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Alright ladies and gents decision making time for me. I have a 2008 Saturn Vue 3.6L v6 with almost 170,000 miles on it and my alternator took a fat poo poo today. I'm getting it repaired cause I need this car to get to work daily. What I'm not sure of is, if I should be squeezing every mile out of it I can get or if I should just bite the bullet and get another car. At this point I've replaced the transmission about 50k miles ago, plus other minor things and now the alternator. I could probably put anywhere from 4-6k down and pay up to 300 a month if need be. I'm an Installation Consultant for ADT (I install alarms) and drive anywhere from 100-200 miles a day, 5 days a week. I also haul around quite a bit of equipment, so something where I don't have to get ~too~ creative with storage would be more ideal. I live in So Cal if that makes a difference. Just looking for some general advice 
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Mar 9, 2018 00:44
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I haven’t driven a Saturn Vue for several years, but I remember the 3.6/6-speed auto to be a pretty nice running vehicle. With the kind of miles you put on a vehicle, I’d try to run that Vue as long as I could - buying a newer vehicle w/payments in order to rack up a ton of miles isn’t the smartest financial decision. The big-ticket item is the tranny, and you already coughed up for that, most other possible repairs are going to be relatively small in comparison. The 3.6 is a solid engine, you might get another 100K out of it. It’s almost always better financially to keep fixing your present vehicle if it suits your needs, it’s just eventually a person just gets tired of the same ride.
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Mar 9, 2018 02:48
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Rabidbunny posted:Due to an accident earlier this week I've had to say good bye to my 2011 Mazda 3 and hello to car shopping. Which has always intimidated me a bit. And now I'm feeling overwhelmed with all my choices and the need to a return to normalcy. Sorry for the rehash of the discussion last page and what you may regard as a stupid question, but are you super invested in the car being new? A lot more options open up at the ~$20K level if you're willing to get something a year or two old. Otherwise, yeah probably take whichever you prefer between the Civic and Elantra, they're both solid (or Accent, which is the Elantra but smaller/cheaper). Anecdotally several people I know have bought new or near-new Hyundais in the past few years and have all been happy with them so far. Who knows how long the transmissions will turn out to last though.
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Mar 9, 2018 03:35
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JnnyThndrs posted:I haven’t driven a Saturn Vue for several years, but I remember the 3.6/6-speed auto to be a pretty nice running vehicle. With the kind of miles you put on a vehicle, I’d try to run that Vue as long as I could - buying a newer vehicle w/payments in order to rack up a ton of miles isn’t the smartest financial decision. This is very helpful. Thank you. I was leaning in that direction and this helps solidify that. 
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Mar 9, 2018 05:36
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Chic Trombone posted:I'm willing to go used, yeah. hatchbacks aren't more fuel efficient than sedans
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Mar 9, 2018 16:17
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I think he meant relative to an SUV and isn't considering sedans
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Mar 9, 2018 16:26
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Eric the Mauve posted:I think he meant relative to an SUV and isn't considering sedans whats wrong with sedans
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Mar 9, 2018 16:31
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:whats wrong with sedans Hatches are superior 
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Mar 9, 2018 16:38
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:whats wrong with sedans Hatchbacks drive like this: doo doo chhh ba doo doo. But but Sedans, they just drive like this: Badiptdadoo badipta dipta doo!
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Mar 9, 2018 16:48
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:whats wrong with sedans I'm just not a fan of the sedan, what can I say 
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Mar 9, 2018 17:05
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Chic Trombone posted:I'm just not a fan of the sedan, what can I say Fair enough, neither am I really, but it does limit your options a fair bit
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Mar 9, 2018 17:08
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:whats wrong with sedans You get a lot less usefull space to for storage.
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Mar 9, 2018 17:20
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Hatchbacks don't actually have significantly more storage space than sedans, and what little extra they do have is taken away from passenger space
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Mar 9, 2018 17:33
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Eric the Mauve posted:Hatchbacks don't actually have significantly more storage space than sedans, and what little extra they do have is taken away from passenger space Only if the stuff you carry isn't oddly shaped. Go try to fit a 61cm road bike in the back of a sedan the length of a mazda2 without removing the rear wheel. I'll wait. Also, where do you get that the space is taken away from passengers? If anything they have slightly more headroom in the back. Yeah if you drop the rear seats, but with a small sedan anything big is going on the rear seats it will use the pass through (if equipped anyhow).
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Mar 9, 2018 17:40
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If you need to carry oddly shaped things regularly a hatch is slightly more useful but with the rake on modern hatches a lot of the advantage disappears. For most people carrying groceries, boxes, suitcases etc it's not really much of an advantage.
