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

«‹›7 »

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

If you're looking at used cars and want the space, I can't see a reason why a 2000ish Mazda Protege5 wouldn't be on the top of the list. Other options could be a Scion xB or something like an Integra liftback.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2013 05:33

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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 05:07

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

The 2012+ Civic Sis are pretty bad. Honda revised the 2013 model, but it doesn't hold a candle to the 2006-2011 ones.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2013 05:27

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Throatwarbler posted:

What's your issue with the 2013?

They're boring and the aesthetic is bad. I mean, straight from Honda (via MotorTrend):

quote:

So what happened with the 2012 model? Honda says it miscalculated market demand. Since the model was developed during the American financial crisis, Honda executives believed consumers would accept lower-quality cars so long as they were fuel-efficient and affordable. That didn't turn out to be the case, as competitors launched a range of compacts with expanded feature lists and improved quality (think Focus, Cruze, Elantra, etc.).

Tell me that a * < 1 year turnaround isn't going to be full of compromises and bad design.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2013 11:53

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Throatwarbler posted:

Like what? Give us an example of how the Si, which has a completely different drivetrain and interior than the regular Civic, and doesn't really look particularly different on the outside than the 2006-10 model you love so much, is "full of compromises and bad design".

Car review magazines need to find cars to poo poo on, and praise other cars to the moon, to create compelling narrative and dramatic tension. Their job was much easier back when GM was still building X/N/J bodies, but nowadays "pretty much every car is drat good" and "it really doesn't loving matter whether you buy a Mustang or Camaro, they're both fine" just doesn't draw eyeballs.

It's impossible to think that a mid-year refresh of a car that was poorly received might not match up to the competition?

2013 Civic Si Coupe: 22.5k, 201hp/170ft-lbs
2013 Ford Focus ST: 23.7k, 252hp/270ft-lbs
2013 Mazdaspeed 3: 24.2k, 263hp/280ft-lbs

# ¿ Apr 18, 2013 21:41

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Throatwarbler posted:

So your criterias are power and price? The Civic is also 300lbs lighter than either the Focus or the Mazda and it has a real helical LSD standard which the Focus doesn't have at all, it's going to have the upper hand in cornering grip. The Civic has a moonroof and backup camera standard, it's pretty much fully loaded except for nav, so comparably equipped the price difference between it and the Focus is more like $3000 or more.

Let me remind you that your original argument wasn't "the Focus might be a marginally better car for certain people, who have significantly more money to spend", it was "The Civic Si is a straight up bad car".

The 2012 Civic Si is a straight up bad car. That was my argument.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2013 00:57

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

MattD1zzl3 posted:

Im already driving a miata, im not sure what a neon could do that a $2,000 neon does better, or as well? I'm looking for something cool that will take care of AI needs the miata wont, and to cover my rear end on the offchance it blows up one day. Maybe something that can tow/transport, maybe something old, maybe something with a carb, who knows.

I've read this like 5 times and I still don't know what you're getting at.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2013 18:33

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

# ¿ May 1, 2013 00:10

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

IOwnCalculus posted:

Not only is this advice true, it's coming from a guy who drives a car that can be arguably considered the end development of the Lebaron line.

There's pretty much nothing good about that car. It's going to be slow, handling is best described as "it has the ability to turn", in a crash it's going to fold up into a ball and kill you, and it's probably going to need way more work than it's worth.

nonedit: And I said all of that before realizing that you want to spend $5500 on one. Holy poo poo. If you really want a convertible, get a Miata (that money should buy you nearly any NA, or an older / higher mileage NB)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7aDstrDMf0&t=160s

# ¿ May 11, 2013 05:06

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

compton rear end terry posted:

, especially if it makes it easier to move my hands in the engine bay

If you think that the Miata is a hard car to work on and has a cramped engine bay... :psyduck:

If you're looking for more "go", I'd aim for a 5.0 Mustang. They actually are decent in the corners, and they have more character than the 350Z.

E: I'm bad at reading. Put $13k down on a 5.0 :v:

# ¿ May 23, 2013 13:52

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

nm posted:

Test drive a Mazda 2 manual. I just bought one, and I thought is drove way better than the sonic. 0% APR with 0 down with $1000 cash on top this weekend only (ends 7/1). A 2013 2 Touring is a ~$15k car all day with the cash on top.
Only 100hp, but it only weighs 2300lbs.

