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So far I've looked at some Pontiac Grand Prixs and I really like them, but my mom's very worried about the safety ratings on them (she's the one paying for most of the car). The frontal driver crash ratings seem ok, but the side impact crash ratings are pretty poor from what I've seen (link title). I'm kind of new to the car market so I'm not really sure how important these ratings are. Of the other cars that I've looked at I've also liked the Acura Integra, Nissan Maxima, Chevrolet Impala (although I've heard that these don't hold their value too well and while I like the exterior and the way they drive, I don't really like their interior), and Infiniti G35. I've also been inside an Audi A4 and I really like those as well, but they're probably a little too expensive for me to maintain at this stage in my life as I will be a college student next year. While I've liked all these cars I also haven't really found any that click like the Grand Prix. I also really really like the Pontiac G8 (outside my price range), so if there's a car similar to it that I have overlooked, I would probably like that as well.
So down to the more specific criteria. As far as styling goes I like cars that have kind of sporty exteriors like the G8/Impala and sleek interiors like the Audi A4, G8 or Grand Prix. Fuel efficiency doesn't matter too much as I won't be driving the car very far all that often, but I don't want a real gas hog either. I also don't really want car older than a 2000. The car also needs to be fairly reliable as I can't afford to spend too much money maintaining it. It also needs to be pretty safe as I've mentioned before. Finally I should mention that I'm going to avoid any Volkswagens right now as my family has had a bad experience with them in the past.
Thanks in advance for any help in narrowing down my choices. I'm having a lot of trouble.
Thanks for listening,
Bill
2017 Accord Sport CVT Mod Steel Metallic
A smaller hatch you might look at is the Pontiac Vibe.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
Buying a $5k Acura/Infiniti/Audi is likely a very bad idea anyway due to potential repair costs and it doesn't sound like you're ready to self-mechanic. Those can be ok investments if you're handy with tools and have access to salvage parts, but otherwise you'll spend a fortune paying someone else to do it.
I actually like the Impala idea if you like it. They're relatively reliable and cheap to buy/operate.
The autos in all 3 were fine.
But these are a bit on the small side given your size requirements.
In order to help keep insurance costs in check, avoid 2 door coupe types, and basically any model that many young drivers are drawn to. Statistically, there are more insurance claims with those types and the premiums reflect that. It was good advice to check with your insurance agent prior to a purchase. Any offer to purchase should always have a clause along the lines of "subject to my financial ability to insure".
However, if I were looking at those two options, it'd be the LS430 all day long. This is simply because I'd be perfectly happy with a used vehicle at a lower purchase price, and from everything I've seen (and those I know who own that vehicle), they tend to last forEVER. The Accord probably will too, but at a higher entry price.
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I think I'm gonna go for an Impala or a Toyota Avalon. There's one in my price range nearby that I'm going to go look at.
What do you think of an Acura Integra/RSX?
Nice cars. Great for kids who's parents can afford the high insurance premiums. I had a relative that bought one for his 16yo son and I remember he ended up buying some cheap beater car to put as his primary car because the rates were sky high on the RSX.
http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/4010453526.html
The Sandman
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
The Versa is a small and rather unsafe car, which gets 27 mpg combined, compared to the larger and much safer Civic that gets 32 mpg. So you save about 300 a year on gas with a Civic, which over a decade means a savings of 3000. Plus, it's highly unlikely you'll be driving the Versa in the year 2023. Before that you'll almost certainly need to buy a another car costing more $$. A new car is likely to be doing ok in 2023, and have some ok resale value. I feel like this stuff is water going over a duck's back. But as you said, the paradox is that used can cost more than new in the long run of a decade. Are you sharing any of this with your wife? What about turning some of the decision over to her? Can you put her on the line? ;-)
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
I don't know about reliability on these but it seems even the worst reliable vehicles these days aren't half bad. It's not like an '85 chevy where it's a gonner at 78k if you're super lucky.
Just looking real quick, I'm finding '09 Versa SL hatchbacks with under 40k miles for under $10k.
Slightly more interesting to me are the following few examples in that same range (under 40k, under $10k):
'08 Scion xB
'06 Malibu (LT v6, 29k miles)
'04 Buick Century (43k miles for $7990)
And with a few more miles:
'04 Mazda 6i (55k miles, $8499)
'05 Crown Vic (46k miles)
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Would you mind telling me what % of your net income you budget for transportation related expenses?
Bill G
2017 Accord Sport CVT Mod Steel Metallic
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
I came into this thread with a specific budget & a type of car in mind; through the course of this thread I've learned what adjustments I might need to make to both my budget and types of car I can expect to purchase. Who cares if I've been all over the map in the process, this is something I know next to nothing about (as I was up front about), so why shouldn't I be?
Benjamin continues to insist that purchasing a 2013 civic that over the course of the next 5 years will cost me (by edmunds.com calculations) $564 is a wise decision. Not only does he insist this, he, with "lol's" and "great pete" exclamations, tries to drive home the absurdity of doing anything but that. Since I don't want to completely assume that Benjamin simply doesn't know how to give good advice, or doesn't know how to tailor his advice to a specific person's needs, I am trying to check in with Ben to see what other pieces of information (like what he thinks a reasonable amount to budget on transportation is) might give me reason to believe his advice makes sense for me.
Benjamin has offered you solid advice and shouldn't have to qualify it. You can weigh what he has said to the others' advice and make your choice based on what you feel will fit your needs and financial situation.
