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All right, let's try this again with less spastic word salad Proposed Budget: I've put together a budget for myself, with plenty of disposable income leeway, to attempt to finance a $50,000 vehicle over 5 years. If things go sideways and my credit doesn't look as great as I think it will at the dealer, we'll probably want to knock that down to $40,000 (or I just suck it up and go for a 3-year loan). New or Used: I think a new model that's more in-stock in and around my IL suburban area would be something I could go for. Within my means, I could probably go for a good example of a lightly-used luxury and/or sports brand. Body Style: I'll only need to carry one other person in the car, and he's not a very tall guy. However, we will occasionally be transporting firearms in the vehicle to and from competitions and classes around twice a month, so nothing that stands out too much would be a plus. This commute is anywhere between 60-90 minutes depending on location, and it will be done rain or shine. Ideally, I'd also like to put down the requirement for something that's 3,500 pounds or less, because I'd prefer a smaller vehicle for ease of parking in various other situations where wide lots aren't a given. After realizing that late-models Outbacks are actually 4,000-pound mid-size SUVs and not the station wagon I remember from my high school days, the late-model Civic Hatchback is starting to seem more my speed since it's around 3k pounds and has a longer 5th door, but again I'm very naive about those things. I'm open to options that are either 2/3-door or 4/5-door, as long as the size and weight are still economical. How will you be using the car?: Mentioned up above, but tl;dr it's a car to get me & a friend around places for our other hobby, my own enthusiasm for going 6/10s on the highway will have to come as a secondary objective instead What aspects are most important to you? I spend enough time wrenching on my competition gear, I'd prefer low-maintenance/reliability. I won't be too scared of bills as long as I can get service with reputable shops, same thing regarding fuel prices so I'm open to turbochargers or other high-compression engines or what have you (though I understand pushing engines harder typically comes with the territory of high maintenance). A nice-to-have would be something that could get going on the highway well enough to get into faster traffic, something like 220+ horses given the weight I asked for above. I prefer *not* to live in my car like some of my terrible friends, so I keep relatively little stuff in it and I don' t get it messy when I'm not transporting hobby things. I won't have too much of a preference for interiors and electronics, as long as their aren't too distracting from my drive (or better yet, can help me with my drive like with automatic braking sensors, etc.) So yeah -- I like peppy non-SUV cars, but would like a convenient hobby shuttle that won't get more attention than maybe say, an earlier-model Miata (?) I hope this was more helpful
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 06:23 |
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# ? Jun 10, 2024 12:59 |
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Mazda3 turbo, and I say this as someone who's owned a current gen non-turbo. Great refinement for commuting, practical enough for your hobby, good power and enjoyably tossable at 6/10ths, well under your max budget. Comedy option: Audi S3
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 06:51 |
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You could get a lot of fun cars in your budget but they would be loud and attention grabbing (Civic Type R, Focus RS, Veloster N) and also mostly suck on the highway so yeah Mazda 3 is a good choice. Maybe a 1 series BMW? There's also the Genesis G70, but it's a hair over 3500 in its lightest spec. Great car though Edit: Just remembered the Golf R exists for people who want to feel like kids but look like adults.. KillHour fucked around with this message at 06:58 on Jun 4, 2021 |
# ? Jun 4, 2021 06:56 |
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KillHour posted:Edit: Just remembered the Golf R exists for people who want to feel like kids but look like adults..
