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I would look for a Mazda3 in that range. The 2012 models and up have a newer, somewhat better drivetrain, but the prior ones aren't bad at all.
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May 3, 2017 22:21
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Precious few hatchbacks in the US, unfortunately, so your choices are limited, particularly for $8k. A VW Golf might work for you. 2012/13 Hyundai Elantra comes in hatchback or wagon. Not exactly a hatch, but the Nissan Cube tends to rate well. You may be able to find a Subaru Impreza you like. Most of the stuff later than 2010 and under $8k is tiny. A 2012 or so Focus wouldn't be great, but nothing else is much better.
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May 3, 2017 22:53
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IRQ posted:I would look for a Mazda3 in that range. The 2012 models and up have a newer, somewhat better drivetrain, but the prior ones aren't bad at all. Pittsburgh must have a truly hosed used market, barely any of the Mazda3's on Craigslist are under $8k are newer than a decade. Deteriorata posted:Precious few hatchbacks in the US, unfortunately, so your choices are limited, particularly for $8k. Not a big Cube market here, but I found this gem: Light front end damage I wouldn't mind a Golf, but I've never messed with a German car. Isn't upkeep a larger expense when compared to American and Japanese (I guess it's Asian now with Hyundai)? I mean the look is classic hatch, and most of the one's I see are >2 liters. I would definitely be a fun drive. Also, is there much difference between the Golf and Rabbit? quote:Most of the stuff later than 2010 and under $8k is tiny. A 2012 or so Focus wouldn't be great, but nothing else is much better. Yeah, when I've dipped into the subcombact line of rentals, I've never really liked the Sonics or the like.
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May 4, 2017 00:35
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BirdOfPlay posted:Pittsburgh must have a truly hosed used market, barely any of the Mazda3's on Craigslist are under $8k are newer than a decade. VWs are probably better than other German cars. At least they're cheaper to fix. Most people seem like them enough that the repairs don't bother them. The Golf and Rabbit are the same car, just different names, by the way. Reliability is a tradeoff. VWs are below average in reliability, but that also means they generally depreciate faster and a newer car can be found for the same money. Cars with high reliability reputations are rare and expensive. Any car you get is going to be out of warranty and will have repair issues. A Kia Soul is another compact wagon to consider, anyway. A Mazda3 (as was recommended) is always a good option if you can find one. You'll just have to pick the best available, I guess.
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May 4, 2017 02:28
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Proposed Budget: $15,000 New or Used:Used Body Style: (e.g. 2 door? 4 door? Compact/Midsize/Fullsize Sedan? Truck? SUV?) 4 door How will you be using the car?: (Do you tow things? Haul more than 5 people on a regular basis? Have a super long commute? How are you going to use this vehicle? 30 min drive to work as well as taking kids to school each morning. So I currently have an 01 grand prix and it's getting to the point where fixing it is costing more than it is worth. The transmission is starting to go now so I figured I should just sell it and get a new car. I've been speaking with a local Honda dealer in regards to a couple of Civics and am trying to decide to go with one of these. 2014 Silver Civic LX 32,510 miles $12,923 certified pre-owned 2014 SIlver Civic EX 54,442 Miles $13,954 certified pre-owned I looked at the carfax for the LX and it was leased from this same dealer, with all maintenance done there on schedule. Will be going back this week and can take a look at the EX. My question is, is it worth getting the ex for the addition $1k even though it has the extra miles on it? Most of the add ons would be nice to have but are not needed (moonroof, push start, etc) Though the upgraded audio with the EX would be nice to have as I do have a nice amp/sub now that I wouldn't mind bringing over. Is there any other reason to go with the EX over the LX? Also, do dealers not really haggle anymore? When I got the grand prix I spent a good amount of time negotiating the price, but the Honda dealer wouldn't budge. It's within my budget and kbb prices though so I'm fine with these prices.
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May 4, 2017 03:00
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Harminoff posted:Proposed Budget: $15,000 For that many more miles, I would expect a bigger price difference. Have you looked at a Corolla? I imagine a Corolla of a similar age would be about the same price. As far as haggling, some dealers do. From my understanding, compact cars have smaller profit margins so there's less wiggle room. There's also less haggling you can do when it's a car with a higher demand. A Civic has its market so it shouldn't be hard to sell but they're common too. If they sell from underneath you, you should be able to find more similar cars for about the same price.
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May 4, 2017 03:18
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Do you mean the lx should be cheaper? And yeah Toyota seems to be about the same. 2014 Corolla le plus 40k miles $13870 Any reason to go with one over the other?
