I have a '94 Ford Taurus, which has caused me must consternation over the five years since I got it (free) from my grandparents. Aside from any break-downs, it's also the ugliest shade of green inside that you've ever seen, AND the most ambiguous shade of green outside. Everyone i meet insists it's really blue!
Anyhow, now that I don't have to pay rent (for the time being) or any bills save my cell phone, I'm looking to buy a car I actually like. A used one, something that will last for awhile... something that won't have $500 worth of repairs every six months.
The aesthete in me wants a car like this. The realist in me (the part that doesn't want the car to break down all the time) wants something like this.
So what should i be looking for? Truthfully, I'd learn manual just to be able to ride around in a Cabrio. But i really need my new car to last, and consumer reports lists the Cabrio as one of the least-reliable cars out there. I wouldn't mind, of course, if my new car looked nice. That Corolla picture actually appeals to me more than other shots of the car I've seen...I like smaller cars (my sedan feels a mile long)and darker colors...no reds or silvers or blacks, but dark green or blue.
Price-wise I'm looking in the $6000-10,000 range. Less important vanities I'm looking for: a CD player, and a sun roof or complete convertible.
Any thoughts?
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
I have personal experience with running decade old Toyotas. I have one now that runs great. Tires, breaks, and a fresh battery have been thing I've needed to do. The battery I probably didn't have to do, but my dad bought me one when I bought the car from them anyways.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Toyotas are great. We've had nothing go wrong with our Corolla since we've had it. All it's needed is standard oil changes and we replaced the air filter, and some new tires and I think new brake pads (we live in a really hilly area, tires and brakes wear out quite quickly.) See if you can find one that was a rental, they tend to be newer and have less wear but still be a good price. That's how we got our Corolla LE, the year after its model year (so it was about 2 years old) with very few miles for a very good price. My mom did the same thing but with a Nissan.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I love my Nissan. It was less expensive than a Honda, and I've done only one set of major repairs. That was brakes (first time, and there's 110,000 miles on it) and something with the axles. Not bad at all. You can probably find a good one that's about four years old for that price range, and it'll last forever, especially if you don't have a long commute every day.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I would scratch CD player from your list when looking for a car. They're too simple and cheap to install aftermarket to worry about when car shopping.
If you're buying used, definitely go with something that's easy to maintain and has good reliability ratings.
I'd also do a search here, because I know we had a 'help me find a car' thread in the last month that had lots of good tips.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
Not every day, but i do commute 40 minutes to and from my waitressing job about four days a week.
Nissan, huh? Yeah, that's listed on the Consumer Reports Best list...i'll check them out, too.
Posted by BaoQingTian (Member # 8775) on :
What do you want a car for? Everytime there's one of these threads, I find it helpful to ask the person to make a priority list. What are the most important aspects of a car to you?
Some things to consider: reliability, cost to repair, economics of wear and tear parts like tires and brakes, gas mileage, major use (e.g. highway commute or a lot of in town driving), fun factor, does it matter what the opposite sex thinks of it, insurance concerns, appearance, etc. Realize that no one car will fill all these needs perfectly, and some of them might even be mutally exclusive.
Tell us about your situation and what you want please.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
More detail than:
quote:A used one, something that will last for awhile... something that won't have $500 worth of repairs every six months....The aesthete in me wants a car like this. The realist in me (the part that doesn't want the car to break down all the time) wants something like this.... ...I like smaller cars (my sedan feels a mile long)and darker colors...no reds or silvers or blacks, but dark green or blue. Price-wise I'm looking in the $6000-10,000 range. Less important vanities I'm looking for: a CD player, and a sun roof or complete convertible.
?
Four days a week I commute forty minutes highway to a job, the rest of the time i stay within about a 15-20 mile radius of my home, most shopping driving distances. I don't care what *anyone* thinks of my car, personally -- for instance, right now I have a myriad of bumper stickers on my Taurus that make it look decidedly...well, tacky. But they're fun and i wanted something to spruce up the car. Honestly, anything that's not a Cabrio i'm going to be a little disappointed with, just cause that's basically my dream car design. Ooh, i also want a smooth ride. I'm tired of being jostled around constantly.
Posted by BaoQingTian (Member # 8775) on :
Chevy Prizm.
They're the exact same car as the Toyota Corolla (literally, it's a joint venture between GM and Toyota) and made side by side. Parts are cheaper than the Toyota and they depriciate slightly more so you should get a better deal on one. They're super reliable and get great gas mileage. Tires and insurance are cheap as well. It's small like you specified. They are really quite a practical car.
Downsides are that they are plain, not very fun to drive, and really short on performance. However, you indicated that none of these things are important to you.
For around $7500 dollars you could get a 2002 Chevy Prizm LSi with around 50K miles. Has power windows/doors/steering, AC, cruise, auto transmission. No CD player, but aftermarket ones always blow stock ones away anyway.
Edit: Oops...missed the smooth ride part at the end. It's the mutally exclusive part...in general, smaller cars will have a bouncier ride.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
I'm not very car-savvy...what exactly is required for a car to be..."fun to drive"?
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
My husband's 2000 Honda Civic is a great little car and would fit in your price range. I think it is fun to drive (though I do like my 2004 Camry better). It's a manual and gets excellent gas mileage (30+ mpg even with the AC on). It's small and manuverable. It has never needed any repairs (regular oil changes, new tires, new battery, and new brakes are all that's been done).
