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Revitalized posted:Not gonna lie, the 2013 Honda Civic's 'standard' features attract me. If that's the sort of thing you are looking for then the Dodge Dart is right up your alley. http://www.dart-mouth.com/gizmos.html It might be a bit cheaper than the Civic if you can find a dealer who deals, but probably not by much. As you see in the post above the Jetta is the cheapest compact car on the market right now, see if you can find one with the stuff you want (I don't think it comes with a digital speedo) you might be able to get a good price on it.
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Apr 28, 2013 14:00
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Proposed Budget: Under $2000, $1500 would be ideal. New or Used: Used How will you be using the car?: Second car, Freeway commute, 50 miles a day. Requirements:Stick shift, not front wheel drive (Unless its really worth it) What i need: An interesting daily driver. Considering an LT1 Buick roadmaster wagon, or an air cooled beetle. As long as parts are cheap and avilable and i can wrench on it in the driveway, i dont care how old it is. Fuel economy not a priority. I daily drive a track car now and im worried about it popping on sunday and needing to get to work monday. Tried motorcycle lessons from a friend, wound up in the ER (i live in south floirda. drivers here dont pay attention). So im back onto cars. Fixing something to make it run is a possibility considering my rock-bottom budget. Of course this is vauge, but im just looking for more ideas. MattD1zzl3 fucked around with this message at 03:28 on Apr 29, 2013 |
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Apr 28, 2013 22:20
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How about a Dodge Neon? it has performance credentials and lots of available aftermarket stuff, marginally less dangerous than a bike but it's really worth it.
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Apr 29, 2013 01:02
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AI proper might be a better place for this post, but I'm more interested in a prudent financial answer than a "you can totally fix that with a wrench and 100 hours of time" answer, so here goes: I just went to look at a private seller's 2005 base Acura RSX with a little less than 100k miles. The sellers are a young professional couple who just had a baby and need to upgrade to a larger vehicle. The car was the wife's daily driver, and she doesn't seem like the racer type. The exterior of the car has a few dings and paint chips, as you might expect from a 100k car, but otherwise looks good. The interior is in fantastic condition, especially considering the mileage. Good tires, good brakes, oil looked good, good AC and heat, no odors, engine drove well, transmission shifted smoothly. They say they got all maintenance done at a local Acura dealer and showed me the most recent service receipt (93k miles). I've asked them to bring full records to our next meeting, and we've arranged to have the car inspected by a mechanic. However, I've noticed a few potential issues:
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Apr 29, 2013 01:11
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Throatwarbler posted:How about a Dodge Neon? it has performance credentials and lots of available aftermarket stuff, marginally less dangerous than a bike but it's really worth it. 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. MattD1zzl3 fucked around with this message at 03:39 on Apr 29, 2013 |
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Apr 29, 2013 03:31
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Budget: $3000 or less. New/Used: Used, obviously. How will you be using this car?: Primary vehicle, 30-mile highway/rural road commute. Requirements: Manual transmission, not completely hideous to look at. My 2000 Elantra was given its death certificate last week; it needs $1500 worth of work just to pass inspection, and that doesn't include the timing belt it's due for, or the fact that the back half is rusting away with great speed. So I'm in the market for something "new", but can only afford $3000 at the outside due to my lovely credit and my crappy job. I saw a couple of things that piqued my interest for various reasons: 2002 Jetta, 250K 1996 Accord, 162K I'm assuming the Jetta would be an utterly insane purchase with 250K miles on it, I was mostly amazed that it looked as good as it did for that many miles, and I'll admit to liking the styling. If I'm wrong, tell me. Assuming the Accord was relatively well taken care of (the listing says it had one owner), should I seriously consider it? I've heard so many stories of that era Honda making it to 200K and beyond that it should have some life in it, right? I wish I could afford something with fewer miles, but the used car market is so awful, especially at the low end, that my options are pretty limited. Baldrash fucked around with this message at 07:02 on Apr 29, 2013 |
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Apr 29, 2013 06:58
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I'd stay away from any early 2000's VW, much less one with 250k miles. The Accord looks pretty good, and it's good that it's a manual since the automatics of that era were made from glass, but for $2k for a 17 year old car seems a bit steep even though it "only" has 162k miles. I'd lowball the gently caress out of them.
