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Ohio State BOOniversity posted:He's not enlisting, he could never get the financing for such a beaut. I took it as ‘you can get a good deal on this vehicle because they don’t hold their value as much as other, similar models’. We have both Priuses and Fusion Hybrids in the fleet I manage, and although they’re both reliable as hell, the Fusions, IMO, are more comfortable cars, especially on the freeway. Priuses are pretty plasticky on the inside, at least the Gen 3’s that I’ve driven, and the NVH is better on the Fusion at highway speed. Of course, both vehicles are base models because it’s a government fleet, so maybe a high trim level Prius would be better, I dunno.
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Jan 23, 2023 00:55
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JnnyThndrs posted:I took it as ‘you can get a good deal on this vehicle because they don’t hold their value as much as other, similar models’. Nah the Prius is not super well isolated at highway speed regardless of the trim level. I think the Fusion Hybrid is a good call. Insanite posted:Huh, decent points. I get it with the space requirements, I live in Boston and know how parking can be. I think you're right that with the death of all wagons that the biggest compact CUV that fits in your parking space is the right call. Mazda generally makes fun to drive and reliable vehicles with very nice interiors for the price. Packaging is a little less good than best in class.. How much is the discount on loan rates? It could make a difference but I suspect it won't be huge, especially compared to not paying finance charges on the principal amount in the first place.
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Jan 23, 2023 01:20
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I get it with the space requirements, I live in Boston and know how parking can be. I think you're right that with the death of all wagons that the biggest compact CUV that fits in your parking space is the right call.   Got my calculator out, and, y'know, with trade-in and our anticipated down payment, the loan discount ends up negligible. NM to that.
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Jan 23, 2023 01:25
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Insanite posted:Huh, decent points. I am currently going through the same thing with somewhat similar requirements, except we're also keeping an eye out for the PHEV tax credit which can be up to $7,500. - If you're OK without AWD, then the Ford Escape PHEV is an option and you can get those for $36k-$40k all day. They are however rather small vehicles, i.e. they seem to be more cramped and have less interior volume than the class competitors. My wife and I sat in one and agreed that it's pretty cramped for 2 kids, enough that we'd rather pay more for something bigger. - The front runner for us is still the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV. I don't think they're massively unreliable but they're not Toyotas so probably not for you. - Depending on if you qualify for the used PHEV tax credit, I would guess you could also potentially get a lightly used Audi Q5 PHEV under your budget? I don't think they're super common in the real world so hard to say how accurate pricing is but KBB says they can be under $40k.
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Jan 23, 2023 02:58
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Slightly used phev Volvo V60 is about the only wagon in that space.
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Jan 23, 2023 03:30
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I think the PHEV V60 was over $70k new and also not very reliable. I probably wouldn't want a cheap used one.
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Jan 23, 2023 03:38
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I also sat in a V60 with (granted) 4 adults and 1 toddler and it was very snug. The interior doesn’t seem all that big and as everyone else posted it’s both not super reliable and also very expensive to buy. Nice cars, though. The Pacifica is too long for the OP but would be one of my suggestions otherwise.
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Jan 23, 2023 12:30
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Had a Volvo two cars ago and it was enough of a nightmare to put me off of that brand pretty hard. Just constant electrical failures, and it wasn't cheap. And yeah, that Pacifica looks intriguing. Would need to move house to have one, though.
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Jan 23, 2023 14:23
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I have a 2007 Civic (originally bought new) with 70k miles on it that has been excellent to me. I plan to keep driving it until it dies, which I hope won’t be for quite a while, but I want to have a rough plan in mind in case everything were to happen suddenly. Basically, I want the same thing again: a dependable (if boring) car that has a solid chance of lasting 15+ years. Proposed Budget: Under $30k, ideally closer to $25k New or Used: new works best for my “drive until it dies” plan, I think Body Style: compact sedan or hatchback How will you be using the car?: I have a minimal commute and probably average 25 mi/week, and I typically take two 800-900 mi (round trip) trips per year, so all told I’m likely to average under 4k mi/year. I’m in the northeast US and park outside, so rust will likely be the eventual killer. What aspects are most important to you?: Longevity, enough comfort that those 400-mile drives aren’t agony. My inclination is to buy another Civic. Is there any reason why a Corolla would be a significantly better idea, or should I just try them both and see if I have any preferences? I see that Corollas have a lower base price and are a little more efficient. I’d also be open to other makes, but these two seem be the perpetual standards for “cheap-ish and will last forever” cars. (I acknowledge that by posting in this thread I’m contractually obligated to consider a Prius, but my impression is that a hybrid isn’t worth it with the amount of driving I do.)
