AI meets BFC: Car Buying Thread: No Rentals and No Salvage Titles

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > AI meets BFC: Car Buying Thread: No Rentals and No Salvage Titles

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

a shameful boehner posted:

I guess I should have added a because, no, AWD wouldn't make me actually feel invincible. Let's say it would make me a lot more confident than whiteknuckling a FWD over a snowpacked mountain pass. I'll also credit my Pirelli P4s that have served me really well since I had them put on.

How much smaller would a Crosstrek be than say a CR-V? I've seen them in passing and driving around and they seem barely larger than my Civic.

When my fiancee and I were looking for a SUV, we had pretty much the exact same criteria as you, except we didn't need a new car and had a target price <$20k.

While the crosstrek was out of our price range, we still took a look at it. We have a 70 hound/lab mix who is all limbs and way bigger than you'd think, and it seemed juuuust a bit too small. If your sheppy is big, it could be tight.

We got a 09 Forester, and it's been a great dog car. The way the back seats went down flat (vs kinda weirdly for the CRVs and RAV4s we tried) made setting a dog bed down right behind the front row pretty easy. I say dog bed, but it's actually like a small mattress (twin or full size, not sure), and he just lays down the whole ride. It's a high enough ride that he can look out the windows easily, yet also plenty of headroom for me. It's weird that it feels so much roomier from inside than it looks from outside. The other compact SUVs seemed to have the opposite impression for some reason.

I dunno how much different new Foresters are, but it's been a drat good dog car so far. Gonna take it to Glacier this summer so hopefully that remains the case.

Fiancee still wanted the crosstrek though because it looked so drat cool.

# ¿ Apr 16, 2015 03:37

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 20:58

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

Gringo Heisenberg posted:

So in 2014 Mazda3 apparently got a new body style. Is there anything I should be wary of vs a 2013 Mazda3?

Right now my options are:
1. 2013 Mazda3 with ~45k kilometers on it for $12999, and that price is with $1000 finance rebate (it's a dealership and they're also trying to get a $900 fee out of me). Its had 1 or 2 collision insurance claims in 2013 that didn't have a damage estimate because the claim was closed. It also had a front bumper collision in the summer of 2014 that had most of the front bumper + assembly replaced for $800. And the last claim was for a rear collision that had most of the rear bumper + assembly replace for $1100.

2. 2014 Mazda3 with 49k kilometers on it for $12999, no additional fees. It has no insurance claim history and is an off lease car from Enterprise Rent A Car. For $500 more I can get cruise control + better wheels. This is a small one property dealership vs the large one in option 1 (Birchwood Auto Group - owned by the Chipmans of the Winnipeg Jets).

Is there anything the 2013 has or does better that the 2014 doesn't? I'm leaning pretty hard toward the second option because I don't have to haggle and try to bring him down on price + it's a year newer + no insurance claim history. Dude also wasn't a prick like at the first place.

I know your past posts were saying like $10-12k, but unless your budget is absolutely 100% set in stone, pony up $6k more in financing and get a brand new 2015 model. I started with a budget and mindset like you, but just kept finding myself coming back to the conclusion that it's not worth getting a car that holds value so well used, because the only reason it'll be inexpensive is if it has some bad flaws you'll kick yourself later.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2015 04:32

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

Gringo Heisenberg posted:

Base model 2015s are starting at ~23 - 24k. I've also realized 10 - 12k isn't realistic so it's more like 12/14 now (before taxes). Also in regard to the title: rentals fair enough, but there's a difference between a car that has had a collision claim and one that is salvage title. Ideally I'd like to get a clean car but so far every one I've looked at has had atleast one collision (not surprising that they're all bumpers given our winters) except the rental. poo poo, it's like 10k more at least but maybe a new car is the best option at this point because god drat has this been frustrating.

I just bought a sport (2nd tier) 2015 for about $19.2k after taxes/fees (and before a $3k trade-in). That includes a couple extras like rubber floor mats, tinted windows, and the red paint (which combine to about $600). Base model is like $17-18k MSRP where I live (chicago area).

I shopped used for my gf's subaru forester, and it was very frustrating. My criteria was Rav4/CR-V/Foresters within the last ~5 years with <60k miles and <$15k. I consider myself SUPER lucky to get a good '09 forester with 45k for $16.6k, most of the comparable models were like $20-23k. Good used cars nowadays seem to hold enough value that getting a new car is probably worth it when you consider the easier financing and better bonuses you get, plus the fact you will worry a lot less about potentially undocumented issues requiring repairs biting you in the rear end.

My friend was offering a very good 2012 Mazda3 5door itouring with about 45k miles for $11k, and I STILL went for the new one and feel the better for it.

(Actually come to think of it, if you live anywhere near IL PM me and maybe I could broker a deal for you if you'd want that one :P)

# ¿ Apr 25, 2015 15:11

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

All non-prius cars should be equipped with specialized cow catchers that docks with priuses, so if a prius is ever ahead of you at a light you can safely and efficiently nudge them up to full speed when it turns green.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2015 03:41

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

euphronius posted:

How tall are you. Those are very small cars.

I'm 6'4", I owned a 2006 Sonata and have driven some 2013 models, never found them too small. In fact, rear seat legroom is pretty spacious actually. Have they gotten smaller?