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 06:58 |
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got off on a technicality posted:Ooh good one. Now that you mention it I'd probably pick one over the S3 It's available in both manual and automatic, but you're basically a monster if you don't get it with 3 pedals.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 07:02 |
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F-150 Lightning
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 07:08 |
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Thanks. I was hoping someone would recommend an Audi or 1- or 2-series too. The TT almost fit the bill but I don't live in a video game wow, that is a lot of used Golf Rs near me, what the Sidesaddle Cavalry fucked around with this message at 07:50 on Jun 4, 2021 |
# ? Jun 4, 2021 07:46 |
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Golf R.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 08:43 |
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Loan Dusty Road posted:You’d want to look at the super charged SRT6 version. The base version handles decent enough but isn’t fast with only 220 HP. I believe the supercharged one is 330. It shares the same engine and drivetrain as the Mercedes SLK 300. hol-ee poo poo. I had no idea, and this is right up my alley. Thank you
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 12:27 |
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And so it is I've bought my first brand new vehicle, to accompany my 17 year old honda civic. It's a company vehicle (on paper, at least), so actual purchase cost to me personally is much lower, because taxes. Thanks for your help, folks. Edit: Also thanks to an unannounced email showing up with a bunch of forms pre-filled out by someone at the dealership (but reads like I did it) I now know what gap insurance is and why I won't be taking them up on the offer. Jaded Burnout fucked around with this message at 14:52 on Jun 4, 2021 |
# ? Jun 4, 2021 14:36 |
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I am going to go against the grain and advise you that if you are carrying around firearms you should have a trunk. Sure, it doesn't really stop anyone, but it means people can't peek in and see your poo poo. Yes there are covers etc, but trunks are very much more out of sight and out of mind.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 15:55 |
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I am going to go against the grain and advise you that if you are carrying around firearms you should have a trunk. Sure, it doesn't really stop anyone, but it means people can't peek in and see your poo poo. Yes there are covers etc, but trunks are very much more out of sight and out of mind. It's fine tax law here says that vans have to have opaque cargo areas so no pigs gonna spy my gat
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 16:01 |
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:I am going to go against the grain and advise you that if you are carrying around firearms you should have a trunk. Sure, it doesn't really stop anyone, but it means people can't peek in and see your poo poo. Yes there are covers etc, but trunks are very much more out of sight and out of mind.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 16:08 |
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On that advice, what's the consensus on non-STI WRXs?
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 16:13 |
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zedprime posted:I think Illinois is a stored out of cabin state so if you are in a hatch, crossover, or SUV you need to spring for the partition anyway if it's not standard. At least I remember the Kentucky rednecks on the border being really sour they were supposed to take their truck cabin gunracks down if they were going to Illinois. https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/hunting/Documents/TransportYourFirearmLegally.pdf Looks like that's not a problem if your firearm is stored in a case and not immediately accessible. Apparently terrible gun racks are fine, but they are indeed stupid. Anyways, yes there are considerations to make for keeping firearms out of sight from prying eyes and hands. I should be able to work with most car models in setting up their storage spaces for transport (and not just sloppily throw in naked long guns sticking out into the cabin)
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 16:25 |
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KillHour posted:It's available in both manual and automatic, but you're basically a monster if you don't get it with 3 pedals. A computer controlled AWD car like the Golf R is noticably faster with the dual clutch, and Volkswagen manual transmissions are pretty poo poo as far as feel and feedback. Also radar cruise control is life-changing on long trips and you need an auto for that to work.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 16:44 |
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Gangringo posted:A computer controlled AWD car like the Golf R is noticably faster with the dual clutch, and Volkswagen manual transmissions are pretty poo poo as far as feel and feedback. Yeah but he said he's not tracking it and it's going to be a highway onramp puller anyways, so you may as well get to do something while you go up that onramp other than put your foot down and wait. I'd normally agree with you on the cruise control, but 90 minutes is barely worth putting it on for (and VW's adaptive cruise with full start/stop tried to kill me the last time I used it, which happened to be in a Chicago traffic jam).
