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I don't get the fear about most cars being "out of production". The vast majority of cars on the road today, even if the model is still currently in production, are older generations with a significant amount of parts that are specific to it and not shared with the current version. It's only been in the last few years where parts for my 1970 GMC truck have gone from "in stock at just about every parts store" to "we can have that in a day or two". Parts availability is mostly a problem with cars that were not sold in a given market (such as an older Skyline in the US) or that received poor manufacturer support even when new (04-06 Pontiac GTO). Even then, thanks to the internet, you can order what you need even if it has to come internationally. Edit: regarding LATCH, that was mandated in the US for MY 2003. Also, if the plan is to start a family in "a few years" and safety is paramount, consider replacing the car with something a bit newer when that time comes. Some newer options will have depreciated down to that price point by then. IOwnCalculus fucked around with this message at 15:19 on May 23, 2016 |
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May 23, 2016 15:16
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IOwnCalculus posted:I don't get the fear about most cars being "out of production". The vast majority of cars on the road today, even if the model is still currently in production, are older generations with a significant amount of parts that are specific to it and not shared with the current version. The MRS *was* a pretty rare car though. I don't think most greasy parts are an issue but I could see unique stuff like the convertible top and body panels being difficult to source, so I think he's right to be a bit concerned.
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May 23, 2016 15:20
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Under 30k sold in North America so it's like the polar opposite of a 70s GMC.
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May 23, 2016 15:52
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:The Focus is probably going to be the best value for the money, but not all of them in that era come with ABS brakes. Make sure yours does! Any car you buy is going to be not all that safe compared to a new car. Not that cars from 2005 are inherently unsafe, but the state of the art has progressed significantly. IIHS has good information about safety on cars. You should make sure the car has airbags, antilock brakes, and ideally stability control. Side impact ratings tend to be more important for the safety of children in the car. Make sure the car has LATCH anchors for carseats. I think almost everything did, but best to be sure. Not remotely, unfortunately. We know practically nothing about cars. We'll take all this into consideration. With us buying a house soon, this is really all we can afford right now, and living in the new house will absolutely require a vehicle. Heated seats aren't a deal breaker, but just really nice to have when it gets 30 below 0.
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May 23, 2016 21:29
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Nessa posted:Not remotely, unfortunately. We know practically nothing about cars. Aftermarket remote starter is like $200. I'm usually much more bothered by my hands freezing than my rear end anyway.
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May 23, 2016 21:37
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Nessa posted:Not remotely, unfortunately. We know practically nothing about cars. The BFC guy in me says you really can't afford a car, and you should have accounted for the cost of the car more effectively in your house expenses, but whatever, it sounds like it's a done deal. You could get a beat-to-poo poo Ford Ranger or something like that, which would be the most practical from a homeowner perspective. Just don't expect good fuel economy.
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May 23, 2016 21:42
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:The BFC guy in me says you really can't afford a car, and you should have accounted for the cost of the car more effectively in your house expenses, but whatever, it sounds like it's a done deal. I understand that. Not knowing anything about cars, I didn't think a decent used vehicle that functions would cost us more than 5 grand. A Ford Ranger? Those are big trucks, right? We were offered my grandfather's old truck from the 90's after he passed away in September, but we didn't want to drive such a large vehicle around the city. It looks like my father in law can help us get a deal on a car, but it's only a sedan.
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May 24, 2016 04:24
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Nessa posted:I understand that. Not knowing anything about cars, I didn't think a decent used vehicle that functions would cost us more than 5 grand. Rangers are the smallest trucks you can find, there's a Mazda version that's exactly the same truck too. If you're just starting out and also don't have a very long commute and are not sensitive to fuel prices a truck is pretty useful because you can just go out and pick up free furniture off craigslist. I've been trying to buy a truck around here in Victoria and am having no luck at all because there are basically no lightly used trucks prices at less than $35k. A salesman at the Chrysler dealer told me that they don't even keep 2-3 year old trucks around any more because they can bundle them up and sell them to the US for more than what they can get in Canada due to the depreciated Canadian dollar. The used market in general seems much tighter than it was a few years ago. At your price range you're just going to have to find a used vehicle at your price range with the body style you want and then either research yourself or ask for an opinion here. Stay away from all European cars.
