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I just moved to Colorado and I'm quickly realizing that I probably can't get by on just biking and taking public transport like I did while I was living in NYC. I'm thinking about picking up my first car ever once I pay off my relocation debt. Proposed Budget: Willing to go as high as about $8000-$10000, though I'd prefer to go lower New or Used: Used Body Style: 4 door sedan should be fine. No wife/kids or anything like that to consider How will you be using the car?: Probably using it to commute around town in the evenings, basically 20-30 minutes drives a couple of times a week. I live in Boulder, might take the occasional trip down to Denver (about a 40-60 min drive depending on traffic) over the weekends, and sometimes drive for a little longer to visit a friend in Aspen as well as go to some hiking trails (2-3+ hours). Doubt I'll be lugging anything heavier than groceries around. What aspects are most important to you? Cost-related concerns are my biggest ones. I'd like to grab something that won't need too much maintenance and is fuel efficient. It could look horrible for all I care, doesn't really matter to me. The general advice here is to get a Subaru for all the snow, but I'm wondering if there are other cars to consider that people might not initially think about. Also, if I could pick up something for much cheaper than 8k, say less than 5k, that would be awesome of course. I'm planning on paying it all up front and avoiding any kind of financing/loans.
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Nov 10, 2017 00:46
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Deteriorata posted:You can live without 4WD. A good set of snow tires should do the job. Thanks, this is super helpful. I'm liking the sound of the Prius a lot actually, gonna start doing some digging. A quick look at autotrader shows 2012s being a little above my budget with 2008-2010 being more in lines with what I can do, although I guess this isn't including negotiation? What kind of years should I be looking at for the Mazda and Civics? Thanks once again!
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Nov 10, 2017 18:59
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A bit of a weird question but ah what the heck: Barring anything unexpected, I should be paying off my car loan this Friday. Career has been really good to me last 2 years (knock on wood) and was able to pay off my car much faster than expected. It's a 2019 Kia Optima. I just had the crazy idea of considering trading it in for an older used electric vehicle. Is this a bad idea? I haven't thought about this for more than the last hour so feel free to tell me I'm stupid. Mainly considering it because I miss my old hybrid (Prius) and how fuel efficient it was, and figuring it'd be nice to make the jump to full electric for both economic and environmental reasons. My apartment has tons of EV charger parking spots too which helps. With all the remote work lately, I hardly find myself driving my car more than a handful of times a month either way, so my car needs are very simple. Anyone here done something like this before and was satisfied/upset about it in hindsight? Edit: Also I checked the KBB value for the Kia using their online tool and it's telling me I can get pretty close to what I paid for it as a trade-in value, if that helps put things in perspective reversefungi fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Mar 25, 2021 |
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Mar 25, 2021 01:17
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Hey y'all! I've been seriously contemplating trading in my reliable 2020 Corolla (which is fully paid off) for something a little more sporty/fun, while also being fairly usable as a family car. I think I've narrowed it down to these models mainly, but would love any additional advice/recommendations: Volkswagen GTI, Ford Fiesta ST, and Subaru WRX. Not as excited about but also considering: Honda Civic Si and Hyundai Veloster. Questions: 1. How bad of an idea is it to buy any of these cars used? I know folks like to wear most of these models out and mod/tune them, but if I do my due diligence (e.g., pre purchase inspection, check carfax, etc.) and nothing comes up, would it be a generally safe purchase? Of course the Fiesta isn't available new in US anymore so I'm limited to only used there 2. For the pre purchase inspection, is there any benefit to going to a specialized mechanic to get the cars looked at? For example, if I want to get a Subaru WRX inspected, would it make sense to see a specialized Subaru mechanic that might know more about what kind of mods to be on the lookout for? Or will my standard mechanic that I've been taking my Corolla to be more than sufficient? I live in Colorado where everyone drives a Subaru, so I'm assuming pretty much all mechanics here should be fairly familiar with most models, for this particular example. 3. I know the market has been pretty crazy in recent times, would it be better to wait for a few months? My plan has been to do some research for the next month or two and maybe start looking around November, and have some time to build up a bit of a down payment to add to my trade in value. But I'm in no massive rush and can wait longer if that's recommended 4. Are there other cars that I should add to my search? Here are the answers to the template as per the OP: Proposed Budget: I'd like to stay under 30k if possible, but I'm willing to go above that if the overwhelming recommendation is to go new for sportsy cars New or Used: Either Body Style: A compact or midsize sedan/hatchback would be my preference. Needs to have at least 4 doors, so no coupes How will you be using the car?: I don't commute to an office regularly, and mainly use my car for musician related stuff. So, the