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 16:48 |
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Don't be lame and try to talk people into the VW DSG. It's much much more expensive both short- and long-term, and it's probably a lot less fun. On a similar note, from my knowledge I'd stay away from any Subaru boxer. I'm still spooked by all the head gasket, overheating and oil consumption problems.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 18:22 |
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Proposed Budget: ? (see below) i'm looking at cars in the 20-30 range, but don't know if that's smart, may need to limit myself to 25K or even less than that New or Used: Not sure 100%, the idea of having a new car with no history that I can take care of sounds really nice to me, but also not sure if I can afford it. If springing for a new car over used is the smart decision to do right now, then I would like to do that Body Style: a car, 2 or 4 door. I for some reason don't really like the look of the hatchbacks that this thread seems to like How will you be using the car?: Small drives in the city mostly, I've been using my car ~2 times a week recently and trying to walk, but now that it's gotten hot and humid, gently caress that. I visit my parents in the burbs or visit Costco every couple weeks (30 minute one-way). 100% WFH currently but will potentially start going into the office once a week (30 minutes one way). Will probably take weekend trips or road trips to places up to 300 miles away in too since I have never had a car I felt comfortable doing that in. I'm a single guy and rarely have more than one passenger and do not care about cargo space, so small (or no) back seat or small trunk does not bother me What aspects are most important to you? Something economic and money smart, but maybe also looks cool. I've driven poo poo cars my whole life and it would be nice to have something I enjoy. I live in the humid south and having ventilated seats sounds pretty nice to prevent the swamp-rear end and back sweat. Remote start sounds super nice too for getting it cooled up before I hop in. I'm currently in a 2001 Escape, so any recent car is going to be such a step up for me in features. What is the BFC/GWM method to determine your budget for buying a car? I've seen the 20/4/10 rule, but that seems very restrictive. Have also seen the 35% - 50% of your annual salary as the max you should get financed. Are people typically putting down much less than 20% in this thread? Also I'd be a first time car purchaser. I've had a credit card since I graduated college 5 years ago and have used it for all my purchases I could and never payed interest. Have knocked down my student loans at a decent pace and have a remaining 10K at ~6% whenever the federal deferment ends (supposed to be September). My credit score has gotten into the "excellent" range according to Mint but I've heard that doesn't mean much for car purchases. For these 0.9% financing incentives, what would I realistically be looking at? I like the look of the Kia K5, and it seems to check my boxes. Accords and Camrys are solid and I could do. I see Mazda3 recommendations, I took a road trip in one and it seemed pretty average? Though I didn't drive it. Is it just more fun to drive than comparable cars? I don't want a Miata. I don't think I drive enough for a hybrid to be worth it.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 19:34 |
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Nomyth posted:On that advice, what's the consensus on non-STI WRXs? Subaru interiors are pretty dogshit and the infotainment/tech is ancient. Your options are either a 6 speed manual or CVT, which would probably suck any engagement out of driving it. I don’t see any compelling reason to choose a WRX over a GLI/GTI; the main reason that people avoid VW’s seems to be reliability concerns and Subaru is no better in that regard
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 19:52 |
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Gangringo posted:A computer controlled AWD car like the Golf R is noticably faster with the dual clutch, and Volkswagen manual transmissions are pretty poo poo as far as feel and feedback. My Accord has radar cruise and it's a manual. If VW couldn't do it, that's just their failure
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 20:04 |
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Gangringo posted:Also radar cruise control is life-changing on long trips and you need an auto for that to work. My dad's XC60 is very much a manual 6-speed and very much has adaptive cruise control. So mad that Subaru doesn't do the same.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 20:16 |
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Bouillon Rube posted:Subaru interiors are pretty dogshit and the infotainment/tech is ancient. Your options are either a 6 speed manual or CVT, which would probably suck any engagement out of driving it. the compelling reason is the AWD system
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 20:20 |
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GD_American posted:My Accord has radar cruise and it's a manual. If VW couldn't do it, that's just their failure My brother has a manual Golf with ACC and says it works surprisingly well. It doesn’t look like they offer it on the current year Golf, GTI, or R though.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 20:22 |
