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My early-model Mazda3 5-door got t-boned a few hours ago and I would be surprised if they don't tell me it's totalled, so here's my stuff: Proposed Budget: <$25k New or Used: Leaning new, but know it would be much smarter to buy last year's model certified and whatnot. Body Style: Hatchback. How will you be using the car?: Almost always a 12-mile commute on an urban highway. Sometimes drive with friends/coworkers. Do you prefer a luxury vehicle with all the gizmos? They'd certainly be nice. Feel like I want a moonroof, but I barely use mine as is. What aspects are most important to you? reliability, cost of ownership/maintenance, MPG, cargo space in that order Leaning towards a Honda Civic or Fit, just because the latest Mazda3 hatchback is pricier and it's MPG is a little weaker. Could probably do just fine with the Fit's reduced cargo space. I saw the Prius being recommended a couple pages back—new it's outside my price range at the low end and the exterior doesn't really draw me in, but I'm open to persuasion about the benefits of an older model. My parents will be lending me their ~2012 Prius for a bit, so I'll be able to get a feel for it at least. I have good credit and some savings I'd feel safe shoveling at the thing—any tips for angling for the shortest term/lowest total interest payment loan possible? maybe I'll just get an electric cargo bike
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Aug 23, 2019 03:51
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KillHour posted:If you throw $50 into a savings account at Pen Fed, you're eligible to get loans from them. They do car loans up to $100k and their rates are generally really good. A bunch of car YouTubers use them for all their financing.
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Aug 23, 2019 04:01
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Cugel the Clever posted:New or Used: FYI, this is not always true. New cars can get really low interest rates. Some cars don't depreciate much, particularly in the first year, so you're sometimes better off with the extra warranty and being the first person to fart in the seats. Certified for cars that aren't luxury cars is almost never worth it. It is just an extended warranty and most "pedestrian brands" only really cover the drivetrain for any meaningful period, which is not where most problems are. That said, gen 2 or gen 3 prius for cash if you got it. Gen 2 priuses are so loving cheap and other than water pumps leaking and cats being stolen (get it welded in with rebar), they're extremely trouble free. The batteries are still reliable and when something does happen people now know how to fix them cheap. nm fucked around with this message at 05:54 on Aug 23, 2019 |
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Aug 23, 2019 05:52
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A current gen civic is significantly a better car than a Fit. Get the civic if you can afford it and when you sell it in 5 or 10 years it will have retained much better value than the Fit as well. That being said you cant go wrong with either cars or a prius or a mazda3 Look at this shortlist https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...5&firstRecord=0 vincentpricesboner fucked around with this message at 08:23 on Aug 23, 2019 |
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Aug 23, 2019 08:18
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Cugel the Clever posted:New or Used: I think the kinds of cars you are looking at (Japanese compact cars) are the class of cars which depreciate the least. I remember looking at prices for used Honda Fits in California and being taken aback at how small the discount was relative to new. Granted, this was during a short period of time when Honda wasn’t manufacturing Fits, and instead was using the shared production capacity to produce the crossover variant of the Fit, but still. Prices for used Japanese compact cars in CA overall were pretty high three years ago.
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Aug 23, 2019 11:45
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Cugel the Clever posted:Leaning towards a Honda Civic or Fit, just because the latest Mazda3 hatchback is pricier and it's MPG is a little weaker. Could probably do just fine with the Fit's reduced cargo space. I saw the Prius being recommended a couple pages back—new it's outside my price range at the low end and the exterior doesn't really draw me in, but I'm open to persuasion about the benefits of an older model. My parents will be lending me their ~2012 Prius for a bit, so I'll be able to get a feel for it at least. real annual cost difference in fuel between the Mazda3 and the Civic is $100/year assuming 15,000mi/yr and in return you get a nicer interior, a better drive, and a car that isn't blindingly unattractive
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Aug 23, 2019 18:18
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Proposed Budget: ~14,000 or less New or Used: Used Body Style: Hatchback How will you be using the car?: errands, hour or two drives to nearby cities, city diving. Once or twice a year driving cross country. What aspects are most important to you? Headroom/legroom in the driver's seat - I'm 6'7", so I need a car that has a lot of legroom in front, where I can actually see stoplights without having them blocked by the top of the windshield. I'd also like a rear view camera and decent fuel efficiency. Right now I'm leaning towards a 2016 Mazda 3 hatchback - I've rented other model years pretty often before and know that I fit in it, and the 2016 models come with rear view cameras by default. I also like how it drives versus ie a Honda Fit, but the number one thing is the size. So far I haven't really found any other cars that aren't SUVs where I can fit, but I'd definitely appreciate any other suggestions for cars to look at.