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May 24, 2016 05:40
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Five grand is about the minimum for something that you won't have to put a shitload of time effort and money in to, and even then it's a crap shoot, and you're hindered by lack of knowledge about cars in general which makes it difficult to uncover issues on your own. You should have taken the truck. Free is good, and driving a larger vehicle in the city is something you get used to very easily. The only downside is on-street parallel parking. Plus, you're in Edmonton, right? There are fuckin huge brotrucks everywhere. It's not like Florence or Athens.
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May 24, 2016 14:05
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Five grand is about the minimum for something that you won't have to put a shitload of time effort and money in to, and even then it's a crap shoot, and you're hindered by lack of knowledge about cars in general which makes it difficult to uncover issues on your own. Yes, and I hate all the trucks here. I'm not even sure a truck would fit comfortably in our future single garage, but it might. My dad offered to get us a free car as well and fix it up himself (he's a tow truck driver and mechanic), but knowing him, he wouldn't get around to it for at least 6 months. He's impossible to get ahold of because he doesn't answer his phone and he's working all the time. He also offered to give us an older Mercedes as a wedding gift, but I guess that was just a joke because he took it off the table. But that was probably for the best. The current hatchback cars on Kijiji in our price range include: 2010 Mazda 3 2009 Pontiac Wave 2006 Ford Focus 2007 Dodge Caliber 2008 Toyota Matrix (all the way out in Whitecourt) 2002 Mazda Protege 2007 Hyundai Accent And several PT Cruisers I'm curious about possibly going through a used car dealership and getting a car just a bit out of our current price range, and paying the rest off over time. Would that be something to look into to get a better vehicle or is that a terrible idea? I guess we won't hear back from my father in law until Monday, when he can get in touch with his contact.
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May 24, 2016 18:24
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Matrix is the best out of that bunch. The old Mercedes was a joke, unless you like visiting the shop for expensive repairs on the regular.
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May 24, 2016 19:15
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Mazda3 is the best option. You can get a loan for a car that you buy private party. Do not go to a used car dealership especially not a buy-here-pay-here place.
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May 24, 2016 20:11
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Have you bought the house? What are the dimensions of the garage? I am sure that a ranger will fit in whatever garage exists.
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May 24, 2016 20:15
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Mazda3 is the best option. You can get a loan for a car that you buy private party. Do not go to a used car dealership especially not a buy-here-pay-here place. In the frigid north I would make sure it hasn't got any rust issues. 5 grand seems a bit low, unless I've got how the CAD being weak works backwards.
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May 24, 2016 21:52
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I'd probably go for the Matrix if the Mazda is a sedan.
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May 24, 2016 22:32
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Mazda3 is the best option. You can get a loan for a car that you buy private party. Do not go to a used car dealership especially not a buy-here-pay-here place. Didn't the 3s of this Era have rust problems still? I didn't think they really fixed it until about 11/12.
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May 24, 2016 22:34
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Any opinions on 3rd party rust / underbody coating? I got a 2014 Camry Hybrid XLE with 28k miles for $17.5k. Toyota Certified, too. It came with all-season rubber mats and the front 3M film to prevent chipping from road material. I said no thanks to like 30 different options and the only one which was of any interest was the underbody coating, but I wasn't going to be pressured into spending $500 on a dubious add-on and figured if it was worth it for $500 it'll be worth it for $600. ...so... is it worthwhile? I do live in Minnesota with considerable road salt, but modern engineering, OEM coating, and unknown previous owner (did they coat?) makes me hesitate.