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Jan 23, 2023 16:22
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Your question/timing doesn't really make any sense if you "plan to keep driving it until it dies" because none of us have any idea what your choices will look like in the minimum 3+ years in the future where you would need to concern yourself with this decision. And if you choose something now it may not make any sense in the future. 70k on a honda means "do the scheduled maintenance and it will last another 70k miles". Yes, all of it including whatever timing belt is due/going to be due soon.
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Jan 23, 2023 16:29
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:
KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I also sat in a V60 with (granted) 4 adults and 1 toddler and it was very snug. The interior doesn’t seem all that big and as everyone else posted it’s both not super reliable and also very expensive to buy. Nice cars, though. What you don't like twin-charging?
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Jan 23, 2023 16:31
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Ohio State BOOniversity posted:er, is that wouldn't a typo? Are you saying they Would Not (and in turn he'd be able to get a better deal) or that it Would (lowering his TCO) That they would not have kept value and thus maybe be less expensive.
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Jan 23, 2023 16:33
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Motronic posted:Your question/timing doesn't really make any sense if you "plan to keep driving it until it dies" because none of us have any idea what your choices will look like in the minimum 3+ years in the future where you would need to concern yourself with this decision. And if you choose something now it may not make any sense in the future. At 4-5k miles / year, they're looking at closer to 15 years to get to 150k miles, and at that point it will be all electric all the time.
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Jan 23, 2023 16:42
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Motronic posted:Your question/timing doesn't really make any sense if you "plan to keep driving it until it dies" because none of us have any idea what your choices will look like in the minimum 3+ years in the future where you would need to concern yourself with this decision. And if you choose something now it may not make any sense in the future. That's honestly really reassuring since the mechanic I go to has been weirdly hesitant to make any predictions about how long the car will last (although he's also said that mechanically it's probably in better shape than any other 07 Civic in the city, so it can't be too dire) (although I also live in a city of amazingly lovely cars). If, hypothetically, I were buying right this second, would there be a clear answer?
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Jan 23, 2023 16:44
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Motronic posted:Your question/timing doesn't really make any sense if you "plan to keep driving it until it dies" because none of us have any idea what your choices will look like in the minimum 3+ years in the future where you would need to concern yourself with this decision. And if you choose something now it may not make any sense in the future. Any trim of '07 Civic will have a timing chain anyway - the only "special" 100k/5yr maintenance items are probably a valve lash adjustment, brake fluid flush, and fresh antifreeze. Literally just do whatever the little maintenance minder on the dash wants - it'll probably want an ATF change soon if it hasn't already - and that thing will run forever as long as it isn't rusting to death.
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Jan 23, 2023 16:46
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IOwnCalculus posted:Any trim of '07 Civic will have a timing chain anyway - the only "special" 100k/5yr maintenance items are probably a valve lash adjustment, brake fluid flush, and fresh antifreeze. Rusting to death is indeed my primary concern because all of the repairs in the past few years have been of that general nature. On the other hand, the last time it was in was because the transmission lines had rusted through, so that takes care of the ATF change!
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Jan 23, 2023 17:03
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Maybe it's too late, and I've not spent more than a handful of days in your part of the world, but given how long you'll probably keep the car and how much corrosion is causing problems, could you not get a rust inhibitor coating applied to the bottom of the car. It might cost you 1-2 grand to get it applied but seems like given the expected lifespan/use pattern it could be money well spent.
