Can we talk about buying a car?

[Satori]

So, I've bought 3 used cars in my life and all 3 were supposed to be in great shape, one was even bought from a local Ford dealer (it was I think a 2-3 yr old Ford Windstar but since it was used I couldn't claim lemon law) the other 2 were from private individuals. I got screwed big time on all 3! I'm still driving the 3rd car (15 yrs old) but its a total POS and has needed $3k in parts since July and still needs a lot more but their not major safety issues but will take another $1K or so. Its averaging out to about $400-$500 mo in repairs not to mention the crappy gas mileage which is killing me. I've never had issues with the new cars I've had but the used ones... ugh, I'm at the point I'm about ready to refuse to ever buy a used car again.

So, I can easily drive 36,000 miles a year just taking the kids to Dr appts which is a lot of driving so it racks up the mileage/maintenance and makes the mpg important.

Only have 2 kids to worry about so a small car would work. I LOVED the space in our minivan, I didn't have to find someone to help us haul stuff when needed but they don't get great mileage. Would like a truck to be able to haul stuff but to me they just don't feel safe when you have kids in it and the ones that would are totally out of my price range. I would love to get a Prius just for the 50mpg (most of my driving is freeway) but thats way out of my price range.

I don't want to spend more then around $12k but would be nice to get cheaper but I don't think the current POS will last until the end of the year car sales, I'll be surprised if it lasts another 6 months at the rate its going. Its already got a blown head gasket with a temp seal in it with other major issues. I plan on putting away as much as I can every month to put towards a new car so when this one really kicks the bucket I can go get a new car that will last several trouble free years at least.

Question is, where do I start? The most important is MPG closely followed by cost.

I'm a little clueless here, in the past I got a car because I liked it and not any other reason. I didn't pick the current car, my parents did even after I tried talking them out of it.

[lucyem]

Check out web sites like edmunds.com and start doing your research. Consumer reports is worth looking at too. Consumer reports usually has a list of the worst used cars to own - I know because I had one on the list and they were right about it LOL. There is tons of information and as you save you can start to narrow down what you are seriously interested in.

[anniebee]

We just got a new Versa. It was 14K-ish when all was said and done, new and pretty basic. 28 city/34 highway MPG. (We got the sport model, I think, which is automatic and has power locks and windows.) I think the thing is HUGE, but I've driven a Corolla, a Neon, and 2 Civics throughout my driving career.

If you are brave enough to go used, we found some lovely Mazda 5s for around 12-13K, 2008/2009. The others I drove and loved were the Nissan Cube and the Scion XD, they were both around 16K, though. I think the MPG were pretty much the exact same for the Scion, and a little lower for the Cube.

If you want new, I think the Vibe (they have discontinued them and were pretty much giving them away 3 weeks ago - worth a check!) and the Aveo (a bit smaller) are around your price point. I'm not a terribly knowledgeable car person, but we just went through it. If I were to do it again now and wanted a bigger vehicle, I'd probably go with a used (certified, if it makes you feel more secure) Mazda 5. They are really, really big, get 28-ish MPG (pretty good for the size and the engine), and are nice vehicles. We went with the Versa because it was new and a few thousand cheaper than the 5, and we didn't think we needed all the room with our two tiny people (4yo and 1yo - we'll save the big cars for when they're bigger!). I really like our Versa, though!

Good luck. Until last month, I had no idea what a big deal car shopping was.

[prairiebird]

We just went through something similar at the beginning of the year, but it was for my husband's work car. We could barely put 200$ down and had to finance it rather quickly because he needed to get to work the next Monday. (And he commutes about 70 miles each way). We did a lot of consumer reports research and for our price range of around 10K, all our research recommended the Ford Focus.

We ended up getting a used '08 four door with about 30 K on it, and we've had it for nearly a year now, no problems at all. We can fit two big car seats in the back for our kids and they aren't on top of each other and have some leg room. I've heard a lot of other positive things about them as well.

Also, for new, I'd suggest taking a look at Hyundai. My sis and friend have had theirs for years and have just had to do regular maintenance. And I think they have a really good warranty.

So just to throw two suggestions out there for you. My past cars have been a '90 Ford Tempo (very good, we drove it to death), '94 hyundai excel (piece of junk, so I was shocked when my friend and sister had excellent experiences with their 04-05 era models) and '96 Neon (also needed a ton of repairs all the time and why we bought the Focus.) We did a TON of research this time around so we hopefully didn't get stuck with something needing repairs all the time.