car needs to handle carrying around an instrument or two and maybe an amplifier. Largest thing I have is a digital 88-key piano which fits just fine in the Corolla. Also just general errands, running to the gym, etc. That being said, my wife and I are family planning, so ideally I'd like to be able to accommodate baby seats and what not in the near future. My wife has an SUV, so my car doesn't need to be the primary family car What aspects are most important to you?: I want it to be family friendly, sufficiently sporty, and preferably come with a manual option. Have never driven a manual before but really want to learn, so I'm limiting my search to just manual cars for now. If after test driving I decide I'll want an automatic, I'll consider other models. Although I live in CO, I can almost always avoid driving in the snow, and can take my wife's car if needed, so AWD or any other features aren't too important. Would like to avoid makes with really high maintenance costs like BMW/Mercedes Benz, but I'm also working on learning how to do my own maintenance for the more typical things which can help offset those costs somewhat. reversefungi fucked around with this message at 23:25 on Sep 6, 2022 |
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Sep 6, 2022 22:33
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nitsuga posted:1. Like with any car how bad an idea it is will depend on a number of factors. The models you've listed are more fraught than others. A Carfax report and PPI can tell you some things, but for the rest you will have to look for clues yourself. Really look it over. Is the car clean? How does it drive? Has it been modified? Are the mods detrimental in any way? Is there anything else that worries you? I'd try to get a gauge on that before doing a PPI, that way you can ask about any particular things you've noticed. Thanks for all this! Yeah, I know it's definitely a financially risky maneuver. I'm in a solid financial position at the moment (good salary in an in-demand industry, emergency fund, actively contributing to my 401k, etc.), but I'm also giving myself a wide berth to really consider whether I want to do this and see if the steam fizzles out before the end of the year. I figure if by the winter I still want to go through with a change, then at least I know it won't be an impulsive thing. My plan is to ask a bunch of questions and learn as much as I can in the meantime to help make sure that I go into this as clearheaded as possible. I'm approaching this more from a "hobby that you will spend money on" approach. I also figure that having a car I'm excited about and encourages me to do my own maintenance will help offset the raw costs of ownership by both providing me some learning experiences and avoiding the mechanic for routine stuff. As far as manual goes, there's a place near me that offers stick lessons, so I definitely planned on taking a lesson before showing up to any dealerships. Is there any value/safety in getting new for my particular situation or should I stick with used + due diligence? I've never purchased a new car before and am pretty wary of going in that direction, but if it's going to mitigate lots of headaches in the future, I'll give it some serious thought. reversefungi fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Sep 7, 2022 |
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Sep 7, 2022 17:11
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Thanks for the advice and sanity check folks, really appreciate it! I'll be educating myself as much as I can and keeping an eye out for any good opportunities while building up my fund. One other thought I had entertained was just keeping the Corolla and saving up to buy (in cash with no loan) a cheaper/older convertible/coupe to use as a fun car, but this just seems way more costly in terms of repeated expenses for maintenance/insurance/registration/etc. vs. just consolidating to one car. Are there any good arguments for going in this direction?
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Sep 7, 2022 20:00
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:yes: a single car is a compromise. a GTI will not be as reliable or fuel efficient as a Corolla, and won't be as fun as a Miata. The parking situation was something I was worried about, since we only have two spaces and my wife's SUV will of course stay in one. However, I'm just realizing I can probably keep a second car in my mother-in-law's during days where inclement weather is coming, and she only lives 2 doors down. Also I totally blanked on the lower registration costs for older cars  zedprime posted:A Miata is a wonderful car to buy used and figure out how to maintain beside your daily driver. It's actually the correct choice to pivot to when asking "what badged coupe should I get" unless you're actually trying to drive a toddler to day care at high intensity. You get the convenience of your project car not causing you to lose your job and die when you fail to get it back together Sunday evening so it's not a total loss to register and insure it separately. I WFH which has made me not too worried about reliability, but hadn't thought too far about it needing it to be reliable for things like daycare. My wife isn't pregnant (yet!) so still learning tons about the dad stuff and trying to make sure any decisions I make today don't hurt us down the road. Now that I'm thinking more about it, if I have a Miata and it goes bust with a major repair, I don't have to worry about getting it repaired ASAP because it's my only driver, and I can save up to get any work done that I can't handle myself. So, sounds like I should be seriously considering this avenue more than I have been 
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Sep 7, 2022 20:44
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