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Jan 23, 2023 18:14
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Looking for a sanity check. Yesterday we traded the wife's car in for something different at Carmax so we have 30 days to return it no questions asked. The old: 2016 CX-5 Sport (lowest trim and options) with 50k miles (received $14k trade in, was paid off - bought it 3.5 years ago for $17k and put 30k miles on it) The new: 2013 Avalon Hybrid Limited with 75k miles - paid $20k Why: Wife was wanting some actual luxury features in a sedan form. Quiet refined ride, highly comfortable interior with more features. Even though it's 3 years older, the Avalon isn't missing anything the CX-5 had and has a ton more features, comfort and the build quality and materials appear to be in a completely different league. Also wanted something that would be largely reliable. We cross shopped top trim used Avalon, Camry, Accord, ES350 and Fusions. The Lexus was the only one that seemed to be as good or better, material and build quality wise. Concerns / sanity check - At this stage of life, we are usually buying cars that are only 3-5 years old. In my youth, my 10 year + old cars were generally clapped out and unreliable. I'm assuming the Avalon hybrid is going to be largely as reliable as a a Prius / Camry hybrid. Is this the case? I'm scheduling a PPI with my shop this week. They are a Toyota specialty shop so I'm assuming they have the tools to assess the hybrid system and battery but will double check. I understand additional features of this car add more complexity. Overall, I'm expecting it to have the same or better longevity of the CX-5 even with the additional age and miles. Safety is also concern as we have school age kids but hoping there is some balance here (given safety advancements over time) with the amount of extra airbags and such. The Avalon is in fantastic condition. Other than knowing the newer models look different, if someone told me it was 3 years old I would believe them. Interior and exterior is near mint and so far everything we've tested works 100%. Carfax is clean. Other than the timing of the car market / deal we got, I'm hoping I'm correct that this should last quite a while assuming a clean PPI and keeping up with maintenance going forward which we are good at. We were looking newer options in the 2016 - 2021 range but the price difference went up quickly making me super comfortable with the current depreciation given the condition. That year range was landing us in the $30-40k range which we would have to get a loan vs paying cash for not a lot less miles and not missing out on too much new tech (mainly Apple Carplay, but that isn't a deal breaker). We have a solid maintenance budget and having to replace in the hybrid battery in 5 years wouldn't be an issue but I'd prefer not to in the first couple years. If the PPI comes back with bad news, we will just return it. We have 3 cars, so we won't be desperate to replace it if we do end up returning it. We are super happy with the decision so far but wanted to check in with some trusted advice here to make sure we didn't overlook something egregious.
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Jan 23, 2023 21:00
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How are people paying $20k for a 10 year old car that was like $39k new
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Jan 23, 2023 21:08
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Throatwarbler posted:How are people paying $20k for a 10 year old car that was like $39k new Toyota Hybrid Tax. Loan Dusty Road posted:We are super happy with the decision so far but wanted to check in with some trusted advice here to make sure we didn't overlook something egregious. Enjoy your car, keep up on the maintenance and don't stress about the Hybrid battery. I think people worry way too much about those. Have your mechanic check it out and just stay on top of things.
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Jan 23, 2023 21:12
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Throatwarbler posted:How are people paying $20k for a 10 year old car that was like $39k new I know this is BFC and car loans are bad but paying $20k cash for a 10 year old car seems worse than a car loan. A 2023 CX5 that has all the bells and whistles (no turbo) is like $28k.
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Jan 23, 2023 21:19
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Hadlock posted:Maybe it's too late, and I've not spent more than a handful of days in your part of the world, but given how long you'll probably keep the car and how much corrosion is causing problems, could you not get a rust inhibitor coating applied to the bottom of the car. It might cost you 1-2 grand to get it applied but seems like given the expected lifespan/use pattern it could be money well spent. Too late.
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Jan 23, 2023 22:00
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I have an opportunity to buy a 2002 bmw 5 series 530i for 1600 from a family friend. It has 180000 miles and as far as i know so far, the only major thing wrong with it is it needs the passenger side window replaced. anyone know anything about this particular model? I already know BMWs will cost more to maintain however i just need something to last me for literally just 6 months minimum it has some cosmetic damage too but i dont give a poo poo about any of that. it just has a few dents and scratches
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Jan 24, 2023 01:41
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I already have 2500 set aside for a car and will have even more next paycheck bumping it up to at least 3000 so i have 1400 for any work that needs to be done on it
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Jan 24, 2023 01:44
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Was it the E39 that had those weird wheel size that no one makes tires for anymore?
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Jan 24, 2023 01:57
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Buddykins posted:I have an opportunity to buy a 2002 bmw 5 series 530i for 1600 from a family friend. It has 180000 miles and as far as i know so far, the only major thing wrong with it is it needs the passenger side window replaced. How long do you want to be friends with this person?
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Jan 24, 2023 02:13
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to clarify - I dont know the guy selling it. it's my best friend (who is basically my brother)'s mom's boyfriend. She knows cars and I trust her not to steer me wrong. ive also known her through my buddy for a decade and she's helped me a lot in life before.