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May 4, 2017 15:17
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It felt awkward as hell to haggle after I learned the more I haggle and the lower the sale price, the lower the commission the salesperson receives. I just want to get the lowest price they're comfortable with, price compare with other dealers, and GTFO. CarMax is great for the lack of that but their prices are just a bit higher for some reason. The salesperson I dealt with at the BMW dealer was this 70+ year old ol'-Gil-from-the-Simpsons kind of character and I felt like I was taking his dinner away bit by bit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wl4ZX4-ui8 VV get out Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 15:33 on May 4, 2017 |
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May 4, 2017 15:22
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And what of all the other dealers you didn't buy a used audi from? You took even more of their dinner away!
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May 4, 2017 15:30
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Deteriorata posted:VWs are probably better than other German cars. At least they're cheaper to fix. Most people seem like them enough that the repairs don't bother them. The Golf and Rabbit are the same car, just different names, by the way. That's good enough for me. So long as I don't have to track down a specialty mechanic, I'm good. Thanks, for y'all's help. I think I'm at the point where I just need to test some of these bad boys out. Don't worry, I'll flaunt my poor decision for y'all's enjoyment like a good, lil' goon.  Michael Scott posted:It felt awkward as hell to haggle after I learned the more I haggle and the lower the sale price, the lower the commission the salesperson receives. I just want to get the lowest price they're comfortable with, price compare with other dealers, and GTFO. CarMax is great for the lack of that but their prices are just a bit higher for some reason. If it was a bad deal, they wouldn't make the sale. Also, they live for the loving haggle, do not deny them their haggle.
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May 4, 2017 19:14
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Harminoff posted:Do you mean the lx should be cheaper? I think the ex is priced too high with so many more miles. Both the civic and corolla are fine and it's down to personal preference. Are used car prices this high across the board? I know someone who paid $16.5k for a new 2014 corolla s.
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May 4, 2017 19:26
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mariooncrack posted:I think the ex is priced too high with so many more miles. New Japanese economy cars only depreciate about $1k/year for the first couple years, that's what people will pay for them.
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May 4, 2017 19:44
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mariooncrack posted:Are used car prices this high across the board? I know someone who paid $16.5k for a new 2014 corolla s. They do seem high. Not far off a brand new one. If domestics are an option, a local dealer is advertising 2017 Foucs SE sedans (15 to choose from!) for 10,995.
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May 4, 2017 21:00
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If you get a stick shift Focus that gets rid of the one really terrible likely failure point. Supposedly the more recent versions of DCT are all fixed but who the gently caress knows, really.
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May 5, 2017 13:18
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My Audi is great, I lucked out! Inspection came back with an A- grade, and they did a borescope. Intake valves are shittily coated with carbon but it's not to the point of affecting driveability. It's a really, really nice car to drive. I think Lexus would have been a great choice too, but I don't like the styling as much and the interior is worse. The maintenance seems cheap as hell for a performance car though, among the likes of the S2000 and MX-5. I would love to know on a layman level how they engineered such cheap maintenance and stellar reliability whereas the Audi is a nice but expensive whiney baby. With the MX-5 you could say there is less "stuff" to break, but a given Lexus mirrors a lot of Audi's features. e: removed advice. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 17:47 on May 5, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 17:20
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Michael Scott posted:Someone said they would never recommend a post-warranty Audi "to anyone ever" but I would, as long as the price is right and you get a PPI. And you understand maintenance is going to be more expensive than a Ford Focus. You've had the car for what, 3 days?
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May 5, 2017 17:27
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Michael Scott posted:Someone said they would never recommend a post-warranty Audi "to anyone ever" but I would, as long as the price is right and you get a PPI. And you understand maintenance is going to be more expensive than a Ford Focus. Think about which cars this advice doesn't apply to. You're ridiculous.
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May 5, 2017 17:32
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Michael Scott posted:My Audi is great, I lucked out! Inspection came back with an A- grade, and they did a borescope. Intake valves are shittily coated with carbon but it's not to the point of affecting driveability. It's a really, really nice car to drive. a german engineer views engineering as a succession of adding "clever" features to prove his value and a japanese engineer views engineer as a succession of simplifications Lexus has built a reputation of rock solid reliability and they're not going to let the latest and greatest bullshit endanger that. Audi has built a reputation of Vorsprung Durch Technik and that means they're going to cram every most recent lovely unreliable feature in to their varying-length sausages to try to compete with the other Nazimobiles. Also, you offer the worst loving car advice in the whole god drat world based only on anecdote without a shred of data, experience or knowledge. Stop posting. gently caress you.
