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LoreOfSerpents posted:I would really appreciate some input as well. You're being paranoid. 100k on a '99 does not mean there is impending doom, even on a late 90s domestic. If it's been at all reasonably maintained (fluids and filters on schedule, mostly), then it's probably got another 100k in it barring any unpredictable catastrophes. If the engine isn't making weird noise and the transmission isn't clunking, you've got little to worry about. Yeah, there might be little minor annoyances on a 10 year old domestic car like rattling trim pieces, but that doesn't affect reliability. Every car, new or old, requires maintenance in the form of oil changes, air/oil filters, coolant/brake/trans fluid changes, brake pads/fluid/rotors, tires & alignment, lights, etc. These are all expected and scheduled maintenance items whether the car is a 2011 or a 1960. Keeping your paid off, totally functional, decently maintained car going is going to be far, far, far cheaper than buying a new car, even if it does require a bit of maintenance and upkeep every now again. If you're looking to save money, drive your current car until something major happens (major engine, transmission, or other significant drivetrain/suspension failure). At that point it wont' be worth fixing, and THEN think about buying a new car. In all likelihood you'll get at least another 50k miles out of it, probably more, if you keep up on basic scheduled maintenance (which, again, you have to do on any car).
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Apr 22, 2011 19:28
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LoreOfSerpents posted:What happens when you drive a car until it's too expensive to fix? Does the insurance company get involved? Do you sell it to someone who knows what they're doing (a... hobby Grand Am)? Do you trade it in to a dealer and just expect it to be worth almost nothing? You either try to sell as a you-fix-it/parts car on craigslist, or you call a local wrecker to come pick it up and junk it. They'll usually give you a couple hundred bucks as scrap value. There are also sometimes places that will take donation non-running cars, but YMMV. Insurance doesn't care unless it's in an accident. If you want to be frugal, keep up on basic and scheduled maintenance items, and drive it until something major/expensive goes wrong with the core engine/transmission. If you want to give yourself good odds that you'll get another 50k+ miles out of the car, follow the owner's manual's schedule maintenance. It will probably look roughly like:
If you don't know when any of the scheduled maintenance items listed in your owner's manual were last performed, it's probably a good idea to do them now. Especially fluids, filters, and plugs. The very best kind of maintenance is preventative maintenance. It's always cheaper to prevent failure than to fix failure. In addition to reliability, a car in good tune is going to be more efficient and safer. And lastly, regular maintenance is extremely cheap if you do it on your own, and most of the basic stuff is really quite easy. A mere fraction of what a mechanic costs. I did the whole 30k mile tune-up (motor/trans/diff oil, oil filter, coolant, air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs, and plug wires) for about $150. The same work would have run about $400-600 at a mechanic. I fully realize it's not for everyone, but if you want to be save a lot of money and learn a bit about car maintenance (also comes in handy when dealing with mechanics), then spending $100 on a basic socket set, some ramps or a jack & stands, and a repair manual is an extremely good investment. Hell, you might even find that you enjoy it (I did). An older domestic car like a 99 Grand Am is not a very complicated or scary car. Just something to think about, is all. Guinness fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Apr 23, 2011 |
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Apr 23, 2011 00:30
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Elotana posted:Slightly related: assuming I have 12k saved to spend by this point, am I better off using it to put cash down on a car or financing the car and zapping a student loan? I have a Grad PLUS about that size with an 8.5% rate, but I don't know how that compares to a ballpark range from a dealership (or maybe my bank?) 8.5% is an absolutely terrible loan rate unless your credit sucks. If your credit sucks, you absolutely should not buy a new car, especially if you already have a bunch of outstanding debt. The interest charges will rape you on both your current debt and the car loan, and you'll pay both of them off slower than you otherwise would. If you're trying to be even a little thrifty, a new car is a terrible decision. $12k cash will get you a very nice 3-5 year old car depending on what you're looking at. If it was decently maintained, that's still practically new. If you absolutely just have to have a warranty, buy something ~3 years old that is certified used. You'll need a bit more than 12k so either take out a small loan (at better than 8.5%) or save up a little while longer and pay cash. Or to be really savvy, use your cash to pay down your current debt, and spend more like $7k on a 5-8 year old car with a good maintenance history (and records to prove it). You'll significantly reduce your debt, save a ton of money on interest charges, and you'll have a reliable car that you own outright. As an even further bonus, you won't be required to carry maximum comp/collision insurance coverage on the car like almost every car loan requires. A new car is not a universally bad decision, and obviously someone has to buy new cars to later supply the used car market, but buying a new car with a high interest rate loan is a pretty bad idea. Save the new car for when you can get a 3%-4% (or less) loan and your other debts are paid off.
