it's unsafe to drive',* so it could be anything.

If it's gone 100K since then, drives OK, tires look OK and the hatch shuts/fits OK, I -might- take a chance on it if the price was right.

*source: I used to work a second job at a tow company and it was common for cops to order everything involved towed away.

Seriously. They will tow it if the rear hatch took a hit and won't stay closed. 100k proven road miles is petty much a clean health bill at this point, buy the car if the price is good.

Zeth posted:

(though if I find something good that doesn't come in a color I like I can always have it repainted later so this is also not vital).
Do you paint cars for a living? Then no, re-painting a car cost thousands of dollars, then lose you thousands in resale value because everyone will think it's an accident repair. Don't ever even think you can do something like that.

Nitrox fucked around with this message at 15:21 on Oct 19, 2016

Literally Lewis Hamilton
Feb 22, 2005



Whenever I see a full body respray on a regular car I think it used to be a taxi. There's a 300 near me with yellow paint peeking out all over from the dark blue where it's scratched.

KYOON GRIFFEY JR
Apr 12, 2010



Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22

Nitrox posted:

Seriously. They will tow it if the rear hatch took a hit and won't stay closed. 100k proven road miles is petty much a clean health bill at this point, buy the car if the price is good.

Do you paint cars for a living? Then no, re-painting a car cost thousands of dollars, then lose you thousands in resale value because everyone will think it's an accident repair. Don't ever even think you can do something like that.

wraps are good

Throatwarbler
Nov 17, 2008

by vyelkin
TO me there is 0% possibility that a repainted car hadn't been rolled 7 or 8 times.

Michael Scott
Jan 3, 2010

by zen death robot

Zeth posted:

Proposed Budget: 20k or less, will be paying cash.
New or Used: New
Body Style: Small hatchback
How will you be using the car?: Daily drive to work, roughly 15 miles round trip. Driving between the Cedar Valley in Iowa and the Chicago area once or twice a year. I live in Iowa so weather is definitely a thing.
What aspects are most important to you? Long-term reliability, decent gas mileage, lots of storage space- ideally I'd be able to fit a whole bicycle in the back without taking off the front wheel, but this isn't vital. Screamingly bright paintjob that isn't red (though if I find something good that doesn't come in a color I like I can always have it repainted later so this is also not vital). Pretty much every gizmo I would actually want seems to come standard on a lot of things now. I'd like it to be able to hook up to my phone somehow- usb, bluetooth, etc. Built in nav screens and whatnot are not something I care about.

I currently have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt with around 106,000 miles on it that I got as a hand-me-down from an aunt in 2012. It's generally served me pretty well but has been racking up repairs this year and since I am now actually in a position where I can afford to get a car that I actually choose myself, I would like to do so. Also the thing is the dullest possible slate blue-gray and I do n ot care for that one bit.

Honda Fit? Or maybe change your preference to include used and purchase a newer Prius, my friend.

silence_kit
Jul 14, 2011

by the sex ghost

Zeth posted:

Proposed Budget: 20k or less, will be paying cash.
New or Used: New
Body Style: Small hatchback
How will you be using the car?: Daily drive to work, roughly 15 miles round trip. Driving between the Cedar Valley in Iowa and the Chicago area once or twice a year. I live in Iowa so weather is definitely a thing.
What aspects are most important to you? Long-term reliability, decent gas mileage, lots of storage space- ideally I'd be able to fit a whole bicycle in the back without taking off the front wheel, but this isn't vital. Screamingly bright paintjob that isn't red (though if I find something good that doesn't come in a color I like I can always have it repainted later so this is also not vital). Pretty much every gizmo I would actually want seems to come standard on a lot of things now. I'd like it to be able to hook up to my phone somehow- usb, bluetooth, etc. Built in nav screens and whatnot are not something I care about.

I currently have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt with around 106,000 miles on it that I got as a hand-me-down from an aunt in 2012. It's generally served me pretty well but has been racking up repairs this year and since I am now actually in a position where I can afford to get a car that I actually choose myself, I would like to do so. Also the thing is the dullest possible slate blue-gray and I do n ot care for that one bit.

You can also probably get a base model automatic transmission Mazda3 hatch for under 20k, out-the-door, new, since it doesn't have the Honda Tax. It doesn't have as much cargo room as the Fit though.

KYOON GRIFFEY JR
Apr 12, 2010



Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22
I think gently used Prius v is a good option for bike man.

