Cheapest way to own a car

[Conky]

If you want a good deal on a new car, the time is now!

Buy a 2006 model now that the 2007's are out. My parents just bought a new 2006 Mercury Grand Marquis LS(yeah, old person car but it's really pretty darn nice) with power everything, leather interior, chrome wheels, side airbags for $24,020! That is a lot of car for cheap. The dealer had a GS model with leather interior and hubcaps for $20K.

I used to work in the car business and dealers need to get rid of last years models at this time of the year... they are still new cars but the car companies put out insane rebates($8K total rebates for my parents car) to help the dealers move last years ones out.

 

[Pikachu]

Is that LS really worth $4K more?

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: Pikachu
Is that LS really worth $4K more?

I think it is because you get a lot more options. Powered front seats, heated front seats, garage door opener button in the upper console, nicer radio, air suspension(like the Lincoln's have and this is probably the biggest difference), wood interior panels, etc. It also had the chromed wheels which were a $700 option and a fullsize spare which is another $120 option. The side airbag option was 4 or 5 hundred dollar option too.

But the biggest reason my folks went with the LS over the GS was that this particular LS had the side impact airbags and she really REALLY wanted this option. I think she is worried my dad(who is getting sorta senile and losing his vision) is due for a wreck, lol. Plus it was a prettier color, heh.

 

[Triumph]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain

and no, it hasn't had a timing belt change. in fact, it hasn't had any kind of proper "tune-up" since she bought it. i know people who have gone 140,000 miles without even changing the oil on their toyotas.

Impossible. The oil would not even be flowing at that mileage. More likely their car burned oil, and because they were refilling it with a quart every week, the oil in it would never be more than a few thousand miles old.

 

[DrPizza]

Cheapest way to own a car? 1st, remember the cost of insurance. If you have a loan, you're going to need more than liability coverage on the vehicle. If you can pay cash for a cheap car, you're also going to save on insurance, as well as registration (this is especially true in some states.) But, it takes time and research to find a quality cheap car. As stated above, you want one with readily available and inexpensive parts. The best place I've found to get used cars is from anal retentive older people... find the type of car owner who insists "I told those rip-off guys that I didn't want them to patch the radiator; they knew I'd be back in 6 months to get it patched again. They just wanted more of my business. I told them I wanted a brand new radiator installed, and it had to be a factory radiator, none of those cheap imitation parts." They're the type of people who would probably have a coronary if they realized they went 5 miles over the 3000 mile oil change interval.

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: jagec
Buy a new, very reliable car and keep it for 30+ years. Do all your own maintenance, and make sure you always do it!

I assume the "very reliable car" you're talking about is a Honda. Reality check: Most of them don't last beyond 10-15 years.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: KrillBee

Originally posted by: jagec
Buy a new, very reliable car and keep it for 30+ years. Do all your own maintenance, and make sure you always do it!

not a bad idea, except that im not sure if there are many cars that last 30 years before rusting out!

seriously people, how do you get your cars to last that long? I live in MN, and the daily drivers you see around here that are 15+ years look pretty rusted.

i know washing, waxing, and undercoating can help, but 30 years in a winter/salty climate is a lot!

Well, I live in Seattle, so yeah

However, when I lived in Indiana, I had this '84 BMW 325e...the car was a piece of junk, but the previous owner had gotten it undercoated, and it seemed to work. Not a speck of rust on it. I always thought the undercoating was a scam, but...

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: jagec
Buy a new, very reliable car and keep it for 30+ years. Do all your own maintenance, and make sure you always do it!

I assume the "very reliable car" you're talking about is a Honda. Reality check: Most of them don't last beyond 10-15 years.

Not necessarily. Honda and Toyota have obviously built a reputation for reliability, but there are other models (certain subarus, Caprice, others) that will do just fine.

And the reason that most of them don't last that long has a lot more to do with the owners and how they care for their cars, or how often they get into accidents, than the car itself.

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
Cheapest way to own a car is to buy a $1k ish beater and drive it.

why not one of those $200 to $500 beaters you see on craigslist (that say that they run and work okay)
or do people tend to have worse luck when spending that little money?
(ive seem some cars that go for 1k and should be priced a lot lower, and others that are $400 and should be priced for a lot more)

 

[Pikachu]

You must realize those cars are that price for a reason. Unless it's from a family member or good friend, it's probably a waste of time & money to buy such a beater. A set of tires costs more than that, and that's probably the first thing you'll want replaced. Brakes are next most important, followed by front end parts with an alignment. Count on doing that when buying any used car, even though you may not have to in the end.

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: Pikachu
A set of tires costs more than that, and that's probably the first thing you'll want replaced. Brakes are next most important, followed by front end parts with an alignment. Count on doing that when buying any used car, even though you may not have to in the end.

then itd make all the sense for the initial cost to be as low as possible, right?

 

[SoundTheSurrender]

Don't buy any American cars.

 

[Pikachu]

OMG, I'm thinking of all the vehicles I've gotten rid of in the past. They'd be in about that price range I guess. I'd also guess you wouldn't want any of 'em, or at least I hope not! Towards the end, I just keep them running with chewing gum and duct tape. You can imagine how often the oil gets changed at that point, right?

Originally posted by: djmihow

Don't buy any American cars.

Why does this puppy have a higher rating than Jap cars of the same vintage? Come on, you like running your mouth, don't stop now!

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: Pikachu
OMG, I'm thinking of all the vehicles I've gotten rid of in the past. They'd be in about that price range I guess. I'd also guess you wouldn't want any of 'em, or at least I hope not! Towards the end, I just keep them running with chewing gum and duct tape. You can imagine how often the oil gets changed at that point, right?

Originally posted by: djmihow

Don't buy any American cars.

Why does this puppy have a higher rating than Jap cars of the same vintage? Come on, you like running your mouth, don't stop now!

so generally, if its under 1000 bucks, it likely has problems?

 

[Pikachu]

If your Uncle Bob gives it to you for a few bucks, probably not, but if it's something I've driven into the ground, YOU DON'T WANT IT!

 

[TraumaRN]

My first car was a 95 Ford Taurus got it in 2000, had 77K miles on it. It was recently retired with 159K on it, still running good. Only things major replaced were the trans.

Also got in an accident rebuilt the front end with my dad in a day, thank god the radiator was fine or it would have been 2 days. Only other maintence was just regular/preventative, brakes, belts, plugs etc.

Now driving a 02 Taurus, no problems after a few months of driving it and I've already put 6K miles on it in 3 months.

 

[KrillBee]

Originally posted by: Pikachu
If your Uncle Bob gives it to you for a few bucks, probably not, but if it's something I've driven into the ground, YOU DON'T WANT IT!

it hasnt been driven into the ground if its still running

couldnt you test drive a cheap-mobile first, just to see if it ran ok?