Cars

[Bradley]

Hello,
I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions on used/newish cars, preferably something that wont cave in too much if it is bummped into or the like? I had a 2000 Mustang up until March when I was in a collision with a light pole which totaled the car. I have been browsing around at some other manufacturers and models. For some reason lately Pontiac has caught my eye as well as Chevy's Impalas (Newer model on those). I am usally Ford all the way but lately I have been looking for something else, reliable, sturdy, doesnt have 100 recalls on it, etc. I will be making some decently long trips this summer (Florida, South Carolinia, etc) and often put more interstate milage on it than city.
Any help/suggestions are appreciated 8}

[teach1st]

I'm not a car person, but my (late) Nissan XTerra held up very well in an accident last week. I was stopped and rear-ended by a semi going an estimated 45 mph. Yes, it's probably totaled, but the body held up well considering, and I walked away. (For you Floridians, this is the accident that closed I-75 in Pasco last week.) It seems like a very strong car. Gas mileage is horrible, though, at least for my 2000 model. I did love that XTerra! Some pics:

http://www.pb5th.com/xterra.html

[Bradley]

Wow :wowwee: Glad you're alright Fred, I am VERY lucky to have gotten out of the wreck I was in, my friend and his fiancee were in the car too, he jummped out and lit up a ciggarette and she was back there screaming, I just sat there in shock, I guess I should have after seeing a large light pole come right into my door, I blacked out there for a few seconds after head cracked windsheild and rear view mirror smacked me in the head (hmm MeatLoaf's objects in the rear view mirror comes to mind lol)
Me and his fiancee were trapped and all I couldnt move cause I had shards of glass hanging out of me (large peices too!) I will upload some pics when they get developed. It was race weekend here in town too lol :P (for those nascar followers I am about 10 miles from Bristol Motor Speedway)

I like gas savy cars though, the mustank was not one lol especially when prices are high. I have been wanting a truck or suv for sometime but need some room in it if I get a truck.
Thanks for the imput! :)

[Mandi]

Honda and Toyotas make great used car purchases - I've owned a couple myself. They'd also fit your "better on gas mileage" requirements, and come in just about every configuration to suit your needs.

Except hands off that used Sienna, it's mine :P!

[dank]

Honda and Toyotas make great used car purchases
Funny you should mention that. I've owned 2 used cars, and they just happened to be a Honda ('79 Accord) and a Toyota ('86 Camry). Let's just say that my experience with the two of them convinced me to never buy another used car unless it's from someone I know and trust... My personal belief is that no one (except for the occasional and apparently very rare exception) sells a car unless there is something wrong with it. If they simply like new toys, then they are either a collector (and don't sell) or they lease...

Dan

[Wassercrats]

...preferably something that wont cave in too much if it is bummped into or the like?Safest cars of 2002 (http://info.insure.com/auto/safecars/2002models.html). Maybe Consumer Reports has more recent information.

[Mandi]

Oh, I totally agree - unless you are a gearhead and can inspect the car thoroughly yourself, be careful where you buy and from whom.

Depending on the aforementioned inspection, foreclosure/repo sales through banks and credit unions can be a good way to get late model used cars. Rental car agencies also sell their cars after a year or two.

[Randall]

I've had pretty good luck with used cars. The first one was 13 years old, but only had 30,000 miles on it. (The proverbial little old lady who only drove it on Sundays. Really.) It lasted just four years on account of its age, but for what I paid it was good enough.

Second car was a 7-year-old Subaru with 33,000 miles. I put another 90,000 on it over eight years, so I think I got my money's worth out of that one too.

But when the Subie died -- I don't sell cars, I kill them -- I wanted a new car. Somehow I didn't think my luck could hold, and with a 40-mile commute I didn't want to chance it. So I bought a Toyota Echo, the cheapest reliable car I could get my hands on. Just a few months old and 16 miles. :D

But needless to say, it's not a Mustang.

Randall

# Still can't believe his Dad sold the '66 Mustang convertible

[songdog]

Originally posted by Mandi:
Oh, I totally agree - unless you are a gearhead and can inspect the car thoroughly yourself, be careful where you buy and from whom.

Depending on the aforementioned inspection, foreclosure/repo sales through banks and credit unions can be a good way to get late model used cars. Rental car agencies also sell their cars after a year or two. Many experts say to have a trusted auto mechanic inspect the car before you buy it. Probably a good investment.

As for buying from a car rental agency, I wouldn't do that unless it either had a very good warranty or was priced way below market. Rental cars have got to be the most abused cars on the planet (next to those in demolition derbies, and maybe taxis).

[dank]

Many experts say to have a trusted auto mechanic inspect the car before you buy it.
Been there, done that. Still didn't catch hardly any of the problems that popped up almost immediately, and it was a highly reputable mechanic. They really don't check all that in-depth, unless you have specific areas of concern you ask about. There's a reason why they provide no sort of guarantee behind their recommendations...

I looked into ex-rental car purchases once, and I was pretty disappointed by what I found. Mileage was on the high side for a used car, as were prices. Not a good balance, in my opinion.