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May 24, 2016 23:00
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tater_salad posted:Didn't the 3s of this Era have rust problems still? I didn't think they really fixed it until about 11/12. Maybe, I'm not an expert on that - but you can find out pretty quick by looking. edit: i mean by physically examining that particular car KYOON GRIFFEY JR fucked around with this message at 23:17 on May 24, 2016 |
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May 24, 2016 23:10
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DNK posted:Any opinions on 3rd party rust / underbody coating? Do not buy that poo poo. Just wash the car's undercarriage when it gets warm enough that the car washes are open. That seems like a fairly decent price for the Camry as far as such things go, not bad.
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May 24, 2016 23:19
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Have you bought the house? What are the dimensions of the garage? I am sure that a ranger will fit in whatever garage exists. We close in 49 days. I don't know the dimensions, just that it's a single car garage. I'm gonna wait till I hear back from my father in law.
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May 25, 2016 05:10
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Ranger drives like a truck, and not a good one at that, so it's going to loving suck for anything other than carrying furniture/yard supplies. I'd suggest getting a sensible small car and just renting a truck/van when you need to move bulky objects. And if you suddenly need to replace your roof and need an actual ton of shingles, hardware stores will deliver for a small fee. You can have a turn of the century Camry/Accord for a couple of grand. Don't limit yourself to a specific type of vehicle, like a wagon, because that leaves 95% of used vehicles off the table. Even a lovely Honda Civic can carry 500lbs of stuff, assuming it's evenly distributed. Get roof racks for carrying ladders, lumber, Christmas trees. Nitrox fucked around with this message at 13:59 on May 25, 2016 |
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May 25, 2016 13:51
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They were looking at the ranger because it was free (at the time.) Not sure if the free thing was still an option. I don't think they want a truck at all for any reason whatsoever. Being free outweighs a lot of other concerns at their budget considering the ranger is at least pretty reliable.
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May 25, 2016 15:26
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powderific posted:They were looking at the ranger because it was free (at the time.) Not sure if the free thing was still an option. I don't think they want a truck at all for any reason whatsoever. Being free outweighs a lot of other concerns at their budget considering the ranger is at least pretty reliable. My grandpa's old truck was a Dodge Ram and someone else in the family already took it because we wanted something smaller. Any small car would do for us really, so long as it has 4 seats. I just have a preference for hatchbacks, so that's what I'm mainly looking at.
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May 25, 2016 17:05
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you don't have the budget to have a preference other than the most reliable, lowest mileage poo poo you can find in your price range, or whatever comes out of the Free Tree, but you already cut down the Free Tree because you didn't like it so that's out I guess seriously how many times does this need to be said
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May 25, 2016 19:46
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Reading some other online car buying guides I emailed all the Mazda and Honda dealers with exactly what I was looking for, allowing for the closest match in options, and for an out the door price. Supposed to cut out all the bullshit so I can just compare prices and make a purchase. It does not. I'm glad I made a dummy email account for this.
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May 25, 2016 19:55
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Blackchamber posted:Reading some other online car buying guides I emailed all the Mazda and Honda dealers with exactly what I was looking for, allowing for the closest match in options, and for an out the door price. If you are shopping new, use this https://amexnetwork.truecar.com/main.html Link it to that same dummy email account and list a fake phone number, lest you want a ton of spam. It collects offers from 3 closest dealerships. You can game the system by changing your zipcode to a more rural area and driving further to get your car. If you're in a market for a leftover, you're gonna get offers below invoice almost immediately. Last time I used it, the same dealership sent me 3 emails, each with slightly lower price. They really wanted to get rid of that truck, I guess. Nitrox fucked around with this message at 23:58 on May 25, 2016 |
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May 25, 2016 23:54
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Do automatic Mazda 2s have lovely transmissions?
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May 26, 2016 00:07
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facey fred posted:Do automatic Mazda 2s have lovely transmissions? lovely in the sense that it is a 4-speed auto in 2014 (or so). It isn't pleasant or well mated to the engine (unlike the manual, which is great and the transmission everyone sould buy). It isn't unreliable. The whole point of the mazda 2 is to be cheap and fun to drive and the manual transmission is a huge part of that. Someone who wants an auto would be better served by a more boring car with more features.