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Apr 23, 2011 01:00
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Elotana posted:but only 30K of that is 8.5% PLUS loans which I put on a 10-year track to zap fast  fast track For perspective, I'm fast-tracking my $22k in 6.5% student loans to be paid off in less than 2 years because the interest is so goddamn expensive. You should try to do something similar and then afterward spend the $10,000+ in interest charges you saved on a new car (or the rest of your loans, 100k holy poo poo...). You'll be paying almost $15,000 in interest if you take 10 years to pay that off. And that's on top of the other $70,000 of principal that you're carrying and I assume are not planning to "fast" track. Even at a modest 3%, that other $70,000 is going to cost you over $30,000 in additional interest charges. Do you not grasp how large these sums of money are, and how much you can save by paying them off ASAP if you have "excess" cash laying around? You're 100k in debt, 30k of which is at an extremely expensive 8.5%, and you're looking at buying a new 20-25k car. This is why America is hosed. I mean, you're going to do what you're going to do, it's your monumental debt (that cannot get discharged through bankruptcy) to deal with. People never listen to advice in advice threads, they just want to get their lovely decisions rationalized. Enjoy your shiny new car, I guess. Guinness fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Apr 23, 2011 |
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Apr 23, 2011 02:13
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It's definitely a valid question to ask, and anyone who hesitates to answer it (or worse, gets offended by it) is likely trying to cover something up. Of course, it's easy to lie about your reasons, but that's at least better than getting up in arms over it.
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May 11, 2011 20:14
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Zeta Taskforce posted:the reason becomes part of a narrative. This is a great way to put it. The biggest advantage of buying private party versus a dealer is that you get to meet face to face with the actual owner of the car. You get a chance to read their personality, how responsible/trustworthy you think they are, and try to piece together the story of why they bought the car, how long they owned it, how they treated it, and finally why they are selling it. It's by no means a sure-fire way to tell if you're getting a good car, but it's a great tool. For instance, say you're looking at something like an entry-level luxury compact or a sports coupe (e.g., 3-series, A4, C-class, G-series, etc.). You find a private party guy who is 31, bought the car 6 years ago to commute with to his professional job, has otherwise loved and maintained the car, but now has to get something bigger because he has a baby on the way and you just met his pregnant wife in the process of checking out the car. Seems like a pretty legit story, and that makes me comfortable as a buyer. Or, conversely, you go to look at the same car and it's being sold by an idiot teenager with a rich daddy. The kid bought it 8 months ago, can't give any evidence of even simple maintenance (like, did you change the oil since you've owned it?), and wants to get rid of it because he's going to buy a WRX STi and mod it. I'd run far away from that car. If the seller is hesitant to tell me a bit about the history of the car and their relationship with it, I'm going to automatically place them in a similar category as the idiot teenager, whether that's true or not. Maybe that's unfair, but as a used car buyer you can't be too careful. On a used auto lot, you get no chance to get the story whether it's good or bad and rarely do they come with maintenance records, so you just have to gamble on it. And the dealer probably won't go as low as a private seller, either. Guinness fucked around with this message at 17:41 on May 12, 2011 |
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May 12, 2011 17:37
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Also keep in mind that if you buy a reasonably reliable used car worth 5k (something like a late 90s Civic, Corolla, etc.), keep it in decent shape while you drive it for a year, and then sell it, you're going to get most/all of that 5k back. You'll have to pay for maintenance, but even in the worst case scenario of finding something serious and spending 1-2k to fix it, you still recoup most/all of that original 5k. Or hell, maybe you'll be in a position where keeping the car around is more useful than selling it for cash. It gives you flexibility. If you lease a car for 5k/yr, you've got nothing at the end of the year. I'm not one of those "NEVER EVER LEASE" people, as there are situations where it is a good option. This isn't one of them.