(Agreed about the other make/models)

# ¿ Aug 22, 2015 04:28

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

the talent deficit posted:

I just wrote off my car. Talk me out of going and buying a Mazda3 Sport GT tomorrow. I am not a car person I only have one because my dog refuses to learn to ride a bike really. Budget is $30k (except I'm going to finance because interest rates are ridiculously low right now) but I could go higher if someone convinces me I am missing out by not buying something fancier.

My 2015 Mazda3 sport is a really fun car. The GT is probably great. I don't know if it'd be a good dog car if your dog is above like 25 lbs though, since the front seat's awkward for a dog, the rear seats aren't exactly spacious, and it's somewhat of a low ceiling if you bring the seats down. I have a 70 lb lab mix and there's no way he'd really fit in it.

But if it's a small dog go nuts, it's a silly good car in my opinion.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2015 04:34

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

Throatwarbler posted:

You only want a car because your dog refuses to learn to ride a bike so you want to buy a $30k Mazda3? What does it do for your dog that a $16k Nissan Sentra or VW Jetta doesn't?

see you're doing what he asked people to do, talk him out of it.

Go man go!

e. honestly if dog transport is your only criteria get a prius. If you actually are interested in having a car that handles insanely well for its price/fuel economy then yeah the GT is fine.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2015 04:40

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

euphronius posted:

It's huge. It looks like a land barge.

I couldn't hate it more or mock those driving it if I tried, so take that into consideration if randos judging you bothers you.

# ¿ May 24, 2017 19:41

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

prom candy posted:

No, I just live in an area where cars sometimes get broken into if you leave valuable looking stuff in plain sight, and I don't trust the people that do that to know the difference between a tablet and a raised up infotainment screen. Getting your windows smashed sucks.

Have Mazda info screens been reported as stolen frequently? I got a 2015 3 and haven't ever even considered that as a thing.

# ¿ May 28, 2017 16:14

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

I'm in the same boat as a bunch of recent goons. ~$35k budget, crossover SUV. Go camping a lot so want some cargo space. Upgrading an 09 Forester, which has a great glass canopy the wife loves.

Did some test driving the CRV, Rav4s (gas and hybrid), CX5,, and forester. All 2nd highest or highest trim level.

CX5 has the best drive, but tiniest cargo space and the leather seats are waaaaay too stiff. Forester drove like an F150, felt bad except for the nice sunroof. CRV offered nothing over the RAV4.

Rav4 hybrid had a really nice drive, fun to drive, better seats and more space than the CX5. However I saw some stuff saying that the battery is prone to fail and the motor craps out at 30k. Are there known issues with the RAV4 hybrid that should keep me looking?

# ¿ Jun 9, 2021 03:04

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

Jack B Nimble posted:

For real, gonna be real hard for me to finally commit to buying a 20k car when it's "marked adjusted" to 30k.

Not much of a joke. Was looking at foresters yesterday, and the limited was selling at MSRP plus a $4500 market adjustment. Plus $1500 delivery fee etc.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2021 14:46

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

Anyone have any intel on whether rav4 hybrid batteries suck or not?

I asked earlier but blabbed too much and nobody answered so figured I'd bump my query. This is basically my last chance to painlessly offramp away from the RAV4 I've got a claim on at msrp and eyeball random other poo poo like BMW X3

# ¿ Jun 10, 2021 04:26

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

IOwnCalculus posted:

Truly the most cursed layout. With the bonus of that if someone fucks up the shift linkage (like on my Opel GT) then you can't get first.

I mean, who really needs 1st gear anyway

# ¿ Jun 28, 2021 02:28

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

Pander posted:

I'm in the same boat as a bunch of recent goons. ~$35k budget, crossover SUV. Go camping a lot so want some cargo space. Upgrading an 09 Forester, which has a great glass canopy the wife loves.

Just to update, got new 2021 rav4 hybrid XLE for $31k out the door after $4k trade-in.

I'll let the thread know if we find a flaw in it. So far it's a drat fine automobile.

Fake edit: the passenger side front seat having only forward/backward and recline options sucks for me, but if I'm in it I'm driving 99% of the time so not a biggie. Wife doesn't mind that.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2021 19:09

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

ethanol posted:

Of course with Subaru before the cvt years you have the infamous head gasket years. Our 2005 forester also had significant ignition problems causing no spark,misfires…and the exhaust hangers rusted out to the point of detaching. The rocker panels rusted through as well. The car never even made it to 50k miles

My 09 Forster had a head gasket replacement at 60k. I'm pretty sure I replaced everything but the engine and transmission by 110k, and the transmission was starting to stick at the end there. Good riddance. The only thing it did right was have enough clearance to let me drive to some remote trailheads that'd bottom out my Mazda3.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2022 17:23

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 20:58

Pander: Oct 9, 2007; Fear is the glue that holds society together. It's what makes people suppress their worst impulses. Fear is power.

And at the end of fear, oblivion.

KillHour posted:

How to learn to drive a manual:

Step 1: Buy a manual car
Step 2: Realize you need to get it home
Step 3: Congratulations, you can now drive manual.

Find a friend who knows how to drive manual. Have them spend 20 mins walking you through it. Stall your car like 50 times the next week or two. Stall it less after that.

Done.

# ¿ Jun 17, 2022 22:26

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > AI meets BFC: Car Buying Thread: No Rentals and No Salvage Titles