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Author Topic: Used Cars.  (Read 8755 times)

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RMJ12345

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Used Cars.
« on: April 16, 2007, 03:02:13 am »
I have $7K-$8K to spend on a used car, but I have no idea how I should go about spending that money. I want a Honda Accord like I had growing up, but I know that's probably out of my range.

Can I trust sites like CarMax? Are they easy to deal with? Where should I get insurance?

I want something that won't break down and will last me a while, with good gas mileage. And I would like manual transmission, though that's negotiable. The rest is just gravy.

I am completely lost as to what I should do. What cars age well? I don't know.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2007, 03:06:08 am by RMJ12345 »
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KeithHernandez

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Re: Used Cars.
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2007, 03:05:50 am »
Like any small Honda or Toyota that has been treated decent from the last 15 years.

I like the last body model (i think, maybe second to last) Honda Prelude quite a lot.  I have a newer Toyota though.  It only cost me about 5k more than you have to spend (new), so i am sure you can find a decent one for relatively cheap. 

Edit:  Here is the Honda I was talking about:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:2001-10-23_NikonE880_dscn1909.jpg

Edit, again:  http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-CAR-DEALER-TRADE-ONE-OWNER-SMOKE-FREE_W0QQitemZ320103739628QQihZ011QQcategoryZ6259QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That is a pretty good one, just to give you an idea.  It has 115,000 miles, and you can probably expect 200-250,000 with a car like this.  Other advice:  don't buy it on ebay.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2007, 03:16:14 am by KeithHernandez »
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pmcd9

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Re: Used Cars.
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2007, 03:08:16 am »
I have a Toyota Echo that gets 35 mpg, is sporty and comfortable.  It has 100 k miles and has never given any trouble whatsoever.  I think I paid $8500 for it.
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littlefallsmets

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Re: Used Cars.
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2007, 03:38:15 am »
A... college student has eight grand to spend on a used car and I barely have three to do the same.

Don't try to get into film, kids.

It is like going to grad school, only you don't even get a piece of paper at the end of the deal.
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RMJ12345

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Re: Used Cars.
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2007, 03:44:05 am »
Quote from: littlefallsmets on April 16, 2007, 03:38:15 am
A... college student has eight grand to spend on a used car and I barely have three to do the same.

My parents are SERIOUSLY generous. I don't know what happened to them. They used to be very kind of stingy with us, and then I got to be college age, and they're like "Here. We're going to pay for $15K-$20+K of your schooling every year and then all this other shit on top of it!" The only stipulations are staying out of trouble and excellent grades. I have actually been a pretty good kid since I got to college - my parents always secretly wanted an overachiever, and now they finally have one!

They're very nice. I love them. But they spoil me.

ETA: So, I should still consider Hondas/Toyotas if they have upwards of 80K miles on them? I generally thought that I should look for cars that have a low number of miles on them.
« Last Edit: April 16, 2007, 03:47:18 am by RMJ12345 »
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KeithHernandez

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Re: Used Cars.
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2007, 03:51:53 am »
Well, I mean, obviously you want the smallest amount of miles, I just wouldn't completely rule out one with around 100.000, if it is in good shape and a better deal/ nicer car,etc.  You probably shouldn't go higher than 100,000 for sure.  I just found a car really quickly with around 100000 miles, so I wasn't trying to say anything like that, or whatever.
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robot_god

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Re: Used Cars.
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2007, 04:33:17 am »
Quote from: RMJ12345 on April 16, 2007, 03:44:05 am
ETA: So, I should still consider Hondas/Toyotas if they have upwards of 80K miles on them? I generally thought that I should look for cars that have a low number of miles on them.