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LittleFuryThings posted:Proposed Budget: ? (see below) i'm looking at cars in the 20-30 range, but don't know if that's smart, may need to limit myself to 25K or even less than that Mazda is going away from their old “sporty” image and trying to rebrand as a near-luxury marque. While the current 3 is a great car (I have a 3 turbo), I think the Civic has livelier handling these days. The 2022 Civic will be totally redesigned and the interior will probably be a bit nicer than the outgoing 10th gen, but even the outgoing Civic is quite good in nearly all aspects. You mentioned the Accord, K5 and Camry, which honestly seems like a but more car than you need (these are midsize sedans, so a step bigger than the Civic/Mazda3). The main advantages of a midsize vs compact car are rear seat legroom and trunk space; up front there is little difference between the two classes. But really all of the cars that you mentioned are quite good, I would just test drive all of them at this point and see which ones you like the most.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 20:27 |
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LittleFuryThings posted:What is the BFC/GWM method to determine your budget for buying a car? I've seen the 20/4/10 rule, but that seems very restrictive. Have also seen the 35% - 50% of your annual salary as the max you should get financed. Are people typically putting down much less than 20% in this thread? Total cost at 50% of your (pretax) yearly salary is another benchmark I like as an absolute ceiling. This violates the 10 part by a large margin but is budgetable if you are a carfan. The correct way to look at it is related to capital depreciation. Whichever way you buy and finance, if you're getting a new car you are burning 90% of that money in the next 10 years of that cars life. This makes it really easy if you want to drive a car into the ground even without getting into monthly or yearly depreciation because you can basically budget your next decade as burning that money completely. If you want to chase new cars every 3-5 years you need to get more serious about the curve to consider ideal trade in times etc. to figure out your total burning of money to the car god. But basically look at your next 5-10 yearly budget. What money can you live with never seeing again over that time range? Because that's what the sticker price is on a car, used or new. It's much easier to buy new right now if you can afford it. Certified pre owned disappear the day they hit the lot and used car sellers are selling faster than you can get a prepurchase inspection. Anyway for your car recommendations,you entered the thread during a strange dad-car tilt so don't pay too much attention considering what you're looking for isn't that. if you have no serious preferences (all your asks are pretty baseline or universal options for new cars now) congratulations on your new Prius. Don't think too hard about the hybrid, it's just the easiest to recommend Car brand Car.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 20:31 |
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zedprime posted:20/4/10 is a good rule if you don't want to get into capital depreciation analysis. A lot of people's monthly payments probably violate the 10 part of it without being a big deal. 20% down is not negotiable: there is too high a risk of going underwater with any less. Or corolla hybrid for the small 3-box since you don’t like hatches.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 20:36 |
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Bouillon Rube posted:Subaru interiors are pretty dogshit and the infotainment/tech is ancient. Your options are either a 6 speed manual or CVT, which would probably suck any engagement out of driving it. For a slightly different opinion, I really liked my 2014 WRX interior compared to the other stuff I test drove at the time. It was simple, where others were cluttered and overwhelming. The infotainment on mine is non-existent, just a radio you can hook Bluetooth up to, so no idea what the new ones look like. I'll probably be swapping it out for an Android Auto head unit soon. The rest is all true, just wanted to share a different perspective on the interior.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 21:21 |
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LittleFuryThings posted:Proposed Budget: ? (see below) i'm looking at cars in the 20-30 range, but don't know if that's smart, may need to limit myself to 25K or even less than that Unpopular take time: Money is cheap to borrow right now. I don't put anything down these days. I can borrow someone else's money at like 3% or less. Zero down on my last vehicle lease, Zero down on my mortgage (No PMI). I should probably be in the BWM thread, but I just don't see the point when money is so cheap to borrow. I can borrow someone else's money for almost nothing and let my money do other things. 