[Leta]

DH and I are hoping to buy a Tata Nano with our 2010 tax return, as they are due to turn up in the U.S. in 2011. Rumor has it that they will cost $4K new. They get 60MPG, which is why we want one.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by Leta

DH and I are hoping to buy a Tata Nano with our 2010 tax return, as they are due to turn up in the U.S. in 2011. Rumor has it that they will cost $4K new. They get 60MPG, which is why we want one.

$4,000? In which country? I know their $2,500 in India, I've heard figures between $8000 to $11000 for the US market but it wont hit the US for at least 3 years since it needs major safety upgrades to meet our standards.

[Leta]

Well, I know that they are selling for $2500 in India, and $6500 in the UK. (They have the VAT there, so that puts you up to around $7K out the door, but we don't have that sort of tax in the U.S.)

If you Google "Tata Nano U.S. price", you get everything from "$2300" to "more than $2500" to "up to $8000". So clearly, it remains to be seen.

Honestly, I think Mr. Tata is too smart to let the car be sold for more than about $6K in the U.S. He did what everyone said was impossible. I think he's bright enough to know that he's going to have to seriously undercut Hyundai and Nissan to gain market share. $8000 isn't much cheaper than a new Accent or Versa or Aveo, so I really think the Tata will have to be significantly cheaper in order to be successful.

But even if it does cost $8000, 60 miles to the gallon!! That right there is enough for me to check it out.

ETA: Here's an article, new today, that discusses the changes that will need to made to the Nano. It estimates a $5K pricetag.

[nd_deadhead]

I would never EVER buy a used vehicle without having my trusted mechanic look it over before I bought it. A thorough inspection will cost about $100, but if it saves you from buying a POS, it's worth it. We were looking at a Jeep many years ago, and our mechanic told us it needed a new engine. We still bought it - but we got the price down by the cost of a rebuilt short block.

An extended warranty might be a worthwhile investment too.

[leavemealone]

We haven't had much bad luck buying used cars, but we have really only bought Hondas and Toyotas used. We have bought one older model Saab used and it's needed a little work, but is still running great even though it's a 99 with about 130,000 miles on it. If you have to buy used, buy reliable brands of used cars. Wait...we did have a used Cadillac once and it was crap but it was cheap and it got us through the time period we needed it to get us through.

Other than the Ford Windstar, what other cars have you bought used? I haven't has the experience that Fords are all that reliable new, much less used. I had a Ford in college and right out of college and I probably wouldn't every buy another one.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by sandcastle

We haven't had much bad luck buying used cars, but we have really only bought Hondas and Toyotas used. We have bought one older model Saab used and it's needed a little work, but is still running great even though it's a 99 with about 130,000 miles on it. If you have to buy used, buy reliable brands of used cars. Wait...we did have a used Cadillac once and it was crap but it was cheap and it got us through the time period we needed it to get us through.

Other than the Ford Windstar, what other cars have you bought used? I haven't has the experience that Fords are all that reliable new, much less used. I had a Ford in college and right out of college and I probably wouldn't every buy another one.

Lets see, 1st car was a 1980 Subaru Wagon that was umm I wanna say 18 years old? Had a brand new rebuilt engine which the mechanic at the shop said was in great shape just needed a new battery (we didn't buy it from him), went though 3 engines in the next couple months. After the last engine I think it was the timing belt slipped and caused I think it was a piston to put a 3X5" hole in the engine block my parents said no more and gave me $3000 for a down payment on a brand new 99 Ford Escort that basically just needed regular maintenance. Traded that in after about 3 years due to the high mileage as I was worried problems would start. Fell in love with the "certified used" fully loaded Ford Windstar when I went to the Ford dealer, to get another Ford since I had such a god experience with the Escort. Kept that little nightmare 2 years I think then got a new 2004 Saturn Ion which was a faithful little car outside of the horrible interior issues (water left horrid stains!) Ran into major financial issues and when I went to dig around found out the bank was shady as heck and what I should have owed less then $2000 they said I owed like $7000+, ended up doing a voluntary repo and my parents got me the current POS 94 Pontiac Grand Am SE a for $1000 from there "trusted" neighbor mechanic who said the car was in fantastic shape and he had got it for his wife who refused to drive it and wanted a new car instead. The car has been a nightmare!

So now there's a chance of my possibly being able to get about $8000 by May and I want to use it as a down payment on a new car and pay it off within a year which puts me at around $12,000. We travel so much that having a reliable car is a must and after getting screwed on all 3 used cars which were ok'd by mechanics one the dealer no less I'm avoiding used like the plague!