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Mar 9, 2018 17:50
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it comes back again if you have a doggo though. Those come in all types of odd shapes
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Mar 9, 2018 18:30
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I can fit a really surprising amount of stuff in the trunk of my old 330 coupe with the rear seats down (e.g., two adult road bikes with the front wheels off) but I sometimes wish I had a hatchback for the bigger opening and an easier place to sit. I wish liftbacks were more of a thing on normal cars and not reserved for premium full-size niche stuff like the 4-series GC and A7. The Stinger gets some points in my book for being a liftback but its still pretty pricey. Plus none of the new liftbacks have manuals. 
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Mar 9, 2018 19:09
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Eric the Mauve posted:Sorry for the rehash of the discussion last page and what you may regard as a stupid question, but are you super invested in the car being new? A lot more options open up at the ~$20K level if you're willing to get something a year or two old. Otherwise, yeah probably take whichever you prefer between the Civic and Elantra, they're both solid (or Accent, which is the Elantra but smaller/cheaper). Anecdotally several people I know have bought new or near-new Hyundais in the past few years and have all been happy with them so far. Who knows how long the transmissions will turn out to last though. I'm aiming for new because I don't necessarily trust car history reports. Plus my dad has an obsession with having a car under warranty. He tends to get a new one every four years when his is no longer under warranty even though he doesn't tend to put a lot of miles on it. I don't get it, but he can afford it. If it hadn't been for the accident I would've held onto the Mazda for a lot longer. Based on what others have told me I'm leaning toward the Honda if only for the resale value.
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Mar 9, 2018 19:15
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resale value doesn't matter that much in my opinion - if you plan to keep the car for a long time all residual curves end up at the same spot eventually
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Mar 9, 2018 19:43
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Well if you plan to trade it in in less than 5 years though
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Mar 9, 2018 19:57
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Eric the Mauve posted:Well if you plan to trade it in in less than 5 years though dont do that if you really want to go short term you should be doing 39 month leases if you are running too many miles to get a reasonable lease you should not sell your car at 5/75
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Mar 9, 2018 20:34
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I mean yeah, but people like Rabidbunny's dad spout rationalizations like "it has to be under warranty" when really they just want to always be driving a nearly-new car for status/ego reasons. I'm with you that if that's the case you should just lease.
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Mar 9, 2018 20:46
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Get a CPO car if you are worried about used. Those are more money than a normal used, but still have a nice chunk of depreciation lopped off and usually have an extended warranty.
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Mar 9, 2018 20:52
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Meydey posted:Get a CPO car if you are worried about used. Those are more money than a normal used, but still have a nice chunk of depreciation lopped off and usually have an extended warranty. cpo is almost certainly never worth it unless you are buying edge case nazimobiles
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Mar 9, 2018 20:59
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but the 12,600 point inspection
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Mar 11, 2018 18:58
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Anyone have experience with Geico's roadside assistance? It's only like $20/year if I add it to my policy - I'm paying around $60/year now piggybacking off a family member's AAA Plus membership Wondering if it's reliable
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Mar 12, 2018 02:31
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This is mostly just a thought experiment. I already have the right car for my situation. But damnit I can dream! Currently driving a 2013 Prius, tons and tons of life left in it, only 93,000km (57,500 miles) on it. I do 680-860km a week for my work commute. Been doing this for a year. The drive itself is totally fine. Stress free, mostly doing 90-95 km/h on back roads. Thing is, as we all know, the Prius is loving boring. I constantly find myself thinking what I could replace the Prius with; get a 3rd vehicle (wife drives a CX-5) I drive say once a week into work for fun? Get a Miata? Hot hatch? Who knows! Any and all suggestions and thoughts are welcome, including the very, very obvious, don’t do anything you idiot. Proposed Budget: $1-$25,000 (CAD) New or Used: likely used Body Style: I’m open, though a backseat is preferred despite my mention of the Miata above How will you be using the car?: commute Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? I like them but probably not what I’m looking for here. Aux in or blue tooth and I’ll get by What aspects are most important to you? Fun then somewhat reliable and fuel efficient. Gas in Canadian fun bux ain’t cheap so still needs to be a consideration considering how much I drive.
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Mar 12, 2018 03:13
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EugeneJ posted:Anyone have experience with Geico's roadside assistance? All insurance providers and AAA basically have a network of roadside providers. They have a contracted rate with the providers. They’re all more or less the same in that you’re at the mercy of the local company providing roadside in terms of their response time, quality, etc.
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Mar 12, 2018 03:50
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EugeneJ posted:Anyone have experience with Geico's roadside assistance? Not specifically but I'm insured through Safeco and pay something like $6 per year for their service. I've called them twice and it was fine and the reaction times were good. You might also want to make sure you don't already have the service thru a credit card.