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May 26, 2016 00:12
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facey fred posted:Do automatic Mazda 2s have lovely transmissions? The auto Mazda2 feels like driving a riding mower. Get a 3.
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May 26, 2016 01:42
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Nitrox posted:The Rizzo method, mentioned in online buying guides, only works on new inventory. Thanks, I'll try that. Yeah I was looking for a new car, and I was hitting dealerships in a radius of 75 miles.
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May 26, 2016 02:37
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True car isn't that good.
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May 26, 2016 02:50
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I'm going to start law school in the fall far away from home and for that reason I kind of want to buy a truck. I don't think I can comfortably fit any of the half tons in my underground parking space so I went and test drove a new Tacoma today. The clutch is still a bit too long but the gearshift throws are fairly short and its not bad for a truck. Could use an extra gear though, the MT is only a 5 speed. The engine is the new fancy Lexus 3.5l with both direct and port injection and able to switch between Atkinson and Otto cycle. It's expensive as hell since the MT basically only comes with the TRD Off Road trim and I'm never going off road. I test drove the new Aluminum F150 a couple of days ago too. It's pretty nice but again I don't want to be parking such a large vehicle. The resale values on the Tacoma are so ridiculous that it's looking like the cheaper option.
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May 26, 2016 04:45
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Why does "going to law school" = "want to buy a truck"?
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May 26, 2016 04:51
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Internet Explorer posted:Why does "going to law school" = "want to buy a truck"? Well it's halfway across the continent, having a truck means I can bring more stuff with me and also in the new town pick up free furniture from criag...yeah you know what it's probably not a great reason to buy a truck. 
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May 26, 2016 05:01
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If you want a truck, don't let me stop you. I don't think those are great reasons for one. I'm not familiar with the costs you are referring to, but they sound high. I'm not sure if you already have something lined up after law school or if you can afford it without going into debt, but most people incur a big debt from law school and the prospects these days after passing the bar are not very good.
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May 26, 2016 05:05
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Throatwarbler posted:Well it's halfway across the continent, having a truck means I can bring more stuff with me and also in the new town pick up free furniture from criag...yeah you know what it's probably not a great reason to buy a truck. Buy the best example of a prius you can afford then have your stuff freighted.
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May 26, 2016 05:06
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Throatwarbler posted:I'm going to start law school in the fall far away from home and for that reason I kind of want to buy a truck. I don't think I can comfortably fit any of the half tons in my underground parking space so I went and test drove a new Tacoma today. The clutch is still a bit too long but the gearshift throws are fairly short and its not bad for a truck. Could use an extra gear though, the MT is only a 5 speed. The engine is the new fancy Lexus 3.5l with both direct and port injection and able to switch between Atkinson and Otto cycle. It's expensive as hell since the MT basically only comes with the TRD Off Road trim and I'm never going off road. Buy a truck. Don't go to law school though. Seriously don't buy a loving new truck before you go to law school. The last thing you need is a car payment the whole time.
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May 26, 2016 05:19
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I already have a car, it's perfectly fine other than not being a truck and I barely ever drive it anyway because I ride my bike everywhere. Once I get to school I'm going to just rent a place a mile away from campus and I'll never drive anywhere either. OTOH the total cost of ownership for a Tacoma with the depreciation that KBB and other research is telling me is so low that it seems unreal. Maybe I just like talking about my litany of poor life choices. 
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May 26, 2016 05:27
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So you have a car, a bike and your commute will be a mile away? And you plan to buy a brand new truck so you can actually use it once? It's not my money, but have fun lighting it on fire. The depreciation you'll be eating in the first year is enough to ship all your belongings and fly across country first class.
Nitrox fucked around with this message at 06:39 on May 26, 2016 |
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May 26, 2016 06:37
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Buy a truck and be the most popular person on campus. Bad with gas, good with life.
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May 26, 2016 06:40
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