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Sep 20, 2011 00:21
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A 2008 Sonata with only 40k miles has A LOT of life left in it. If you take care of it, it's got another 10 years/100k miles in it at the very least. A good condition, reliable car that you have owned and know the history of is a very valuable thing if you depend on a car. Selling it and buying some unknown, older used car is a big gamble that could very easily end up costing you more than you 'save' by selling the Hyundai. The devil you know versus the devil you don't. From a strictly financial perspective, unless the payments are killing you, just hang on to what you've got. Of course there are other valid reasons for wanting to swap cars (being a car enthusiast, needing a different style for hobbies/family, etc.), but if your car to you is just an appliance that takes you from point A to point B you've already got exactly what you need. If you can afford to pay off the balance of the loan right now, just do that and enjoy owning the car outright with no more monthly payments. Maintain it and drive it for as long as it continues to be reliable (likely years and years). Also, don't count on getting book value for a used Hyundai on craigslist, or anywhere for that matter. Guinness fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Sep 28, 2011 |
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Sep 28, 2011 17:14
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Buy a cheap second set of wheels and put some real snow tires and for less than $500 you'll turn the Tercel into a pretty drat solid snow car. The tires matter FAR more than the car for snow, old and new cars alike. That said, I don't blame you for wanting to get a new car, and 12-15k is IMO a pretty good price range that gives you a lot of really good options for pretty much any style of car. Without a solid credit history you may not be able to secure a really-low interest rate loan, but you will still probably be able to get somewhere like a credit union to write one for you at a tolerable interest rate after 6-12 months of a credit card - especially if your credit card and other accounts are also through them.* My only cautions are be sure you feel confident in your continued employment and be sure to build up a good, cushy emergency liquid cash savings before taking on any loan, like 6+ months worth (mine is 12 months). Otherwise, if you save up for a decent downpayment (3-5k on a 12-15k car, at least), you have no other debt, and I assume otherwise live within your means, then you can probably pretty easily afford it at 45k/yr. My first job was 48k/yr and I spent about 17k (after taxes and fees) on a car, putting down 4k, and the payments on a 4-year note @3.9% are about $300/mo, far from impoverishing (especially so now at 80k). My car loan is at a lower rate than my student loans and I'm hugely overpaying the minimum on them, and after they're gone (7k left, down from 22k!) I'm going to do the same with my car loan (11k left). * Speaking of credit unions and as an also recent college grad (2 years ago), switching all my finances to a credit union after graduation has been the best decisions I ever made. In the adult world where you will have to deal with financial institutions for more than just a checking account, being part of a good credit union makes life sooo much easier than any of the big banks. Even if you end up with a reward card issued by a big bank for daily spending, having your "permanent" credit card (, and checking/savings, and loans) with a credit union is really handy, and makes for a much better backup/emergency/foreign transaction card with the lower interest rates and fees. /soapbox Guinness fucked around with this message at 03:16 on Oct 27, 2011 |
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Oct 27, 2011 03:04
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Truecar, while great for new cars, isn't nearly as helpful in the used market. For 12-15k, you're going to get a HELL of a lot more car for your money buying a few years used than you would new. There's only a handful of new cars available under 15k, and even then only in poverty-spec. For instance, my completely loaded, maintained w/records, one owner, 60k miles, 2004 BMW 330Ci cost me less than 15k before taxes. There's nothing new under 30k, let alone 15k, that even begins to compare. Not that I'm recommending a BMW if you're looking for a cheap, reliable, "fill it and forget" type of car, because it's not (though not as expensive as you might imagine...), but I'm a big car guy and know full well what I'm dealing with. But it is indicative of how quickly and how much new cars depreciate, and how much of a deal you can get buying a lightly used car that is still essentially new, regardless of brand.
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Oct 28, 2011 00:57
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I would also highly recommend the Mazda3 as a fun to drive, practical, affordable, reliable hatchback. Like was already mentioned, their gas mileage used to be somewhat subpar, but the new generation with the new SkyActiv engine has significantly improved those numbers while still retaining the good, fun driving characteristics that make the 3 stand out from the competition. The 2.0L SkyActiv engine in the newer 3s puts up a very respectable 27/38 with the 6-speed manual, while the older 2.5L in the s trim levels is only rated 20/28 while only producing 10 more horsepower. If I were shopping for a Mazda3 outside of the Mazdaspeed3, I'd lean pretty heavily toward the newer ones with the SkyActiv engine as it's Mazda's new generation of much more efficient motors (while still producing good power) and is what they'll be putting in all of their new cars in the future in different variants. I think a brand new 3i Grand Touring (i.e., most all of the options) stickers around 23k, so realistically the price is pretty close to 20k before taxes. If you plan on owning it for a long time and driving it into the ground, I think it's worth buying a new one since used prices in that market segment are so high right now. Guinness fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Nov 15, 2011 |
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Nov 15, 2011 19:05