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May 5, 2017 17:33
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^^^ Not really offering advice, just here to learn. Sorry Kyoon I think you're a great poster and learned a lot from you :-/ I removed what I said and hope I can not piss you off anymore.Thermopyle posted:Think about which cars this advice doesn't apply to. I'm just trying to understand where reputations come from, I don't see how that's ridiculous. If Audis tend to spontaneously combust, how are they still worth a chunk of change with a healthy used market, albeit with normal depreciation the same that you see on a Lexus? Anyway I take back that I heartily recommend anything given I haven't had much experience with it, only what I've researched. Sorry. Which cars does "if price is right and you get a PPI" not apply to besides Audi? Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 17:46 on May 5, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 17:36
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IMO this thread benefits by a diversity of opinions. It's too easy to fall into robotic group-think. Inquirers benefit by seeing both the advice and the banter back and forth about it. They learn more and can come to a better decision that way. Hence, I don't think anyone should be told to get out.
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May 5, 2017 17:56
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Didn't you once make an unsafe recommendation on which axle to put 2 new tires?
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May 5, 2017 18:12
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big crush on Chad OMG posted:Didn't you once make an unsafe recommendation on which axle to put 2 new tires? Yes, I did. And I was corrected about it.
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May 5, 2017 18:13
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Ok so back to recommending cars. One thing I really like in my Mazda 3 is the blind spot detector. I'm looking at Subaru foresters, Honda CR-V, and cx-5 as possible replacements. The cx-5 definitely has blind spot detection, which is great, because there was a huge blind spot I noticed when I was in the car itself in the left rear. The 2015 cr-v was weird. It had a blind spot camera on the right side that went on anytime I turned my right signal on, and then the driver side mirror had an extension on it to let you see the blind spot. It had a big blind spot in the same space as the cx-5, and I didn't like the mirror/camera at all. Anyone know if they changed their technology for 2016 at all? Regarding the forester, I haven't driven one yet, so I don't know what years might have something similar to the Mazda. However, if there's no blind spots, then I don't need the camera. I just haven't been in on yet to tell. Any thoughts? I also know that the Latest forester had eyesight, but does that also do blind spot detection?
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May 5, 2017 18:21
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Well, all cars have blind spots. The traditional way to get rid of them as much as possible is to set your mirrors to the SAE standard. here you go: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots Don't know what your other requirements are, so I can't comment on other cars, really. I believe the package with Eyesight has LDW and blind spot monitoring. Tough to go wrong with either of your choices, the CR-V is a top seller for a reason, as is the Forester, and the CX-5 is very competent as well. If you like the way your Mazda3 drives, you'll probably like the CX-5 best.
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May 5, 2017 18:30
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Deteriorata posted:IMO this thread benefits by a diversity of opinions. It's too easy to fall into robotic group-think. This is very true. It's also important to not overstate (or over-imply) the confidence you have and the confidence others should have in your opinions.
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May 5, 2017 18:31
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Didn't Michael Scott argue a year ago that it was no big deal to trade in used cars every year because the depreciation had already happened? then he just dropped 4k for a year of driving a focus that leaked rain through the floorboards edit: yes, because he bought a Volvo and drove it for two months (it was "clapped out" before trading that in for the rental Ford ) mastershakeman fucked around with this message at 18:51 on May 5, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 18:41
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Well, all cars have blind spots. The traditional way to get rid of them as much as possible is to set your mirrors to the SAE standard. here you go: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots Thanks, and you're right on the SAE standard. It's just not something I'm used to doing. I posted my requirements about a page ago in the thread, but I like my Mazda 3, it's just a stick shift that I'm sick of driving in the city and I want something with more clearance. Reliability is a main concern of mine, with being fun to drive a close 2nd. The cr-v wasn't as horrible a drive as I was anticipating based on reviews I had read, so that was surprising.
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May 5, 2017 18:51
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mastershakeman posted:Didn't Michael Scott argue a year ago that it was no big deal to trade in used cars every year because the depreciation had already happened? then he just dropped 4k for a year of driving a focus that leaked rain through the floorboards You literally said this a page ago, you definitely lose money doing what you describe. Obviously you lose less than buying new then trading in? I lost 3k on the Fiesta, but bought and sold the Volvo for around $2k. The sales/use taxes are perhaps what hurt the most, they're very high here. Around $1k every time you buy a car. The Volvo was nice but it had a mix too rich CEL that was near unfixable and I was dumping just as much as it was worth to fix. The code had been cleared prior to buying... Basically I have learned you will lose money 100% of the time you sell a car unless you buy a car with significant issues and repair yourself. Not a surprise to me. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 20:19 on May 5, 2017 |
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May 5, 2017 20:15
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sex swing from IKEA posted:
Forester has blind-spot detection as an option at the higher trim levels. I think you can get it on both the Premiums and the Limiteds. Overall the car has great driver visibility too.