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Mar 12, 2018 08:39
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Banana_Boy posted:This is mostly just a thought experiment. I already have the right car for my situation. But damnit I can dream! Just wondering, why do you want a backseat for your fun car? Having an extra fun car is nice but it means another car you have to maintain and insure. Can you drive stick? Being able to drive stick or open to it gives you more options. Do you have garage space? Getting something older, may require garage space since they'll rust away if you drive them in snow or have them outside. You're in Canada, which has more lax importing laws, so you could go nuts and import something from Japan. Have you considered trading in the Prius for a more fun daily driver?
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Mar 12, 2018 09:48
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mariooncrack posted:Just wondering, why do you want a backseat for your fun car? I don’t necessarily want a backseat, it just makes things easier with two kids still in car seats for a few different reasons. I can drive stick yeah, and I’ve got the garage space. But yeah I have very much considered trading for a more fun daily, just finding it a bit hard to nail down as I do have to be somewhat cautious of fuel consumption.
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Mar 12, 2018 13:13
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do not buy a more fun daily since a) your commute is boring sounding b) you own the ultimate commuting appliance already and c) you can always drive the fun car to work when the weather is nice etc you should get a miata if you like miatas otherwise the world is your oyster since it don't have to start in the morning necessarily
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Mar 12, 2018 16:32
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Also (d) if you're super concerned about gas mileage then you can't really afford a third car just for funsies. Hot take?
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Mar 12, 2018 17:15
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Banana_Boy posted:I don’t necessarily want a backseat, it just makes things easier with two kids still in car seats for a few different reasons. If you're ever going to have to haul kids, you need something with a back seat. Preferably one real humans can fit into, because your kids aren't going to be small for long. If you want something more fun to drive than a Prius for your commute, get something like a Mazda 3 or a Ford Focus. Your "needs" seem to be shifting around. If you want a third car just for fun, then stick to that. Finding the One Car that does it all is impossible. You're going to have to compromise somewhere. Prioritize your requirements for the car.
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Mar 12, 2018 17:21
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Eric the Mauve posted:Also (d) if you're super concerned about gas mileage then you can't really afford a third car just for funsies. Hot take? Not at all. $20,000, even Canadian, is a ton of money to pay for what is essentially a toy that you'll use sparingly. Are there no other, better purposes for that money? Even if you spent it all on frivolous stuff I would wager there are better fun/dollar ratio diversions out there.
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Mar 12, 2018 17:22
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Proposed Budget: 20k or less New or Used: Used Body Style: Hatchback How will you be using the car?: Daily commute 10 miles one way. Trips to nearby cities > 6h away. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? No. I do like the amenities that are more common these days, like rear-view camera, proximity sensors, etc. What aspects are most important to you? Reliability and repair cost. I have been driving a 97' Honda Civic for the last 9 years. For the last 9 months, the tail pipe has been hanging by a coat hanger. I have finished my doctorate and will start a high-paying job in one week. My overall expenses are low, I've never had a car payment, I have a high credit score. I would like to experience more of life without constantly worrying about my car breaking down or generally being difficult to drive. I live in a midwestern city with a beautiful and close city, state, and federal park system. I have friends that live in larger nearby city's that I visit several times a year, and would like to visit more often, without my car breaking down on the way back and costing me an expensive tow to recover. I do not know anything about buying a car off a lot and would appreciate recommendations or reading material regarding that. Are there any cases at this price point where buying a new car is actually somehow a more efficient use of the money? I've had my eye on Mazda3 hatchback -- I'm kinda liking the idea of the grand touring model. I also like the Honda Fit, which seems to be the more frugal option. In any case I could pay this car off in less than 6 months if it were beneficial.
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Mar 12, 2018 17:40
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Eric the Mauve posted:Also (d) if you're super concerned about gas mileage then you can't really afford a third car just for funsies. Hot take? very legit
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Mar 12, 2018 18:27
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Kudaros posted:Proposed Budget: 20k or less you can also consider the Honda Civic hatchback if you like your Honda generally buying a used car is more efficient in pure money terms but you can probably get a really nice rate on a new car and if you are going to make a lot of money I would just go ahead and buy new at the price range you are considering
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Mar 12, 2018 18:29
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Banana_Boy posted:This is mostly just a thought experiment. I already have the right car for my situation. But damnit I can dream! Keep the Prius and buy something cheap and stupid off of Craigslist for a few grand like a Miata or an E30 BMW or an old Trans Am or something. I'm usually of the opinion that owning one smart car and one stupid car is far better than trying to find just one marginal car to check all possible boxes. Just don't be like me and start buying a bunch of vintage Toyotas or you're gonna have a bad time.
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Mar 13, 2018 04:20
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Does the no rentals rule also apply to demonstration cars? The one I'm eyeing has 8000km on it and is 10 months old.
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Mar 15, 2018 08:09
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