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Thread: Car clueless...please help!

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    God/dess Dottie Rebel's Avatar
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    Default Car clueless...please help!

    So, I've never had the option of choosing a car before. Every car I've had has been a good friend or family deal that I couldn't pass up. Well, my car just bit the dust and I need to pick a new one.

    I know absolutely nothing about cars.

    I want something economical, fuel efficient, nothing snazzy--just clean and reliable. Preferably under $7,000.

    Can anyone recommend something appropriate? Anything to avoid?

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    God/dess loveandluxury's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Used VW jetta or beetle? I'm pretty knowledgeable on cars.. what is your style? Coupe, sedan, sporty?

    Animals are my friends, and I don't eat my friends.
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Used VW's I back ( which is what I own ) BUT they were just rated the worst used car to buy. There was a list 3 days ago on Yahoo.com of best and worst cars to purchase pre used.

    Check it out. Toyota Corolla might be the way to go. Amazing on gas mileage
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    God/dess Dottie Rebel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Thanks, Ladies. I'm thinking something like a Corolla, Camry, Civic or Accord, I guess. Style is not terribly important. MUST be 4-door. Two doors are a bitch to me.

  5. #5
    BrunetteGoddess
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Toyota Corolla
    Honda Civic
    VW Jetta/ Golf.

    If you can even FIND one (as the owners usually drive them till the wheels fall off and love them, thus not a lot for sale) find a Subaru Legacy Outback, or an Impreza (which I drive and it's AWESOME)

    As always, I recommend perusing this valuable site to see what car owners have to say (as CR can be ridiculous)

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    God/dess Dottie Rebel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Quote Originally Posted by AmazingKat View Post
    If you can spend a little more I really, really recommend a Ford Focus.
    Really...hmmm...

    We've actually thought about that, but the pics look sorta--I don't know--cheap to me or something. I do trust your recommendation so if you say they're reliable I may have to look into them further.

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    God/dess Pretty_Penny's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    pay for a month of consumerreports.org
    do research...

    that's what i did and i wound up with my used toyota matrix.

    super good reliability ratings, great gas mileage, lots of room for my artwork/supplies/road trips.

    toyotas are KNOWN for being reliable.

    i was looking at VWs and some fords before i started researching.... then i changed my mind.

    this is what a matrix looks like, for ref....


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    God/dess Pretty_Penny's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    ps. the subscription is like 6 bucks. it was worth it IMO. i just cancelled it after i figured out what i wanted.

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    God/dess hockeybobby's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dottie Rebel View Post
    Really...hmmm...

    We've actually thought about that, but the pics look sorta--I don't know--cheap to me or something. I do trust your recommendation so if you say they're reliable I may have to look into them further.
    I recommend Ford Focus as well. I'm on my fourth. I lease a new one every 2 or 3 years, but when this lease expires I'll be buying it out and keeping it. Its a 2 door hatchback, loaded including the heated seats (love em). Good little commuter car that gets good mileage (43 mpg hwy). With the back seats folded down I get 2 hockey bags in easy with lots of room to spare. They've stopped making the hatchbacks, but you can pick one up thats a few years old...they still make the sedans.

    Safe, reliable, economical, dependable.

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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sophia_Ashley View Post
    Used VW's I back ( which is what I own ) BUT they were just rated the worst used car to buy. There was a list 3 days ago on Yahoo.com of best and worst cars to purchase pre used.

    Check it out. Toyota Corolla might be the way to go. Amazing on gas mileage
    the problem with VWs is that if you have a problem, no one will touch them but the dealer. most mechanics won't mess with german cars. i had a used one that i bought with only 2000 miles on it, and though i rarely had problems, the two times that i did, they were big and expensive.

    once, i took it to a mechanic before going to the dealer, just to see what they said was wrong and get a pricing idea, so i had a better chance of the dealership not screwing me, and they told me that (some random part that i dont remember) was broken. got to the dealer, and they laughed. funny thing was that jettas dont HAVE the part that the guy told me was broken.

  11. #11
    Gypsy74
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    used toyota prius.

  12. #12
    BrunetteGoddess
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Britt- true, unless you have a garage that specializes in VWs/ German cars. Then you can save. We used to have a Jetta and took it to a specialized shop call Stuttgart Autohaus. Great people. Seemed to have a good customer base too because they would make you wait a while just for an oil change.

    Depends on what's available in your city.

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    God/dess Golden_Rule's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Sophia_Ashley View Post
    Used VW's I back ( which is what I own ) BUT they were just rated the worst used car to buy. There was a list 3 days ago on Yahoo.com of best and worst cars to purchase pre used.

    Check it out. Toyota Corolla might be the way to go. Amazing on gas mileage
    Simple, practical, here to there transportation is all you are going to get for $7K. What you are looking for on top of that is reliablity [won't need extra money in the form of constant service added to purchase cost]. Which is going to be hard to find.

    Honda Accords take a beating, last years, and will do 200k miles before the engine needs an overhaul. [big money] That's about 50K miles more than your average Toyota Corolla.

    If newer is what you want check low end vehicles with extended warranties. Hyundai with 100k mile power train warrant. KIA, the same.

    Finally, if luxury at this price is what you crave try a very old Mercedes, preferably one that has already had a major overhaul and doesn't have body rot [check wheel wells, as they are usually the first to rust due to salt exposure]. At $7K you are talking 15 years old or more, but the older Mercedes can literally go 500K miles and more.
    Fiat justitia, pereat mundus.