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May 5, 2017 20:18
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sex swing from IKEA posted:The cr-v wasn't as horrible a drive as I was anticipating based on reviews I had read, so that was surprising. My knowledge is a bit out of date now (2013) since both the CR-V and CX-5 have been given a full redesign, but honestly I couldn't tell much of any difference between the two when test-driving. Neither is awful, but no matter how good you make a tall crossover, it will always handle worse than a equivalent car. In my case, the Honda came out about $2k cheaper to buy. About to hit 100k on it and calling the upkeep on it "minimal" is doing it a disservice. Outside of fluid and filter changes, it has needed two sets of tires, one set of brakes, the HVAC blower ($50 and 10 minutes), the upper piece of grille chrome ($20 and like two hours because that fucker is NOT meant to be replaced easily), and I have a replacement release switch for the rear hatch sitting in a box. The factory one goes wonky if it's cold or wet out. The maintenance on it is also the easiest I've ever done on a car. Straight, easy access to the oil drain, oil filter, and transmission drain. It's finally calling for spark plugs on the next oil change and I expect that to be a total cakewalk as well.
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May 5, 2017 20:56
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I'm still trying to figure out the mechanics of doing a PPI on a car that you already bought.
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May 6, 2017 05:07
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Phone posted:I'm still trying to figure out the mechanics of doing a PPI on a car that you already bought. Post Purchase Inspection, aka the How hosed Am I report.
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May 6, 2017 05:16
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Boys who love boys
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Proposed Budget: 15k-20k CAD New or Used: Used, possibly new Body Style: 4 door hatchback, but I'm open to suggestions How will you be using the car?: Commuting to work daily (short suburban drive), driving to the cottage on some weekends What aspects are most important to you?: In descending order: Manual transmission, seats 5 adults comfortably, cargo space, low running costs, at least somewhat fun to drive I'm in a position to buy my first car in a month or two, and I'm leaning heavily towards a Honda Fit. I'm not sure whether the current generation or the previous generation is the better buy though. I'm also open to suggestions on anything else within my budget that comes in stick. I'd also be looking to buy a roof rack plus a cargo box for a Fit or other hatch, since there will be several times a year where I need to haul people and their stuff. Any recommendations on which manufacturers to go with?
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May 6, 2017 11:51
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You can't really go wrong with a Fit, although they dropped the Sport package from the new body style and the Sport is more fun to fling around, so that's a point in favor for the old body style. OTOH, the new one uses a slightly more powerful direct-injected version of the "L" series engine and has a six-speed manual rather than the old five-speed, plus it ekes out slightly higher fuel milage, so  I cant help you with a roof rack recommendation, but I'm sure there's a thread on fitfreak.com about them.
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May 6, 2017 13:15
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At least in the US the Fit comes at a hefty premium to its immediate competition on the used market. Since you're buying a manual, the Fiesta is a good choice in the same segment and is quite a decent drive. You could also look at the little Hyundais and Kias, for Hyundai the Accent is best, and for Kia the Soul would fit your needs pretty well if you can tolerate the appearance. The Nissan Versa Note sure is cheap and you won't have to deal with the terrible CVT, so that's a possibility. The Chevrolet Sonic can usually be had at a very steep discount over the Fit. The other choices, other than the Fiesta and maybe the Soul, aren't quite as good, and aren't quite as reliable, but they're usually a lot cheaper to buy up front. You can also step up a size to the Focus, the Mazda3, the Kia Rio5, Hyundai Elantra etc. Especially for the Focus, they're very cheap new now because it's been out for many years, which means they're even cheaper used. These will seat five adults more comfortably.
