needing a new car..

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newmommy2010

Junior Member
Jan 5, 2011
9
0
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I currently have a 2000 VW Jetta GL with 152K miles on it. It's in horrible condition :( It has been hit (by the looks of it I'm thinking backed into) twice in the past year, and I was not there so the jerks just left! -Yay hit and runs! NOT!-...a car wash took my passengerside mirror with it, some repairs were done and they didn't put the grill on so it flew off. It was treated like a truck the first 3 years I had. -Dumb 16 year old much? lol- ...between all these issuses, oil leaks, seats that stain from even water (no joke, I shampooed them and there were stain lines at the edge of where I shampooed from the seat being wet), to the radiator being funky and the powersteering going out after having fixed it a year ago..it only got worse on Christmas. It's a stick-shift and what do ya know, my clutch went out! We've decided that it's just not worth it to fix, I think some people on here will agree with me!
So now, we're looking at new cars, and with our new baby we know we want something reliable. Where we live cars are generally more exspensive because no mater what way you come in, you have to go over huge mountain ranges, unless you bring it in via plane because we live costally.
I've found three cars in our area that we can afford, and one that I love out of area, I just don't know how much it will cost us to pay to get my car towed there or if I should just sale it to a junk yard :(
1. 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid- 70,368 Miles for $13k
2. 2004 Volvo S40 - 74k miles for $12k
3. 2002 Toyota Prius (Hybrid?) 92,234 miles for $10k
4. 2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLX- 57k miles for $9k -out of area one-

My fav of course is the Jetta because I didn't really start having troubles with mine till after it hit 100k and I had drivin it accross the country at 80mph for 12-14 hours per day for 4 days. They're exspensive to fix, but man they are lil' tanks! :)
I'm also worried that because I am a woman, they will assume I'm dumb and try to rip me off. What type of warning signs should I look for? because I don't know a whole lot about cars, except for Jetta's. This one has been my baby so I tried to learn more about it.
 
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kornphlake

Golden Member
Dec 30, 2003
1,567
9
81
A curious first post if I may say so.

What do you mean by
Where we live cars are generally more exspensive because no mater what way you come in, you have to go over huge mountain ranges, unless you bring it in via plane because we live costally.
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do you live in Alaska or some place in South America where roads end where mountains begin?

Buying a used car is buying a used car, I wouldn't say your situation is much different than anybody else except the advertised prices might be a little higher. There really isn't a secret to scoring a great deal on a used car, just be patient and be reasonable with your expectations. Sooner or later a vehicle will come along at the right price, keep your mind open, take a look at vehicles you wouldn't normally consider like a crew cab pickup or a full size sedan, you may find the proverbial diamond in the rough. I'd strongly recommend taking a vehicle you're interested in purchasing to a reputable mechanic for an inspection before you buy the vehicle. When buying used you're buying someone else problems, rather the problem was the loan, the image or the mechanics it was some problem that made the previous owner want to get rid of the car, be sure you're buying a car the previous owner traded in for one of the first 2 reasons.
 
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newmommy2010

Junior Member
Jan 5, 2011
9
0
0
thanks guys lol..
and we live in northern california...on highway 101 lol...i'm the only driver in our family, my honey watched his mom die in a really bad car wreck when he was younger and can't stand to drive, it's hard enough to get him in the car for many reasons outside of going to work or taking the baby to the dr....

i want a car close to the size of my own, that is pretty decent on gas...the only car i've had other than the jetta was smaller than it...i'd prolly run over someone in a big truck or SUV...my dream car would be a newer prius, but i've read how hybrids lose their warrenty after 100k miles, and all i can are ones with close to or over 100l
 
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newmommy2010

Junior Member
Jan 5, 2011
9
0
0
kornphlake said:
A curious first post if I may say so.

What do you mean by

do you live in Alaska or some place in South America where roads end where mountains begin?
Click to expand...
it's not that the roads end, but it's just hard to get up here...there are a lot of wrecks on all the curvy,sharp roads on the way here...
 
D

desy

Diamond Member
Jan 13, 2000
5,447
216
106
The civic hybrid is junk
The VW's are unreliable, I think you know this by now esp used ones, but changing for them slowly still crappy dealer network.
The only car there and a real good one is the Prius even though its older, over engineed
 
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Vette73

Lifer
Jul 5, 2000
21,503
9
0
I would add some cars to your list. None of them jump out as great deals IMO.

What are you looking for in detail? Also what do you like or not like about a car?
 