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AndrewP posted:I've been considering a new car in the $20k range - Elantra, Focus - they seem better than ever in terms of quality for your buck. BUT the car payments I've been calculating are kinda blowing my mind. Granted I've never had a car payment before, but I'm getting like $300 per month for 5 years. That's with a $5000 down payment/trade in. On a $20,000 car. What the hell? Simple division. Makes you really appreciate how much $20,000 is when it's laid out as $333/mo for 5 years, eh? That's not even taking interest into account. quote:I thought this was the lower price range? New cars are loving expensive, even the "cheap" ones. Now you see why we don't recommend buying new cars without having significant expendable income. You can of course use that to your advantage to spend less money total, but the $12-20k segment of the used car market is IMO the sweet spot for buying a nice used car. For ~$15k you have a huge choice of nice cars that are only 3-7 years old in pretty much any style from most any brand, be it econobox, family, sporty, luxury, utility, offroad, you name it. My car cost almost $45,000 in 2004, but I bought in 2010 for $15,000 in still like-new condition with only 55k miles. That's some brutal depreciation. It's still essentially a new car has all the records for up to date maintenance. Of course cost of ownership will be more than a Civic or similar, but generally not substantially so if you buy known reliable models. Definitely not recommended as the most financially prudent decision if you are on a tight budget, but if you've got some disposable income and like nice cars and don't mind spending a little extra... Edit: Oh, sorry, forgot this thread isn't in AI. But still... Guinness fucked around with this message at 06:57 on Dec 21, 2011 |
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Dec 21, 2011 06:25
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FileNotFound posted:Used cars are gamble unless you know about cars. Yeah you and I can walk away with some great deals. Or you can end up like my GF ... Yep, totally agree and I know full well. That's why I added my little comment at the end mistakenly thinking this thread was in AI. I should have just removed that bit from my post after realizing this is the BFC thread, not the AI thread, but oh well. If you are car-dumb and don't want to spend some time learning, buying used cars is a pretty huge crapshoot and you'll probably end up like your GF and get a terrible deal on a terrible lemon. Right now, used car prices on late model economy cars are so inflated that it can actually make good financial sense to buy a new car if you are financially secure, have good credit, and can negotiate a good price. But that's really only true in the economy car segment, as the more upmarket cars (anything over ~30k new) still depreciate like crazy in the first few years. But I am a car nut, know exactly what I want(ed), every detail and pitfall of what I wanted, and I spent 6 months of casually watching car ads passing over many other cars in the process (obviously I wasn't in a hurry to buy). I in no way expect "normal" people to want to do anything even close to that much research and waiting. And yes, it was really a 40-45k car (04 BMW 330Ci sport/premium/cold + more), I've got the original receipts buried in with the maintenance records somewhere. Bought it from the original owner who took OCD-level care of it, and couldn't be happier. Has been entirely problem-free for me, but will be due for its "big" scheduled inspection/maintenance in 6 months or so. Will probably run around $800-1500 at an indy specialist shop, depending on what needs attention. If that number scares you, or the idea of scheduled/preventative maintenance is foreign to you, it's probably best for you to stick to Corollas and Civics, though it's a lot easier to plan and budget for worst-case preventative maintenance than it is surprise broke-down-on-the-side-of-the-road maintenance.  Okay I promise I'll keep the AI-chat out of this thread from now on and stick to purely financially-optimal discussion. Guinness fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Dec 21, 2011 |
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Dec 21, 2011 19:07
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skipdogg posted:I like looking at tires on used cars as an idea of how they have been taken care of. If it's rolling on 4 almost bald pep boy specials walk away, that means they definitely didn't pay to maintain the car except to the bare minimum. I also like this test. Generally, the people who go to the big chain tire shop and buy the cheapest tires they can and run them until the belts are showing are not the kind of person you want to buy a used car from. Crap tires often a dead giveaway for the type of owner/maintenance the car had. Those 4 little rubber contact patches are quite literally the only things keeping your car on the road. Tires are far and away the most important safety and routine maintenance item on your vehicle, and yet most people on the road utterly neglect their tires. lovely/cheap tires, over/under inflated, bad alignment causing uneven wear and bad handling, bald tires, and tires so old the rubber compound is worthless are all pretty much par for the course, and it's terrifying to think about. It doesn't matter how well your brakes work, how much power you have, or how hard your car can corner if your tires aren't up to the task of gripping the road, especially in wet or snowy weather. Tires are the very last thing you should skimp on for your car. You don't have to spend a fortune on tires, but the difference between cheap no-name tires and respectable mid-range tires is a night and day difference, in all road conditions. And if you're really meticulous about it (and live in a place that warrants it), having two sets of wheels is really the best way to go. One set mounted with winter/snow tires, and one set with summer/performance tires. Then you get the best of all worlds without having to run jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none all seasons. Now that's a guy I want to buy a used car from. Doesn't apply in all situations, of course. It'd be overkill for an economy car in California where you can just run summer tires all year long. Guinness fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Mar 12, 2012 |
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Mar 12, 2012 19:25
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No, a dealer is going to give the lowest value short of a scrap yard. Clean it up, take some nice pictures, gather all the maintenance records, write up a good ad, and put it on craigslist. A running car that is in one piece and gets okay gas mileage is worth about $1000 minimum. Typically, when dealers give you "good" or even "great" trade in value, they will just not come down on the sale price of the new car. If you must trade it in, negotiate the price of the new car first, then talk trade in.
