Timewaster's Guide Archive
General => Rants and Stuff => Topic started by: fuzzyoctopus on February 08, 2006, 12:00:41 AM
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So. It's looking likely that the husband and I are going to reach that point in our adult life where we have to bite the bullet and buy a new car, instead of continuing to pour money into used ones.
Does anyone own a Kia? We're looking into low-cost new cars, really, so probably a Kia or a Saturn. Probably a Spectra or a Rio, looking at the lineup. I know Saturns have great safety ratings. Some of the Kias do ok, and they're on the lists I've found of "low repair cost cars". And the warranties they offer sound pretty tempting to me right now, after all the car repairs we've had in the last three years.
What a pain being grown up is!
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Even though you are looking for a new car, I would highly recommend that you buy a Honda or Toyota that is a couple years old. Either one will run nearly indefinitely, and they usually don't need to be repaired regularly like American cars do. If you look online, you can see insane stories of Hondas that run for half a million miles and still run fairly well, and Toyotas are considered right there quality-wise.
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But you never know. Buying a used car is always a gamble because you really dont' know how good of care it has received in the past. Yes, even if it's only a few years old. I would rather have a factory warranty.
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Yeah, but if you know someone who knows something about cars, you can take them along to take a look at it. Otherwise, owners usually don't have objections if you pay a mechanic to come along and take a look at a car.
Actually fuzzy, now that I look, you could get a brand new Civic or Toyoya Corolla for about the same amount as you could get a brand new Kia.
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My grandfather bought a new Kia a few years ago. From what I understand, it's had quite a few problems.
One of my brothers has owned Hyundais for a few years. He's been very satisfied with the quality. And from what I've read, he's not alone. In recent years, Hyundai has made a huge turnaround in their quality.
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Even though you are looking for a new car, I would highly recommend that you buy a Honda or Toyota that is a couple years old. Either one will run nearly indefinitely, and they usually don't need to be repaired regularly like American cars do. If you look online, you can see insane stories of Hondas that run for half a million miles and still run fairly well, and Toyotas are considered right there quality-wise.
Archon is right on this one Fuzzy, cars loose almost 1/3rd their value in just 2 years or so. Goto a Certified Toyota or Honda used car dealer and you'll get something significantly cheaper, plus a car fax, plus a manufacture warranty. I did that with my Mitsubishi and got a great deal.
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Don't buy a Kia. My last two cars have been Kias, and while the Sephia was ok, the Sedona has been in the shop pretty constantly for the past several months. It just broke down and had to be towed 250 miles a couple of weeks ago.
I would also strongly recommend a Honda. The quality is impeccable, the cars are safe, have great gas milage, and keep their value pretty well. And most Hondas come with a factory warranty still in effect. My advice, though, would be to not buy it from a dealer unless you take someone who really knows what they're doing.
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my advice would be buy from a dealer, just dont feel like you have to buy new. They are required by law to reveal everything about a car and more likely to give you favorable service terms.I recommend a certified preowned vehicle. If you do buy from someone else take it to a mechanic to check it out before you plunk down money.
Go armed with the blue book value either way and dont pay a penny more for a car than it.
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One of my older brothers bought a Saturn. It was a really good car, despite having gotten it into a number of accidents it kept running well.
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Do a little research. Toyota and Hondas have a good reputation because they built a lot of good cars in the 80's and 90's. However, several other manufacturers have improved the quality of their cars in the last couple of years. So, Toyota and Honda aren't the only good automanufactures. Buick and Ford have recently improved and Chrystler has become better ever since it became a German company. Bottom line, there are more choices for good new cars then Toyota and Honda now.
Kia's are good as long as you have their warranty (which will be used). Most Korean cars still have problems but Hyundai has been noted for vast improvements in quality. Hyundai and Kia have similar warranty plans that will beat any other manufacturer, but again, it will be used.
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My parents had a Geo Metro that ran for more than 10 years without significant repairs. Knowing that, I bought one myself and it is still going, ten years later. Do they still even make them anymore? If they do, I recommend them.
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or you could look at the Kia links on top....
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I'm with Jeffe. Go for a pre-owned Toyota or Honda. Toyota Corollas are great for how reliable they are and how long they keep on going. They keep their value a lot better than other cars, too. If you get a certified one, you'll have even more peace of mind, though you'll have to go to a dealership.
I'd definitely try to bring a car savvy person with you and your husband so that you get the best deal if you go to a dealership. Good luck, fuzzy!
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well keeping value is something of a misnomer. Basically all a car is is a money hole. But yeah certified preowned is a good program. Toyota and Honda require everything to be in like new condition and do a full overhaul on everything before they sell it. Its a little more pricy than say a used KIA, but its gonna go forever.