Dan

[Randall]

Originally posted by songdog:
Many experts say to have a trusted auto mechanic inspect the car before you buy it. Probably a good investment. The Subaru originally belonged to my mechanic's sister. ;)

Unfortunately, he sold the business a few years later. And the guy who bought it never noticed the brake problem that ultimately killed my car.

Now I've got a new car and a new mechanic.

Randall

[Bradley]

Decided to go by the Pontiac dealership in town, the guy there said he'd look around for some GTP and GT models for me, this 97grand prix GTP sold for 10k only had 28500miles on it, not bad IMO. Anyone know much about the grand prix series? Ive always heard they were decent cars and seem to have good gas mileage

[dank]

My impression of Pontiac has always been good price, good performance, but not such good reliability. Don't personally know many people who have owned them, though.

Dan

[sheila]

Whenever I go car shopping, I head to the local public library and get the Consumer Reports car guides. They have pretty good records on reliability and such. There are also some other used car guides that you may find either at the library or your local bookstore.

I've been pleased with the amount of information I was able to gain there, and made me feel more comfortable with my purchases. :)

[Randall]

Originally posted by sheila:
I've been pleased with the amount of information I was able to gain there, and made me feel more comfortable with my purchases. :) Indeed. I just wish it would make me feel more comfortable with the salespeople. :rolleyes:

Randall

[sheila]

Too true.

We had avoided dealing with the salespeople on several of our car purchases, by going "fleet dealer" through my husband's employer. They just tell you the price. Period.

And then, a few years ago, we bought a Saturn. Pretty much just like the commercials say. Well, the salesguy we worked with was a little sugary/nice for my taste. But at least there was not any bargaining, dickering or negotiating.

But a couple years ago (has it been two already?@!!) we bought a Nissan Quest, and decided not to use the fleet dealer.

We told the salesguy at the outset what we were willing to spend.

After two hours of ridiculous discussion, wheedling, and bargaining, we finally lost our patience and got up to walk out. That's when he met our offer.

I was sooooo annoyed. Why make us spend two hours of our afternoon to get him to agree to what we originally said we would spend? (I know people who get high off that type of wheeling/dealing...but it just drives me up the wall.)

However, it was pretty funny when we took a walk outside the showroom to the parking lot during the contract signing, to check out something on the car. They apparently thought we'd gotten ticked off and were walking out on the deal. The sales guy and the manager both sprinted after us to see what was wrong. Gave the spouse and myself a jolly laugh.

[Randall]

Can't we, like, put car salesmen to better use? Like answering emails from the Nigerians?

Randall

# I can dream, can't I?

[sheila]

Here's a really good web site for car reviews:
http://edmunds.com/

I'm surprised it wasn't already mentioned in this thread.

[dank]

Anyone shopping for a new car, do yourself a favor and check out the Costco Auto Program, assuming it's available in your area. That's how I bought my car; paid $13,500 on a $17,400 MSRP with absolutely no negotiation grief. Just walk in (you have to make an appointment, though), show them your Costco card, and they show you the agreed upon markup above dealer invoice for that make. In my case, that was $100 above "cost." Shocking how few people have taken advantage of it, according to the stats...

I have gotten some pretty good laughs at the expense of moronic used & new car salespeople, though. Like the Kia Sportage guy who couldn't figure out how to open the rear hatch and kept coming up with one excuse after another for why it was designed that way, or the Acura crew who tried to sell me my neighbor's old Integra, lying big time about how much they bought it for (I knew the exact amount; they didn't know until the end that I knew where they got it :) ) and using dual fake blue books to up the value on their car and lower the value on the trade-in.

Dan

[Brian]

For anyone looking at buying a new car, you might want to read some of the information on the following website. Most likely it will allow you to save quite a bit of money when negotiating a car :)

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/car4.htm

-Brian

[songdog]

Originally posted by dank:
Anyone shopping for a new car, do yourself a favor and check out the Costco Auto Program, assuming it's available in your area. That's how I bought my car; paid $13,500 on a $17,400 MSRP with absolutely no negotiation grief.

I have gotten some pretty good laughs at the expense of moronic used & new car salespeople, though.
Dan Hey Dan, thanks for the great tip!

I once had an Isuzu salesman "explain" to me how the 4-wheel drive system worked on one of their SUVs. He said that if a wheel was slipping (from poor traction), the transmission transferred more torque to that wheel. What a dufus! Anyone who knows the first thing about 4-wheel and all-wheel drive systems knows that you never increase the torque to a slipping wheel, for you want the torque to go to the wheel(s) with the most traction.

On another subject, I notice you're from Salem, Oregon. Could you tell me what the weather in Portland is like compared to, say Seattle and San Francisco? Sunny days vs. cloudy & overcast...

[dank]

I guess I'd make a bad salesperson, because I always say "I don't know" when I don't know something...

