New? Car

[dagibbs]

It just might be time to think about replacing my car. There's a few things wrong with it right now -- all fixable, but some could be costly. I'm thinking I could hit the $2000-4000 range. (Something in the rear suspension, power-steering, tires are old, windshield is cracked, I think the brakes are drifting to needing overhaul, etc.)

There are advantages to new, and advantages to used. One of the big advantages to new is getting the car I want -- in particular there just aren't as many manual transmission cars on the used markets as there are automatic.

I would, once again, be looking for a small, 4-door, manual vehicle with moderate conveniences at a not-too-bad price. (I do really appreciate remote entry/exit, and power windows for the front seats are quite handy -- I like to be able to raise/lower the passenger window easily even if I don't have a passenger, and power-mirror adjust is, also, really handy for the passenger-side mirror.)

Comments

[horsetraveller.livejournal.com]

You want to pay $2000-4000 for a car? You'll have to go used. :)

Anyway, it doesn't matter if there are "fewer" manual cars for sale used; you only want one right?

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I may have been unclear -- I was not planning or expecting to pay 2-4K for a car, just that is what repairs to my current one are looking to be... so that is high enough that it might be the trigger for going shopping.

If buying used, I might be looking at 2-3 years old, and 10-12K. If new...maybe 15-20K. But, that's completely unresearched as to current car prices.

[horsetraveller.livejournal.com]

I was teasing. You won't get a diesel Jetta for those prices but a nice Toyota might be in that range.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Ah, wasn't quite sure...

A nice Toyota, maybe a Honda, or even Hyundai.

[elizilla]

I got a nice Subaru for a little under that range, but I was looking at 5 year old cars. And I probably didn't shop hard enough - I had to do some things to it. New tires, a replacement seat heater, etc. Hopefully now it will be good for some years without more work, though.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking I'd like new or nearly new, rather than older.

[notsoholygrail.livejournal.com]

If you want a car that is guaranteed to be good quality without thinking too much about price, buy a bmw m3. I think they start fairly expensive(53kish+), but I don't really know how high you want to go. If that isnt an option, Japanese cars tend to be of very good quality and are about half the price of any 4door bmw fully loaded(the honda accord(Jazz for a smaller version but still 4 door) or a mazda 6 would be my choice, the VW passat would be my non japanese choice).

Honestly though, I would look into leasing. Cars are built these days to last about 5 years before needing significant repairs, and good resale value is really hard to find. find a good 4 year lease might mean you're attached at the hip to your dealer for a lot of things, but the internet has solved the problem of finding a dealer that will treat you like a human being. Also, because we live in canada, damage to a car you have a significant investment in is going to be a fact of life. handing it back to the dealer after your contract up for them to deal with is pretty convenient imo(barring serious problems that were caused by you).

Anyway, just a thought. If you want to go cheaper still, korean cars are becoming popular for a reason(hyundai particularly), but interior quality and things like space might start to become an issue.

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

I've driven the Korean cars, and I don't think much of them.

I'm pretty happy with the Mazda 3, and I know it comes in manual and has the features you want. It's 3 years old, and hasn't given me any significant trouble yet. The pricing was very good, and I think I did okay in the negotiations; I figure they made a few hundred bucks on me.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

I've driven some of the Korean cars, and not had an issue with them. Not the bottom end, but the next up. Generally better than the USan ones.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

BMW is WAY out of the price range I'm willing to spring for. It isn't that I couldn't afford it -- I expect I could -- but I'd rather spend that money on other things.

From the reading I've done, leasing is generally not worth it unless you can write it off as a tax deduction for business purposes.

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

Leasing is a better deal than buying a new car every 3-4 years. It is a worse deal than keeping a car 7+ years I'm sure. Breakeven is probably much closer to 4 years than any longer.

I think you want the Mazdaspeed3. Manual only, turbo, tons of fun. Alternately, Subaru WRX STI. In both cases, be very very careful about buying a used car with a turbo. People who sell the often modified them and treated them rough.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

There's "want" and there's "want to choose to afford".

I don't tend to really look that much for performance in my car -- I get that on two wheels.

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

I've actually been starting to wonder about Buick for my next car (a ways off, I'm only at 2.5 years from new now). Apparently they've put a lot of effort into comfort and noise reduction, which is intangible on a spec sheet but would make a big difference to me now.

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

That's something that would be more noticeable in a test drive. I hadn't heard that, but could be nice.

[elizilla]

Well, you have gotten to drive the automatic version of just about every recent vintage car in this category. Which one made you say "Oooh, I like this, if only it were a manual"?

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Actually, I generally end up getting a higher-end vehicle as a rental than I'm likely to buy. Our base rental is a bit above the minimum, and I often get upgraded a bit, as well, cause I'm a pretty frequent renter.

Most of them have been "ok".

[tanac.livejournal.com]

Just went through all of this a year ago; had "under 15K" as my window, which left me without a whole lot of options (Ford focus, possibly the Mazda thingy but I don't like Mazdas), Nissan Versa.

Based on evaluations and reviews, and on my own test driving, I got the Versa. Manual, power package (power windows and mirrors, yay!), boring color (silver). I've been very happy with it (and it handled my accident quite nicely) and it's yet to give me a lick of trouble.

My biggest complaint is that it's a bit light- so I get blown around a fair bit when it's windy. But my gas mileage is quite nice. (usu around 33mpg, mostly highway driving).

[dagibbs.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the feedback.

I ride a motorcycle, so getting blown around isn't that unusual a thing for me.