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Jan 24, 2023 02:16
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it definitely seems too good to be true and i'm being cautious about it
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Jan 24, 2023 02:26
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I guess if you REALLY only need it for a few months then maybe it doesn't matter, but I don't know too many people who would recommend anyone but an enemy, or crazy person buy a 20 year old, high mileage german luxury car. "There are few things more expensive than a cheap german car" E: I'm not saying they're deliberately trying to gently caress you, but buying a car off a family friend/acquaintance/person you know through someone else etc... can come with some weird (bad) consequences. wesleywillis fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Jan 24, 2023 |
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Jan 24, 2023 02:44
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Buddykins posted:I have an opportunity to buy a 2002 bmw 5 series 530i for 1600 from a family friend. It has 180000 miles and as far as i know so far, the only major thing wrong with it is it needs the passenger side window replaced. That's what enthusiasts call an E39. It's widely regarded as one of the best sedans ever designed. I got rid of mine at about 160k miles due to some electrical gremlins. The only issue I ever had with it was the sunroof sensor was slightly flaky Hard to say without knowing more but that's a very well known car, parts are pretty easy to find they made them 95-03 I think, with a bunch as taxis and police cars
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Jan 24, 2023 02:47
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:The 1.5 hours commute per day gives me a little pause on Prius. If that’s in traffic the Prius is fine but I find the Prius’ main weak point is a lot of highway driving. It’s a little tinny and light and doesn’t accelerate well at speed and has the smallest fuel economy advantage on the highway. However it is still very reliable so that is a good choice. The Camry hybrid is a bit more substantial and comfortable but also tends to be more expensive. As someone that commutes 75 miles each way in a second gen prius, it's alright. I get anywhere from 40-48 mpg depending on conditions but 44-45 is probably average. The seating position isn't super comfortable, it's loud, and it gets blown around like a box truck in the wind. The range isn't great either. My supposed 12 gallon tank has never taken more than 10 gallons and when I'm down to one or 2 bars and it only takes 7-8 gallons to fill it back up. But that's just a bit over 300 miles on the tank which is a bit annoying. I need to run it out of gas one day just to see how far off the gauge is. A 3rd gen can be had pretty easily for that price range but you have to watch those for oil burning. They're tanks outside of a couple common things that can get pricey depending on the generation. They're very hard to beat at what they do and even though the highway isn't their strong point there isn't much that's going to beat them as far as mpg goes in the same price range. So, time to talk about a replacement car for my Prius. I don't enjoy it for a ton of reasons but I also don't want to replace it and pick up a payment. But my girfriend's oldest is about to get his learners permit and the plan is to give it to him. Which leaves me needing a commuter. Even though the market is slowly chilling out, used cars are still a terrible proposition. I'd love to be in the $15k range myself but that's only going to get me a 3rd gen with 100-150k miles from what I've seen casually browsing. I'd love a 4th gen for some extra mileage and bells and whistles but the only ones I've seen under $20k have salvage titles. Literally every single one. So I'm looking new again. I think I'm down to the Corolla Hybrid and the Chevy Bolt. Corolla Hybrid pros: It's a Toyota Hybrid. It can be had with AWD which while not a requirement would be alright for lovely weather conditions. It's inexpensive for what it is. The AWD base model should at minimum match what my Prius gets. Corolla Hybrid cons: None for its price range. The new Prius is going to be better but is around $5k more which is more than I want to spend. Chevy Bolt pros: No gas or oil changes. That poo poo adds up. The prius uses 3-4 gallons a day on my commute. Quick napkin math puts that at around $200 a month at $3 a gallon on gas that I'd no longer be paying. Our electricity looks like it's in the $0.05-0.09 per kWh range. So on the top end it looks like it would be around $5 a day to charge on work days? Chevy Bolt cons: First, I don't believe I'll qualify for the $7500 rebate. If I do it's a no brainer but if I don't it's around $1-1.5k more than the Corolla. I'd make this up fairly quick in gas savings though. Range anxiety. We have multiple other vehicles so I wouldn't be using it for road trips, but I need to make it 150 miles a day when it's snowing and 5 degrees outside. There's currently no charging at work but there could be in the future. However, there are multiple places where I'd be able to top off on my way home from work. The fast charging on them isn't great but if I only need to pick up 20 miles or whatever it wouldn't be bad. Having looked into this, I've seen multiple people that have commutes as long as mine that have had zero issues with it but there's still some concern, especially as the battery ages. I could of course just take a different car on those few days a year where it's like that. Anything I'm missing here? Anything else I should be looking at? The Corolla feels like the right choice but the Bolt also makes a ton of sense even though I may not qualify for the tax credit. I'm hoping the used market continues to collapse over the next few months but I'm not going to hold my breath for that 4th gen Prius with 50k miles for $15k that I'm dreaming of.
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Jan 24, 2023 02:52
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I appreciate the responses. I'm going to meet and test drive it possibly soon and see what it's like.
