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Thread: Christmas Present- A New Car!

  1. #1
    madmaxine
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    Christmas Present- A New Car!

    Yeah, I wish I could find it under the Christmas tree this year LOL. Due to my car making a slow exit to the junkyard in the sky, I have to save for a new vehicle. Points to consider- fuel economy, low monthly payment, and slight coolness factor. Any happy customer reviews are welcome!
    One of my relatives own a Toyota Prius, which is nice but not the thing for me. And I'm waiting for the holidays to take advantage of end-of-the-year specials.
    Any helpful advice, please? I know there are a few car threads here but I wanted to see if anyone could bring some new ideas into the mix.

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    God/dess Casual Observer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    May not be very high on the amorphous coolness factor, but an off-lease Honda Accord, Toyota Camry or VW Jetta will give you good gas mileage and you won't be socked with the non-recoverable costs of new car depreciation.

    My Wolfsburg Jetta (has the 1.8T engine) gets about 25-30MPG, and I do a lot of in-city driving. The TDI version (diesel) gets about 45MPG, or around 600 miles per tank.
    Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality, the costs become prohibitive.

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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    Also, where cars are concerned, the 'end of the year' actually is occurring right NOW ! The new 2006 models will actually be released in September (a few are out already), making left-over 2005 models 'ripe' for deep discounts. In addition, some of the US auto companies are still running the "employee discount for everybody" program.

    I agree with casual that tracking down a returned lease car, a demo car etc. with very low mileage and a full warrantee is THE way to go in terms of getting an essentially 'new' car for minimum bucks. I bought my 2004 WRX as a returned one year lease car with 6,000 miles on it last year, and I bought my 2005 legacy as a dealer's demo with 1,500 miles on it this year, both at MAJOR savings compared to a showroom car.

    If you're looking for reasonably low priced 'cool', that still gets very good gas mileage, you might want to look at a WRX. There are also some awesome deals available from Mitsubishi on left-over 2005 Eclipse Spyders right now with 0% factory financing, as they are making an early introduction of the redesigned 2006 Eclipse.

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    Senior Member *auroralily*'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    Quote Originally Posted by Casual Observer
    My Wolfsburg Jetta (has the 1.8T engine) gets about 25-30MPG, and I do a lot of in-city driving. The TDI version (diesel) gets about 45MPG, or around 600 miles per tank.
    Damn! What's the warranty on that?

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    Veteran Member TJAndDani's Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    Just something to remember get a carfax report! Especially if they claim its used, or even if its new. All those cars that got flooded out will be for sale for uber cheap.

    As for stylish, good fuel economy, and nice looking Dani loves her Eclipse. I think the best looking body style is the 95-99. The GS is prolly your best bet which is cheap, and less likely to break compared to the more performance oriented GS-T and GSX.

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    God/dess Emily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    have you considered the Scion tc?

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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    As for stylish, good fuel economy, and nice looking Dani loves her Eclipse. I think the best looking body style is the 95-99. The GS is prolly your best bet which is cheap, and less likely to break compared to the more performance oriented GS-T and GSX
    I owned a 95 GS which was totally trouble-free until it rusted through, and I still own a 98 TSI turbo AWD (Eagle Talon branded)- which is still going strong with 125,000 miles on it but rust is starting to take its toll as well. No complaints whatsoever on Mitsubishi cars.


    As to Volkswagen Diesels, according to my younger brother in the car business it's virtually impossible to find new ones and they're selling at list price at the dealers who do manage to get their hands on them. It's totally impossible to find 'used' ones, since owners essentially never trade them in - and if they do somebody at the dealership will grab it for themselves or friends.

    As to future 'used' car pricing, I agree that between likely repo's from bankrupt buyers, gulf coast cars being salvaged and remarketed etc. that there will be uber cheap deals to be had by next spring. However, if fuel prices stay sky high (which is a virtual certainty), small fuel efficient 'used' cars will continue to be in high demand, with the giveaway prices applying to SUV's.

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    Veteran Member TJAndDani's Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie
    I owned a 95 GS which was totally trouble-free until it rusted through, and I still own a 98 TSI turbo AWD (Eagle Talon branded)- which is still going strong with 125,000 miles on it but rust is starting to take its toll as well. No complaints whatsoever on Mitsubishi cars.
    You must join our site then, I know you dont live in the Carolina's but were fairly knowledgable on DSM's. The site is CarolinaDSM.com.