KYOON GRIFFEY JR
Apr 12, 2010



Runner-up, TRP Sack Race 2021/22

clam the gently caress down posted:

Proposed Budget: $8000
New or Used: Used
Body Style: 4 door, easy to clean / sanitize interior.
How will you be using the car?: Commute, within state travel, transporting 3 passengers, no need for luxury / gadgets.
What aspects are most important to you? reliability > MPG > safety > cost
US - Northwest (Oregon)

I recently inherited a 2002 Ford Explorer. I plan to sell it soon and with the help of a car loan buy a car that will hopefully last me 6-8 years. I regularly travel within the Northwest (2-3/month), so MPG is important to me. I also probably clock 10-15miles/day on work travel. I would also like to get into car maintenance and do most of the easier tune ups and repairs myself. Last model I was looking at was Toyota Prius.

If you truly care about an easy to clean interior, the Honda Element is your vehicle, friend. Fuel economy is not that good but everything else checks the boxes. Otherwise, Prius.

Zeth
Dec 28, 2006

Cluck you say?
Buglord

Nitrox posted:

Seriously. They will tow it if the rear hatch took a hit and won't stay closed. 100k proven road miles is petty much a clean health bill at this point, buy the car if the price is good.

Do you paint cars for a living? Then no, re-painting a car cost thousands of dollars, then lose you thousands in resale value because everyone will think it's an accident repair. Don't ever even think you can do something like that.

Had been told it wasn't that big a deal. Apparently told wrong!

IRQ
Sep 9, 2001

SUCK A DICK, DUMBSHITS!

silence_kit posted:

You can also probably get a base model automatic transmission Mazda3 hatch for under 20k, out-the-door, new, since it doesn't have the Honda Tax. It doesn't have as much cargo room as the Fit though.

Mazda was still painting some of their cars that absolutely garish neon green at least a couple years ago so maybe that would cover his paint issues.

Zeth
Dec 28, 2006

Cluck you say?
Buglord
Looks like they don't have that anymore :( Gonna look at the Fit for sure though, it seems to have everything I want and comes in a godawful bright yellow, which will allow for terrible lemon jokes.

nm
Jan 28, 2008

"I saw Minos the Space Judge holding a golden sceptre and passing sentence upon the Martians. There he presided, and around him the noble Space Prosecutors sought the firm justice of space law."

IRQ posted:

Mazda was still painting some of their cars that absolutely garish neon green at least a couple years ago so maybe that would cover his paint issues.

They only sold the 2 in that color and it was the only proper color for the 2 :colbert:

Residency Evil
Jul 28, 2003

4/5 godo... Schumi

Twerk from Home posted:

I've actually heard the Macan is pretty great, is that not true?

I have a Cayman, the GF has a Macan. The Macan's not bad.

Three-Phase
Aug 5, 2006

by zen death robot
I am ditching my little Honda econobox and looking at the
2017
Toyota
RAV4
Hybrid (XLE)

Pros:
- 31/34 mileage
- Can tow a trailer up to 1750lbs
- Zippy in sport mode (200HP! WITNESS!)
- Handles well for a compact SUV
- Reasonably comfortable
- Hybrid AWD
- Looks and feels very well-made
- Great safety features
- Pretty
- Inexpensive to insure (checked with my agent it's about $20/mo cheaper than current car)
- Not a tiny econobox

Cons:
- 31/34 mileage
- NiMH battery (not lithium ion)
- Sluggish in Eco mode
- Costs about $32-33k after fees and taxes

I think I'm going to get it.
Comments?

photomikey
Dec 30, 2012
I have a 2004 Volvo S80. My grandma bought it new in '04 and when she stopped driving around 2010 I bought it from her. It is a gently used little-old-lady church car in good shape.

I recently bought a different car and am looking to sell the S80. This is literally the first car in my life that I've ever sold and thought "man, whoever buys this will get a great car!"

I got my new car home on a Friday. On Saturday, I took the S80 to the car wash and got her all shined up. On the way home from the carwash, on the way up a huge hill, I get a sudden lurching THUMP, and the transmission service message comes on. I limp home. I read the codes and do some research. I reset the codes. I drive the car on and off for a couple of weeks (couple hundred miles) and no further incident. I hem and haw and take it to the carwash again to get ready to sell. On the way home, same hill, THUMP, same spot, same transmission signal.

Take it to the transmission shop. They run some diagnostics and drive it and can't replicate the issue. They give it a transmission "service", run some detergent through it, drain it, fill it back up, give it back to me $300 lighter. Guy says no problems with it.