Posted by BaoQingTian (Member # 8775) on :
Fun to drive: Good power to rate ratio- that means when you press on the gas it goes fast It's just an awesome feeling getting pushed back into your seat as you take off. Good steering feedback is essential, so you can feel the road. The suspension should be tight, so when you take those curves at 20 over the recommended speed, your car doesn't have excessive lean. A manual transmission so you can play with the engine torque/horsepower curve more. Cars in this category that I see as common for girls drive:
Mercury Couger Mitsubishi Eclipse Acura Integra* (my favorite) Ford Mustang
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
We have a VERY smooth ride in our Corolla. Just sayin'. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
(Oh, and great gas mileage. My husband drives 40 miles each way to and from work 5 days a week, we'd be sunk if the mileage wasn't so great. We literally drove from Dallas to L.A. and back, by way of Phoenix, and gassed up 5 times on the way there-- we drove around Phoenix some so needed a little extra-- and 4 on the way back. That's counting filling the tank before leaving.)
Posted by BaoQingTian (Member # 8775) on :
I do like the Civics a lot ludosti, they feel a little more responsive when driving them, and the VTEC technology helps gas mileage and power output. The reason that I recommended the Prizm over the Civic is that the aftermarket demand from modders and racers has driven the used car prices up to absurd levels.
Edit: Clarity
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
40 hours each way!! Wow, that's quite a commute!
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
It's one hour, forty miles.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Get the Cabrio!
Or get something else fun and/or pretty. You'll have all your life to be old; be young while you can. Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Oh, that's not so bad. That's how long the commute will be to my new job.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Bao- Yeah modders do love their Civics and Lancers.
It is possible to find used ones for what I would consider reasonable prices. You just might have to look a little harder.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, it's pretty much a standard commute for people who live where we do. Anything between 30 minutes and 75 minutes is considered "not that bad."
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
Yeah but Joe, if i get the Cabrio, i have to learn stick!
I think it'd be easier for me to learn to play Flight of the Bumblebees on guitar by next Wednesday than learn to drive stick Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
and it's automatic!
Posted by BaoQingTian (Member # 8775) on :
Seriously, what Icarus said. If you want that car so badly, why not just get it? There's no practical reason to get it, so skip the justifcation steps, just admit you like it for its looks, and enjoy it!
You'll have the rest of your live to worry about carseat room, safety features, gas mileage, etc. Get something that's fun
Posted by theamazeeaz (Member # 6970) on :
quote:Originally posted by BaoQingTian: Chevy Prizm.
They're the exact same car as the Toyota Corolla (literally, it's a joint venture between GM and Toyota) and made side by side. Parts are cheaper than the Toyota and they depriciate slightly more so you should get a better deal on one. They're super reliable and get great gas mileage. Tires and insurance are cheap as well. It's small like you specified. They are really quite a practical car.
Downsides are that they are plain, not very fun to drive, and really short on performance. However, you indicated that none of these things are important to you.
For around $7500 dollars you could get a 2002 Chevy Prizm LSi with around 50K miles. Has power windows/doors/steering, AC, cruise, auto transmission. No CD player, but aftermarket ones always blow stock ones away anyway.
Edit: Oops...missed the smooth ride part at the end. It's the mutally exclusive part...in general, smaller cars will have a bouncier ride.
Seconded by my mechanic dad. I drive a 1995 (Geo) Prism.
Also, the radio is second- get a car that works and then scour junkyards for Corolla radios with cd players, that's got to be an easy one.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
If you do learn to drive stick, you'll probably be glad you did in the long run. Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
If you can drive stick you can drive anything. If you can drive automatic....well, that's about it, really. Posted by HollowEarth (Member # 2586) on :
I will never again own a car as small and under powered as the 1998 saturn that I currently drive.
Never.
Posted by GaalDornick (Member # 8880) on :
Which Saturn is it? Is the Saturn Ion considered a good car? (I'm trying really hard not to hijack this thread for my own car search like I did to the last one. I keep forgetting to post my own thread.)
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
yeah. my sister can drive stick, and if she can learn to do it without making the car explode, i probably can Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
I did some research this morning, it looks like VW parts are ridiculously expensive to replace. I don't know what i'd do if i had to fix a Cabrio...
Posted by BaoQingTian (Member # 8775) on :
You'll probably have to fix it. I think mentioned you read about its poor reliability from the consumer guide site already. Parts can get expensive and kind of rare so repairs may take extra time while parts come in. Qualified mechanics to work on VWs can be hard to find and expensive. For example, the stealership (er..dealership) will charge over $70 just to change the bulb in the headlight.
This isn't specific to the VW, but what is also concerning is that the car you showed just exceeded the upper limit of your price range. Sometimes when figuring out how much we can spend on a car per month, we forget to budget for insurance, gas, maintenance, and repairs. If the $10,000 figure is the max you can afford, then if something breaks you'll be in for a bunch of hurt. I've also found that often a car payment which stretches the budget can cause people to justify not spending money on routine maintenance which almost guarantees an expensive breakdown at some point, or in the case of bald tires and worn out brakes it can pose a safety hazard.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
When I got my car two years ago, I had my heart set on some of that shiny VW German engineering. I wanted a Bug more than anything.
But after hearing about its unreliability and the cost of repair, I went with my second choice which is my 2004 Toyota Corolla S.
Aside from a recent battery change, which is probably my fault, this car has been running beautifully for me. I also commuted 40 miles to my summer job and then just the 15 minutes trips around my college town with 4-hour trips home and back every holiday. Not the mention it gets great gas mileage.
I now have a love for Toyotas that exceeded my interest in VWs. I get remorseful whenever I pass a Rav4 or a Matrix.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
It's just an awesome feeling getting pushed back into your seat as you take off. Good steering feedback is essential, so you can feel the road. The suspension should be tight, so when you take those curves at 20 over the recommended speed, your car doesn't have excessive lean. A manual transmission so you can play with the engine torque/horsepower curve more. Cars in this category that I see as common for girls drive:![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)