I hope you find what you are looking for.
Bill
2017 Accord Sport CVT Mod Steel Metallic
You don't always have a set category you fall into. Maybe with "needs" but not necessarily "wants." ace is just chasing some rabbits that catch his or her eye; there's nothing wrong with that.
He has suggested paying $200 more per month than I would pay if I simply stuck with what I currently have (and this assumes that my maintenance costs would be pretty high) and it's trivially easy to show how that decision actually costs me $60,000 in lost investment earning. I also imagine he would suggest doing this multiple times over a lifetime. This, on its face, is not even remotely"solid" advice but, because I like to understand where people are coming from, I've asked him a question to see if there is merit to it.
If Benjamin doesn't want to answer my question, a question that was asked in good faith so that I could reevaluate my own assumptions about vehicle related expenditures relative to income, that is fine and I am not offended.
Used can work fine, and for your budget might be a better choice.
A Versa of that vintage for that price didn't seem like the best choice to me. If a c. 6 year old Versa costs c. 10k, I was wondering if maybe a new car for c.17k should be considered, but perhaps I'm wrong about that.
Seems like used cars have gone up a lot in the last few years. A lot of the choices you are sending to us seem like a lot of money for the car involved.
If I annoyed you, I apologize.
All best wishes with your search.
It isn't that I've thought your advice is bad, it's simply that I've got a certain kind of budget to work with (though I am adjusting it up and considering financing a portion) and that buying new doesn't fit into that budget.
Just for the hell of it, I'm going to pull up some auction data. Looking at 2009 models with ~45k miles, this is what I find:
Versa Sedan S=~$7k.
mazda 3i sport=~$7500.
Yaris sedan=~$7500.
Focus SE sedan=~$8500.
Jetta 2.5S=~$8500.
mazda 6i sport=~$9k.
Elantra GLS=~$9k.
Scion xD=~$9500.
Civic LX=~$10k.
Accord 4c LX=~$11k.
Scion xB=~$11k.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I hadn't considered a Yaris but particularly like it. In that price range, with those kind of miles and the fuel economy, it looks like a steal.
I think the mazda3 is far more car than the Yaris.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
2017 Accord Sport CVT Mod Steel Metallic
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
It's been listed for a while now (maybe at a higher price for a while?).
http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/4021021155.html
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
If you're going the private party route, how closely would you expect your purchase price to reflect KBB or Edmunds suggested value? It seems that cars are routinely priced 40% higher than suggested by those sites. In that case (which seems like most cases) it's hard to imagine landing at the suggested price since it would require offering them SUBSTANTIALLY less than what they are asking.
08 Kia w 50k? 06 Hyundai w 75k? Etc.
The Honda engines were definitely superior in this class if all serviced equally.
1) a 2002 LX is really poor in safety... no ABS... no side airbags, for example.
2) the car has a timing belt I believe... which would be due for replacement at 120k miles. A pricey service.
I think for $6k or a little more you could get a much newer car (not a Civic of course) with full set of airbags and ABS (and maybe ESC). For example, I recently bought a 2005 Mazda6i Sport hatch in great condition for only $4900, from an Infiniti dealer. It has 160k miles on it, but highway miles and was well maintained by its one lady owner. Has 6 airbags, ABS, and traction control. And a heckuva much nicer car than a 2002 Civic... roomy, power seat, leather wheel, 17" five-spoke alloys, hatchback convenience etc. Had to replace the alternator already, but that cost $160 part/labor. And it has a timing chain, not a belt.
Bill G
2017 Accord Sport CVT Mod Steel Metallic
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
For both ABS (optional) and standard side airbags on a 2002 car that could be had at a good price, and IMO a better car than the 2002 Civic, try the Elantra.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
My sister still owns that 2001 Elantra and it's held up quite well. I still own a 2004 Elantra, from the same generation, and after nearly 10 years in the Rust Belt it's held up great, would still look new if not for parking lot dings/scratches, and has been very reliable.
When I bought that 2001 Elantra I also looked at the then all-new 2001 Civic. Not only did it cost thousands more than the Elantra, but the Elantra offered much more power, smoother and more quiet ride, more comfortable driving position (8-way adjustable seat), more interior room (EPA mid-sized class by volume), longer warranty, and the standard side airbags. Now as a used car, if you can find a well-maintained Elantra of that 2001-2006 generation, it would make a very nice vehicle IMO. The main downside is that ABS/TCS is optional and hard to find. Standard ABS starting in 2007.
I test drove this vehicle at a dealership and, not surprisingly, it drove fine like a 4 owner Corolla w/ 100k would. I don't know what an "outstanding" car actually looks like, it is certainly clean (but by no means flawless), but KBB and Edmunds both suggest that the dealership price ranges from $5,000 to $6,100 depending on whether it is clean or outstanding.
What is my best bet for getting the car somewhere in the middle of that price range? When I was there he mentioned that he had "a couple hundred to work with." Of course I'd have a mechanic check it out first, but that isn't even worth my time if it turns out they won't drop their asking price substantially.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
You're correct, it has neither ABS or side curtain airbags, and it does not have remote entry (or sun-roof or a handful of other things). When you say "start several hundred dollars lower," what price point are you talking going lower than? Lower than the sticker price or lower than the $5,000-$6,000 suggested dealer retail price?