[Ola_]

We currently have a used VW Passat which has been very good (knock on wood!). It's a 99 and we've had it for 6 years now. That said I agree with the PP that a Toyota or Honda are your most reliable options. The Toyotas I think tend to be less expensive of the two usually.

[Satori]

I was looking at some of the cars mentioned on this thread last night and discovered something I had no idea about, base model cars actually come with manual windows and no air conditioning?! They don't even have single disk CD players! Having all 3 seems to raise the price about $3k, A/C is a must and I can do after market for the CD. I just was shocked at that! I thought all cars came with power locks/windows, CD/mp3 players an A/C.

Praying we get that money! Should know in about 2 weeks they said

[bzmum]

My Hyundai Santa Fe came with a/c and power everything with the base model. Buying it new would put it quite a bit above your pricepoint though. If you are buying used, shop foreign (Toyota, Honda, etc.), look at the mileage on the car, try to not buy a vehicle that is well aged (you mentioned you had problems with an 18 yr old Subaru) and have an unbiased mechanic do a thorough inspection. In our province we can also have an accident record pulled on the VIN but everyone has the same basic insurance through ICBC...I don't know how you'd do that in the states.
I love car shopping...hope you find something that you like and likes you back.

[Leta]

If it were me, and I had $8000, I'd buy a bare bones Nissan Versa. I'd order one- don't buy off the lot. If you haftahaftahafta have AC and power windows, yeah, you're probably looking at $12K instead of $10K. But if you bought the $10K car, you'd have about $3000 left to pay ($2000 difference, plus tax, title, etc.), which, when you figure in interest, would give a payment of about $275/mo for a year.

[Satori]

Originally Posted by Leta

If it were me, and I had $8000, I'd buy a bare bones Nissan Versa. I'd order one- don't buy off the lot. If you haftahaftahafta have AC and power windows, yeah, you're probably looking at $12K instead of $10K. But if you bought the $10K car, you'd have about $3000 left to pay ($2000 difference, plus tax, title, etc.), which, when you figure in interest, would give a payment of about $275/mo for a year.

A/C is medically necessary for my toddler who can't handle the heat so yep, gotta have it, especially since we don't have mild summers. The power windows is just nice but not required, I didn't know they still made manual ones.

[bobandjess99]

I would get a used Kia, because they actually transfer their warranty. Most manufacturers don't. And because they have low resale, which means you can pink up a 1-2 year used one for significantly less than the original price. For $12K, you could get an 08 or 09..if you are looking for best gas mileage, you are gonna want a rio or spectra. I just looked it up and there are hundreds of '08 and '09 rios and spectras for under $10K with 20K or fewer miles on cars.com.
They get 26/35 for the rio, and 24/32 for the spectra, and you would get the remainder of tha 5 year/60K mile warranty. While you still have to pay for basic maintenance, of course, it would ensure you would not get a lemon, as any repairs or issues would be covered until you hit the 60K mark (sounds like that would happen way before the 5 year mark with your driving needs).

[miss_sonja]

Originally Posted by nd_deadhead

I would never EVER buy a used vehicle without having my trusted mechanic look it over before I bought it. A thorough inspection will cost about $100, but if it saves you from buying a POS, it's worth it. We were looking at a Jeep many years ago, and our mechanic told us it needed a new engine. We still bought it - but we got the price down by the cost of a rebuilt short block.

This. The only time I bought a used car without a pre-buy mechanic check, it turned out to be a lemon. It's well worth spending $100 or so at a trusted mechanic to get it looked over. And any seller who tries to talk you out of that...well, don't do business with them.

All my cars have been bought used, from individuals. Never a dealer.

[WorldsBestMom]

Well my first car was a used car, Toyota. I had it for almost 3yrs then it started to give me a lot of problems. Expensive problems at that. I decided to get a new car, Honda, that is much more reliable. I have managed to pay of the installments since last year. It has been worth it so far. I try to service my car when I can and keep it in excellent condition. Ill be holding on to this baby for as long as I can.

[Hey Mama!]

We just bought a used car today, paid cash for it. We looked up cars on the internet for two months before deciding and researched the heck out of the ones that were in our $10,000 and under price range. Edmunds is a great place to look, they will have customer reviews as well as their car expert reviews. Another place that I used was wikipedia. Usually they had a brief history of the car plus listed it's "sister" models from other brands. It helped us stay away from a lemon like we got when we bought our last car. We did buy from a dealer because we got majorly burned from a private seller last go around. We bought a van and had to replace the engine 2 weeks later, then again 18 months after that. The current engine has been in for a little over a year and doing good. We could not go after her under the lemon laws because she was not a dealer. The car we bought today is still under it's original factory warranty.