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Mar 20, 2012 05:49
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TraderStav posted:On the insurance talk. I'm in the market for an econobox (4-6k hatchback) and want to know what the rule of thumb is for dropping collision coverage. I've always had 'higher value' vehicles so the notion of being 100% on the hook for repairs is daunting on the surface. At what price point doesn't it make sense anymore? I presume (and being a financial analyst I should just do the math) that it works out to be the premiums paid on full cover over x time period > replacement cost. IMO, it's not worth having collision on a car worth less than 5-6k unless it is some sort of special or rare car (i.e., not an econobox) that you would actually want to keep and fix if it were in an accident. Chances are that if you get in an accident serious enough to warrant an insurance claim in a car worth only 5k the car will be totaled. You'll be out your deductible and your rates will go up for having a write-off on your record, just to get a check for 4-5k. It depends on your financial situation for whether or not 4-5k is a "disaster" level chunk of money, but IMO once a car is worth that little it's better in the long run to just drop the collision coverage and "self insure" in the event of an at-fault collision. Unless you're a lovely driver and getting in accidents all the time. The answer could also depend on the state, I suppose. I know that some states are really stupid about fault assignment (or lack of) in accidents, and that could factor into it, too. I'd be pissed if I had to pay out of pocket to fix/replace my car if I wasn't the one that caused the accident. Fortunately I don't live in one of those states, so I don't know much about it. If I was the at-fault party, my liability would deal with the other guy's damages and I'd pay out of pocket to fix/replace my own car. Guinness fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Mar 21, 2012 |
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Mar 21, 2012 17:34
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As long as spending that much cash won't cause you any liquidity or emergency buffer problems or cut into your long-term savings goals, then there's not really a problem with it. It just comes down to your own situation and preferences. It's pretty easy to get financing on a private party sale, though, since in the end you're still just writing a big check to the seller (or the seller's bank if there's a lien on it still). For a car that new with such good residual value (relatively, it's still a car...), you can get some pretty awesome used car rates if you have good credit. I've got good credit, and through my credit union I was able to get a 3.5% loan on a 6 year old BMW very easily. If it were less than 3 years old I could have gotten under 3%, but of course the car itself would have cost a lot more. Might have been able to knock an extra couple tenths of a percent off if I shopped around some more, but I like doing business with my CU and they make everything so easy, so whatever. I could have paid cash, but the interest rate was so low it wasn't worth taking such a huge immediate hit to my cash stash. Plus, instead I've instead been able to plow tons of cash into my student loans at a much higher 6.8% that are now nearly paid off (under 4k to go, down from 23k 2 years ago). Once they're gone, I'll switch to drastically overpaying the car note and get it paid off asap. Edit: Let me guess, 335i?
Guinness fucked around with this message at 00:20 on Mar 28, 2012 |
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Mar 28, 2012 00:05
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MrKatharsis posted:No 25 year old RN should be buying a car in the "<40,000" range. Seriously. I'm 25, make more than an RN, and have my finances in good order, and I still can't responsibly afford a 40k car. Instead, last year I bought a car that was ~40k in 2004 with low miles and still in perfect condition, for 15k. The original owner babied it, and I've had it for over a year now and haven't had any issues at all. If you're looking for something cool/sporty/luxury, instead of buying new get something 3-5 years old for <20k instead. There's a ton of practically new entry-level luxury/sport cars out there that you can get for half the price of buying new. Since you were light on the details, things to consider in addition to the 350z/370z that are "cool" and can be had for under 20-25k if you buy 3-5 years old: - Infiniti G35/G37 ("luxury" version of the 350z/370z) - BMW 3-series - Audi A4 - Lexus IS - Ford Mustang (2005+, 2010+ even better) - Acura TL Or if you want to get more of a sports car or convertible: - 350z/370z - Honda S2000 - Mazda MX-5/Miata Guinness fucked around with this message at 01:02 on Jun 27, 2012 |
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Jun 27, 2012 00:53
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Oops yeah, I meant 2011. I'm not super up on Mustangs and forgot that 2010 was the gap year that had the facelifted exterior styling but not the new, much improved engines of 2011+.