    BTW, while we are on the subject, is it needed to point out the obvious: That it is just possible that if you are willing to judge the worth of someone simply by what you read on a website about them it might say a whole hell of a lot more about you than it says about the person you are judging?

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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    ^^^DAMN good advice.
    Quote Originally Posted by Dottie Rebel View Post
    Thanks, Ladies. I'm thinking something like a Corolla, Camry, Civic or Accord, I guess. Style is not terribly important. MUST be 4-door. Two doors are a bitch to me.
    PERFECT choices, all of them. I just picked up an accord & it's as fuel-efficient as my motorcycle. Got some pick-up, too... and you can find them for not too much $$.

    Japanese is the way to go. It'll save you on maint. costs. Corolla has less pick-up (i.e. a little less fun to drive) than a civic or accord.

    DoN'T get a two-door sporty looking thing with unnecessary sporty options (like a spoiler) because insurance companies classify them differently and your rates will increase. Sedan ftw, if you want to save $ on insurance. Unless it's a hybrid or a specifically 'small' car.

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    God/dess shasta's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    I love my 97 civic. I take good care of it and it takes me everywhere I want to go. Part are cheap for a civic as compared to VWs!

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    Veteran Member zippyelf's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Quote Originally Posted by AmazingKat View Post
    If you can spend a little more I really, really recommend a Ford Focus.
    Eh, I'd be careful on that one. My best friend is a mechanic and Ford Focus' are one of the cars that are in the shop more than any other kind. Fords are notoriously bad for breaking down.

    Jettas are really nice, I had an 06 as a rental once and loved it. I second Hondas and Toyotas. Honda and Toyota are very reliable and hold their value pretty well.

    Stay away from Saturn. I own one... it's an absolute piece of crap. I've had to replace the altenator, tranny, clutch/flywheel, front wheel bearings and gear shift cables all within the last year. I cannot afford a new car so I have to keep fixing it. Lucky for me that myself and my friend can get the parts at cost and do the work ourselves. As soon as I graduate, it's going to the junkyard.

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    Veteran Member Ferret's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    I wonder what a used Honda Fit is going for these days.

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    Featured Member DJ Machismo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Ford Focus is a definite way to go. Just a well built car. Plus my dad knows one of the actual test drivers for most cars, he puts the Focus in his top 4 cars for how they drive.

    Cars are finicky creatures any way you go. If you take care of them and give them regular oil changes, a good deal of them will last a long time.

    zippyelf, I wonder if it might just be the area you are in, since most Focus owners I know rarely if ever have to take it in for work.
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    God/dess greenidlady1's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    I recommend sticking with a smaller Toyota or Honda car. Toyota and Honda tend to have better ratings as far as reliablity and durablity than other makes. They also retain their value well, that being said you might have stick with something at least 4 years old with higher mileage but you also have to factor in that it will last longer. A smaller vehicle and engine(4 cylinder automatic or manual) will save you a bundle on gas as well. I love my little Toyota. It's a manual and I get 41 mpg on the highway. I commute almost 300 miles weekly and I only fill up once weekly. It currently costs me 42 bucks to fill my tank with gas being 3.55 per gallon here.

    If those are out of the question I'd recommend Ford or Mazda. I've owned each of these and they were pretty reliable for me. They don't hold the same value as Toyota and Honda though. I had a Mazda Protege years ago and it was a really good, reliable vehicle, unfornuately, I was in an accident and the vehicle was totaled. A few of my family members own/owned Fords and liked them too. I've heard mixed reviews about the Taurus transmission and the old Tempo so probably stay away from them. Most American cars are also less expensive for repairs and insurance than foreign cars.

    Vehicles like Volkswagon, Saab, Subaru and Volvo are hear are good too but cost a lot for repairs.

    I heard good things about most Saturn vehicles and Hyundai too.

    I have had bad experiences with Pontiac and Dodge. Dodge head gasket went at 30, 000 miles, warranty covered it but it happened in Charlotte rush hour traffic, not fun. The Pontiac I owned broke down every week.

    Good luck!

  20. #20
    TheSexKitten
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Quote Originally Posted by Ferret View Post
    I wonder what a used Honda Fit is going for these days.
    Screw Jettas and [ugly ugly] Focuses... They're overrated.

    I'm looking in to getting a Fit, but their resale value is so great and they're still so new the price for used ones are pretty much the same as new right now.

    These cars are awesome. Fuel efficient, roomy but small, great for road trips, lots of storage, reliable, and safe. Plus, they have a nifty sports option and are between 15 and 17 k.



    I'm gonna be adopting one of these babies soon.

    You can fold the seats every which way too which is cool. You can make beds, add space, tote around awkwardly shaped stuff... all in a small, fuel-efficient car!

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    Veteran Member Taco Goblin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Best website when you're car clueless and need to do some research is edmunds.com.. anything and everything you need to know.. reviews, pricing info, the whole shebang.

    That's the first and last place I go when I'm car shopping..
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Anyone have any opinion on the Toyota Tercel?

  23. #23
    BrunetteGoddess
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    My opinion is NO.

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    Featured Member AmazingKat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Quote Originally Posted by RoseLeigh View Post
    Anyone have any opinion on the Toyota Tercel?
    Those cars are going to be at least 10 years old now.


    How about a Ford Pinto?

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    Default Re: Car clueless...please help!

    Quote Originally Posted by AmazingKat View Post
    Those cars are going to be at least 10 years old now.


    How about a Ford Pinto?
    Yeah, because none of us have even been in a tight spot and a friend of a friend is selling their crappy old one. (yes, it's a 98 )

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