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HondaCivet posted:I think I've seen like 2 Mazda2s in the wild in my life They're actually surprisingly common around here, you just don't notice them unless you own one or they're bright green.
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Aug 27, 2019 21:50
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I'm late to the party but i am going to join in on saying the Fiat 500 is one of the worst cars still in production and is easily in the bottom 10% of all mass market cars manufactured in reliability, practicality and also cost to own. Its a bad choice at basically every level besides "looks cute and little and unique". Getting basically another other compact car would be an infintely better choice, even if they are "B" or even "C" tier cars. Like a Chevy Cruze looks like an all-star compared to the Fiat. A Yaris or Civic would be incredibly better than a 500. Of the 10-15 or so cars made in that rough size, a Fiat 500 is probably the 15th worst. And thats not even factoring you are buying one used, probably by someone that thought it would be sporty and has ragged it to poo poo.
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Aug 28, 2019 02:13
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nm posted:They're actually surprisingly common around here, you just don't notice them unless you own one or they're bright green. You have strange powers; I stopped right behind a bright green Mazda2 on the drive home today.  I hear you folks loud and clear on the Fiat. However, he seems to figure that anything that's 3 years old and under 5K miles will have lower maintenance and repair costs than an older, higher mileage Honda or Toyota, especially since it still has a couple years of "bumper to bumper" warranty left. Maybe he's right somewhat, at least for the first year or two?
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Aug 28, 2019 03:04
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That is the color to buy too. I may be biased. It is also the happiest, non british car on earth.
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Aug 28, 2019 03:08
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Deteriorata posted:
my Fiat experience is with commercials for a large utility company in the UK (Doblos/Ducatos which I guess are the small/large Promaster over here) but this. it's this. this is the fiat thing. My sample size is, like, a few thousand Doblos and about a thousand Ducatos; the Ducatos were legit kinda nice and the first vans I ever knew to be fairly pleasant to drive enthusiastically without a load in the back. They were mostly fine, though they would randomly have internal electrical stuff not plugged in or a whole batch with suspect locks or something; Fiat were actually really on the ball with them and often told us about problems down to the individual vehicle after delivery but before we got them into a worker's disgusting little hands, which...is a bit weird, when you stop and think about the logistics of it, but whatever the reason for doing things that way it seemed to work, and once they got into service they were generally no trouble. The Doblos, though  We had frankly ridiculous numbers of them sat around with unidentifiable gremlins, refusing to lock the doors, or unlocking and sometimes just straight-up open the doors at speed, or randomly draining their batteries. Actually I don't think I ever had one that would start on its own after sitting for more than a couple of weeks (compare to the GM/Vauxhall Vivaros we had coming in at the same time which would sit around quite happily for in some cases 6-9 months). Some of them had wiring poking out of random places, inconsistent brakes from one individual van to the next, trim breaking off, things seizing and rusting and the damned things were at most three years old and not used anywhere nearly as hard as they might have been elsewhere, and the new ones we continued to receive up to the point I stopped working there were in no way improved.On the one level - clearly there's an issue at source, all the Doblos on Earth come from one factory in Turkey which is apparently staffed by chimpanzees or something and never in a million years would I touch any car that ever darkened its doors. That's within their power to fix, though, and instead they chose to do: [???]