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Apr 29, 2013 18:04
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Have you seen the pricing on used Hondas? I just dropped "1996 Accord" into the local Craigslist and the only ones that are at or under $2k all either need a new transmission, or major bodywork, or have salvage titles, or are well past 200k miles, or some combination thereof. The one Baldrash linked has been in three wrecks but apparently hasn't ever been salvaged, so there's that. I'd seriously consider non-Honda options just because you tend to be able to get a little newer / lower-mileage car for the same money, but at $2k pretty much everything has a shitload of miles on it. Get that Honda thoroughly inspected (I'd insist on getting the alignment checked and finding out what the alignment is set at, as it sits) to make sure that none of those crashes have bent the car up. Edit: Is that a cloth driver's seat with leather everywhere else? Looks weird as hell but I'd bet a previous owner decided that mismatched cloth was better than shredded 17-year-old leather... and I'd agree with them in a $2k car.
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Apr 29, 2013 18:31
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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.
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Apr 29, 2013 18:33
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http://tinyurl.com/cqbvvam Ive become smitten with this car, a 2007 Saab 9-3 2.0T. I know a little about cars but nothing at all about Saabs - what is the reliability reputation of this car. I did a bit of research and it really doesn't sound too bad. Anyone have an informed opinion on this? Basically, I am looking for someone to talk me out of this.
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Apr 29, 2013 19:43
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WinnebagoWarrior posted:http://tinyurl.com/cqbvvam Well if you did the research and like the car then I don't see any reason not to buy it.
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Apr 29, 2013 20:22
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Throatwarbler posted:Well if you did the research and like the car then I don't see any reason not to buy it. Fair enough. Was mostly wondering if anyone had any strong opinions on that car one way or the other. I have something of a habit of being really into things and then regretting their purchase later after I give it some thought. I am trying to let this Saab simmer for a bit and am hoping that AI folks have some kind of informed opinions about the 9-3 that might be useful to me.
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Apr 29, 2013 23:09
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I'm not a Saab expert, but as far as I know (and backed up by Wikipedia) that is from the owned-by-GM era and uses the 2.0L Ecotec engine. It shares the same platform as the Pontiac G6, Chevy Malibu, and Saturn Aura. Since it's ultimately just a GM product underneath the skin it is less quirky (and maybe more reliable, at least electrically?) than Saabs of old, but is probably lacking in the tank-like build quality that pre-GM Saabs had. Parts availability on a Saab is probably going to be a mixed bag now that Saab is officially a dead brand. The 9-3 never sold in real large quantities even when Saab was still making new cars. Anything that is GM parts bin will be easy, anything that is unique to the 9-3 could range from mildly annoying to akin to finding a jar of unicorn jizz.
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Apr 29, 2013 23:15
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WinnebagoWarrior posted:http://tinyurl.com/cqbvvam Good luck getting body panels and SAAB specific bits if it breaks or you get in an accident.
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Apr 30, 2013 02:55
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Bovril Delight posted:Good luck getting body panels and SAAB specific bits if it breaks or you get in an accident. Note that if it is a GM era SAAB, GM is legally obligated to sell parts for it for 10 years since it was made. Though, they could be oprder only, which is an issue with G8s. I wouldn't worry about parts for a 9-3 or (non-final gen) 9-5 for quite a while. Final gen 9-5s and 9-4x may have issues getting windshields in a year or two.
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Apr 30, 2013 03:03
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They're "available" but yes, you're talking big delays on some stuff. If you have a backup car I would say go for it, but if this is someones only car you could run into some potential delays.
