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CopperHound posted:I just went for a couple test rides... I started with a 2014 Prius C with low miles. It is a perfectly sensible car that provoked no feeling of excitement or hate driving it. I'm not sure I can justify spending ~14k on something that makes sense but I can't even get a little excited about. I was hoping the combination of the gas and electric motor would give it a pleasantly surprising get up and go off the line. Other hybrids aren't so mind-numbingly boring to drive. The Prius is kind of a special case in that regard. Keep test driving cars and gradually zero in on exactly what you like (and don't like). My sister has a Fit and loves it. There's lots of possibilities out there, which is why it's so overwhelming. Be patient and work through your options. You'll eventually find the one that pushes all your buttons. Another car to consider that is a thread favorite is the Mazda 3. It's a very good compromise of reliability, efficiency, and driveability.
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Sep 1, 2017 22:22
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spouse posted:Is this a terrible idea and/or a terrible price? Around here that is a $5500 car, I'm not sure about in the southeast. I would recommend against buying one of them unless you plan to do all the maintenance yourself or can budget a few thousand a year for someone else to do it.
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Sep 1, 2017 22:52
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CopperHound posted:I just went for a couple test rides... I started with a 2014 Prius C with low miles. It is a perfectly sensible car that provoked no feeling of excitement or hate driving it. I'm not sure I can justify spending ~14k on something that makes sense but I can't even get a little excited about. I was hoping the combination of the gas and electric motor would give it a pleasantly surprising get up and go off the line. The Prius C, to be fair, is just about the worst possible Prius aside from the very first one. But yes, if you value driving dynamics at all the Prius is terrible. It's okay to have priorities that aren't "lowest total cost to own"! This is why cars that aren't the Prius still exist!
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Sep 1, 2017 23:16
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CopperHound posted:I just went for a couple test rides... I started with a 2014 Prius C with low miles. It is a perfectly sensible car that provoked no feeling of excitement or hate driving it. I'm not sure I can justify spending ~14k on something that makes sense but I can't even get a little excited about. I was hoping the combination of the gas and electric motor would give it a pleasantly surprising get up and go off the line. An Accord hybrid might have more of the feel you were expecting. The 2014-2016 have 166 hp electric motors while the 2017 has 181 hp I think. While Priuses are like 50-70 hp or something. Storage sucks in the Accord though so you might not even consider it an option. No fold down seats and the batteries eat into trunk space. But passenger room is pretty big. It's a large, comfortable, smooth car IMO.
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Sep 1, 2017 23:18
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Any opinions on a Ford C-Max hybrid? It looks like it has decent fold down seat storage and probably more giddyup than a Prius. I am a little concerned that the discussion between owners seems a little thin compared to all the promotional material online.
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Sep 2, 2017 00:36
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CopperHound posted:Any opinions on a Ford C-Max hybrid? It looks like it has decent fold down seat storage and probably more giddyup than a Prius. I spent some seat time the other day in a Fusion Hybrid the other day, which I believe has the same drivetrain as a C-Max(which is a rebodied Focus). It definitely is faster than the Prius C, but man, I gotta tell you, the endless unchanging strangled moan that you get from full-throttle acceleration with an Atkinson-cycle motor/CVT combo is about the least sporty thing I've ever experienced - flogging a 90hp, 3800lb Scout II diesel was far more fun. I sat in a C-Max while waiting at the dealer a couple years ago and it felt a lot like a slightly larger version of the Fit I owned at the time. I know there was some controversy about fuel economy ratings in both the Fusion and C-Max - people were getting about 20-25% lower mileage than the EPA estimates; I think Ford lowered the window sticker numbers as a result. I got ~40 mpg in the Fusion and I have a heavy foot. JnnyThndrs fucked around with this message at 01:03 on Sep 2, 2017 |
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Sep 2, 2017 00:56
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Deteriorata posted:Another car to consider that is a thread favorite is the Mazda 3. It's a very good compromise of reliability, efficiency, and driveability. CopperHound fucked around with this message at 04:20 on Sep 2, 2017 |
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Sep 2, 2017 04:16
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Hi, I'm Jedi425. This post doesn't matter any more. Hooray! Have a car I saw at the gym once a couple years ago: 
Jedi425 fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Sep 2, 2017 |
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Sep 2, 2017 09:20
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If you want to get a new car, that's fine. Based on what you've told us, it doesn't sound like your car is about to die at all. At your car's age and mileage, things like spark plugs and hoses are routine maintenance. Is there something else wrong with the car like the engine idles rough or it has died on you while driving? Last time you took your car in for service, did your mechanic give you a long list of things that might need to be fixed soon? If you can find all the maintenance receipts from the last year and add them up. Let's suppose you borrow $20k for 60 months. 20,000/60 = $333.33 Now take that and multiply by 12 for one year's worth of payments: $333.33 * 12 = $4000 If you spent more than $4000 on maintenance for your car, sure, go buy a new one. $4,000 is a lot of money to spend on a car that it doesn't sound like you'll be driving much. You'll still have to pay for routine maintenance on a new car.
