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I'm looking to buy my first car soon. Proposed budget: $1-5000 New or Used: used, obviously (from the 90s, or early 2000s if I can find one within budget) Body style: Coupe or sedan (small to midsized), maybe hatchback or wagon How I will be using the car: commuting short distances to work, elsewhere; possible long-distance road trips, camping, occasionally driving my family around (4 people total) Important aspects: Reliability, good handling, high gas mileage, long range before refuel, good wet-weather traction, okay cargo space, not domestic, Location: north Bay Area, California Until now, I've been driving a Volvo 960, so I may have been spoiled in respect to the car's handling characteristics, since I can't really afford to maintain a Volvo or fuel something with a 2.9 liter engine in it. I'm mostly going to be driving to and from work in this; ideally, it would have good handling characteristics (not sure it'd be possible to match the Volvo's in my price range; I don't mind switching to FWD), high gas mileage, and good reliability. I don't plan to drive it in the snow anytime soon, but I would very much like to have a car that feels sure-footed when driving in a heavy rain storm. Range is also important to me, since I'm planning on taking some road trips, possibly very long ones (think California to Alaska) sometime in the future. A decent amount of cargo space would be nice, too, for the same reason. I'd like something with an automatic transmission, preferably one that performs okay, since I don't know how to drive a manual and am not sure how competent I would be in stop-and-go traffic; however, a manual transmission is not by any means a dealbreaker. So far, I've been looking at Hondas and Acuras, and I have no idea which cars Toyota offers are good. I've also been idly contemplating Saabs, since I love their ergonomics and handling, but hate the poo poo reliability. Subarus seem nice, especially the 4-wheel-drive ones, but I don't know anything about their reliability or other characteristics; same for Mazdas and Nissans. atomicthumbs fucked around with this message at 02:41 on Jul 27, 2012 |
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Jul 27, 2012 02:34
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Throatwarbler posted:Well I have a few ideas but they are all domestics and you don't want domestics so since you know more about cars than us why are you here? A lot of the places I've looked say that domestic cars are crap, but I would be happy to hear of any that aren't! Also it said to put "domestic/import" in the OP if it was something I considered important, so I did. No need to be a dick about it.
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Jul 27, 2012 02:43
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Looking for car recommendations again! I don't remember what people told me to buy last time, but I ended up buying a Volvo 240 (I love it). Now I'm planning a long road trip in the summer, in the desert. My 240's gonna take some work to get it ready for something like that, and I'd prefer to upgrade. I'm in the Bay Area. Proposed Budget: $4000 or less New or Used: Used Body Style: Preferably 2-door or 3-door, maybe a liftback (they are cool); as long as it's not a truck or an SUV, I'm probably OK with it How will you be using the car?: I'm probably gonna be the only person in it, but it should be able to carry enough cargo/cameras/whatnot for a month-long trip (in other words, not an MR2 or anything) What aspects are most important to you?
My most likely choice at this point is either Volvo, either a 240 or a 940 turbo. I enjoy greatly how well my 240 handles, and how easy it is to work on (I can nearly stand in the engine compartment, and parts are readily available); a 940 turbo would be a bit faster, and be more comfortable, though I'd have to work on it some to make it handle as well as a 240. A late-model 240 would have the airbags, ABS, and non-worn parts that my 1988 240 doesn't; it might get better gas mileage, too, if I find one with LH-Jetronic 3.1 fuel injection (though parts are harder to find for that). There're some really nice Toyota Supra Mk. IIIs on Craigslist, too  Edit: it occurs to me I could get past a car prone to running hot by jury-rigging some sort of evaporative cooling thing by spraying mist on the radiator, so that's probably not gonna be a big issue. atomicthumbs fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Apr 20, 2013 |
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Apr 20, 2013 03:20
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Throatwarbler posted:How do you feel about 4th Gen F-bodies? I hadn't really considered (eighties) American cars/V8s. How are they on gas mileage? I could go for a BITCHIN' atomicthumbs fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Apr 20, 2013 |
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Apr 20, 2013 03:47
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kimbo305 posted:A 4th gen is this kind: Yeah I looked up F-body on Wikipedia and clicked "Firebird" before I wrote that post 
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Apr 20, 2013 03:55
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Maybe I'll go the compromise route and buy this and put an LS1 in it 
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Apr 20, 2013 08:06
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Looks like I might go the slow and Swedish route again. I'm going to go take a look at this tomorrow. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/cto/3755921691.html It's got 180,000 miles (maybe less than my current car at this point; the odometer broke at 159k at some point during the previous guy's ownership), an airbag and ABS, an electric cooling fan and improved AC system, an interior in better shape, and (best of all) a seat that doesn't lean back and to the right or sag in the bottom.