Oh and get road hazard insurence for your tires. Its worth it.
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Do a little research. Toyota and Hondas have a good reputation because they built a lot of good cars in the 80's and 90's. However, several other manufacturers have improved the quality of their cars in the last couple of years. So, Toyota and Honda aren't the only good automanufactures. Buick and Ford have recently improved and Chrystler has become better ever since it became a German company. Bottom line, there are more choices for good new cars then Toyota and Honda now.
Toyota and Honda are still clearly the tops. If you look at Consumer Report, they list the good bets and the bad bets as far as cars are concerned. Toyota has the most cars on the list with 14, not counting Lexus, and Honda is second with 9, not counting Acuras. The next closest after that is Infiniti with 5. Beyond that, look online at how long Hondas and Toyotas have been known to last. The longest I have heard is over 700,000 miles for a Honda Civic, but there are an amazing number that are over a quarter of a million miles, and are still running strong. Look at Buick, Ford, and Chrysler and see if you can find the same. I am willing to bet not.
Do a little research. Toyota and Hondas have a good reputation because they built a lot of good cars in the 80's and 90's.
No, they have a good reputation because they continue to make the most reliable cars on the roads. If you want an example of a car company that is far overrated in quality because they used to make good cars, look at Volkswagen. They used to be on par with Toyota and Honda as far as quality, back when they were made in Germany. Now, they are trash because they are made in Mexico, South America, and I believe in India as well.
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Volkswagens today a a thousand times better than they were when they were made in the US in the 1980s
The trick is you have to know what VW does well.
Diesel.
VW makes the best diesel cars in the world, bar none.
Their Gasoline cars are just about equal with Toyota now though.
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A lot of new cars are equal to Toyota now. Most used cars are not.
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Karen has a Kia Rio and it doesn't give her any problems. But I have also heard very good things about Toyota Corrollas.
About certified used vehicles you should be warned: they often come with something like a 45,000 mile warranty...but that does NOT mean you can drive it for 45,000 miles under warranty--it means it's under warranty until the TOTAL on the odometer is 45,000--so if you buy it at 40,000 miles, you are screwed. But the salesmen will not really make this clear to you, and I think it's very misleading--if it says "comes with a 45,000 mile warranty" I think that's exactly what it should come with. You can get an extended warranty, but it costs more.
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I've heard good things about the Kia Rio. Particularly the warranty in which Kia will pay for almost all repairs for 10 years or 100,000 miles. The warranty almost insures that the car will last 10 years or 100,000 miles. That is something a a Toyota or Honda is likely to do but isn't warranted.
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In recent years, Hyundai has made a huge turnaround in their quality.
From what I've been reading, consumer reports, edmunds.com, Kia has done the same.
I priced "certified used cars" from Honda, from the Honda website - it will still cost me 12- 13,000, for a 4 year old car, that I will still have to drive at least half an hour to a dealership to get.
I can buy a new car for that price and have the 10-year factory warranty. I am very confused how a used at the same price range is better than a new car.
I am taking Old One's first-hand experience into consideration, though. My first-hand experience with Pontiacs, for example, means I will never buy another one, because they're expensive to fix. Used cars are out. We are going to shell out money for a new car with a warranty that we can not worry about for a year or two - but brand-wise, I am open to suggestions. My mom loves her Saturns. The low-end Hyndais look pretty nice. Anything else I should look at?
Oh, and they stopped making Metros in 2001. :-/
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I was told that Nissans and Mazdas were about the same quality as Hondas and Toyotas, but weren't as well known, so they tend to be a little lower price. You might want to check them out. I had a roommate who drove a 20-year-old Sentra that had like 200,000 miles on it before it conked out. Most of my experience is with American cars (my CRV is my first Honda ever), so I'm not much of an expert.
But I would say--you're doing well to do your research. I tried to do research, but I was in a time crunch because I had no car and needed to get to work, plus it was the holidays, so I went the "easy" way and made a quick decision. I still think I got a great deal--I'm SO glad my brother came with me and checked the car out, because he found a leaky transmission on one car I test-drove, and confirmed my suspicions of major electrical problems in another. Make sure you take someone who will be hard-nosed when it comes to price negotiation, too. There's no reason whatsoever to pay the price they first ask for, or even within a couple thousand of it.
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If you want a car who's engine will never die then get a Saab, their engines go for like 200k+. Problem with Saabs is they can be expensive to fix if they do break down.