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Sep 2, 2017 12:24
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125k miles is pretty low. It sounds like you are trying to rationalize *needing* a new car. It is fine if you want one, but I would probably find more value getting a few more years of use out of the vehicle. Even if you drive the thing into the ground you can still get a few hundred for salvage value. As for the labor day deals.... There is always some sort of "event" happening. New year's, Easter, Father's day, Thanksgiving, New model year... CopperHound fucked around with this message at 13:31 on Sep 2, 2017 |
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Sep 2, 2017 13:27
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Yah, outside of some anomaly, 125K on a Corolla is just broken in. Replace all the filters, plugs and rubber bits, then drive another 100k miles.
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Sep 2, 2017 15:23
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A corolla with 125k on the clock should have another 50-75 before anything really annoying happens. Replace the $100 starter and just keep it around, it sounds like you barely use it anyway. A Dealer is going to offer you scrap value or not much more as a trade in at this point anyway, might as well drive it into the ground and start putting a car payment's worth of cash into a separate account while you do. If you really want a new car, go for it, that's your call, of course.
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Sep 2, 2017 16:34
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JnnyThndrs posted:Yah, outside of some anomaly, 125K on a Corolla is just broken in. Replace all the filters, plugs and rubber bits, then drive another 100k miles. Yeah, I needed to hear that from someone. 100k is just such a big number, man. My wife and I talked it over, and she's spent more time looking at it and is a lot less apocalyptic about the car's future than she was initially. The engine is still solid, and yeah, in looking around I can see tons of Corollas making it 150k+ miles. I'm going to edit my post away, but after listening to you guys, some more searches, and sleeping on it, I think I've talked myself back off the cliff. Jedi425 fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Sep 2, 2017 |
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Sep 2, 2017 18:20
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There's a 2006 Mazda S3 Sporting with 100k miles that's up for sale in the right price range nearby. I was thinking of trying to test drive it Monday or Tuesday. I think I've seen a couple people in this thread say it's a good car? Or is this a terrible idea? I always thought of Mazdas as being lovely cars, so has that changed?
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Sep 3, 2017 02:47
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Axiem posted:There's a 2006 Mazda S3 Sporting with 100k miles that's up for sale in the right price range nearby. I was thinking of trying to test drive it Monday or Tuesday. I think I've seen a couple people in this thread say it's a good car? Mazdas have been pretty good for quite a while. Any car that's 11 years old is going to have its share of issues, though, so be prepared. Stuff just wears out. Give it a whirl. You could do a lot worse.
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Sep 3, 2017 02:53
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Bibendum posted:Around here that is a $5500 car, I'm not sure about in the southeast. I would recommend against buying one of them unless you plan to do all the maintenance yourself or can budget a few thousand a year for someone else to do it. As I've looked more, it does seem like there are a lot of similar condition E39 540i's that are a grand or two cheaper, and one with 55k for $10k. I'll keep looking for now. I can do oil/alternator/tires/brakes/that sort of thing myself, but I've never done more. I did my spark plugs in my Kawasaki Ex500, I'm assuming it would be more involved on a v8. I'm all over the place in what I want. Primarily looking at fun economical 3 year old coupes and hatches, and then older stuff that's more luxury focused. Just want an interesting, fun, distinctive car that isn't a money pit. I assume a 20 year old bimmer isn't that. if I weren't 6'4" the answer would be miata, but as of now that seems very cramped for a daily.
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Sep 3, 2017 02:56
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How many miles is too many? We have a friend who needs a new car to get to and from work and she has like $3600. I found a 2007 Fit with 180K on it for just over her budget. If the car's been maintained is this the worst idea? Honda reliability and all that?
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Sep 3, 2017 03:10
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At that price point you're really just looking for maintenance records. I would rather a higher mileage car with records for sure.