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Aug 23, 2019 23:53
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RIP ZEEZ
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It still amazes me how the demographics of SA lean so incredibly to 20-40 year old males who want a hatchback when hatchbacks are like 4% of the car market and like 90% of our posters want one.
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Aug 23, 2019 23:57
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zapplez posted:It still amazes me how the demographics of SA lean so incredibly to 20-40 year old males who want a hatchback when hatchbacks are like 4% of the car market and like 90% of our posters want one. A hatchback is easier to install a roll cage into and typically redistributes the weight from 60/40 or 70/30 toward 50/50 which makes the car easier to control in a slide e: ymmv for why you want a hatchback tho hot cocoa on the couch fucked around with this message at 00:18 on Aug 24, 2019 |
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Aug 24, 2019 00:16
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zapplez posted:It still amazes me how the demographics of SA lean so incredibly to 20-40 year old males who want a hatchback when hatchbacks are like 4% of the car market and like 90% of our posters want one.
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Aug 24, 2019 02:41
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It's just proof that goons are the best people on the internet.
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Aug 24, 2019 03:03
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zapplez posted:It still amazes me how the demographics of SA lean so incredibly to 20-40 year old males who want a hatchback when hatchbacks are like 4% of the car market and like 90% of our posters want one. Goon: I want a hatchback Literally the entire Auto industry: here is a full size SUV
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Aug 24, 2019 03:52
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Nitrox posted:I'm sorry, what's the benefit of that? the rates have gone up, but i got a used car loan for a 2006 silverado in 2016. $5500 @ 1.49%/36 months. the amortization was like $125 spread over 3 years; it was seriously less than $5 a month in interest on the loan.
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Aug 24, 2019 04:18
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Straight White Shark posted:Goon: I want a hatchback Goon: Why doesn't the whole world want what I want?
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Aug 26, 2019 15:33
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Narrowed my used car search down to exactly two (2) finalists: 2016 Civic coupe, EX-P, 18k miles, $16k, bright lime green, certified preowned from Honda dealership 2018 Mazda 3 touring, 45k miles, $15k, silver, Hertz former rental car The salesperson at the latter dealership said that AC in Hondas sucks compared to Mazdas. I'm in Vegas, and it's 108 right now, so if true this is a huge deal but I'm having trouble finding reviews that go in detail comparing AC of different cars. If she's not bullshitting me, this would push me toward the Mazda. Thoughts?
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Aug 26, 2019 22:29
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He’s bullshitting you but don’t buy a loving rental it’s in the god drat thread title
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Aug 26, 2019 22:31
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big crush on Chad OMG posted:He’s bullshitting you but don’t buy a loving rental it’s in the god drat thread title Oh whoops I thought that meant like, don't do long term rentals/leases/rent-to-buy bullshit!! Thx I'll get the Honda then
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Aug 26, 2019 22:32
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big crush on Chad OMG posted:He’s bullshitting you but don’t buy a loving rental it’s in the god drat thread title Both of these. Provided it isn't completely heatsoaked by sitting in the sun forever, my CR-V's air conditioning loving rules.