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Apr 30, 2013 03:11
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I think I just need a sanity-check here, but my wife's beater died, and we need a new car for her. We only have 5k in our bank account right now and are trying to focus heavily on getting out from under our student loans. We both have to drive to work separately due to our schedules, probably 30-miles round trip per day. I have a well-loved 2000 BMW 3 series with a150k on it that I need to stay on top of maintenance wise, so I think our only option right now is to finance. I've gotten approved from my local credit union for a 2.5% APR for a used car loan, and I'm trying to figure out where to go from here. As I see it, my options are to get an older but well-maintained used Honda for 5-7k and minimize the monthly payment, or go up to 10k+ and try and find something also used but with low enough miles that I can be more certain will require less maintenance. I'm stumbling on the maintenance part. We're already to going to be stretching the budget we've set for ourselves by adding a car payment+more insurance, and I'm not sure if doubling the car payment to get something newer will provide any more certainty over a higher-mileage car with a good maintenance history. For what it's worth, I feel comfortable enough to handle most maintenance/repair tasks myself(belts, brakes, general troubleshooting, etc), I would just be worried about a transmission going and having to pay a shop two grand to put a rebuilt one in. tl;dr finance 10-12k to get a newish Honda Fit/Chevy Sonic or finance 6k to get an older but well taken care of Accord/Civic? The Third Man fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Apr 30, 2013 |
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Apr 30, 2013 20:59
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Sign up for Pen Fed and get a 1.74% loan for $7500, buy a Miata.
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May 1, 2013 00:10
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I ditched the idea of an old truck. The mazda 6 is my favorite looking mid size sedan, and it seems like you can get a good deal for $6-8k. It seems to be impossible to find these in manual, but I'm willing to accept that. Any big differences mileage/maintenance wise on the 4 cylinder vs 6?
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May 1, 2013 04:19
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Kefit posted:AI proper might be a better place for this post, but I'm more interested in a prudent financial answer than a "you can totally fix that with a wrench and 100 hours of time" answer, so here goes: The mechanic's inspection revealed no issues, the repair documentation corroborated claims about the minor extent of the accident damage, and I was presented with full service records from the dealer. So I went ahead and bought this car for $8500. I'm sure I could have gotten it for less, but the whole process was going so smoothly and painlessly that I didn't want to waste time and goodwill squabbling over a couple hundred bucks. Turns out that owner's husband and I both work in downtown Seattle, so we just met during lunch and completed the transaction at a nearby bank after I took a final look over the car. I never in a million years imagined that I'd be able to buy a car this easily - I've already walked away disgusted from the dealership negotiation game a couple of times. And I still feel like I got a steal. I expected and had budgeted to pay thousands more at a dealership, and unmodded '05-'06 RSXs in nice shape sell extremely quickly around here. Actually I got very lucky. The sellers were very good, friendly, responsible people. And they had a guy ready to buy last night who had to cancel his appointment to meet with them at the last minute, leaving me to swoop in and buy it less than 18 hours later. I kind of feel like I won the Craigslist lottery. And the best part: at $8500 I was able to pay entirely in cash. I think I'm going to enjoy not having a car payment.
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May 1, 2013 06:03
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What avenues do I have for selling a used car with 170k miles and a bunch of minor issues? It's a 1997 328. I moved to San Francisco and honestly owning a car is way more trouble than its worth here. I don't really have the time or inclination to fix it up and put it on Craigslist and deal with a bunch of weird BMW people asking if the lug nuts are original or whatever. It's in ok shape but not amazing and there are a few things that need to be taken care of.