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Sep 3, 2017 03:32
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spouse posted:As I've looked more, it does seem like there are a lot of similar condition E39 540i's that are a grand or two cheaper, and one with 55k for $10k. I'll keep looking for now. I can do oil/alternator/tires/brakes/that sort of thing myself, but I've never done more. I did my spark plugs in my Kawasaki Ex500, I'm assuming it would be more involved on a v8. I'm all over the place in what I want. Primarily looking at fun economical 3 year old coupes and hatches, and then older stuff that's more luxury focused. Just want an interesting, fun, distinctive car that isn't a money pit. I assume a 20 year old bimmer isn't that. if I weren't 6'4" the answer would be miata, but as of now that seems very cramped for a daily. lol The only car that would be a bigger money pit than a 20-year-old bimmer would be a 20-year-old merc. Plenty cool when it's running, though.
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Sep 3, 2017 03:35
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Deteriorata posted:lol P38 Range Rovers piss all over your 20 year old BMW and Merc maintenance costs. And your driveway if they aren't already completely empty of all fluids.
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Sep 3, 2017 03:53
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The most expensive car in the world is a free Range Rover.
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Sep 3, 2017 04:26
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Rhyno posted:How many miles is too many? That's going to be all highway miles at that age so as long as it was maintained well it should have a good bit of life left in it.
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Sep 3, 2017 16:53
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I'll argue that reliability out past 180k is going to be much more dependent on maintenance going forward then maintenance in the past at least if it passes a PPI. If the new owners are going to keep close watch on fluid levels and do services on time it should go out to 300k+ economically. But if they are more likely to ignore fluid levels until a light comes on reminding them or cheap out on things like transmission service or put off oil changes then the first minor problem will snowball and take out the whole thing.
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Sep 3, 2017 19:13
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I'm going to be making sure it gets regular oil changes if they buy it. I'll set up an alert on my google calendar to check in with her every 60 days on mileage. They're closed tomorrow so she's gonna check it out on Tuesday.
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Sep 3, 2017 21:17
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Proposed Budget: $5k-$7k Used Sedan, coupe or hatch. Girlfriend has a Highlander that takes care of our heavier lifting I need a commuter car for my first real job that will involve a reasonable commute and some travel. In general I'm looking for a high MPG car that will be relatively cheap and easy to maintain. If it's fun to drive, all the better. I'd like it to be relatively new (built this millennium) simply because I'm gonna be spending a decent amount of time in it and would like to be comfortable/have a few modern bells and whistles. My first though is to get a Golf, but my friend also offered me his 2006 beamer (3-series of some kind) with 90k miles for $6500. It's a salvage title (from what he can tell it was a pretty minor accident) but he's kept it in great condition and says it's never given him any troubles and he's had it for a while. My current car is an 84 mercedes that has served its purpose well but is really beginning to fall apart. According to my more mechanically inclined coworkers it will theoretically run forever, but things like window function are beginning to fail and it has weird frustrating issues that pop up every few months (ignition, electrical, etc.). Not really sure what to do with it as the tachometer doesn't really work so I have no idea how many miles are on it, I'd kind of feel weird selling it, but I also don't really want to keep it once I have a new ride. The idea that came to my mind while I was writing this is that I should sell it to someone doing a demolition derby, but that also makes me kind of sad.
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Sep 4, 2017 08:27
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Looking for a winter car to get pummeled by snow and salt. Narrowed it down to two cars from 2004. Either and Infinity G35 or a Volvo CX90. They both have similar miles, price, and all wheel drive. Anything to help me decide between them would be appreciated.
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Sep 4, 2017 23:29
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Welcome to GBS posted:Proposed Budget: $5k-$7k That is very much less than the truth, as luxury cars will take a whammy to get salvaged. Must've been a sizable hit, probably front end. I can't find any cars like mine at junkyards because in many cases they have to be slammed by a semi into a cube before the cost to repair outweighs market value. That being said, are you a gambling man?
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Sep 4, 2017 23:49
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Please don't buy an 11 year old savage title german lux car. Unless you hate yourself I guess.
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Sep 5, 2017 00:12
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That's one way to end a friendship.
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Sep 5, 2017 00:18
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Welcome to GBS posted:Proposed Budget: $5k-$7k Echoing the previous posters, do not buy this. It's near 100k miles so it probably has some major maintenance needed that will be very costly. Golf might be a good choice. I think some turn of the century VWs that had electrical issues. You'll need to do some research on this. Otherwise, I think you're looking at the usual Civic, Accord, Corolla, Camry, Fit, etc.