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I'm leaning toward a Corolla at the moment. My dad has a subscription to Consumer Reports and is helping me research with it. The Nissans and Mazdas look nice, but the fuel economy of a Rio or a Corolla is very appealing right now. :-/ (go figure!)
Oooh, or a Civic. Civic is a nice reliable car. Oh, who am I kidding. It takes me half an hour to decide what to wear in the mornings, how am I going to pick a car?
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Posted by: Make Love the Spriggan Way Posted on: Today at 1:22am
If you want a car who's engine will never die then get a Saab, their engines go for like 200k+. Problem with Saabs is they can be expensive to fix if they do break down.
You know someone actually put 2,000,000 miles on a volvo! Still with any car, it depends on how well it is treated in addition to how well it's made.
Also, in addition to Consumer Reports (which has a popular bias towards certain brands) you should check out J.D. Powers rankings.
http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=buy&subject=most_depend&story=topDependBrd&referer=advice
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Oooh, or a Civic. Civic is a nice reliable car.
If you care about fuel economy, I'd go for a civic hybrid, but I think they're a little more expensive.
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try a lot more expensive.
You have to drive the car for 10 years on average before you save the amount you spent extra. Which would be fine if you have a lot of money right now and plan on holding it for a long time.
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plus there arent a lot of used ones yet.
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Though if you buy a Hybrid you get a tax rebate from the Feds. Not sure how much but I think its around $2k.
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Karen's mpg is very good in her Rio. It's a manual. (I still haven't learned to drive it...)
In case you want a USED Corrolla, also look at Chevy Prizms, since they are the same car--but they have lower resale prices because that fact is not super-widely known. Of course, if you want a new one, get the Corrolla instead of the Prizm...for the exact same reason.
My certified used 2001 Ford Escort ZX3 (with a mere 9,000 miles, now long since used up since I drive 60 miles every day, left on the warranty) came in at around $7,000 all told. I agree that paying $12,000 for a used car is nuts.
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NERD ALERT!
I was trying to figure out how Karen's Rio displayed multimedia data files.
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Posted by: Make Love the Spriggan Way Posted on: Feb 9th, 2006, 3:09pm
Though if you buy a Hybrid you get a tax rebate from the Feds. Not sure how much but I think its around $2k.
The $2K tax deduction (not a rebate) for hybrid vehicles was schedule to go away in 1/1/2006. I haven't heard anything about congress extending this deduction. There could be a good state tax deduction though.
However, the battery life for a hybrid is 7 years so it might be more costly if you are buying a car that you are hoping will last for 10-15 years.
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NERD ALERT!
I was trying to figure out how Karen's Rio displayed multimedia data files.
Nah, it's not a video version. It will tell you the title/artist of the currently-playing mp3 though.
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Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand, just like that river winding through the dusty land?
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Nah, it's not a video version. It will tell you the title/artist of the currently-playing mp3 though.
OOh, I was hoping for a radio that did that. My mom-in-law's caravan does that.
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Well. It's not the base model. She had them install a tape player with 6-CD changer under the seat so she can listen to books on tape that are actually on tape.
I didn't want to mess with a changer so I got a normal CD player with a cable sticking into the glove compartment to hook a portable tape player to.
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Since the van has a 10 year old tape deck and the pontiac had its radio stolen any radio is an improvement.
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I'm reviving this thread because it's mine to begin with and because we're looking again at getting a car.
What with the drastic change in income since February when I started this, it's definitely going to be a used car! My little Grand Prix is feels like it's going to bite the dust any day now and our mechanic said it probably wasn't worth putting any more money into it. It still runs, so I'm hoping if we get a different car, we can get at least a little money for it, but it's been stalling out at stoplights when I drive it the 7 miles to work.
We'd thought we had one picked out, but we ran it by the same mechanic and he let us know it was a bad move. So , back to the drawing board. I have until Sept. 18 to get another car, since that's when my classes start. With my going to school in the next town over and working full time, and J.T. working two jobs, one car just ain't gonna cut it...
Wish me luck.
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Good luck! I'm glad somebody's still around, what with Worldcon and SE being on vacation.
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I'm still around too! Hey guys, what should we do with everyone gone? :D
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Ugh, it's so boring around here. If you guys are doing something, let me know, I'm game.
Oh, and fuzzy, good luck on the car search. We finally got a bigger car a few months ago, and I'm so happy! It was a pain to drive three little kids around in a sedan for 2+ years.
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Hey guys, what should we do with everyone gone? :D
Well, when the monkey ninjas are away....
I'm sure we could do something clever and devious. It's only fitting, seeing as how they're probably having all manner of fun at the con. Suggestions?