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Aug 28, 2019 08:45
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zapplez posted:I'm late to the party but i am going to join in on saying the Fiat 500 is one of the worst cars still in production and is easily in the bottom 10% of all mass market cars manufactured in reliability, practicality and also cost to own. Its a bad choice at basically every level besides "looks cute and little and unique". abarth is still really fun but yeah unless you know that you absolutely want a 500 you should get something else
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Aug 28, 2019 12:28
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HondaCivet posted:You have strange powers; I stopped right behind a bright green Mazda2 on the drive home today. I'd rather drive a "typically" cared for Toyota Camry at 100,000 miles than a new Abarth. But if you partner needs something with still factory warranty there are still plently of good options. Ford Fiesta - Car is "good" but not great. Still will have some factory warranty and is so much more of a car than the 500. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...ickType=listing Kia Forte - a very good car. Not sold by kia dealership so I don't know how much more factory warranty it will have but this is a very good car. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...ickType=listing Hyundai Elantra - a very good car. Not sold by hyundai so ... https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...ickType=listing Toyota Yaris - a very good car. Not sold by Toyota dealer so.. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...ickType=listing You'd be best served if you want a guaranteed, no hassle, good warranty vehicle to up the budget to like 14-15k and you could something like this. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...kType=spotlight https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...ickType=listing https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...ickType=listing There are lots of good subcompact and compact cars made today. You really only need to avoid a few of them to make a good choice. Dont buy a Fiat 500 or Chrysler anything. Don't buy a Nissan Versa. Don't buy a chevy sonic. The rest of the class are almost all good/great. vincentpricesboner fucked around with this message at 13:53 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 28, 2019 13:41
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How do Hyundai/Kia warranties transfer in used car sales? They're probably not as reliable as Honda/Toyota, but are good value cars. Also, carmax sells a well regarded extended warranty if that's a sticking point. All that said, I'd love to own a Polski Fiat, though owning a Polish made Italian car designed in the 70's would be problematic in America. My aunt has a running one in her barn; I should try to import that... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_126 It'd be scary as poo poo driving it basically anywhere near me (gotta get on highways and interstates to get anywhere). Uthor fucked around with this message at 14:00 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 28, 2019 13:54
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The frustrating thing about the Fiat-loving boyfriend is that he's rejected all of the recommended cars outright with ridiculous reasons (I'm friends with him too). I believe the Honda Fit was decreed to be a "microcar" and therefore out of contention. I'm pretty sure he has just fallen in love with how adorable the Fiat is and is ignoring all sense because of it but refuses to admit it. Which is fine and all I guess except just be honest that you want a quirky bad car. I drive a WRX, practicality and good sense weren't criteria that I pretended to desire. It's kind of odd because he's normally a pretty practical and down to earth dude, I'm baffled that a stupid wee car has made him go batty.
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Aug 28, 2019 14:00
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Uthor posted:How do Hyundai/Kia warranties transfer in used car sales? They're probably not as reliable as Honda/Toyota, but are good value cars. The 10 years 100,000 power train warranty does not transfer iirc The 5 year 60,000 basic warranty does tho iirc
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Aug 28, 2019 14:01
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shortspecialbus posted:The frustrating thing about the Fiat-loving boyfriend is that he's rejected all of the recommended cars outright with ridiculous reasons (I'm friends with him too). I believe the Honda Fit was decreed to be a "microcar" and therefore out of contention. Yeah, people develop weird emotional attachments to the 500, like the old VW Beetle, or my daughter and her Smart car. It doesn't matter what the paper stats are on it, if you're hooked, you're hooked. If he loves it despite all of its problems and shortcomings after five years, it was the right car for him to buy. We can't ignore the emotional part of car ownership. A good car is one you enjoy owning and driving, and practicality is only part of that. On the other hand, it may disabuse him of any romantic ideas about cars. If it ends up being a "lesson learned" car, it served a purpose as well. Ultimately, it's his car and his choice. You're not the one who has to drive and maintain it. Trying to force him to buy something he doesn't want will just make him resentful and angry.
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Aug 28, 2019 14:30
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Deteriorata posted:Yeah, people develop weird emotional attachments to the 500, like the old VW Beetle, or my daughter and her Smart car. It doesn't matter what the paper stats are on it, if you're hooked, you're hooked. Oh for sure, he can get what he wants. It's just kind of entertaining is all.
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Aug 28, 2019 14:50
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at least for the love of god don't get an automatic Popshortspecialbus posted:The frustrating thing about the Fiat-loving boyfriend is that he's rejected all of the recommended cars outright with ridiculous reasons (I'm friends with him too). I believe the Honda Fit was decreed to be a "microcar" and therefore out of contention. how is a 500 not a microcar by whatever abitrary standards? also, the WRX is practical. how bout a nissan cube, they're wack Uthor posted:All that said, I'd love to own a Polski Fiat, though owning a Polish made Italian car designed in the 70's would be problematic in America. My aunt has a running one in her barn; I should try to import that... Polski Fiat guy - there is a decent sized Fiat 500 community in the US and a lot of the mechanicals on the 126 are carry over from the 500. it may be hard to find eg interior trim parts etc but the mechanical parts are widely available. Early runs for the 126p are also more similar to the Italian produced one than later ones, although most of the changes were cosmetic. Avoid the -bis because it has some magical polish engine. Importation will cost you a couple thousand bucks.