One of us. One of us. One of us.

What do you think of the rear seats/leg room back there?

# ¿ Jul 1, 2013 00:38

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Old Man Pants posted:

and isn't going to break down or need new parts every 5,000 miles.

Well now that we have eliminated Ferrari and Lamborghini...

Go test drive a WRX, Mazdaspeed3, Mazdaspeed6, and the Nissan Juke R.

# ¿ Jul 16, 2013 13:32

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Mathhole posted:

I don't really follow cars. I don't even know what a good range of cars to test drive might be. Can you help me make a test drive list?

Holy poo poo. I had no idea such a thing existed. It's added to the test-drive list.

Check out a CPO BMW 335d. They are in a sporty chassis, will pull like no tomorrow (especially compared to your Fit), and will still get decent fuel economy (30-35mpg).

Phone fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Jul 17, 2013

# ¿ Jul 17, 2013 01:56

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

skipdogg posted:

My sister had a 2002 Jetta with electrical gremlins and the shops in Topeka didn't want to deal with it. She had to drive to Lawrence to find a VW shop that would work on it. She got rid of that car and her 2008 Jetta has been a much better car.

This is the one thing I will never understand about VW brand loyalists.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2013 05:55

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Anybody who had a shitload of problems with a Mk4 VW and went "Hey, maybe I should give the 5th gens a try," is criminally insane. It's called Stockholm Syndrome.

That said, VW makes a great car when it's in warranty.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2013 06:50

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

2014 Mazda6 (possibly in diesel trim if you can wait)
Used Infiniti G37
Used Acura TSX
Honda S2000

If you break your rule about no domestics:
Ford Focus ST
Ford Mustang GT

# ¿ Aug 1, 2013 00:42

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Grab a Miata. It's reliable, parts are dirt cheap, perfect platform for a project later on, and decent economy. There's also nothing dumb that goes catastrophically bad unless if you manage to find a 90-91 that has the short nose crank issue.

If you keep your foot out of it, you can average 30mpg on the freeway going 65.

# ¿ Aug 3, 2013 15:59

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

I did some preliminary research on the 100 Series Land Cruiser/LX470 and this is what I remember offhand:

- Towing capacity is rated at 6500lbs
- They get sub-10mpg while towing
- You might need to put airbags in the back
- Main difference from the 4Runner/Sequoia is that they are built off of the truck chassis (tad bit rougher ride)

I'm still a few years out from towing, but I'm still considering the LX470 and I might see if I could swing a Ford Flex Ecoboost (if the 3.5L TT doesn't turn out to be a pain in the rear end).

# ¿ Aug 5, 2013 01:47

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Throatwarbler posted:

It looks like the stars have aligned for you my son.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/3961028942.html

Go with god.

Between this and being the thread's resident VW apologist, reported for trolling.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2013 03:44

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Hahaha an S2K for $6k, yeah OK.

If you are not 6'+ tall, look into Miatas.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2013 14:34

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Tahm Bwady posted:

Found a 92 Miata about 2 miles from me

http://evansville.craigslist.org/cto/3946731720.html

Kinda worried about whether or not I can fit in it, since I'm about 6'1". Would a FC RX-7 be any better in the reliability department? Sorry to sound like pining really hard for an RX-7 but I kinda fell in love with it via YouTube videos

Fast, cheap, reliable: Pick Two.

The RX-7 is fast and cheap.
The MX-5 is cheap and reliable.

(unless if it's my Miata, then it's pick zero :negative:

)

# ¿ Aug 15, 2013 20:38

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp3tvDNybzo

# ¿ Aug 16, 2013 00:39

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Miata.

# ¿ Aug 16, 2013 01:39

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

FISHMANPET posted:

Well I test drove the Spark, it wasn't a huge piece of poo poo, I can get the trim and color I want for $13,500, gonna do the needful.

Test drive other cars. Check out the Mazda2 at least.

Insanite posted:

My wife and I can no longer get by sharing one car, so I'm in the hunt for what would be my first car purchase ever. Whew. I have no idea what I'm doing.