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Aug 26, 2019 22:50
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kingcobweb posted:Oh whoops I thought that meant like, don't do long term rentals/leases/rent-to-buy bullshit!! Thx I'll get the Honda then leases are fine provided you know the tradeoffs
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Aug 26, 2019 23:46
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OK I'm back with better information about my boyf. He tried to fix his rustbox Jeep but once they got a good look at it, the cost to fix was going to be greater than its value so he's moving on ASAP. Proposed Budget: 12K or under New or Used: Used Body Style: Sedan preferably How will you be using the car?: Daily driver What aspects are most important to you? : Great fuel economy, small size, reliability, simple and cheap maintenance Right now he is in love with a 2017 Fiat 500 Pop we found at a local dealership. It's very low miles and still under warranty which he loves (also it has a digital dash which I admit is pretty cool). Fiats have massive depreciation though, is there a good reason for that? I haven't been able to find a lot of good information about them and what I've found has been mixed. What do y'all think of them? Is there something else I should try to steer him towards? It sounds like the Chevy Sonic is pretty OK if we can find one? Or would we be better off with a Honda or Toyota even if in that price range they are going to be older and have higher mileage?
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Aug 27, 2019 15:44
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The Fiat does, like, one of those things. Has he looked at a Civic or Prius or Mazda3 (for a little more fun)?
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Aug 27, 2019 15:54
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Downsides of the Fiat: It's not very reliable. It's built to roughly 2007 crash standards so it's not as safe as modern cars. Still safe compared to older poo poo. It's not very useful. Fuel economy is not good. It is pretty cheap to buy, it's fairly fun to drive, it's got neat styling, and maintenance is not too difficult on it. Are you planning to maintain it yourself?
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Aug 27, 2019 16:11
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Uthor posted:The Fiat does, like, one of those things. I'm not seeing a lot of used Civics in that price range around here. I have a 2016 Mazda3 (as recommended by this thread, thank you) and he doesn't like how long it is I guess? Which I can agree with kinda, I've had it 3 years and I'm still not very good at parking it because it's hard to see where the long-rear end nose ends. I'll see if I can nudge him towards a Prius, my 2007 was really easy to park (although everything in that price range around here is pretty old and higher mileage). Do used Priuses still have the thing where you've gotta drop a couple grand when the batteries die though? I know he wouldn't go for that.
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Aug 27, 2019 16:17
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look i'm an italian car apologist but there are limits. he wouldn't buy the most reliable car ever made BY FAR because there is a 0.001% chance he might have to spend a couple grand on a one time repair vs interest in buying a literal piece of trash that will break all the time and will consume the same amount of money in somewhere between 1-3 years. how does that make any sense? if he must have a shorter car, the Honda fit is a good buy. also: how can you own a car for 3 years and not figure out how long it is drat
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Aug 27, 2019 16:27
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:look i'm an italian car apologist but there are limits. If an Italian car apologist says the 500 is that bad, I'll believe you then. I'll try to talk him away from it. quote:also: how can you own a car for 3 years and not figure out how long it is drat I don't have to parallel park much anymore so I've gotten spoiled. 
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Aug 27, 2019 17:00
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drat, that's the first time I've ever seen a compact car referred to as "long" lol. Comparable length to most other compacts at ~4 1/2m, only 1/2m longer than most subcompacts at ~4m. IIRC the engine bay isn't even particularly large (tho I did help a friend put a 3.7L from the Mazda 6 in one, it was an extremely tight fit). Definitely go test drive some subcompacts, Fits, Yarises, Mazda 2s, Fiestas I'd say would all tick the boxes you listed e: mk5 or 6 Golf but they can be expensive to be maintain depending on where you're from. If you're handy and use scrap parts they're dirt cheap to maintain because they built millions of them hot cocoa on the couch fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Aug 27, 2019 |
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Aug 27, 2019 17:17
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Can't the Prius battery be either repaired or replaced by third parties at much lower cost than the $3K or whatever that a dealer charges? We have a 2011 with around 120K miles, so I assume we'll need that sooner than later.
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Aug 27, 2019 17:33
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HondaCivet posted:If an Italian car apologist says the 500 is that bad, I'll believe you then. I'll try to talk him away from it. It's useful to compare Edmund's TCO calculator for them. 2017 FIAT 500: https://www.edmunds.com/fiat/500/2017/cost-to-own/#style=401654800 2017 Honda Fit: https://www.edmunds.com/honda/fit/2017/cost-to-own/#style=401666662 The FIAT costs $3600 less up front, but over 5 years the Honda will end up costing $1500 less. What I've seen with FIAT is that the quality is not uniformly poor, it's very up or down. Most of the cars are fine but a significant number of them are disasters. If you get a bad one, stuff will go wrong all over it all the time. If you get a good one, it will rarely have anything go wrong. Cars like Hondas and Toyotas are more uniformly good and less of a quality crapshoot. The 500 is also a very strong "personality" car. If it connects with you, you will love it and it will be the greatest car you've ever owned, regardless of how much trouble you have with it. If it doesn't connect, you will hate it for its idiosyncrasies, again regardless of how much or little trouble you have with it. It's a difficult car to be objective about.