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Apr 21, 2013 05:10
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nm posted:I'd be worried about an automatic that old with so many miles. The AW70s are pretty durable. I just found an anecdote about someone's AW70 that was able to run trouble-free for a year after their transmission cooler sprung a leak, letting antifreeze into the transmission.
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Apr 21, 2013 07:47
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I'm entering the final stages of finding my dad a car. I have a shortlist of cars from local dealerships. He'd rather not deal with buying one private party, which is fine since there are essentially no good newish cars for sale here outside the two dealerships in the county. Proposed budget: Up to/around $20,000 New or used: Used. Body style: Small-midsize anything (no truck). How will he be using the car: Commuting to the grocery store, plus longer trips when needed; it's 20 miles roundtrip to the store, and he'll be going to a doctor 50 miles away. He has a truck to haul poo poo. What aspects are most important for him? Reliability, followed by good gas mileage. "Good" is relative, as he's never owned anything newer than his 1994 Volvo 940 Turbo, which never got better than 17 mpg combined or so, and blew a head gasket last summer. Secondary concerns: a comfortable car, a car that's fun to drive, a car that he'll be proud of owning. To quote him, he wants to own "a nice car." He's never owned anything made within 10 years of when it was built, and every car he's owned has had a continuous string of old-car issues, with all of them finally experiencing a catastrophic failure that's left him carless or stranded, except for his enormous goddamn truck, which has experienced a string of old-truck issues which make him nervous to drive it long distances, and which gets 8 mpg. I have a shortlist. pre:Car - Price - Mileage Guy Strohmeier's - Lakeport ----------------------------------------- 2017 Nissan Altima 2.5 - $17,900 - 2,719 mi 2016 Toyota Corolla LE - $15,950 - 2,999 mi 2017 Kia Forte LX Sedan - $15,500 - 3,909 mi 2016 Honda Accord EX-L - $22,900 - 17,981 mi 2017 Toyota Camry SE - $18,900 - 18,650 mi 2016 Toyota Camry SE - $16,900 - 28,825 mi Matt Mazzei - Lakeport ----------------------------------------- 2016 Toyota Camry SE - $18,995 - 38,317 mi 2016 Ford Fiesta SE - $8,995 - 40,090 mi 2015 Ford Fiesta SE - $9,995 - 43,313 mi 2015 Ford Focus SE - $10,995 - 43,624 mi 2015 Ford Fusion SE Ecobst - $14,995 - 42,426 mi He'll be paying cash. I may be taking him to the dealership tomorrow or Friday. Local is best, as I'm very pressed for time and don't want to leave him without a reliable car, but if it's wise I can look for more Fusions in a wider area; the closest dealerships that aren't those two start at an hour away. How is the reliability on a Ford of this era? atomicthumbs fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Aug 23, 2017 |
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Aug 23, 2017 22:53
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Based on y'all's recommendations and managing to find a few more days in my schedule, I'm probably gonna be widening the search area, and also cross-shopping Toyota Avalons along with the Fusions, if that seems about right. also holy poo poo the Focus DCT issues  
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Aug 23, 2017 23:57
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Space Gopher posted:LCD displays work by polarizing light inside the display. Switch to non-polarized sunglasses for driving and you'll be fine. after you've driven with polarized sunglasses, it's actually impossible to do it without them. true fact.
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Aug 24, 2017 09:11
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| # ¿ May 19, 2024 22:18 |
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I'm currently considering this certified pre-owned 2017 Ford Fusion Titanium per suggestions above. How's it look?
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Aug 24, 2017 20:47
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