Proposed Budget: $11k to $17k
New or Used: Used
Body Style: Mid-sized or small sedan, though I'm open to other suggestions. I have a thing for wagons.
How will you be using the car?: I have a short commute and I can work from home sometimes, so I'd be putting probably under 8000 miles/year on this, most of which would be driving in suburbia. I wouldn't mind being able to have a kayak/bike rack, too.
What aspects are most important to you?: Safety, reliability, low cost of ownership, and fuel efficiency are big deals to me. I don't really care about style at all. Size-wise, I'd like to keep things small, but the safety nut in me is nervous about going too far in that direction. If there are any hybrids that are decent in this range, I'd like that, as A) I can assuage my guilt as a wasteful westerner through conspicuous consumption and B) my workplace has reserved parking spaces near the entrance for "green" vehicles. I recognize that hybrids don't necessarily make the best financial sense if you're a low-mileage driver, though.

Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.

You're getting a Subaru! Look at Legacys, and there should be a ULEV for some of the models/trims so you can get that sweet parking. (my work offers it, but I had to do a bunch of googling to find out that it's ULEV II Class 5 or some bullshit)

Phone fucked around with this message at 23:38 on Aug 24, 2013

# ¿ Aug 24, 2013 23:35

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

CannonFodder posted:

I'm in the NC Triad area, my '98 Breeze is probably running on luck at 188k miles and I've got the cash for an upgrade.

Proposed Budget: $10k to $20k
New or Used: Used
Body Style: 4 door, mid to fullsize sedan (maybe one of the boxy cars like Scion xB, Cube, Soul)
How will you be using the car?: work commute and errands, 100 miles a week or so.
What aspects are most important to you?: RIDE COMFORT, reliability after sitting still for a week at a time, MOPAR would be nice, at least a little zip.

My daily driver is a Volvo 670 with 630k miles on the clock and it's a horrible rattlebucket, so I want something with a very smooth ride for riding home after a week on the road. I want to ride a fluffy cloud. I like the looks of the Ford Fusion, Dodge Charger (either of the new gens) and Mazda 6. However, if there is something in that price range that is known for having the absolute smoothest ride I'm all ears. I'd like to buy used because it's just going to sit in a parking lot for a week while I'm truckin'.

If you can deal with keeping up with maintenance, look at BMW 5 series. They aren't that expensive to own and maintain, and they'll ride like a dream.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2013 23:37

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Because you might find out that the car is laid out better, feels better, and suits your needs better. Yeah, stats on paper are cute, but they don't paint the entire picture. It literally only costs you time versus a multi-thousand dollar purchase.

# ¿ Aug 25, 2013 01:18

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Suck it tall people: I fit into each every car (5'8").

It probably isn't true for nm, but I can comfortably fit 4 people into the Mazda2. Not "yeah, you can put 4 people in it", but actually drive around with 4 people in the car. Somebody who is 6'+ can sit in the back and not be in the fetal position.

Modern cars rule.

# ¿ Aug 26, 2013 15:41

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

The Impreza is dead nuts reliable, the only thing is that Subaru clutches and transmissions are both pretty horrible and gas mileage sucks due to the weight penalty of the drivetrain.

Cars I would recommend taking a look at would be:

Honda Fit
Mazda 6 (2014+)
Subaru Impreza
Ford Focus
Scion xB

# ¿ Sep 19, 2013 23:48

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

The Honda Fit should be bought new since the used market for them is completely ridiculous. While you might be able to score a few grand off of a new one, it will be out of warranty and the maintenance records might leave a lot to be desired.

Glad you like the Fit, I was skeptical of the Magic Seats until I saw them in action.

nm posted:

The new CVT non-turbo subarus actually have pretty decent FE for AWD cars.

The non-manual Subarus have part time AWD, I think it's the clutch pack job that every other manufacturer has. The manual Subarus still have full time AWD and the drivetrain FE losses to prove it.

Phone fucked around with this message at 05:35 on Sep 20, 2013

# ¿ Sep 20, 2013 05:29

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Dominoes posted:

Just realized that I think I want an RX-8 not because of the rotary, but in-spite of it. I think it's the only moderately-priced RWD sports car available, other than the Miata and FR-S.