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Jun 27, 2012 01:16
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Michael Scott posted:What car was this? A loaded 2004 BMW 330Ci with 55k miles (at the time). Depreciation is a bitch. Make it work for you. Wouldn't recommend one (or any other "premium" car) if you're on a tight budget or just looking for an appliance car since it does cost more to keep on the road than a Corolla or whatever, but if you're looking for something nicer/sportier/cooler/etc and are willing to spend a small premium on routine maintenance then it (or any other used entry-level luxury sport sedan/coupe) is a great deal for a fantastic car. Since that's what the previous poster said they were looking for, it's a much cheaper way to go than buying new. Instead of spending 40k on a new one, spend 15-20k on a used one and invest the difference. One that was taken care of is still essentially new and has a long life ahead of it, you suffer much less depreciation, and even if it, worst case, needs a few thousand dollars in repairs in the near term you still come out way ahead. Just don't take it to the dealer; find a good independent shop. Even better if you can learn to do the super simple stuff yourself, or at least know enough to talk intelligently with a mechanic. Guinness fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Jun 27, 2012 |
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Jun 27, 2012 17:29
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PUNCHITCHEWIE posted:330s sell for $45K? Was it loaded with an M5 is the trunk or did the first owner just really get taken for a ride by a dealer somewhere? Yes, they did (and I said 40k not 45k). A base 330ci MSRP was $36800 in 2004, invoice was $33650. But no one buys base model BMWs. Pile on the sport, premium, cold packages, and optional "premium" OEM wheels and you're easily at 40k+. And and M5 cost almost double that. I know it's a bit apples and oranges since it's 2012 and not the exact same car anymore, but now a 335i coupe (the evolution of the 330ci) starts at 45k before any options or packages. Tack on the typical sport/premium/cold packages and you're looking at 52k+. Guinness fucked around with this message at 17:30 on Jun 29, 2012 |
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Jun 29, 2012 17:20
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wide stance posted:So should I only look at cars with steelies or am I being paranoid? Paranoid. Almost everything except for the most poverty-spec economy cars come with alloy wheels nowadays.
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Jul 8, 2012 20:16
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reflex posted:
Can't, or won't? Can't can be fixed, and manual transmissions tend to be vastly more reliable, cheaper to fix, and more fuel efficient in older used cars. Especially since used economy cars typically don't see very much preventative or scheduled maintenance, and a neglected automatic transmission is an expensive ticking time bomb. Guinness fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Jul 11, 2012 |
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Jul 11, 2012 21:04
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Unzip and Attack posted:What aspects are most important to you?: Reliability If reliability and affordability is your top concern, do not buy a 10 year old Audi, or any 10 year old European car for that matter. Audi/VW products from the late 90s and early/mid 2000s are especially notorious for bad build quality and shoddy electrics. I love me some Euro cars, I've owned a couple of BMWs, they're fantastic, but statistically they are just not going to be as cheap to own as a Japanese/American/Korean economy car. Everything from oil changes, tires, and brakes to major scheduled (or unscheduled!) maintenance is going to carry a premium of some degree. For instance, an oil change on my 2004 330ci costs about $60 to do myself (6 quarts of 0w40 synthetic at $9/qt + $5-10 for a new filter cartridge) compared to about $25 on my old 1995 Mazda Miata (4 quarts of 5w30 standard oil at $4/qt + $5-10 for a filter). Granted the change interval is twice as long on the BMW as on the Mazda... It also really depends on your definition of "reliable". If you're looking solely for an appliance car and reliable means "I expect everything to work even though I neglect all regular/scheduled maintenance and ignore problems/warning lights/funny sounds until something stops the car from being drivable", then DO NOT buy any European car, or any higher end car regardless of country of origin, because you will be in for financial pain when you ignore a few minor problems and they snowball into a huge problem. Neglecting maintenance on a Honda or Toyota will also result in failures and reliability problems, of course, but will typically cost you a lot less to fix. On the other hand, if reliable means "never leaves me stranded, but I keep up on routine/preventative maintenance and don't mind fixing a few problems here and there to ensure that" then it's a different story. But routine/preventative maintenance still costs money, but a whole lot less than fixing catastrophic failure. Most Euro cars require that you stay fairly on top of scheduled maintenance to stay reliable, or else it will come back to bite you in a big way. Guinness fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Jul 12, 2012 |
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Jul 12, 2012 18:50
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Also keep in mind that depending on the car model/year and your region, KBB can range from vaguely informative to hilariously useless. Every car I've ever bought or sold I've both paid and received much higher than KBB retail value. But used car prices are higher than national average across the board where I live, especially for anything with any sort of enthusiast following or "brand tax".
Guinness fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Jul 18, 2012 |
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Jul 18, 2012 19:10
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Dameius posted:How easily does a not fat 6'2" guy fit in one of those? I've considered them before but never got in one and do you off hand know how hard it is to find in manual? I've only ever driven manual and don't plan on changing now. Depends on your proportions and what you consider comfortable. I'm about 6' and mostly torso and my 95 fit like a glove. You really just have to try one out and see for yourself to decide. Also, like 95% of Miatas are manuals since only dummies by an automatic roadster. They're really great cars if you don't need to haul a bunch of crap and are stupidly fun to drive. I had one as my only car for 4 years and it was fantastic. Bought it for 7k, put ~20k miles on it, sold it for 5k, and only had to do the most basic of routine/preventative maintenance (several oil changes, air filter, spark plugs, things like that). Guinness fucked around with this message at 04:06 on Aug 7, 2012 |
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Aug 7, 2012 04:00
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Bovril Delight posted:A loving long wheelbase A8 for someone who is interested in compact to midsize entry level sedans? With air suspension for the maximum destroyed bank account factor? Obvious troll reply is obvious.