20/10/4 made a lot of sense when interest rates were 8% and vehicles lasted 75K miles. Now with almost any new car you buy being capable of getting to 150K to 200K miles by following the factory maintenance schedule, longer loans aren't a terrible idea. I draw the line at 6 years though, there are some places doing, 7,8,9 or even 10 year loans on vehicles and even I think that's just bonkers. Do you have an established banking relationship with preferably a credit union? They're much more flexible when it comes to vehicle financing. With a thin credit file you might not get the best rates from the dealer financing people, but you should always have your own financing in place anyway. Buying new makes sense in this market. I'm not paying basically MSRP for a car that someone else got the best 20 to 40 thousand miles out of. It's not worth it. I'll buy used when the discount makes sense, but the world is nuts right now. I have no idea what car to recommend to you. You can't go wrong with an Accord or Camry. I'm not a Mazda fan personally, but they're a thread favorite. Not sure what the balance of economic/moneysmart versus cool looking/fun to drive you're looking for. I mean a Toyota Corolla is basically one of the most economical driving appliances you can buy, but I don't think they're cool looking or fun to drive. Personally I'm interested in your parking situation (are you street parking in the city?), what you can comfortably spend a month on a vehicle all in, etc. Insurance rates should play a huge part of your purchasing decision. Everything can work out great with the car, but then you find out they want 300 a month for insurance. Budget depends on how much you want to spend on a car. When I was younger I loved cars and spent a really dumb amount of my income on cars. These days it's a more reasonable percentage. skipdogg fucked around with this message at 22:03 on Jun 4, 2021 |
# ? Jun 4, 2021 21:59 |
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LittleFuryThings posted:Proposed Budget: ? (see below) i'm looking at cars in the 20-30 range, but don't know if that's smart, may need to limit myself to 25K or even less than that When I was in your situation I got a Kia Rio. It was a great car for someone who was single and didn’t want to spend too much. The first was 2006, the one I have now is 2013. I never had to worry about maintenance other than oil changes, battery and tires. I imagine the recent ones are good too.
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# ? Jun 4, 2021 23:49 |
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Empress Brosephine posted:Hi goons instead of bugging the AI stupid questions thread I figured I'd ask in here. Get a Ford Raptor
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# ? Jun 5, 2021 06:46 |
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throw some maintenance money and some dumb upgrades or something at that Corolla, drive it into dust, and worry about a second vehicle around April 2023 and then maybe get a Raptor.
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# ? Jun 5, 2021 18:58 |
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Heya goons, I'm looking for something that is okay at rough roads: Proposed Budget: 25-30k, can wiggle a bit above that but 35 is pushing it New or Used: Used so I can get more value, but honestly no real preference Body Style: Probably a crossover SUV How will you be using the car?: I want to be able to take it on rough dirt roads, service roads, etc in Nevada / California. So maybe a little snow, but not much - more dirt and rocks. I like going hiking and camping a lot, and being able to access the less-used roads is a priority. Overall I'd like to be able to not have to worry about going down some lovely dirt road too much, and I most likely wouldn't be doing extreme offroading or anything. That being said, this'll also be my primary car so being convenient for every day driving is important too. What aspects are most important to you?: From the above, AWD (maybe 4WD?) is important. Aside from that, I would really like some of the very modern tech features, and something that'll last a long time. Adaptive cruise control is high on my list cus I love cruise control, as is android auto support. Right now it's just my wife and I, but kids will likely eb coming in a few years so plenty of room would be nice, though I suspect everything in this category will have plenty. I'm also the type to hold onto a car for like a decade, so ideally I'll get something that'll last me a long time. Having a bit of towing strength would be nice for small trailers, but is low on the priority list. If we're talking dream wish list then I'd also like push button start, automatic locking and unlocking as I approach / leave the car, and lane assist, though those are more just nice-to-have stuff. Some cars I've looked at are Mazda CX-5, Subaru Crosstrek/Forester/Outback (I honestly am not sure of the differences between these three lol), and Rav 4, though I'm not beholden to any of these specifically and am more than willing to look at other options. But honestly since I only buy a car like every 10 years, I'm pretty inexperienced with this kinda stuff and boy are the amount of options overwhelming! CodfishCartographer fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Jun 5, 2021 |
# ? Jun 5, 2021 21:40 |
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A friend of a friend is offering to sell me their 2010 Ford Escape for $4500. It has 115000 miles but the air conditioner has stopped working. Is the air conditioner a sign that its gonna need a major repair?