Car is probably worth $3500-$4500. New transmission would basically total it.

I am not crazy about selling it private party knowing what I know. Disclosing what I know (which is that there may or may not be a problem with the transmission) would mean it would literally never sell.

I can unload it to CarMax for probably half price.

I'm torn as to what to do and am open to recommendations.

Grumpwagon
May 6, 2007
I am a giant assfuck who needs to harden the fuck up.

Residency Evil posted:

I have a Cayman, the GF has a Macan. The Macan's not bad.

You're such a doctor cliche (thanks for selling me your shoes though)

Michael Scott
Jan 3, 2010

by zen death robot

Grumpwagon posted:

You're such a doctor cliche (thanks for selling me your shoes though)

I was gonna say, I want this guy's life. Mr. Evil are you around Chicago?

AriTheDog
Jul 29, 2003
Famously tasty.

Three-Phase posted:

I am ditching my little Honda econobox and looking at the
2017
Toyota
RAV4
Hybrid (XLE)

Pros:
- 31/34 mileage
- Can tow a trailer up to 1750lbs
- Zippy in sport mode (200HP! WITNESS!)
- Handles well for a compact SUV
- Reasonably comfortable
- Hybrid AWD
- Looks and feels very well-made
- Great safety features
- Pretty
- Inexpensive to insure (checked with my agent it's about $20/mo cheaper than current car)
- Not a tiny econobox

Cons:
- 31/34 mileage
- NiMH battery (not lithium ion)
- Sluggish in Eco mode
- Costs about $32-33k after fees and taxes

I think I'm going to get it.
Comments?

Why buy the hybrid? Do you drive enough to make the cost worthwhile? You give us no real information on what your needs are, though, so if you like it go for it I guess.

carticket
Jun 28, 2005

white and gold.

That's kind of a silly tow capacity. My Impreza is rated for 1200 and it's a dinky little thing.

Thermopyle
Jul 1, 2003

...the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. —Bertrand Russell

Three-Phase posted:

compact suv

Look at the CX-5. In my experience it's a lot more fun to drive than the RAV4, and a quick Google seems to suggest professional reviewers agree. It tows up to 2000 lbs.

Also has a better quality interior and is cheaper than the RAV4.

Three-Phase
Aug 5, 2006

by zen death robot

AriTheDog posted:

Why buy the hybrid? Do you drive enough to make the cost worthwhile? You give us no real information on what your needs are, though, so if you like it go for it I guess.

That's one thing that has come up - I do average about 12,000 a year. So it's probably take the life of the car at current cas prices to break even. It's about $3k more for the hybrid. Most of my driving is city miles, if I had a straight-shot highway commute I'd not consider the hybrid.

Regular: 22/31
Hybrid: 34/31 (city/highway)

Plus frankly I think the Hybrid has something of a "cool factor" to it.

I want something that can do more than my current econobox, have a more comfortable ride, more durable, and reliable.

Also I do NOT want a vehicle with anything close to low-profile tires. The roads in Ohio range from OK to complete crap, if I lived somewhere where all the roads were pristine and didn't suffer from a horrible freeze/thaw cycle I would think otherwise. (I do know that unless you have a tank you always want to avoid potholes.)

The CX-5 looks like a cool little car. I'll have to look into that.

Three-Phase fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Oct 21, 2016

Three-Phase
Aug 5, 2006

by zen death robot
You know what going from the regular LE to the hybrid XLE is a nearly $5k difference. I am going to need to think harder about this.

nm
Jan 28, 2008

"I saw Minos the Space Judge holding a golden sceptre and passing sentence upon the Martians. There he presided, and around him the noble Space Prosecutors sought the firm justice of space law."
No RAV4 in history has a "cool factor." Even when the v6 Rav4 the fastest car toyota made.

If you want a RAV4, go for it I guess -- there's absolutely nothing wrong with them, but the real question isn't what are you getting for the money for the hybrid, but what are you getting for the money over a Prius, which is cheaper, gets better FE, likely more reliable and better resale. They also hold a ton of poo poo.
Unless you live in the country where they don't plow, you don't need AWD (toyota has poo poo AWD anyhow) and ground clearance, you need winter tires.

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canyoneer
Sep 13, 2005


I only have canyoneyes for you
Be sure you test drive it. My mom's Rav4 has the worst blind spots I've ever seen, it's like driving a miniature Panzer.

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