Plan B

[bertine]

I forgot to mention this when I posted about Zach not going into the Army. I have decided to still get a new car. If Hoopty hadn't been such a cheap car to start with or if he hadn't been hit by a bus and ran over a pipe on the interstate requiring a new oil pan thingy put in I might kept him. However, I am ready for a car that doesn't feel like it is about to fall apart at any moment.

I am pretty sure I am going to get a used car, one that is just a couple years old. However, I have no idea how to do this at all. I bought Hoopty from a friend of mine and this is the only car I have ever owned. I don't really think I have ever been to a car lot before. Any advice? Anyone want to go test drive a car with me? Any car suggestions? I like Sedans, I am thinking about the Mazda 6 but that isn't really based on anything.

Comments

[bubblemonkey.livejournal.com]

I found my car through one of those car sites online (can't remember which one now). It was used but had only 900 miles on it. Apparently some couple went out and each bought a car on the same day and ended up trading in my car. I bought it simply because I liked the way it looked and was lucky that it turned out to be a pretty good car (a Scion xA).

[saphirepassion.livejournal.com]

I really like my 2005 Subaru Outback!

[sterlingphoenix.livejournal.com]

I looooooove going to car dealerships. They like trying to play all these mind-games on you and it REALLY freaks them out when you turn the tables and mess with them.

I need to go get an oil change soon and I'm probably going to use this golden opportunity to mess with some sales people, who have been calling me and saying I should replace my ancient (read: one year old) car with a BRAND NEW CAR for THE SAME MONTHLY PAYMENT. Course when they drag me in there it'll be the same, you know, manufacturer, not the same MODEL, oh and I may as well get the LEATHER TRIM and the NAVIGATION SYSTEM and that'll cost more sure but JUST LOOK AT IT etc.

Course me going in there for an oil change breaks their thing where I made a special trip, and me yelling at them for the computer that runs the hybrid battery needing a firmware upgrade FOUR TIMES since I got the thing breaks their Being On The Winning Side thing.

Also, and this will be MUCH easier for you - when you sit down, be taller than them. They HATE that.

Also, you can get a new car. You're being shafted either way, you may as well get shafted with something that has a 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty.

Get a Prius. You know you want to.

I kinda wish Saturn were still around - their sales people really WERE different than anywhere else.

Also have you been watching Doctor Who? Cause, damn.

[bertine.livejournal.com]

I have been thinking about getting a new one but I don't know. Sigh. It is too much thinking.

I have been watching. I am sort of unimpressed. I don't know why.

[sterlingphoenix.livejournal.com]

Well, a full warranty on a car is really important to me. Seriously, if ANYTHING happens to my car, they have to fix it for free. And having a semi-new technology car, that's come in VERY handy. Plus any modern car is more computers than anything and nobody really knows what the hell is going on with them. So I like warranties (:

I'm actually really really liking this season. I wasn't sure at first cause I thought Steven Moffat was just trying to scare the hell out of me. But then they had a lot of subtle stuff, and then they had that one scene in the angel show with the hey-you're-not-the-same-doctor-are-you thing.

[bertine.livejournal.com]

My only concern about a new car is that I live in a pretty crappy neighborhood with no garage.

I haven't noticed the subtle stuff, which is why I haven't been commenting on it. I usually like Steven Moffat's writing but I haven't been in the right mindset to really watch them.

[sterlingphoenix.livejournal.com]

It's not like you're thinking of getting a Jaguar or something. And apparently nobody steals car radios anymore because there's no money in it.

You've not been in the right mindset for months??? You should hold off on watching it for a bit. And then rewatch it (:

[jonthedull.livejournal.com]

If you look at Consumer Reports to see their opinion on a car, keep in mind that the results can be a bit odd. For example they gave different reliability rating for the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Charger even though they both use the same engines, and transmissions and other components from the same factories.

Also... if you are thinking of a car, like the Mazda 6 for example, read the message boards of some websites aimed at Mazda owners/fans. A lot of info may be crap, but you can find out good info. I learned quite a bit about common issues with Smart cars before I got mine.

[scentedwoods.livejournal.com]

Take the emotion out. If you don't have emotions about the car it's 100 times easier.

Research the car to death. Pick what you want to pay. Pick what features you can afford for that. Figure out what a true fair trade for hoopty is (answer, pretty low, really.)

I've used the web sites to find the car that fits my research parameters and then go to the dealership. When you sit down with a check in hand and say "I will buy a car right now if you can meet my (reasonable) requests" you will get a car.

It also helps if you've found two versions of the car that you want so you know in the back of your mind that this is not the only one because NO car is the only one.

p.s. I love my Mazda Protege.

[bertine.livejournal.com]

I am selling Hoopty to my cousin, so I am not even trading him in. A eleven year old car with 120,000 miles isn't worth much anyways.

[jayp39.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't buy a used car from a dealership, based on my experience.

The dealer probably doesn't know anything at all about how the car was treated, chances are they bought it at auction anyway, but they'll make something up for you. A person selling their car is far less likely to lie about it and even if they do, they're far less likely to be a good liar, and buying directly is usually significantly cheaper as well. The downside is that it takes way longer to find a car.

In my case I got a 2005 Scion xB - the special limited edition one that they only made 2500 of. It's hideous, but I don't much care how my car looks, and the owner had a really hard time selling it, so I got an amazing deal...about $1800 off the blue book value. I had also been saving up for a couple years while driving my extremely shitty $800 Pontiac 6000 around, so I was able to buy it with cash, which both helped get the price down and not having car payments is freaking awesome.

I'm a big fan of hatchbacks, they are way more utilitarian than sedans in my opinion, even if the cargo area is about the same, the usable space is much greater in a hatchback. The Scion xA is a cute, zippy little car that gets great mileage (as is the Toyota Yaris hatchback), and the Scion xB is tiny on the outside and huge on the inside, not quite as zippy because it has worse aerodynamics, is heavier, and has the same engine as the xA and Yaris.

If you do decide to go with a new car, the barebones, stick version of the Yaris with no upgrades is ridiculously cheap for a new car (or was ~6 months ago).

[remembering.livejournal.com]

Get the Car Fax or whatever for the history information! I learned the hard way :(

Also you might want to consider getting a new car. My payments aren't killer and I have a warranty.

[phoenixredux.livejournal.com]

Good idea there. I think springbok1 had some extra Carfax reports that she was offering to friends who need them.

[damncutekitty.livejournal.com]

I will go car shopping with you. I like car shopping. Mostly for the test drives.

I have really started to like driving the hour cars. They are Priuses and they are super cool. I have driven a Mazda 6 before. They are awesome.

[polyranger.livejournal.com]

When you find one you like, let me know. My brother Dave is a automotive technician and he does side work. If you take it to him, he will be completely honest with you and not try to convince you one way or the other.

[phoenixredux.livejournal.com]

Hey, tell me about your old car. Year/make/model/mileage/features/bugs/price/pics if you have them. I have a friend whose car just died, and he needs a newer Hooptymobile. He was thinking about buying my Subaru, but he's too slow and missed out.