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Aug 14, 2012 04:16
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nm posted:It will drive pretty much like a 99 Corolla. Even more floaty and disconnected than a 99 Corolla.
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Aug 25, 2012 21:02
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Real snow tires make WAY more difference than what your car's drivetrain configuration is. The presumably mediocre all-season tires on your Focus would do nearly as poorly on a Subaru as they would on your car in real snowy conditions. I'm an avid skiier and run Blizzaks in the winter on my RWD car and they do great in snowy mountain passes. In snow, AWD really only helps you get moving (which, to be fair, is a good benefit), but once you're moving your turning/stopping ability depends almost solely on your tires regardless of AWD/FWD/RWD. If you otherwise like your Focus, a second set of wheels with good snow tires (Bridgestone Blizzaks, Nokian Hakkepeliittas, etc.) will be MUCH cheaper and less headache than buying a new car. If you're going to live in a snowy region, you're realistically going to want snow tires for whatever car you have regardless of drivetrain configuration. You can get a second set of wheels and snow tires for less than $1000 most likely. Of course, an AWD car with real snow tires is going to be king, but an FWD car with snow tires shouldn't have any problem getting around. Guinness fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Aug 29, 2012 |
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Aug 29, 2012 19:18
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Costello Jello posted:Thanks for the information. I'm going to stick with my Focus and buy a set of rims with good snow tires and see how well that does for me. It will depend on how much you drive in actual snow/ice versus on bare pavement, since the soft winter compound will wear out faster on bare pavement and barely wear at all on snow. For my Blizzaks I think they are quoted by Bridgestone to last about 15k miles before the "enhanced" compound wears out. That might not sound like a lot, but considering that you only run them for 4-5 months of the year they should last you several winters if you drive an average (~15k miles/yr) amount. The other thing to keep in mind is that you also will have to replace your summer tires less frequently since you won't be using them for those same 4-6 months, and it opens up your options for purchasing summer tires since you won't have to worry about the winter performance. I did some quick snooping on tirerack.com and it looks like you could get a set of Blizzaks and 15" steelies for a 2000 Focus for $600-700 including mounting and balancing the tires on the wheels and shipping to your door. Or you could spend a bit more to get fancier alloy wheels. Here's some more info on winter tires from tirerack: http://www.tirerack.com/winter/index.jsp
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Aug 29, 2012 21:09
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At least Mini Coopers are significantly better cars than Beetles. They're not as bulletproof as a Corolla or whatever, but they're also way more fun. A coworker of mine has an 02 or 03 base Cooper that he has been pretty satisfied with and it's near/over 100k with only a couple of relatively minor issues in that span. Just don't get one with an automatic.
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Aug 31, 2012 19:47
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Professor Shark posted:Purchased a 2004 Pontiac Sunfire today...I was really looking forward to a more reliable car than my 2003 Hyundai Tiburon Does not compute.
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Sep 7, 2012 01:41
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At only 85 kkm your E46 has a TON of life left in it. With just a little bit of maintenance E46s, especially the later years and manual-equipped models, make it past 200k miles (320kkm) easily. Just be sure to keep up on the scheduled service intervals and don't take it to the dealer - find a decent independent shop. You're being way paranoid about a solid car with barely any miles on it. The infamous Inspection II (every ~60k miles) that people talk about costing an arm and a leg recently only ran me a total of about $550 on my 2004 330Ci with 68k miles at a top notch independent euro shop, and that's including the little minor things they did along the way (both accessory belts & brake fluid and coolant flush). That's literally the only maintenance I've had to do in the near-two-years I've owned the car outside of an oil change, and they gave it a completely clean bill of health. E46s are very well built cars with only a small handful of common problems that are very well documented and generally easily/cheaply repaired at indy shops or by DIY. Plus, they're just not that old, not that complicated, and one of BMW's best-selling generations of cars of all time so parts are easy to find and generally not that much more expensive than something like a Honda (sometimes cheaper!). Guinness fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Sep 11, 2012 |
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Sep 11, 2012 19:32
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priznat posted:My only beef with it is the stereo/speakers, really. For sure, the factory iPod integration in my '04 leaves a lot to be desired, but it was cutting edge back in the day when factory iPod integration was a rarity. I've got the HK 'premium' sound in mine, though, so the speakers themselves are plenty good for me. Speakers are easily replaced (especially in the non-HK equipped cars) if you are so inclined. Then there are kickass interface overhauls like the DICE MediaBridge that integrate fully with the factory Business CD head unit: http://www.bavariansoundwerks.com/product/711/282/DICE-MediaBridge-BMW-iPod--iPhone--Satellite--Bluetooth--USB-Integration-Kit/ Not the cheapest out there, but for only ~$250 you get to keep the clean factory stereo appearance, plug-and-play installation (no wire splicing), and it integrates with your radio display and steering wheel controls out of the box. Or if you really want to go whole-hog, there's the Dynavin Android-based head unit: http://www.dynavin.com/android.php I can't speak from experience on that one and I've read some mixed things so you'd have to do some research to see what the current status is on that whole thing. But it looks kind of neat. Guinness fucked around with this message at 19:48 on Sep 11, 2012 |
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Sep 11, 2012 19:42
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Rhyno posted:God drat it. I hope your girlfriend has many other redeeming qualities, because drat.