    And if you ever want to sell it, let me know.

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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    I drive a scion tc... they are awesome! i get great gas mileage, both in the city and on the highway. payments are cheap, i did finance it myself, and my trade in gave me like 4000. but my payment is $290 a month. Insurance actually went down for me when i bought it, ha ha, i used to drive a not so great volvo s80 which ate crazy amounts of gas.

    Also, Scions are great because they are fairly cheap to maintain, and i got a great deal, whcich im sure is available at your dealership (toyota sells them FYI) and paid an extra $296 to get oil changes, inspections, and emissions testing (in pa it;s a law) for life. Obviously that will pay off soon. also, it was fairly cheap to "reserve" my scion, $500 downpayment. I think it also has a good consumer reports rating too, my father said. any Qs pm me.

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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    ^ good point

    For those that care the scion tc is based upon the old celica(which was canceled last year i believe) and uses a camry engine. So its not like its cheap for no reason. and its reliable as a toyota and you look cooler than vin diesel on a beach without his shirt on.

    i also recommend staying away from the korean manfucatures, they havent devloped excellent engineering yet to use less metal to survive crash tests. so they just use more steel(imagine 1960's technology)

    Also you may want to look into a Neon SRT-4. Yeah you may look like an accountant but the year they came out they were almost as quick as a corvette. Since then GM has boosted power on the vette.

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    God/dess Emily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie

    As to Volkswagen Diesels, according to my younger brother in the car business it's virtually impossible to find new ones and they're selling at list price at the dealers who do manage to get their hands on them. It's totally impossible to find 'used' ones, since owners essentially never trade them in - and if they do somebody at the dealership will grab it for themselves or friends.
    Even more reason to buy diesels! They hold their value very well.

    I'm so ready to buy a diesel and I've been looking. They are out there, but 1-3 year old ones are almost the same price as a brand new one, so might as well buy new.

    Here's a good article on the diesels. I think the economics in this article have changed, considering the difference in the price of gasnow versus when it was published, but otherwise the information is helpful. It explains the longevity of a diesel engine and its high torque. (Torque is more important than horsepower in American driving, imo).

    http://www.thecarconnection.com/Shop...212.A3260.html
    Last edited by Emily; 09-02-2005 at 10:19 AM.

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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    ^ Yes...that's what we've found here. We're just going to suck it up and buy a brand new VW Wolfsburg come this fall. Scorpio does so much driving that his gas consumption is getting insane. It'll be nice to have that gasoline bill drop a bit.

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    Featured Member GnBeret's Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie
    Also, where cars are concerned, the 'end of the year' actually is occurring right NOW !
    For the manufacturers, yes - but, for the dealers, is not necessarily the case as, depending upon where you live, the end-of-year inventory tax they're hit with on every car they've got in stock may make them deal even harder in December.

    As for specific vehicles, check out the "lower-end" vehicles from the "upper-end" manufacturers that are coming off of a 2 or 3 year lease that included all maintenance as a part of the deal (e.g., Infiniti G35). Since the maintenance is "free" and the penalties for excessive wear and tear are steep, the vehicles are usually in excellent shape with less than 40K miles.
    "That's your answer Old Man? I guess you're a Hard Case too...."
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    I saw thought of this....the MINI! I love those!

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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    IMHO, while the BMW Mini Cooper is a pretty well designed car, its mileage is less than stellar and it is priced quite high for what you actually get (other than the 'cool' retro body style). If you're looking for a tiny car like this, you might also check out the Masda MX5. Personally, I'm hoping that this latest 'gas shock' will convince the US gov't to finally allow import of microcars. I'd buy one of these in a New York minute ! --->

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    God/dess Gynger's Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    Toyotas are what I swear by.. and Subarus. I had a WRX and sold it.. I got too many speeding tickets in that car! LOL.. but I still have my Toyota Corolla with 127,000 miles on it, and I still get 30 mpg. I love toyotas..


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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Christmas Present- A New Car!

    I had a WRX and sold it.. I got too many speeding tickets in that car! LOL
    I hear you there ! Although a wink and a few deep breaths usually save me from actually getting written up. I agree that the WRX is a tough combination to beat ... the performance of a Vette when you romp on it, and 30+ mpg when you don't.

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