Salem/Portland is pretty similar to Seattle, but probably a wee bit dryer and warmer. I think Seattle's proximity to bodies of water makes it's weather a bit more variable. I don't know much about SF weather other than the occasional weather report I see, so I'm not much help there. Seems like SF is 65-72 year round...

Dan

[Bradley]

Since I am dragging up a 2 month old topic I better have a good reason ;) Yesterday we purchased a 1999 Toyota Corolla, black, etc, 60k miles (they must've drove it to death like I do..) So far it has been a great car, I test drove the new ones not too long ago and liked them very much.. anyways I took some pictures while it wasn't raining ;) So here they are :D

http://www.knowthematrix.net/pn/modules.php?set_albumName=toyotacorolla&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

[Randall]

Uh-oh. Black cars get duuusty. ;)

Randall

[Bradley]

Originally posted by Randall:
Uh-oh. Black cars get duuusty. ;)

Randall

Ohhh beleive me I know ;) family+me have 2 black cars and a dark purplish one the dust and pollen and stuff is baaaad around here and it is VERY noticable I'll keep it clean though :P :P

[dank]

Black cars get duuusty.
No more so than other colored cars, just the black shows the duuust more. ;)

Dan

[Randall]

If I can't see it, there is no dust. :P

Randall

[kempesta]

I recently bought a 1985 Mercedes 500SEL, a big beautiful sedan in good condition for $5000. I had to replace the rusted exhaust system for $600, and that has been the only signifigant repair. All the bells and whistles work, the sunroof does not leak, and I'm tooling around in a ride that cost $50,000 new in '85. It is as solid as a tank, with nice thick metal body parts. It apparantly was garage kept, as the original paint is still in very good condition.( I'm sure it was top quality paint to begin with). Anyway, it has taken me from coast to coast, 20 mpg highway, and everyone always seems to be impressed when I pull up in it.

For more info, just call me at Dale's Used Imports...just kidding, I am not a used car dealer...I just can't resist throwing in a one-liner from time to time...met someone named Ed Sullivan the other day and could I leave it alone?

Good luck with your search for a reliable ride!

[Nabil]

Last year, I received an inheritance of sorts and decided to go and buy a NEW car. I'd put about 90,000 miles on my previous Subaru (I owned it for a little over 2.5 years) and was well pleased with it, but not with the dealership service center I'd purchased it from.

I still wanted another Subaru though, so I went to a dealership a bit farther away, one that had a superior track record in the service department.

I test drove the sedan H-6 outback, and loved it. However, they only had one on the lot, and I wanted one of a different color. Also, the rest of the money for the car wouldn't be in for another week or two. They said that this was no problem, they'd order the color car I wanted from another dealership (which they called around and confirmed another lot had) if I'd put down some money as a down payment. I wrote them a check for $2000, which they happily cashed a day or two later.

The week or two went by, and the rest of the money came in. I went down to the dealership and discovered that they had NOT in fact ordered my car, and had done nothing about me. Apparently, they figured I was just some young kid and wouldn't be back, leaving them with another car on their lot to try and sell before the (fast approaching) end of the month. It's not that they'd ordered it and then figured I was a no-show, they'd just assumed I would be from the start.

So why did they cash my check? I was furious. The salesman was on the brink of tears I was so angry, threatening reports to the BBB, to the Subaru head office, and of course, contacting my lawyer (they'd said the $2000 check was non-refundable). Finally one of the managers came over and took over the case. He had the rest of the sales staff that wasn't actively helping another customer start calling around, found one, and then sent the original salesman in a company car to drive two hours to go get it. I was able to pick it up the next morning.

Suffice it to say, I got the car for about $2000 lower than list (which I turned around and put into their 5-year 100,000-mile $0-deductible extended warranty, knowing how much I drive). The original salesman STILL gets nervous when I come in to get a service done, though.

I've put about 45,000 miles on it in the past year, still loving the car (all leather interior, climate control making it 72 in my car at all times, the works). Just wanted to share my salesman horror story. %)

[Randall]

Originally posted by Nabil:
The original salesman STILL gets nervous when I come in to get a service done, though. I would love to have that power to strike fear into a car salesman's heart.

Randall

# I can dream, can't I?

[songdog]

Originally posted by Nabil:
Just wanted to share my salesman horror story. Horror story for you, or the salesman??? :wowwee:

[Lensman]

Horror story for you, or the salesman???
Actually, for both of them.

I was along with Nabil through this experience and it clearly was a case of the sales manager not believing that he had the money available. This guy had an attitude from the beginning.

The details of the deal were gone over at least 3 time before and after a check was tendered, and by accepting the check they agreed to get the requested car by a specific date. In my mind, they breached the contract by not having it ready on that date.

In all fairness, I think the sales manager was the one at falt, not the salesman. The service department has lived up to its reputation, however. Service has been quite good.

IMHO, less of this sort of thing would go on if people fought back more. Shoddy service from a business should not be tolerated.

Just my opinion.

BTW, I am Nabil's fother, so I'm not entirely impartial. The whole family has accounts here at FutureQuest, and have no intentions of giving uo the better-than-excellent service we get here.