Yes, we had a beautiful baby girl yesterday. We are so happy. My wife wanted a girl so bad. We already have a three year old boy.
Woohoo...now the pressure is off on having three! lol
This year I have got an awesome job I love, we bought a house, and we just had a baby!
However, my wife's car died over a month ago. We have been winging it with one car. I live a 14 minute walk from the shower to my office at work, and we live by a bus stop.
My car is used. I have had it forever and bought it from a workmate for less then 2 grand.
It too has now died--on the same day we had the BABY!!. Thank goodness it got us to the hospital, and I had already made arrangements for another car to go home. I could feel something was wrong on the way to the hospital.
I guess I need a new car. When I say "new," I mean "used" but from a dealership.
I have never bought a new car. Ever. My budget is $10,000 to $15,000. I just want something safe and reliable.
I walked into a Saturn and saw a 2007 Ion for 12,000 with 27,000 miles. I almost bought it on the spot but decided that buying a car is not like how I buy clothes.
How do I go about buying a car? Any suggestions? Can you really talk them down? I am on parental-borrowed-car until I get one.
Any car suggestions?
ps She was 7 pounds, 15.4 ounces and 20 centimeters. <-- the baby, not the car. Pictures coming soon.
posted
We've been very happy with our "new/used" 2005 Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback, FWIW. If you're willing to go two years back, you can usually find some very good deals; ours, with 26,000 miles on it, ran $9,500.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I haven't driven in over four years, and I have been able to trash every type of car I've owned reasonably well, so you understand if I refrain from recommendations.
Posts: 3486 | Registered: Sep 2002
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I have absolutely loved my 1997 Nissan Maxima. We bought it used in 2000, I have put 130k miles on it (in addition to the 35k it had when we bought), and until very recently it has required little to no maintenence. I'm finally to the point where I think we might buy another car for me. But I love this car.
I say the above mainly to say that I think the main reason I was so satisfied with it was that we did a lot of Consumer Reports research about reliability before buying. We're the type of people who want to keep cars for a long time and well over 100k miles. (I was very displeased with my previous car, a 1995 Chevy Blazer that didn't even make it to 100,000 miles without having all kinds of problems.) I also test drove a lot of different makes and models to see what felt best for me to drive, and I loved the Maxima's handling.
When we get ready to buy again, I will almost certainly buy another Nissan, either another Maxima or an Altima.
Posts: 834 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Check out old Consumer Reports (or new ones!) to see how well brands/models hold up over time. I don't have specific research to back it up, but I understand that Subaru, Toyota, and a few others are generally high-rated for infrequently having issues, provided you keep up with maintenance...
Posts: 1099 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Congratulations on the baby! I love my Hyundai. I think they make some great cars for good money. But definitely check out consumer report. The online subscription is something like $22 a year and it's the smartest $22 I ever spend. Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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We are going to get a new car to go with this baby-- 'cause we need a bigger one. We only buy Toyotas, really (we consider Hondas but prefer Toyotas.) We also buy only used and it has worked exceedingly well for us.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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The best advice I have for buying a car is to take as much time to research and decide as you can afford. I realize you're in a bit of a fix with a new baby and two dead cars, but taking your time will hopefully mean you get a decent deal and a good car.
So figure out what you're interested in and then look around to see what the prices and mileages are in your area, so you know what's reasonable. And once you've decided on a car and are ready to buy, you can definitely negotiate. Before you go in figure out what you'd ideally like to pay (be realistic, though - I'd love a new, free car. Alas, I don't think it's going to happen) and what's the most you're willing to pay. If the salesman isn't willing to come down to your max price, walk away.
I'm sure other people will have other advice and I've probably skipped over some things, but this is what's worked for me in the past.
Posts: 959 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
Congratulations on all the new and exciting things!!
My husband and I both love our Civic and Camry (respectively) and would recommend them highly. Like everyone has said, the more research you can do, the better it will be. Good luck with finding a new car and with all the fun new changes in your life!! Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
I have a Corolla and have been very happy with it, but it is only 2 years old. Our Hyundai Elantra is 7 years old and while feeling its age, is still reliable. However, with two children and two car seat (well, car seat and booster seat), I am not sure what I would get. My husband and I figure our next car will be a van, either a Honda or a Toyota probably. But that is in the distant future.
Posts: 1001 | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
Thank you everyone for your input and advice. I wrote down all of your recommended cars and then signed up for consumer report.
My parameters were that it had to be a sedan or a station wagon (I want 4 doors) and be in the $10,000-$15,000 range. When I ran the consumer reports for most reliable, all the cars that were mentioned here were on the top of the list.
After visiting several places, I was able to see that the Hyundai Elantra would be the car I could buy the newest that met all my requirements.
Equipped with my credit score, my consumer report print outs, and what I wanted, I found a 2006 Elantra with 16,000 miles. It was supposedly $14,000 but on "red tag" sale for $12995.
That seemed a little high according to my research, so I told them if the CarFax was squeaky clean, I would buy it on the spot for $11,000. They said yes!.
It makes me think I could have gone lower, but I feel it is a fair/good price. I still have over 3 1/2 years on the warranty and it has only been owned by one other person who had it for 13 months. No crashes or damage.
Incidentally, the Saturn Ion I saw the other day was on the "DO NOT BUY" list at consumer reports. I avoided a lemon!
posted
First off, Congratulations! My brother is almost in the exact same situation as you. His family just moved to a new house, his son is one and a half, and his daughter could be born any day now, and they need a new car! ironic maybe?
For used cars. unless you know what you are doing, i would suggest not going through a person to person thing like autotrader, and go to a certified dealership. I recommend a Toyota or Honda. both should be good for at least 200k miles.
Posts: 813 | Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
Oh, and yay for the Korean car. I think the way it works for the moment is that people in Korea who have less choice are paying top dollar for their cars in order to subsidize the rest of us in the world buying them very cheaply, and playing into their master plan of global domination.
I love the warranty, the roadside service, and the car. (I got a 2006 Tiburon back in April of 06.)
And by the way, congratulations on the new baby. She's adorable!
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Thank you very much for your kind words. I had a lot of fun filming that with Toshi. You wouldn't know it, but I was having him dance to "Lolipop." Hurray for sound editing!
I am very pleased with my car.
Toshi is not for sale! Posts: 2445 | Registered: Oct 2004
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