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May 6, 2017 13:27
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sex swing from IKEA posted:Ok so back to recommending cars. I had the exact question in this thread about the same 3 cars about 6 months ago (and I still have not bought one). I feel like I am leaning towards the 2016.5 CX-5 Grand Touring FWD. I like the appearance of the 2016.5 over the 2017, it is also has slightly more cargo space and better MPG, and I could not figure out any main feature differences between them. I feel like for that I either need to commit sooner while dealers still have them, or hope my car lives long enough to get them coming of a lease, which seems unlikely and I am not willing to spend money on my car. I had a coworker who had the same decision and went with a Forester because he liked the visibility of it compared to the other cars. I have not test drove a forester yet, for some reason I thought it had worse MPG, but looking at some trims just now it seems pretty comparable to the other cars, so maybe I should still consider it. The CRV seems best on paper, and maybe I will look into the 2017, but it looks like a 2/3 scale model of a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan. Also, I saw in this thread that a running car is worth at least $2000. I have two cars to potentially sell, a 2002 Acura 3.2 TL with ~80,000 miles, and a 2003 Hyundai Elantra with whatever the cheapest trim level is, 120,000 miles, after market stereo system with USB/aux jack, and had the engine replaced under warranty in 2012 with a refurbished one by a dealership. It does have a dent below a headlight on the bumper. I think when I was just browsing at dealerships, I was offered $1000 for the Acura and $800 for the Elantra. Not sure how much value a relatively recently refurbished engine would add to the Elantra, but I would rather drive it into the ground than take $800 for it. How idea on approximate value for those cars? Is there another thread about selling that is more appropriate for that question than this thread? Hard to find comparisons because most similar Acuras have way more miles, and most Elantras don't have a relatively new engine (or dent). I would guess something between 4-5k for the Acura and 2-3k for the Hyundai, but that would be a very rough guess because I don't know anything about cars.
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May 6, 2017 21:22
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You are receiving this broadcast as a dream...We are transmitting from the year one nine... nine nine ...You are receiving this broadcast in order t
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Pain of Mind posted:I had the exact question in this thread about the same 3 cars about 6 months ago (and I still have not bought one). I feel like I am leaning towards the 2016.5 CX-5 Grand Touring FWD. I like the appearance of the 2016.5 over the 2017, it is also has slightly more cargo space and better MPG, and I could not figure out any main feature differences between them. I feel like for that I either need to commit sooner while dealers still have them, or hope my car lives long enough to get them coming of a lease, which seems unlikely and I am not willing to spend money on my car. I had a coworker who had the same decision and went with a Forester because he liked the visibility of it compared to the other cars. I have not test drove a forester yet, for some reason I thought it had worse MPG, but looking at some trims just now it seems pretty comparable to the other cars, so maybe I should still consider it. The CRV seems best on paper, and maybe I will look into the 2017, but it looks like a 2/3 scale model of a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan. I just test drove a Forester today (2015) and loved the visibility. You can't get blind spot detection unless you go towards the new models, but there's so much visibility I feel like I don't really need it. The Mazda definitely gives you the most bang for the buck as far as features go. I'm leaning towards the Subaru at the moment.
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May 6, 2017 21:37
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My Altima is at 270k miles. So the debate now is do I pick up another used Altima (I found one at a dealer, no PPI, that is a 2008 with 120k miles on it for about 5k) or keep using my own until she dies? My mom wants me to trade it in, but she's a 1999 Altima whose door locks don't work, the windows don't roll down, etc. When dealerships do the "at least 4k for your trade, no matter the condition!" what kind of con are they pulling? I mean, going in and announcing you want to trade in your vehicle is the first step of being a dumbass (I learned this watching my stepdad enter a dealership yelling how we needed to trade my car in for something better. I can still see the dollar signs in the salemens' eyes.) but do they just flip the cars or what? I was looking at getting a car like my work van, but poo poo, this Transit Connect seems to have poo poo die on it all the time. Of course it's a commercial vehicle and runs 200 miles a day. Cowslips Warren fucked around with this message at 00:49 on May 7, 2017 |
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May 7, 2017 00:47
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Cowslips Warren posted:My Altima is at 270k miles. So the debate now is do I pick up another used Altima (I found one at a dealer, no PPI, that is a 2008 with 120k miles on it for about 5k) or keep using my own until she dies? My mom wants me to trade it in, but she's a 1999 Altima whose door locks don't work, the windows don't roll down, etc. Dealers generally just sell trade-ins at wholesale auctions. They don't fool with them themselves, usually. They reason they can give you $4000 for anything is because they've got more profit than that built into the deal before you even walk in the door. Do what you want with your old Altima. It's a matter of when it costs more to fix it than it's worth.
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May 7, 2017 01:03
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Car in question. http://www.gatewaychevrolet.com/VehicleDetails/used-2008-Nissan-Altima-4dr_Sdn_I4_eCVT_Hybrid-Avondale-AZ/2971815393#close My Altima has been good to me. But how are the hybrids? I always hear about Prius for hybrid.
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May 7, 2017 04:48
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