The RX-8 is a hoot to drive.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2013 00:58

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

I can't get to it right now, but there is/was a goon in AI who builds/built Dodge Dart and he was making GBS threads on it. His reasons were varied from the build quality to reliability and the way Chrysler was handling lemons. If my memory is correct, I think he said somebody at the plant won one and it cropped out like 2000 miles later.

That said, check out the Ford Focus and Mazda 3.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2013 17:59

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

I'm super good at posting. I'm super good at posting.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2013 17:59

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Leperflesh posted:

My wife and I have been thinking for a while about getting something we can be confident driving up into the mountains, but can still haul a decent amount of cargo. We've got a 92 chevy S-10 with over 215k miles on it, which has a slew of problems several of which would cost more than the truck is worth to fix.

We just found out some friends of ours are thinking about selling their 2000 Subaru Outback Sport. It has 105,000 miles, manual transmission, a roof rack, and is red.

I asked about the car's history and here's where there's some worrisome news. Apparently it used to be daily-driven, but five years ago they bought an Odyessy and now it mostly sits in their garage. They take it to Burning Man annually (from the SF Bay Area), and occasionally lend it to family members or friends, but it sits for months at a time. They change the oil once a year and it has new tires and a new clutch, but otherwise has not been maintained regularly since it stopped being daily-driven.

If they sold it to me, they'd do a "tune up" (never something I want to hear from a car owner but whatever, I assume they just take it to their mechanic) and I figure it'll need at a minimum a new battery and possibly new hoses/rubber parts.

My question is, first, is this a bad car to buy? My wife is going to be doing a residency just outside Aspen, Colorado from mid-February through mid-April, so we want it to be something capable of handling the roads up there (which I assume are carefully plowed for all the wealthy skiiers but she'll certainly see plenty of fresh snow and ice while there). We also want something with lots of cargo room, and that's my second concern; we already have a 2003 Mazda Protege5, so if the Outback Sport hasn't got more room than that, it's not enough.

I know it'll get crappy mileage and I'm expecting a bare-bones interior but that's OK, this is mostly for special trips, hauling stuff occasionally, and as a fallback car when my wife and I both need to drive to different places (happens once every week or two).

One bonus is that these are friends of ours, super nice people, so I feel confident if something blew up right after we bought it, they'd work with us on getting it fixed. On the other hand, since they're friends of ours, I wouldn't want to negotiate as hard as I would with a stranger.

So, if this car does seem like it'll suit our needs, what's a fair price (assume it's in good condition, no major accidents or body damage, 105k on the clock, new clutch and all-seasons, and this is in San Francisco). I'm thinking something around $3k?

Double check the trim on the car since the Sport is an Impreza and the non-sport is a Legacy. The Impreza is Subaru's compact (think Toyota Corolla/Honda Civic) and the Legacy is their mid-size (Toyota Camry/Honda Accord).

Mazda Protege5: Cargo Capacity: 20/24 cubic ft
Subaru Outback Sport: Cargo Capacity: 25/62 cubic ft (this seems optimistic maybe?)

The only thing that's a real concern about a 2000 Subaru is that it still might have head gasket issues. Somebody who knows more about Subarus can chime in, but basically the first gen 2.5L motors blow the head gaskets like clockwork every 100k miles. It's not an uncommon job to do and it doesn't require bespoke unicorn teeth, so any decent mechanic will be able to do it. If you're seriously considering it, I would demand paperwork from the current owner that the head gaskets have been done.

Other issues with Subaru plague the entire brand, namely god awful clutches paired to a stick in a bag of marbles for a transmission and lovely gas mileage. They're solid cars, though and I enjoyed the 1997 Subaru Legacy Outback.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2013 05:57

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Throatwarbler posted:

Do Miatas have HID lights available?

Yeah, they come from the factory with Xenons on Premium package Grand Touring cars.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2013 19:47

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

The wheelbase is long enough that it isn't a chore to drive.

# ¿ Oct 15, 2013 22:49

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

You're getting a:

Mazda 3
Ford Focus
Honda Civic
Toyota Corolla
Subaru Impreza

Or a:
Mazda 6
Ford Fusion
Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
Subaru Legacy

# ¿ Oct 16, 2013 18:03

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Before he was a completely talentless hack, PJ O'Rourke wrote an article about how a rental car is the best handling car. It takes curbs, jumps, and off-roading with no qualms. Take that as you will.

