POLL: Help me pick my first car ATOT!

[OREOSpeedwagon]

I've got two choices for a first car. A 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited or a 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. The Grand Cherokee has 72k miles on it. It's beautiful, its got leather interior, great sound system and about everything someone could ask for in a vehicle besides the sunroof. The guy is selling it for $8000 but I would ask if he could take $7500 for it. It's a V8 so it only gets 14 mpg I would go 50/50 on the payments with my parents so that would be around $100 or so a month on my part, and I have to pay for insurance and gas as well. I only make about $280 a month so it would take up pretty much all of my money, I would have to save everything else I make because if something on it needed repaired I have to pay for it. Option #2 is to go with the 1995 Oldsmobile. It's got almost 150k miles on it but only 40k on the engine. It gets great gas mileage and is in decent shape. This is my dad's car right now and they would be giving it to me for free and my mom said they would continue to pay insurance on it if I take it. So basically all I would have to pay for is gas, whatever I wanted to do it, repairs, and oil changes. I would much rather have the Grand Cherokee but I also have to consider I will be paying $100 + insurance on it until I'm 20 (16 now). I'm really not sure which to do, the Grand Cherokee would obviously be a much better vehicle for me to drive and I could haul around my guitar equipment in it. However, I would be spending $20 a week on gas at least with the Grand Cherokee, and $20 every other week or so with the Cutlass Ciera.

Cliff notes for people who don't want to read the whole thing:

1995 Grand Cherokee Limited with 72k miles on it, leather/cd/everything else pretty much, V8 with 14 mpg, go 50/50 with my parents and pay my own insurance.
or
1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with 150k miles on it but only 40k on the engine, free from my parents, they will continue paying insurance on it, great gas mileage and all I have to pay is gas/repairs/oil changes.

 

[minendo]

This is a no brainer.

$280/month Income
-$100/month car payment
-$80/month gas


That leaves you with $100/month for insurance, upkeep, and extra cash. Good luck with that.

 

[Lithium381]

go with the jeep

 

[Lithium381]

Originally posted by: Lithium381
go with the jeep

let me rephrase that, the jeep would be a much better car, but given your options unfortunatly it's as said, a nobrainer

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: minendo
This is a no brainer.

I agree. Jeeps suck.

 

[conjur]

If you get the Jeep, start socking money away for the transmission rebuild you'll need at about 100k miles.

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

Originally posted by: conjur
If you get the Jeep, start socking money away for the transmission rebuild you'll need at about 100k miles.

so the transmissions aren't very reliable on grand cherokees? i had my dad's friend check it out and he said the transmissions in them were pretty reliable.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Are you crazy? A free car versus a 7.5K car? Not to mention MUCH better mileage, no insurance, all you have to pay for repairs and gas.

Oh yeah, think of the extra money you'll have too to spend on other stuff.

 

[Gravity]

Jeepage. Buicks have been known to cause male pattern baldness, excessive flatulence and premature aging.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

If I was in your situation, the free car. Oh yeah, and then, your parents won't bug you till you die if something ever goes wrong with your car. If you get the Jeep and say something goes wrong costing $1k or so, you'll be out of luck until you can save that much money. I would HIGHLY reccomend taking the free car.

With the extra money, you'll be more relaxed with payments and you'll have money to buy things for the car with if you really want to.

 

[SSP]

I'd take the free car. Free is good, plus more money left over for other stuff.

 

[Eli]

Are you insane? Don't buy the 7500$ Jeep. :Q

 

[huesmann]

What's with everyone voting for the gas hog?

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: huesmann
What's with everyone voting for the gas hog?

You using the "new" math?

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: OREOSpeedwagon

Originally posted by: conjur
If you get the Jeep, start socking money away for the transmission rebuild you'll need at about 100k miles.

so the transmissions aren't very reliable on grand cherokees? i had my dad's friend check it out and he said the transmissions in them were pretty reliable.