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newmommy2010

Junior Member
Jan 5, 2011
9
0
0
desy said:
The civic hybrid is junk
The VW's are unreliable, I think you know this by now esp used ones, but changing for them slowly still crappy dealer network.
The only car there and a real good one is the Prius even though its older, over engineed
Click to expand...

Actually, I never had problems with my jetta till after it hit 100k and that was right after I drove it from the middle of the east coast to the northern west coast doing 80 the whole way for 12+ hours for 4 days straight lol...and when I lived on the east coast I used to take it off roading ALL the time...I personally put 120k on the car in 6 years..I was really tough on her and she took it like a champ!
 
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newmommy2010

Junior Member
Jan 5, 2011
9
0
0
...I found a 2008 Mazda3 I sport with 42k miles for 13k...in excellent condition! I'm going down tomorrow to look at it and other cars on the lot :) ...hopefully I can use my negotiation skills to talk the price down some!
 
Vetterin

Vetterin

Senior member
Aug 31, 2004
973
0
71
I'm just throwing this out at you but maybe you could check out a Hyundai Elantra. You could get a NEW 2010 for not much more than you are willing to spend for those high mileage used cars you are considering.
 
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newmommy2010

Junior Member
Jan 5, 2011
9
0
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Vetterin said:
I'm just throwing this out at you but maybe you could check out a Hyundai Elantra. You could get a NEW 2010 for not much more than you are willing to spend for those high mileage used cars you are considering.
Click to expand...

Good to know, thanks!
 
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fbrdphreak

Lifer
Apr 17, 2004
17,555
1
0
All of those cars are terrible options for used cars. If/when those hybrids go out of warranty, repairs will not be cheap. You already found out how awesome VWs are. I like Volvo's, but parts for those are not cheap either.

Keep in mind that most cars need a fair amount of regular maintenance in the 90-110K range. Buying a car with 70K miles and expecting low maintenance/repairs is not realistic.

Just because you're in a remote area doesn't mean you can't go elsewhere for cars. Do you have no other friends/family? Impose on someone for a ride.

And yes, having a junkyard pick your car up for free is an option.
 
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desy

Diamond Member
Jan 13, 2000
5,447
216
106
The Mazda is a good car and would have a good balance of fun to drive and reliable
I don't consder 100K miles very much mileage I drive most of mine over 200K miles and would have dumped your VW ages ago. My power steering went out on a Corsica at
205 Kmiles.
You buy German cars for the driving experience, which if that's what you want is fine but not cause they are reliable. Now the Prius is very reliable and good on gas and if your techy has some value there but boring as sh1t to drive.

I only commented on your choices listed but if you're opening it up, define your budget within a couple of grand then prioritize: reliability, fun to drive, fuel efficiency and brand preference or bias if you have any. I don't personalize cars but lots have brand loyalty and thats fine, but I wouldn't recommend a Chev if your sister had a bad one and now you hate them too for example.

If you buying new, you don't need extended warranty unless you're the nervous sort, find out what incentives are on the hood and what invoice price is and offer them a couple hundred over invoice.
Show up with you're research in hand, when I bought a Versa new, I had the invoice listed from Car-Cost peaking out the top so he could see I had done my homework and the sales guy said right to me, we don't really like to see those show up.
 
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newmommy2010

Junior Member
Jan 5, 2011
9
0
0
Thanks everyone! We decided on a 2010 Honda Civic, new...got $1,300 marked off the sticker price (not much, but still lol) with a .9% interest rate! :) we did opt for the extra coverage because it didn't make the monthly payments go up TOO bad, but covers the car till after it's paid off. For an extra $70 a month the interior (seats, carpet, dashboard, door panels, etc.) are covered for stains and will be reupholstered for no extra charge (for 7 years, car will be paid off in 5), the exterior paint is covered from wheather, bird poop, acid rain, the salt in the air (we live coastally and the salt in the air ruined my Jetta's paint job!) so they will repaint it for no extra charge, we won't have to wax it for the first 6 years, we can take it once a year to get the outside detailed...the warranty is good for 8 years/100,000 miles instead of 3 years/35,000...if they take it into the shop for any of these reasons they will pay for the rental car, like i'm taking it in friday to get all the PermaPlateing done (for the stains and such) and they are going to pay for me to have a rental car for the day!...if we break down over 100 miles from home they will pay for our exspenses $100 a day for 3 days, and they are going to change my oil for 5 years....what we liked the most is all the extra coverage after the car is paid off...so that way if the interior is all dirty and won't come clean we can reupholster it and when we trade it in we will get a better deal....all in all, we are really excited about it...runs great, gets about the same gas mileage as my jetta, if not better...and feels a lot safer to drive our baby around in!
i really appreciate all the help from everyone! thank you! :)