# ¿ Oct 19, 2013 02:50

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

visuvius posted:

Haha yeah I totally meant 6 when I said 626 earlier, which I'm over at this point anyway.

With the CLA, I really do like the look of it, especially with the sport package. I liked the interior but the back was really tight. I suppose it's not really worth spending $35k on a car because I like the front end so the one is basically out too.

Juando I would totally appreciate that run down. A infotainment system is actually one of the main features I'm looking at with some of these and the Accord caught my attention because it comes standard with one. After seeing youtube videos of different systems, most of them seem clunky as poo poo besides the one in the Tesla.

I guess I should post my situation. I'm looking for a new car and I was pretty dead set on either getting he new CLA or just a beater. I've since changed my mind and I'm looking for other options.

- Budget of up to $36k with a $24k down payment.
- Looking to buy new or used
- Looking for a sedan
- 20 mile daily commute plus we're having a kid and will probably use this car on the weekends.
- I enjoy the driving experience so I want something that is fun to drive with a nice interior. I hate big rear end buttons. As mentioned, I'd like gadgetry like pandora streaming and web searches though I don't care about nav.

Anyone actually bought a car using a Truecar quote? Not like, "I went down there and had my local dealership kind of match it" but like they scanned the code and you walk out with a car?

Also, thoughts on the Infiniti Q50?

BMW 335d.

# ¿ Oct 19, 2013 23:28

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Cornflake posted:

I was looking to buy a new-used Dodge Challenger RT. I saw this thread and figured I could run my thought process by you guys and see what you think or if you had any suggestions.

Proposed Budget: 30k
New or Used: Used
Body Style: 2 Door. 4 door works too if you have any other suggestions.
How will you be using the car?: Casual driving, running errands, out on the town.
What aspects are most important to you? Fun. Pride in my vehicle, for once.

I work from home. I drive less than 5 miles a day (if that). On the weekends I go downtown and stuff like that and I just want a car I can take pride in instead of my current '01 F-150. I was looking at 2012/13's with low mileage and the price appears to be about 25-29k depending on the features.

The only other cars I looked at were the Camaro and the CLA. I drove the CLA and decided I wasn't a fan. I don't like the Camaro that much and they are really common in my area. I've yet to drive the Challenger because I have a feeling if I drive it, I'll buy it.

BMW 335d!

# ¿ Oct 27, 2013 23:12

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Indecision1991 posted:

Proposed Budget: 35K

New or Used: Doesn't Matter, Prefer new though

Body Style: This is the tough part for me, I would love a fun coupe but being 6'5'' and 300 pounds I don't fit in your typical Miata's and S2000's. I want something fun for canyon runs and occasional track days, but something reliable for daily commute.

How will you be using the car?: Daily driver plus weekend fun car. I drive in rush hour traffic during the week for an hour each way. I do road trips sometimes in my current car (2011 300) but I wont have a problem finding someone else to drive. May be moving further east so AWD would be great.

What aspects are most important to you? Reliability and fun car to drive. I dont mind doing maintenance and general up keeping. I want to also have the ability to mod my car when it comes to performance. Biggest issue is as above I am a big guy so most sporty coupes I wont fit in.

Live in SoCal, USA

Let me know if more info is needed.

I was thinking of a used B8 S4 or B8 S5 but wanted some input from others to make sure I am not missing other great cars.

BMW 335d.

# ¿ Nov 6, 2013 21:28

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# ¿ Apr 18, 2024 05:07

Phone: Jul 30, 2005; 親子丼をほしい。

Indecision1991 posted:

Didnt the new 335's lose one of their turbos?

Doesn't matter. The N54 has had at least 5 fuel pump redesigns.

335d (as in diesel) is the answer. You'll have to buy it CPO or just used. 3.0L 6 cylinder making 265hp and 425 ft-lb of torque that gets 35mpg.

Phone fucked around with this message at 03:54 on Nov 9, 2013

# ¿ Nov 9, 2013 03:51

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

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