Transmissions aren't reliable on ANY Chrysler/Jeep built in the 90s.

 

[Jombo]

man, this looked like a lsat essay question..

i'd say take the old car until it dies on you, by then you should have more moeny saved up to get a better car.

how funny, you know you want the jeep, but it's hard to justify eh? if you had to justify all that to get a new car that you really like, maaaaybe, but you have too many if's to deal with the jeep purchase.

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

Originally posted by: Jombo
man, this looked like a lsat essay question..

i'd say take the old car until it dies on you, by then you should have more moeny saved up to get a better car.

how funny, you know you want the jeep, but it's hard to justify eh? if you had to justify all that to get a new car that you really like, maaaaybe, but you have too many if's to deal with the jeep purchase.

thats exactly how i feel. I know the Jeep would be a cooler vehicle, but I'd have to spend everything I have to have it. If I'd want to take a trip to Bloomington or Indianapolis (a couple of cities here in good ol indiana), a trip to bloomington would cost $10.50 in gas in the jeep, $4.50 in the car. Plus, a month after I get the jeep something could go wrong with it and I would be stuck since all I would have would be $15 at most extra per month

 

[JBT]

Wups take a vote from the Jeep I didn't read ur post first haha TAKE the FREE car. Cars are the worst money pits there are if u get get a free one take it. this way you can actually do fun stuff instead of always complaining about being broke.

 

[PCMarine]

Take the olds for free, then sell it and buy something more cool?

 

[Eli]

If you insist on spending 7.5k on a car, you can do a LOT better than the Jeep.

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: OREOSpeedwagon

Originally posted by: Jombo
man, this looked like a lsat essay question..

i'd say take the old car until it dies on you, by then you should have more moeny saved up to get a better car.

how funny, you know you want the jeep, but it's hard to justify eh? if you had to justify all that to get a new car that you really like, maaaaybe, but you have too many if's to deal with the jeep purchase.

thats exactly how i feel. I know the Jeep would be a cooler vehicle, but I'd have to spend everything I have to have it. If I'd want to take a trip to Bloomington or Indianapolis (a couple of cities here in good ol indiana), a trip to bloomington would cost $10.50 in gas in the jeep, $4.50 in the car. Plus, a month after I get the jeep something could go wrong with it and I would be stuck since all I would have would be $15 at most extra per month

You must have some cheap insurance for your age then.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: Eli
If you insist on spending 7.5k on a car, you can do a LOT better than the Jeep.

Very true. Why is the Jeep your only option besides the cutlass?

 

[KokomoGST]

Definitely no-brainer... save so that you can purchase a car for yourself later. Insurance can kill you pretty bad since you're still young.

There are better cars to buy out there than a Jeep for that much money.

 

[OREOSpeedwagon]

Originally posted by: minendo

Originally posted by: OREOSpeedwagon

Originally posted by: Jombo
man, this looked like a lsat essay question..

i'd say take the old car until it dies on you, by then you should have more moeny saved up to get a better car.

how funny, you know you want the jeep, but it's hard to justify eh? if you had to justify all that to get a new car that you really like, maaaaybe, but you have too many if's to deal with the jeep purchase.

thats exactly how i feel. I know the Jeep would be a cooler vehicle, but I'd have to spend everything I have to have it. If I'd want to take a trip to Bloomington or Indianapolis (a couple of cities here in good ol indiana), a trip to bloomington would cost $10.50 in gas in the jeep, $4.50 in the car. Plus, a month after I get the jeep something could go wrong with it and I would be stuck since all I would have would be $15 at most extra per month

You must have some cheap insurance for your age then.

The guy that is selling the Jeep is my coworker and said what he did with his daughter is go to a complete different insurance company and tell them he needs insurance on a car so that way he doesn't have to list her as a primary driver for any of their 5 cars. they pay $350 a year for full coverage for her. i'm not expecting it to be that cheap but i think it should be around $100 or so..

 

[Shawn]

cutlass