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May 1, 2013 16:23
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Proposed Budget:$25,000-$30,000 New or Used: Used Body Style: 2 Door / 4 Door How will you be using the car?: Going to work (18 miles to and from). I live in Downtown Dallas. What aspects are most important to you? I want something sporty. I've never bought a car before so I'm not entirely sure what I want. I've never never driven these but they look cool: 2 door Audis and BMW's, challengers, camaros and mustangs. They don't have to be these, but I do like the looks of these. RisqueBarber fucked around with this message at 18:07 on May 2, 2013 |
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May 2, 2013 17:57
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RisqueBarber posted:Proposed Budget:$25,000-$30,000 2009-2010 Jag XF.  
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May 2, 2013 18:20
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Throatwarbler posted:2009-2010 Jag XF. Do these come in manual? I'm looking for a stick-shift.
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May 2, 2013 20:45
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RisqueBarber posted:Do these come in manual? I'm looking for a stick-shift. They don't. Might wanna amend your post to reflect that.
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May 3, 2013 00:43
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From what I'm reading online, as far as private sale value, Edmunds is much closer to actual street value than Kelly Blue Book? KBB has my 03 WRX at 9k, Edmunds at 6k.
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May 3, 2013 00:49
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RisqueBarber posted:Do these come in manual? I'm looking for a stick-shift. Well maybe you should have made all your little pecadillos clear in your first post.  The Challenger only came with a manual on the SRT-8 trim until this or last year, so a 2009-10 Challenger SRT8 should be the one to get.
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May 3, 2013 00:49
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Proposed Budget:$13,000-$18,000 New or Used: Used Body Style: 2 Door / 4 Door How will you be using the car? I will only commute to work (at off hours) twice a week. This will primarily be a weekend driver (400 miles in a weekend on average). What aspects are most important to you? Needs to have enough space for a couple people and some small luggage. Room for a roof rack. I just sold a Wrangler and it was a blast to drive, but am looking for something that retains the fun factor but is easier on the gas. Was thinking about getting a used Mini, but I don't know a lot about them. If anyone does - is $14k for a 2006 JCW too much for such an older (but well maintained) mini? Anyway looking for similar cars that I've perhaps not thought about.
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May 3, 2013 02:44
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I have a well defined list of about 5-6 different cars (new and used), with specific options and mileage. Each having a different price I'd pay. Is there a service where I can just fill in that info or email them a spreadsheet? And when a car matches my requirements, they let me know? Or is it constantly manual searching of car sales websites for a series of different iterations? I'm really lazy!
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May 3, 2013 05:01
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RisqueBarber posted:Proposed Budget:$25,000-$30,000 Do you want sporty looking or driving (or both)? Like the Challenger is a giant fast (with RT or SRT8) boat, but it doesn't exactly handle well (I like them). That is much different than 328i coupe. Rotten Dog Jizz posted:Proposed Budget:$13,000-$18,000 nm fucked around with this message at 06:08 on May 3, 2013 |
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May 3, 2013 06:05
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Rotten Dog Jizz posted:Proposed Budget:$13,000-$18,000 People think MINIs are "fun" because they have relatively sophisticated suspension for a subcompact car that deliver superior handling. On the other hand your "blast to drive" car has a live axle front. Maybe it's not the kind of fun you're looking for.
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May 3, 2013 13:40
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If I were throwing down 400mi a weekend, I'd probably want something a little more forgiving than a MINI.
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May 3, 2013 13:48
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:If I were throwing down 400mi a weekend, I'd probably want something a little more forgiving than a MINI. You mean like a Wrangler?
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May 3, 2013 13:59
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Throatwarbler posted:Well maybe you should have made all your little pecadillos clear in your first post. Sorry about that. After reading the thread I don't think a challenger is what I want. Something smaller sounds nicer. I like the Audi TTS and the Audi S5 but I'm not sure if they're in my budget. I'd like to find one with less than 30,000 miles on it. Do you think I'm being too picky on my mileage and do you guys know of any stick-shift alternatives? I found a TTS with 48,000 miles for $28,000. What do you guys think? edit: Just realized its an automatic but would still like yalls opinion. RisqueBarber fucked around with this message at 16:08 on May 3, 2013 |
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May 3, 2013 16:03
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My opinion on the TT is heavily informed by this review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU6uvU1Ebnc I also think they look kind of silly, but, it's your aesthetics that matter. 2009 is, I believe, new enough that VAG cars are reliable-ish.