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Aug 28, 2019 14:55
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shortspecialbus posted:The frustrating thing about the Fiat-loving boyfriend is that he's rejected all of the recommended cars outright with ridiculous reasons (I'm friends with him too). I believe the Honda Fit was decreed to be a "microcar" and therefore out of contention. All you can do is say "if you really want a cheap to own car that isn't going to drive you crazy with issues, this probably isnt the car for you". But if weird Italian style is what makes him tick, it might end up being something that brings him a lot of joy. Its quite possible , even likely he wont have any major issues over the 5 years of ownership. It might be 55% chance he wont have a few-thousand dollar repair, compared to lets pretend 85% for a good Toyota. But who knows. Not all people can be "perfect consumers" only buying used Toyotas and the well-researched washing machine and Thinkpad laptops their whole life. Some people want to risk it and buy the HP printer because its cheaper. etc etc Like I dont blame people for their Porsche being expensive when they wanted a sports car. Some people don't need or can afford a "badly" made car. Get the 500. Let him really enjoy it. Also laugh hysterically if it gives him a ton of grief.
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Aug 28, 2019 17:52
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Bad news everyone, he went with a 2011 Corolla instead.  Got kind of an eh deal on it but he hates car shopping so much that I couldn't really get him to check out other lots, plus he got attached to our salesman. This is all pending financing which is still being worked out, we'll see how that goes. It's overall just a poo poo situation but there is only so much he can do with poo poo credit and no cash.  I'm hoping that over the ownership of this car that he can get his credit in a better place and that next time he can get his dream low-miles two-year-old whatsit instead.
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Aug 28, 2019 23:08
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This is going to sound snotty but financing a 9 year old Corolla ?
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Aug 28, 2019 23:16
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You need to spill all the details so we can tell whether he's screwing himself before he signs. Mileage, price, loan term, apr, down payment.
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Aug 28, 2019 23:18
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KillHour posted:You need to spill all the details so we can tell whether he's screwing himself before he signs. Mileage, price, loan term, apr, down payment. I think the answer is yes And buying a used quirky car is not a big deal if you can afford the problems, well aware of them in advance, and also don't rely on it for transportation. Kinda like a motorcycle. Nitrox fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Aug 28, 2019 |
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Aug 28, 2019 23:23
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euphronius posted:This is going to sound snotty but financing a 9 year old Corolla ? I'm not sure what else to do. He normally just buys beaters since he, again, has poo poo credit and no savings, and now has no other car. Should he just get another beater instead for now and save up? If the loans come back with really poo poo terms then maybe we will do that. You're right that putting this much money into a 9 year old car isn't ideal.
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Aug 28, 2019 23:31
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HondaCivet posted:Bad news everyone, he went with a 2011 Corolla instead. Uhh.. not to alarm you but that gen Corolla actually has a lovely 4 speed auto transmission that is prone to blowing up past 100,000 miles... Its one of the few Toyotas with red marks. edit : A 9 year old Corolla with a 4 speed auto is a beater. Have him look at the autotrader spam I did before. He can do much smarter than this!
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Aug 29, 2019 01:03
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zapplez posted:Uhh.. not to alarm you but that gen Corolla actually has a lovely 4 speed auto transmission that is prone to blowing up past 100,000 miles... Its one of the few Toyotas with red marks. Oh poo poo, thanks for the tip! Yeah I've been rethinking this deal big time and that really helps.
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Aug 29, 2019 02:05
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I'm going to look at this car this afternoon: https://gulfport.craigslist.org/cto/d/hattiesburg-2010-mazda3-20l-manual-only/6967440704.html I don't think there are any glaring faults with this engine and transmission, is that right? Anything in particular I should look out for?
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Aug 30, 2019 17:23
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looks fine, no major issues. check for rust and flood damage.
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Aug 30, 2019 17:25
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Update on Fiat guy: He did end up buying the Corolla. The loan isn't great because of his bad credit, and it's more car than he ideally should have bought, but he is happy to have a decent car that isn't mega old and he's accepting of how the payment plan worked out even if it sucks. I'm glad he has a (hopefully) reliable non-beater non-Fiat that should last until his credit and savings are a bit better. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Aug 30, 2019 17:42
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Jack B Nimble posted:I'm going to look at this car this afternoon: Should be fine. Those gen mazdas tend to have lovely paint / premature rusting. Get your own carfax done because thats not a good dealership. Also non-smoking owner my rear end.