Yeah, especially if they're not too old.
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slink

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Re: Used Cars.
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2007, 04:28:50 pm »
I've got a Nissan that I was damn lucky to get with about 50k on the clock. It's now up to about 74k but is still going fairly strong. The one downside to a car this age is that just about every time it needs an MOT and tax I have to fix something on it... But finding an ex fleet car can be ideal, as they tend to sell them off cheap before they've done that many miles.
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theinevitable

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Re: Used Cars.
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2007, 07:38:57 pm »
dang. The concept of one day needing to buy a car is upsetting to me. The summer after this one, when both my brother and I will be driving (right now he's 15) and competing for the use of the same car... will suck.
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RMJ12345

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Re: Used Cars.
« Reply #9 on: April 17, 2007, 12:00:15 am »
Quote from: theinevitable on April 16, 2007, 07:38:57 pm
dang. The concept of one day needing to buy a car is upsetting to me. The summer after this one, when both my brother and I will be driving (right now he's 15) and competing for the use of the same car... will suck.

Watch out for little brothers. I would be happily tooling around in a 1989 Accord with ~115k on it, but it is dead after a year with my brother.
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Nabubrush

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Re: Used Cars.
« Reply #10 on: May 02, 2007, 03:35:44 am »
I've got a '99 Chevy Silverado, 70k miles, 4x4, $2500 in aftermarket stereo equipment - you can have that for $8000.

After you buy it, I'm going to get me one of these. I can't wait.
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linnea

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Getting a vehicle...Advice?
« Reply #11 on: July 04, 2007, 01:22:12 am »
Okay party people. Advice time. I just moved back to Denver, a place where having a reliable car is a must.

I have enough to put about $2K down on a vehicle, and financing should permit me to get a car for about $10K total. Of course, if it's financed I would have to have full auto insurance on it. Boo to that. Anyway, I hear good things about vehicles made by Toyota. I would like to buy a used Toyota with reasonable mileage (say, fewer than 70K). For reasons known only to him, my dad thinks that I should buy a 2006 Chevy Cobalt. I am heavily inclined to ignore his advice and get the Camry or similar. I mean... a low-end vehicle that's a relatively new model year? I don't think a Cobalt would be a very good choice. My dad drives a relatively new Chevy Silverado, and he bought his wife a 2006 Toyota Rav4 when it was new. Then again, one of my good friends bought a Ford Focus brand new in 2003, and she's had pretty good luck with it. I guess that a Cobalt is in the same class as a Focus.

Do you guys have any advice? I've never bought a vehicle from a dealer before, just bought them from people I knew. I have only owned three vehicles in my lifetime. In chronological order: 1988 Nissan Stanza, 1993 Buick, 1986 1/2 Nissan Pathfinder.  I've looked at a lot of vehicles from craigslist and a lot of them are from small, sketchy-looking dealerships. Basically I am not sure what to do.
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KeithHernandez

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Re: Getting a vehicle...Advice?
« Reply #12 on: July 04, 2007, 01:37:29 am »
If you go at the right time of year you could probably get like a Toyota Corolla for a little over 10k.  That was back in 03, though, when I last looked at cars.

You can get a really nice used Honda or Toyota for 10k, and that is what I would do. 
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AugustWest

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Re: Getting a vehicle...Advice?
« Reply #13 on: July 04, 2007, 04:54:29 am »
I wouldn't call a Camry a "low-end" vehicle.  Not luxury, but not a shitbox either. 

Also, do you need a car that big?  I think you can get a new Yaris for about 11K.
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linnea

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Re: Getting a vehicle...Advice?
« Reply #14 on: July 04, 2007, 05:28:06 am »
Quote from: AugustWest on July 04, 2007, 04:54:29 am
I wouldn't call a Camry a "low-end" vehicle.  Not luxury, but not a shitbox either. 

Also, do you need a car that big?  I think you can get a new Yaris for about 11K.

I'm sorry, I was referring to the Cobalt as a "low end vehicle" that's a relatively new model. The Camry has been around for a long time and it's a relatively nice sedan. No offense to the Camry.

The Yaris is really cute... I'm not sure about getting a new model though...the Consumer Reports seem to have bad things to say about new models.
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