Advice Needed on a New Car (Vanity)

[MarkL]

Hi All,

I'm in need of some advice on a new car.

[goseminoles]

Hey, I liked 1989. I made the Toyota comment just from experience. Camrys have treated my family well. Lexus is a fine auto too. I’d never buy a Hyundai like others suggest. Same with Kia and Mitsubishi. Those are crap cars.

[Stephen25]

I suggest visiting Edmonds.com. they are a great site, they give the invoice price of the vehicle, and the actual cost of all the extras you may want. if you do your research and know what you want, you will pay thousands off msrp. They have a TMV true market value price, which gives the dealer some profit, which is fair, but doesnt rip the buyer off. I have bought all our vehicles at the TMV price. and saved thousands every time. no games. Just call the dealer, ask for the fleet manager, and tell them what you want. of course you can test drive vehicles before you deice, but do not buy anything at that time.

i recommend toyota, and also, a new vehicle. if youre going to buy a 2 year old car you may as well get a brand new one because the price diff. is insignificant if you do it ruight., without any potential mystery problems.

[jacksonstate]

Ford.

No bailout money.

I have three Fords.

Mustang 93,000 miles

Ford Explorer 135,000

Ford F-250 195,000

No serious problems with any of the three.

[Reaganez]

But it is 2009 not 1989 and personal experience based in the distant past in not scientific.

Look at the facts.

And Toyota's resale value is so good you might as well buy a new one vs a two year old one.

If you are not buying Toyota,Honda,Volkswagen or a super “in style” car you are better off buying a slightly used car.

I,on the other hand,am willing to buy new because I do all my own maintenance. I always use premium fluids and filters. I always use top tier gas. I don't abuse my cars.

No mystery problems due from poor maintenance,I like that piece of mind.

No mystery problems from car abuse. Many people who lease abuse their cars. Many people with poor credit poor job history that get their cars repossessed abuse their cars.

And yes Hyundai,Kia,and Mitusubsi are not at the front of the line.

[Outlaw Woman]

Remember the Flintstones? (sorry couldn’t resist) Yaba Daba Dooo

[Lancey Howard]

Definitely check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jHFT1X1JDI

[green pastures]

I have a 2004 Toyota Corolla. In that year, they have a seat adjustment that allows you to raise/lower the driver’s seat. Now, let me clarify— the version I have has a dial to do this and is not electronic. So it’s not like you can really adjust it while sitting in it (at least not much). But it is definitely higher up and easier to get in and out of than the Tercel I had for 10 years before that, and the ‘92 Corolla that my Mom has.

I would guess that models after 2004 have that feature as a minimum, and possibly even have the electronic version that is easier to adjust while in the seat. I know of other cars that have this feature. I’m guessing by know it’s advanced further. (Like they probably have an iPod jack and that streaming title’artist of songs on the radio now that they didn’t have in my car... :-( )

Regarding your comment, “I would like to get at least 29mpg highway with a manual transmission,”— if you’re facing knee troubles, I would recommend you consider an automatic transmission. Manual shifting can be harder on the knees than getting in and out of the car. At least in my personal experience.

Good luck in your search for a good vehicle...

[ctdonath2]

Buy used.

[rabscuttle385]

Thanks, but I'm still looking for somethign "smallish," and it looks like the Sonata is quite a bit larger.

Then try the Accent. Avoid the Elantra.

[eyedigress]

Any Honda Accord. Best car ever

[oldenuff2no]

I would look for a rental return ford escape or Toyota rav4. We are running a big Ford suv and a F350 super-duty. My diesel pickup has over 250K on it and is as strong as it ever was. Our excursion is also a diesel and it has a little over 150K and has never had any problem at all. I'm starting to look for a rig for my teenage son and we will be checking out the used ford escapes and Toyota rav4’s. We are in a situation that I am going to need him driving as soon as he is legal so I'll be buying his new rig and letting him drive it around the ranch for the next couple of years. He is fourteen and already drives my truck around the ranch.
just for giggles and grins, at what age do you let your kids drive on their own???

[eyedigress]

14

[rabscuttle385]

I have a Hyundai Elantra with 240,000 miles and no problems.

What year is it?

My dad bought a 2006 (GLS, IIRC) with ~20,000 miles from Enterprise in 2007 for $19K with sunroof, leather, Lojack, the warranty, roadside assistance, etc. and has had no major problems with it, aside from a recall (a malfunctioning electrical switch) that was promptly taken care of by the dealer.

[LIBERTARIAN JOE]

If you're going to buy used, check your state's sales tax laws... Georgia charges sales tax on used vehicles. You can avoid the tax by purchasing from a private seller but you have to be careful to have the vehicle thoroughly checked out to avoid buying someone else's problem auto.

I recently bought a classic muscle car on-line and was unpleasantly surprised to find out about the tax - not only do the GA gov't parasites charge tax on the car (7%), they also charge it on the shipping.

As far as the make goes, there's really no choice is there? We're down to just Ford now. As for models, the Fusion and Focus are great cars. Personally, I've got a '93 F150, a '96 Escort and a '07 Fusion with a combined total of well over 300k miles and well under 2 visits to the repair shop between them.

[Neidermeyer]

Before you sell find a REAL MECHANIC ,, you can check the cylinder bore visually through the spark plug hole using a borescope just as you would with a rifle .. if the bore is good and doesn't have deep vertical gouging you have either a head problem or stuck piston rings ,, for stuck rings or leaking past valve guides go get some AUTO-RX at auto-rx.com ,, it WILL clean the ring lands and drainback holes and the valvestem seals etc. etc. if they aren't physically damaged this will fix the oil consumption problem.

Worst case if it is a head is a simple head replacement ,, maybe $1500 if you have a mechanic do it or $400 as a DIY using the best parts.

[RU88]

I've owned Corollas, Camrys, and Accords and can say that all were quality cars. My advice would be to go for a Toyota Camry. The seating is a little higher up than the Accord and the drive is a little more cushy. The 2009 Accord I currently own is a lot stiffer than the Camry but a little more responsive. It's really six of one or a half dozen of the other between Camry and Accord. Both high quality cars that will be dependable for years to come.

[Neidermeyer]

NEW HEAD from a reputable rebuilder $125

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/00-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-TOYOTA-COROLLA-CYLINDER-HEAD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem2ea9dac81aQQitemZ200418183194QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

Gasket sets and head bolts are equally cheap ..

This is a $250 weekend project ,, not a catastrophe.

[njmaugbill]

one word.

FORD.

[Erik Latranyi]

As you can tell, there are no shortages of opinions on buying a car. It is like the “I want to buy a pistol...” threads with a million opinions.

I gathered that you may have garage issues, so size must be kept small.

You should consider where you live and if you need all-wheel drive or not.

I would prefer you buy American so the money stays in this country (regardless where it is assembled), but you have to find what you really like.

I suggest you go to the rental places and do a one-week rental of your finalists so you can really live in them for yourself before you buy.

[libertarian27]

Look at Honda CR-V’s.
They are higher off the ground, 4-wheel drive and built with Honda non-union American worker quality.