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Aug 27, 2019 17:43
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most italian car people love their cars but that is different from thinking they're actually good
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Aug 27, 2019 17:49
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Shine posted:Can't the Prius battery be either repaired or replaced by third parties at much lower cost than the $3K or whatever that a dealer charges? We have a 2011 with around 120K miles, so I assume we'll need that sooner than later. Yes, they can be repaired or replaced for less than the dealer charges. Your battery pack should have plenty of life left. In Cali the battery pack is warrantied for 10 years or 150K miles. You're still a ways off from that. You may lose efficiency but the car will still run with a degraded battery pack. Some folks have 250K or 300K miles on their cars and the batter packs still work. There are reports of Prius taxi cabs with 600K miles on the OEM battery pack.
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Aug 27, 2019 17:50
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you can use a degraded battery without issue (other than a corresponding decrease in fuel efficiency) as skipdogg says, but as soon as cells fully die you need to replace them. cells do not fully die all that frequently, but in the event they do it will be fairly expensive since you ought to do it right - once they pull out the pack you might as well replace any degraded cells too. but that's still a couple thousand dollars at most and a one time repair that will see the car's drivetrain though the rest of its useful life. of course if that failure occurs at like 200k+ miles you should consider the economics of repair vs replace on the car as well.
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Aug 27, 2019 18:02
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:you can use a degraded battery without issue (other than a corresponding decrease in fuel efficiency) as skipdogg says, but as soon as cells fully die you need to replace them. cells do not fully die all that frequently, but in the event they do it will be fairly expensive since you ought to do it right - once they pull out the pack you might as well replace any degraded cells too. but that's still a couple thousand dollars at most and a one time repair that will see the car's drivetrain though the rest of its useful life. I mean, it's one of the few big dollar repairs on what is one of the most insanely reliable vehicles ever made, so even at that kind of mileage it's not a terrible way to spend money unless the car is a rustbucket too. Also, if you're willing to wrench on it yourself, it's a far more accessible repair than you would think compared to typical multi-thousand-dollar repairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3RCdrh666w
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Aug 27, 2019 18:04
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agreed, just trying to make sure everyone understands the actual problem and the solution
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Aug 27, 2019 18:08
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Post pics of your new kickin rad Fiat 500 OP.
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Aug 27, 2019 18:23
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It is extra funny because he's like 6'1", the Fiat rear seats don't fully fold down, even if you take the headrests out, when he has his seat set correctly. 
HondaCivet fucked around with this message at 19:01 on Aug 27, 2019 |
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Aug 27, 2019 18:41
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please tell me its an automatic Pop
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Aug 27, 2019 19:22
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:please tell me its an automatic Pop of course
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Aug 27, 2019 20:37
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i test drove 2 500s when i was buying my daughter a car and ive never been more disgusted in a car in my life as i was with those 2
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Aug 27, 2019 21:25
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HondaCivet posted:I'm not seeing a lot of used Civics in that price range around here. I have a 2016 Mazda3 (as recommended by this thread, thank you) and he doesn't like how long it is I guess? Which I can agree with kinda, I've had it 3 years and I'm still not very good at parking it because it's hard to see where the long-rear end nose ends. Honda fits are also small and reliabile. Edit: the mazda2 has an older and smaller drivetrain. Reliabile, makes little power, and the fuel economy is not as good as a skyactiv 3. Get a manual, as it has a 4 speed auto which sucks the fun out of it.
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Aug 27, 2019 21:31
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I think I've seen like 2 Mazda2s in the wild in my life
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Aug 27, 2019 21:35
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