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Aug 30, 2019 19:55
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HondaCivet posted:Update on Fiat guy: He did end up buying the Corolla. The loan isn't great because of his bad credit, and it's more car than he ideally should have bought, but he is happy to have a decent car that isn't mega old and he's accepting of how the payment plan worked out even if it sucks. I'm glad he has a (hopefully) reliable non-beater non-Fiat that should last until his credit and savings are a bit better. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ pls post terms in bwm thread
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Aug 30, 2019 19:57
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Edit: made a new post
Anthony Chuzzlewit fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Aug 30, 2019 |
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Aug 30, 2019 20:24
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HondaCivet posted:Update on Fiat guy: He did end up buying the Corolla. The loan isn't great because of his bad credit, and it's more car than he ideally should have bought, but he is happy to have a decent car that isn't mega old and he's accepting of how the payment plan worked out even if it sucks. I'm glad he has a (hopefully) reliable non-beater non-Fiat that should last until his credit and savings are a bit better. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's heartbreaking to me that "more car than he should have bought" is a 9 year old Corolla.
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Aug 30, 2019 20:28
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Twerk from Home posted:It's heartbreaking to me that "more car than he should have bought" is a 9 year old Corolla. I was thinking that too
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Aug 30, 2019 20:30
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Twerk from Home posted:It's heartbreaking to me that "more car than he should have bought" is a 9 year old Corolla. Yup. Unfortunately it sounds like he should have kept his old car or bought a 2005 Camry for 2 grand cash. I really don't think the 9 year old Corolla is going to be bulletproof and your budget is already tight and you financed it. You might be hosed.
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Aug 30, 2019 20:32
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Proposed Budget: I can afford up to $30k. Less is better obviously. New or Used: Used Body Style: Sedan, van/minivan, or compact SUV. How will you be using the car?: - Minimal daily driving. I work from home so I drive very little during the week. - Trips. We take a 6 hour round trip a couple of times a month, and longer trips every couple of months (18 hour round trip). - Occasionally hauling home improvement stuff. I own an older house so I will need to haul plywood, sacks of concrete, etc. Life pro tip: don't buy an old house. - I need some legroom in the 2nd row. One of us is 6'3"ish. - I'd like to sit up higher, like in a compact SUV or van, but I'd take a sedan if the MPG is much better. What aspects are most important to you? - Safety. I'd also like to have auto-braking and auto-cruise-control if possible. - Reliability. When I'm 9 hours from home I don't want to worry about a breakdown. - Cargo capacity, either in the car or in a trailer. - MPG. I live in the U.S., in the northern California valley. 99% of my driving is on flat land. Summers are hot but the winters are mild. No snow ever. Ideally I want a car that gets great mileage (and is therefore probably small) but can also tow a small trailer for the times that I need to haul building supplies.
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Aug 30, 2019 21:10
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Han Nehi posted:Proposed Budget: I can afford up to $30k. Less is better obviously. Your budget allows for new, which sometimes is easiest when trying to find the right safety package. Each brand has a different threshold for which models/trims could have adaptive cruise and collision avoidance. Sounds to me like you are a perfect candidate for a Rav4/CR-V/Forester/Outback. Any kids or other passengers we should know about? If children are in the mix now isn't a bad idea to consider a mini-van.
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Aug 30, 2019 21:40
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Han Nehi posted:Proposed Budget: I can afford up to $30k. Less is better obviously. 100% you are the exact person for a CR-V. It gets amazing gas mileage for a SUV. It has the best 2nd row leg room in its class. It has advanced safety features. Its got a great seating position and comfy seats. Much better cargo capacity then its competitors. Try a CR-V. Of course RAV4, subarus, CX-5 are all good choices too. CX-5 is suprisngly small inside and bad for leg room compared to its peers. RAV4 would be my 2nd choice.
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Aug 30, 2019 23:20
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No kids, just 3 adults. Cool, I’ll go test drive the RAV4 and CRV this weekend, and the forester if neither of those hits the spot. If I end up with the RAV4, is the hybrid worth considering?
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Aug 31, 2019 00:54
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Hybrids own, but they are more expensive. I think they’re strictly better than straight ICE; less maintenance, better performance, better mpg, quiet, not smelly, etc. But they are more expensive.
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Aug 31, 2019 01:18
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DNK posted:not smelly If this is something on the "plus" list for hybrids I'm not sure you're in a position to give advice on the matter because you must be driving absolute junk, and any hybrid that is similarly junk/unmaintained will be "smelly" also, since it has an ICE in it.