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May 3, 2013 17:27
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kimbo305 posted:You mean like a Wrangler? This is true, anything more comfortable than something out of WW2 will be luxury compared to what I am used to. I've scrapped the Mini idea after reading about their reliability problems. I'd like a nice hatch so I'm considering the A3 and GTI, but based on what I can tell they suffer similar reliability issues. I suppose I could just pick up a Mazda3 for cheap.
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May 3, 2013 19:17
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Apollodorus posted:My opinion on the TT is heavily informed by this review: After watching that, I changed my mind. In fact, "looks like the older gay big brother of the beetle" from the youtube comment sections sums it up perfectly.
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May 3, 2013 19:51
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I'm thinking of buying an MX5 (ie a Miata). I live in the UK where it rains a lot (though usually not very heavily) and I don't have a garage I can keep it in. How robust and weatherproof is the soft-top if I'm going to be parking it on a drive? Is it worth going for the roadster coupe instead? For what it's worth I'll be buying it second hand, so if the soft-tops have a tendency to stretch or deform over the years, it'll have had plenty of time do so. I don't mind paying a bit extra for the hard-top if the soft-top will cause problems. As a secondary question: it'll end up parked underneath a biggish oak tree, which sheds a lot of pollen in the spring. How easy/difficult are the soft-tops to keep clean, particularly of nasty sticky stuff like that? Third question: my drive is short but relatively steep (I'd say up to about 15 degrees at the steepest point), and covered in gravel. My current Focus, being FF, has no problems reversing out, but might the MX5 struggle? I've had problems with unloaded pickup trucks struggling to get out before, but I'm guessing the weight distribution on one of them is pretty far from 50/50. edit: I can post a pic of the drive tomorrow morning if it'd be useful (it's night at the moment).
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May 5, 2013 22:26
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Hi. So, I'm a 25 year old kid who suddenly got his first grown up job, paying grown up money. I'll be making $75,000 a year USD, and as much as I love my 1996 Camry, she's starting to cost me as much money per year as me getting a brand new car would. So, time to upgrade. I've been dancing all over the place as to what I want. So, here we go. Proposed Budget: $600/mo maximum, but this is where I wanna have the conversation. I was hoping to have my price by $17,000 maximum, but if it's a brand new car I can be worked up to $24,000 because of the huge change in reliability. New or Used: Okay with either. Body Style: 4 door sedan for sure. I don't drink so I'm probably gonna be coworker/friends' designated driver, and I'm okay with that. How will you be using the car?: Primarily a 25-45 minute commute during the week, with some average bouncing around on the weekend. However, when I do decide to take trips, I drive every time- I love to drive, especially long distances. So there'll be times I'm taking trips of 1,000+ miles. What aspects are most important to you? For one, I absolutely won't drive an American car. The reputation, the designs- for my eye, I haven't seen a good looking American car in years. I don't like them. I want a car that can look good- I'd like something sporty yet classy, and if I had to choose between the two, I wouldn't. I want it to be fun to drive, have good reliability, look good, and like I said, nothing American. It should also be noted, I'm 6'4". I've been primarily looking at a Mazda6 lately- but the major topic on my mind, is that I'd want the technology package(otherwise the basic car misses some of what I want) that goes onto the Touring. I'm trying to leave as much time for me to get my research done, and I want to really make sure I'm not just buying because my heart got stuck on something. I've even subscribed to Consumer Reports just to get access to their testing ratings. Any help you guys could give me would be incredibly appreciated. quaunaut fucked around with this message at 00:04 on May 6, 2013 |
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May 5, 2013 23:57
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Jetta/Passat TDI if you're doing long trips.
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May 6, 2013 00:46
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