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Sep 15, 2012 00:25
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You seem really hung up on "safety", why? The Matrix isn't an unsafe car. It might not be topping the charts in crash tests or whatever, but a 6-year old Toyota is not a deathtrap by any stretch of the imagination. What do you perceive to be so unsafe about it? If you like the Matrix, you should just keep it and save a boatload of money. It's a reliable, efficient, practical car that will likely run over 200,000 miles without too much trouble.
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Sep 18, 2012 01:14
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Saltin posted:Can I make some comments and then a suggestion? Totally agree that the A5 is much more bark than bite especially given its quite lofty price and competition. It's a fantastic looking car with typically good Audi design inside and out, but both engine options in the A5 are pretty lackluster, especially compared to the rest of the segment. It's a bit of a dog and if you really want a true sports coupe, you've unfortunately got to step up to the S5 which is WAY more expensive, but is also WAY more car. As for the G35/G37, I also agree that it should be considered in the comparison since it is in a similar market segment and price range. Great car all around, and definitely one of the most well-endowed under the hood. I personally think the 3-series (or at least the 335i, maybe not the 328i) is a better car, though, all things considered. 
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Sep 18, 2012 01:26
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ABS is a pretty minor safety feature unless you regularly drive in very adverse weather conditions. For commuting on the freeway in a part of the country without "real" winter ABS really isn't making you much safer. Can you even recall the last time you emergency braked so hard on the freeway that your ABS kicked in? Much less one of those incidents where it may have actually mattered? ABS is standard on most cars today just because it is fairly cheap and pretty reliable. It was an option for so long on economy cars because for people who just want a commuter car it is really not going to make much difference. Even the nannies at NHTSA have avoided making ABS mandatory because real-world crash statistics don't have actually prove that ABS does much good at all. Guinness fucked around with this message at 02:57 on Sep 18, 2012 |
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Sep 18, 2012 02:51
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I LIKE COOKIE posted:make 650 a week right now... No, you can't afford to keep a 10+ year old S4 on the road. Keep driving that dependable Accord until you have a good paying job and are out on your own with steady finances before you start literally lighting money on fire trying to DD a notoriously unreliable/expensive 10+ year old German super-sedan without any mechanical experience. And once that happens you'll probably realize how bad of an idea that is. Guinness fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Sep 24, 2012 |
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Sep 24, 2012 18:44
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DeathSandwich posted:I'm starting to put some feelers out on buying a new car, perhaps some of you goons can help me out. Don't lease anything, and definitely don't put 10k down on a lease. If you're looking for a car to drive for a long time a lease is a bad deal, especially on an economy car. If you have 10 grand to put down, get a shorter term loan (36-48 months). You'll get the best interest rates and you'll never be upside down on your loan (especially with 10k down). Don't rely on dealership financing. Go get pre-approved for a loan by your credit union or bank. If you don't use a credit union, I highly recommend getting auto financing quotes from one (or several). Take your pre-approved loan and rate with you when you talk dollars with the dealer and have them try to make a better financing offer. BE SURE TO READ ALL OF THE FINE DETAILS of any financing agreement presented to you by a dealership. Most credit unions are pretty straightforward and upstanding, whereas most car dealerships are not. When you do start negotiating on a car, do not talk in terms of monthly payments, only in terms of total dollar cost. Negotiating over monthly payments is a quick way to lose sight of the total cost and to get screwed on price. Other than that, it sounds like you are shopping in the midsize economy car segment. Just go test drive everything that suits your fancy/budget and pick out what you like best. You can't really go terribly wrong in that segment (except maybe the VW if you want long-term drive-it-into-the-ground reliability), it's just down to your personal preference. If you value good handling and a "sporty" feel (as sporty as an economy car can be, at least) I recommend checking out the Mazda 3 and the Honda Fit. Maybe the new Ford Focus, as well, as it is so vastly improved over the Focus of a couple of years ago that it's almost an entirely different car. Toyotas are good cars but are numb feeling boring-mobiles. The most recent Civic isn't as sharp-handling as Hondas have traditionally been and feels more like a Toyota.
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Sep 25, 2012 21:23
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