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Aug 31, 2019 01:47
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Han Nehi posted:No kids, just 3 adults. Cool, I’ll go test drive the RAV4 and CRV this weekend, and the forester if neither of those hits the spot. I bought a Rav4 a few months ago and I opted for the non-hybrid XLE trim. I'm in socal and while hybrids are in huge demand and basically sell for sticker price, the non-hybrid models have decent deals on them. The hybrid would have cost $4-5k more, which didn't seem worth it (it would have taken like 5yrs to breakeven on the extra cost). However, the hybrid does drive a bit better (higher HP, less engine noise), so if that matters feel free to test drive one. I also loved the CRV and the Forester. I just liked the Rav4's styling a little bit more.
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Aug 31, 2019 02:03
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zapplez posted:Yup. Unfortunately it sounds like he should have kept his old car or bought a 2005 Camry for 2 grand cash. I really don't think the 9 year old Corolla is going to be bulletproof and your budget is already tight and you financed it. You might be hosed. His old car had rust through the frame and some other safety issues, it wasn't reasonably fixable. No comment on the other half of your suggestion because I agree with it.
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Aug 31, 2019 12:24
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Han Nehi posted:No kids, just 3 adults. Cool, I’ll go test drive the RAV4 and CRV this weekend, and the forester if neither of those hits the spot. Just based on your drive profile of mostly long trips and your location, I think that you are doing mostly freeway time in the Valley. The hybrid is much less beneficial when you do not get to take advantage of regenerative braking and battery capacity, which you would in urban areas or on hills. I think it's wise to consider how much you are actually driving, and how you are doing that driving. You drive very little in the week and do a 6 hour RT a couple times a month. The CR-V gets 32mpg highway; the Odyssey (for a point of comparison, would be much more useful for hauling etc) gets 28mpg. That means over your 900 mile long haul journeys you're burning ~28 gal in the CRV, and ~32 gal in the Odyssey. That's a monthly savings of.... 16 whole dollars. Of course, this ignores that the Odyssey is likely to be more expensive, but from a pure cost perspective, I think generally those who post in this thread are overly focused on fuel economy. I don't advise using a trailer behind your daily, and think that's some stupid poo poo that MMM has made popular. If you really need to, rent a truck, or buy a 1999 Ford Ranger 4.0 for your home depot runs.
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Sep 2, 2019 15:14
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| # ? Jun 3, 2024 13:23 |
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My wife and I are in a situation where we need a bigger car. We have a 2010 Forester. The issue is that we are 6'0" and 6'3" with a 20 month old and another baby on the way. With a rear facing car seat and soon to be seatS, the passenger and the driver will need to sit diagonally because the rear facing seats take up so much !@#($U*@)($*@ room. We have been able to get around this temporarily by putting her seat in the middle. However, she is now quite weighty so this is becoming increasingly frustrating to do. Unsure of how long we will have this vehicle or if there will be more children in the future (ie we'll get a van if we have more), we've decided upon a 2014 Toyota Highlander Limited, which appears to be a jacked up Camry. My FIL just bought a used 2013 (previous design) so we know the size is a good fit. It will primarily be the vehicle my wife drives. 2014 Highlander Limited with 60k miles for $20,500 everything included is what I have proposed. They have it listed for $24,900. I've also never bought a car from a dealer before - always previously from private parties. They did ask if I would be financing; it doesn't matter to us we can do cash or finance and then pay off immediately. I found one that I'm interested in but it's 2-2.5 hours away so I wrote the dealer and I stated what I'm willing to spend and if they are willing to accept this offer. I've C/P the correspondence below. Is this a common reply? Basically I don't want to waste 5 hours to hear that they won't budge from their price and just want to get me in the showroom. "Hi XXXXX All negotiated offers have to be discussed in the showroom. We are unable to negotiate for a vehicle you haven't seen nor test driven yet. I would like to make sure the 2014 Toyota Highlander is still available before your trip. Please let me know if you will be making it in today. Thanks Lucy Previous Email(s) Date: 9/2/2019 11:18:18 AM Subject: Re: 2014 Toyota Highlander Hi Lucy, I spoke with my wife and it looks like we are ready to buy the Highlander. Contingent upon an independent inspection and if you are willing to accept $20,500 with all fees included/total price, I would like to schedule a time to come in. I'm available today, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week. Thanks, XXXXXX
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Sep 2, 2019 17:37
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