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Jan 24, 2023 02:55
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fknlo posted:Chevy Bolt cons: First, I don't believe I'll qualify for the $7500 rebate. If I do it's a no brainer but if I don't it's around $1-1.5k more than the Corolla. I'd make this up fairly quick in gas savings though. Range anxiety. We have multiple other vehicles so I wouldn't be using it for road trips, but I need to make it 150 miles a day when it's snowing and 5 degrees outside. There's currently no charging at work but there could be in the future. However, there are multiple places where I'd be able to top off on my way home from work. The fast charging on them isn't great but if I only need to pick up 20 miles or whatever it wouldn't be bad. Having looked into this, I've seen multiple people that have commutes as long as mine that have had zero issues with it but there's still some concern, especially as the battery ages. I could of course just take a different car on those few days a year where it's like that. No one knows for sure currently, but come March, the Bolt very likely won't qualify for the rebate anyway because its battery pack is made in South Korea, unless GM has some kind of major supplier change in the works.
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Jan 24, 2023 03:05
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Buddykins posted:I appreciate the responses. I'm going to meet and test drive it possibly soon and see what it's like. I own an E39. The parts are relatively available still and it's not hard to find someone to wrench on it. Most stuff that will break is QoL stuff not things you need to get to work. That being said it's an old high mileage German luxury car and poo poo is gonna break, 100%. The M54B30 is reliable. here is what goes wrong that is maybe worth looking out for: The water pump can fail, and the thermostat, too. The water pump is an impeller problem so it's not immediately visible. If it has a service record it should be in good shape. The thermostat housing is inspectable; if you see a bunch of white crud around it, the t-stat almost certainly needs replacing as well as the housing. It's advisable to do this as overheating an engine is bad, and also failing to get an engine to op temps in very cold weather is also bad! The gauge is a proper temp gauge, so it should rise to somewhere near mid after 15 odd minutes of driving and stay in that range. If you see anything too weird (fluctuations, pegging hot after a short while, etc), there's probably a cooling system problem. There is a thing called a DISA valve that can fail. It will make a rattling noise on startup and at idle, you probably have to pop the hood to hear it. It's pretty straightforward to replace, couple of bolts and easy access - it's a box on the intake side. If you get the rattle you should replace it as it tends to disintegrate inside the intake. The valve covers break and leak but you should honestly just top off with oil rather than do anything about it. Can't think of anything else off hand - there are some VANOS problems so if you get stuttering at low RPMs run because you don't want that action. Rest is QOL stuff.
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Jan 24, 2023 03:11
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GE has three battery plants under construction and are looking for a (new) partner to build a fourth. They probably don't move as fast as Tesla but it's definitely happening
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Jan 24, 2023 03:11
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I own an E39. The parts are relatively available still and it's not hard to find someone to wrench on it. Most stuff that will break is QoL stuff not things you need to get to work. That being said it's an old high mileage German luxury car and poo poo is gonna break, 100%. The M54B30 is reliable. here is what goes wrong that is maybe worth looking out for: i'm an e46-haver with the same engine, and all this is accurate. there's like two or three known common problems with easy solutions. this generation of bmws with inline sixes have pretty stout motors and drivetrains but its everything else around them that will be in a constant state of decay if it's seen a rough life and/or been parked outside in the elements. remember this is a 20 year old car at this point. and yes it almost certainly leaks oil so you better stay on top of it. it'll probably run for a while and likely won't leave you stranded but it's still not a good idea if you aren't at least a little bit handy around cars and can find a little joy in understanding and fixing little annoying things. Guinness fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Jan 24, 2023 |
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Jan 24, 2023 19:01
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That crazy M359 guy gets a free e39 528i touring and kinda talks about what to look for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKfa-7lzCL8 He does all kinds of crazy repairs for these cars though because German inspections are crazy vs US ones.
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Jan 24, 2023 19:30
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The e39 screams bad idea, but if it is genuinely cheap and has been used regularly and nothing is currently broken, it would very likely continue to work for the next 6+ months. But when it needs a repair sooner or later it will gobble up your remaining budget.
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Jan 24, 2023 20:24
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I'm looking at a 2017 CX-5 later today. It's got 50k miles and was formerly a lease. It's one of those "no negotiation" dealerships selling it for 22k. Anything in particular to look out for? All the bells and whistles we are looking for are there (AWD, Moonroof, power liftgate etc..) but the only problem is they only have one key for it. I imagine the keys are gonna be pricey, otherwise they'd just get another one cut? I'm planning to test drive it and if it drives fine I might pick it up.
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Jan 24, 2023 20:45
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Call a Mazda dealer and get a quote. $$$ easily, so I wouldn’t hesitate to play a little hardball with the dealer.
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Jan 24, 2023 21:52
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