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# ? Jun 5, 2021 22:01 |
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The air conditioner IS a major repair. Or do you mean another one?
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# ? Jun 5, 2021 22:34 |
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I mean another one.
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# ? Jun 5, 2021 22:35 |
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Not really, at least by itself. That's old enough that sometimes parts in the AC system will just poo poo the bed, and there's nothing you can do in terms of preventative maintenance. The best you can hope for is to catch a small leak before the system runs out but that's hardly the only way you can end up with no air conditioning. So it's not really a red flag for whether or not they maintained it well.
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# ? Jun 5, 2021 22:37 |
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CodfishCartographer posted:Heya goons, I'm looking for something that is okay at rough roads: You want the highest trim package CX5 you can get. The market is turbofucked right now, might as well buy a new one if you can because used pricing is insane. You will likely be paying MSRP. All that being said, do you REALLY need to buy a car right now? I think the smart money is on this entire market being screwed up until the 2023 model year.
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# ? Jun 5, 2021 22:45 |
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CodfishCartographer posted:Subaru Crosstrek/Forester/Outback (I honestly am not sure of the differences between these three lol) The Crosstrek is a compact CUV. It's a bit underpowered with a 150 HP 2.0 liter flat-4. The Crosstrek sport has a 180 HP 2.5 liter flat-4 and there is no turbo version of either. Subaru sells approximately a gajillion of these in California. The newer Outbacks are a CUV that's a bit bigger than the Crosstrek and there's been a bunch of different versions with various engines. The current has a choice of 180 HP 2.5l naturally aspirated and a 260 HP 2.4 liter turbo, both 4-bangers. The 3.6 liter flat-6 died out with the 2019 model. The Forester is a normal-sized SUV. I got one of these as a loaner for a bit, you sit a lot higher and the things gigantic compared to a Crosstrek. It has the exact same engine as an outback but it's bigger and heavier so eh. Don't buy an Ascent.
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# ? Jun 6, 2021 00:26 |
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# ? Jun 10, 2024 12:59 |
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Bouillon Rube posted:Mazda is going away from their old “sporty” image and trying to rebrand as a near-luxury marque. While the current 3 is a great car (I have a 3 turbo), I think the Civic has livelier handling these days. The 2022 Civic will be totally redesigned and the interior will probably be a bit nicer than the outgoing 10th gen, but even the outgoing Civic is quite good in nearly all aspects. zedprime posted:20/4/10 is a good rule if you don't want to get into capital depreciation analysis. A lot of people's monthly payments probably violate the 10 part of it without being a big deal. 20% down is not negotiable: there is too high a risk of going underwater with any less. How about Insight versus Prius? Seems like a tossup, and I'd def go Insight just based on having a nicer looking body. skipdogg posted:Unpopular take time: I use a regional bank, not a credit union, that I have never gotten a loan from. But I am going to go ahead and look into financing options with them and other local credit unions. I park in a reserved spot in a very narrow parking lot, fenced in behind my apartment. Backup camera will be very helpful there. I don't park in a garage, and EV hookup isn't going to be doable where I live currently, if that's why you're asking. Got some insurance quotes, and they are definitely not as high as I was expecting, so that is good. I'll be comfortable with the cars I'm looking at on monthly costs. I'm definitely much more towards being moneysmart than sporty the more I think about it and look at costs. I think the Civics are enough of the "sporty" I'm looking for. Will probably be test driving those, but with the MPG of the Insight, I may end up going with it.
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# ? Jun 6, 2021 00:44 |