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Sep 5, 2017 01:55
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I will clarify with my friend about the BMW, but I appreciate the input. I'll probably go with something else. Some of the options I'm considering: Honda Fit https://eugene.craigslist.org/cto/d/zippy-fit/6282170152.html Golf's: https://corvallis.craigslist.org/cto/d/2009-vw-golf-rabbit-low-miles/6278856207.html https://eugene.craigslist.org/cto/d/2008-vw-rabbit-2-door-black/6281354849.html https://eugene.craigslist.org/ctd/d/2008-vw-rabbit-25/6255428329.html Passat: https://corvallis.craigslist.org/cto/d/2008-vw-passat-20t/6291101523.html Jetta: https://portland.craigslist.org/clc/ctd/d/2011-volkswagen-jetta-5-speed/6264818542.html
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Sep 5, 2017 02:45
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do you wrench on German cars because if the answer is No I would definitely not buy a five grand VWpoisonpill posted:Looking for a winter car to get pummeled by snow and salt. Narrowed it down to two cars from 2004. Either and Infinity G35 or a Volvo CX90. They both have similar miles, price, and all wheel drive. Anything to help me decide between them would be appreciated. they are extremely different vehicles. The XC90 is a big momwagon that has good interior space and decent ground clearance. The G35 is an entry-level sport/lux couple/sedan. It will handle better and be easier to park in small spaces. As a winter beater I would go with the XC90 since I think your use case is more towards comfort and size than handling, but you can make that call.
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Sep 5, 2017 15:17
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I don't personally but have a lot of mechanic friends and a good relation with a local german auto shop. I'm getting a lot of 'don't buy this' suggestions, not a lot of car suggestions...Are you guys saying my budget is too low?
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Sep 5, 2017 15:32
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Welcome to GBS posted:I don't personally but have a lot of mechanic friends and a good relation with a local german auto shop. Why are you straying from the usual Camry, Accord, Corolla, Civic, etc.? On a risk avoidance level you can get an equivalent car for the same money with significantly lower risk of expensive repairs needed. You can get a car that's decent as hell for $5k, but it probably won't be a VW. There's nothing that charming about that era to me, anyway.
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Sep 5, 2017 15:51
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Your budget is gone but s lot of the cars you've asked about are cheap but have high maintenance costs. If you want something in your price range and relatively reliable, you should look at Japanese econoboxes.
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Sep 5, 2017 15:52
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You're in the range where I'd say Japanese and with good maintenance history. The Ford Focus MY 2012 on is also quite decent if you drive stick - do not buy the DCT.
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Sep 5, 2017 15:54
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Honestly haven't seen a ton for sale in my area. I posted the fit, and I probably could have looked more closely at a few Civics, but I had one from 96 as my first car and while it was decent, it felt boring. I don't know as many people who work on Japanese cars. I'd like to get something that excites me a bit and feels like a reward for finally getting a decent job. I guess I should rephrase that I'm not super worried about maintenance costs because I'm going to get reimbursed well for the travel that I do (over 50 cents a mile) and plan on using that money directly for maintenance, especially if I can keep my fuel costs low.
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Sep 5, 2017 16:24
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Welcome to GBS posted:I don't know as many people who work on Japanese cars. They pretty much operate the same. By comparison a European car can feel like troubleshooting a Rube Goldberg invention. CopperHound fucked around with this message at 17:08 on Sep 5, 2017 |
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Sep 5, 2017 17:06
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Are you looking mainly at Craigslist? What about https://www.cars.com Japanese cars are overwhelmingly popular, it would be very odd to see a drought of those in your area.
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Sep 5, 2017 17:14
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Yeah you're on the west coast so if you throw a rock you can find a good import shop. Your idea of the car being a reward for achievement is directly at odds with the price point you've mentioned and your use case. Here's what you want: 1. Cheap to buy 2. Reliable 3. Easy to fix 4. High fuel economy 5. Fun to drive You might be able to swing an older Focus 5-speed or a Mazda3 that sort of kind of covers all of those bases, but really you are asking for the moon at a cheap price. Something has to give; that's either reliability/ease of repair (go ahead and buy a Golf), fun to drive (buy a Hyundai or a Japanese car), or cheap to buy (most Japanese stuff is relatively more expensive because it checks the next three boxes).
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Sep 5, 2017 17:14
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