also, other than the deal, we chose a Honda because:
1. My sister loves hers, my friends love theirs, we loved this car more than the Carolla.
2. I've read a lot of good reviews on them, and they are supposed to be really safe. (we have a baby so that is important)
3. It has a lot of room, my honey (who is kind of tall) isn't crammed in the front seat because a rear facing car seat takes up a lot of room. In the Jetta he had to almost have his knee's in the dash.
4. Decent gas mileage.
5. We don't care if it's fun to drive, we want something reliable. But it is fun to drive ;)
6. It had a good interior color, the Carolla was beige and I didn't want that at all. lol
 
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fbrdphreak

Lifer
Apr 17, 2004
17,555
1
0
$70/month is an awful lot of money for a warranty whose benefits you won't use but a percentage of. You'd have been better off buying cleaning supplies and putting the $70/month in a savings account for out of warranty repairs.

But peace of mind is worth something too :) Enjoy the car!
 
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iGas

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2009
6,240
1
0
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid reliability: User/MSN rating 8.9/8.0

2004 Volvo S40 reliability: User/MSN rating 8.8/6.0

2002 Toyota Prius reliablity: User/MSN rating 9.2/8.0

2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLX reliablity: User/MSN rating 7.8/7.8

Civic/Prius are the cars that you would want if reliability and fuel economy is what you are looking for.

Jetta is a bit nicer to look at but you have to sacrifice a bit of reliability and fuel economy.

Volvo if you don't care about style, have a second car to use when it is in the shop for repairs, or doesn't care for cost of fuel.
 
I

iGas

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2009
6,240
1
0
newmommy2010 said:
Thanks everyone! We decided on a 2010 Honda Civic, new...got $1,300 marked off the sticker price (not much, but still lol) with a .9% interest rate! :) we did opt for the extra coverage because it didn't make the monthly payments go up TOO bad, but covers the car till after it's paid off. For an extra $70 a month the interior (seats, carpet, dashboard, door panels, etc.) are covered for stains and will be reupholstered for no extra charge (for 7 years, car will be paid off in 5), the exterior paint is covered from wheather, bird poop, acid rain, the salt in the air (we live coastally and the salt in the air ruined my Jetta's paint job!) so they will repaint it for no extra charge, we won't have to wax it for the first 6 years, we can take it once a year to get the outside detailed...the warranty is good for 8 years/100,000 miles instead of 3 years/35,000...if they take it into the shop for any of these reasons they will pay for the rental car, like i'm taking it in friday to get all the PermaPlateing done (for the stains and such) and they are going to pay for me to have a rental car for the day!...if we break down over 100 miles from home they will pay for our exspenses $100 a day for 3 days, and they are going to change my oil for 5 years....what we liked the most is all the extra coverage after the car is paid off...so that way if the interior is all dirty and won't come clean we can reupholster it and when we trade it in we will get a better deal....all in all, we are really excited about it...runs great, gets about the same gas mileage as my jetta, if not better...and feels a lot safer to drive our baby around in!
i really appreciate all the help from everyone! thank you! :)

also, other than the deal, we chose a Honda because:
1. My sister loves hers, my friends love theirs, we loved this car more than the Carolla.
2. I've read a lot of good reviews on them, and they are supposed to be really safe. (we have a baby so that is important)
3. It has a lot of room, my honey (who is kind of tall) isn't crammed in the front seat because a rear facing car seat takes up a lot of room. In the Jetta he had to almost have his knee's in the dash.
4. Decent gas mileage.
5. We don't care if it's fun to drive, we want something reliable. But it is fun to drive ;)
6. It had a good interior color, the Carolla was beige and I didn't want that at all. lol
Click to expand...
Are you going to pack kid/s around in a car?

IMHO, a mini van with sliding side doors are the bees knees for mothers.
 
Bignate603

Bignate603

Lifer
Sep 5, 2000
13,897
1
0
Congrats on the car but paying $70 a month for upholstery and paint protection is very steep. You said you're paying for the car over 5 years so you are paying over $4,000 dollars total for that. You could pay for the car to get professionally cleaned, detailed, and waxed multiple times a year and still have money left over to pay a professional to deal with any stains or problems with the interior.
 
alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
I swear I read this same post before with a handle like newmommy somewhere else over a year ago.
 
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