Car Advice

[RacerX]

I was about to say that same thing! Mercedes targeted for America are made in Mexico. Two BMW's are made in America and Seven different "Japanese" cars are made in America!!! So I think they are all American cars.

 

[_AJ_]

I was about to say that same thing! Mercedes targeted for America are made in Mexico. Two BMW's are made in America and Seven different "Japanese" cars are made in America!!! So I think they are all American cars.

oh well guess your screwed then

those cars in australia are not made in america
either europe or japan

 

[okstatecowboy]

A 1996 is a "ghost" ??? I'm driving a 1993 Acura Integra with 156,000 miles with the original clutch and engine. I've been broken down once on the side of I-5 and had to replace the radiator. The timing belt was changed at the appropriate timing. I've blown a tire once on the road and of course had a number of new tires on the car. She runs perfectly. I'm the original owner.

My honest opinon: Don't buy a new car. If you can afford a car payment, I'd vote for a Honda or an Acura - I've owned a Honda before this and their reliability has been amazing. I guess when I look at new cars, I just don't see them as being worth having a car payment.

Edit: I generally like all the comments about japanese cars, and someone commented that Honda Accords hold their value nicely - I think this is really true. You'll pay a little more than maybe you would for a kia but it's probably worth it.

"Ghost" is just my nickname for it. It's got a white exterior with a light grey interior. And I'm known for driving shall we say "over the limit." All people see is a quick "ghostly" image before I pass them.

mikey

 

[okstatecowboy]

Hey Dude! Fellow teacher here, and car adicted afficianado. Well, main addiction, guys . . . then there's al . . . forget it.owyou gotta tell us what the climate, your needs ( hauling, commuting, long distance traveling needs/ or town runabout,
and approximately what you want to spend.

Okay, Here's a little more detail. I live in Liberal, KS, which is in the SW corner of the state. Winter's are a pain because my duplex doesn't have a garage (garages cause the rentals to start @$700). So I'd love something that I can click a button and have it start automatically to begin warming up.

Basically, I just need something to get me to/from work and to my weekly Wal-mart run. I don't haul anything except my 80 lb dog to the vet every six minths. Occassionally, I like to make the 3 1/2 hour trip to Wichita or the 2 1/2 hour trip to Amarillo.

As far as costs, the less expensive the better (under $20,000). When I checked the major auto makers sites, I kinda liked the Dodge Caliber, Pontiac Vibe. The Fords and Chevys were out of my price range. I haven't started looking at the so-called forgeign makers yet.

mikey

 

[Zeremonie]

"Ghost" is just my nickname for it. It's got a white exterior with a light grey interior. And I'm known for driving shall we say "over the limit." All people see is a quick "ghostly" image before I pass them.

mikey

Okay then here's another car tip from me: If you're one who thinks of the little speed limit signs as just 'suggestions' be sure you buy a small white car. I've often heard it said that little white cars are the hardest ones for police radars to detect - it's a faint blip compared to like the strong blip of a larger darker car.

 

[okstatecowboy]

^^ I've grown up a lot since those days. I kinda like the orange colors I'm seeing on the various sites, reminds me of my OSU days -us cowboys bleed orange!

I do thank everyone for their suggestions. Before I can do anything, I have to wait until the bankruptcy is over and discharged (hence the 3-4 months away). Until then, I'll keep looking and revising my criteria until I know exactly what I want and how much it should set me back.

mikey

 

[metta]

Okay then here's another car tip from me: If you're one who thinks of the little speed limit signs as just 'suggestions' be sure you buy a small white car. I've often heard it said that little white cars are the hardest ones for police radars to detect - it's a faint blip compared to like the strong blip of a larger darker car.

that is me...me...me. And my current car is white and a smaller model, and no tickets in it as of yet. hmmm...

 

[thermodynamics]

that means he cant buy a honda accord or a toyota camry, both are made in america.

That has changed recently.

This is straight from the CarTalk guys from a couple of shows ago...Japanese cars used to be more reliable than their American counterparts, but in the last 3-5 years that has changed. The Japanese have gotten worse, and the Americans have figured out that they have to provide reliable vehicles or lose marketshare to the Japanese.

So the word on the street is that it's now a dead heat.

Plus, there are American auto dealers in just about every small town in the US, so if something does go wrong, you're not too far from help.

Buying a car is such a personal decision that I'm not even going to recommend anything. Go for what you like, and don't let anyone talk you into something you don't want.

 

[MidnightPrism]

Since you already have experience with a Neon... take a look at the car that replaced it. The Dodge Caliber .. Starts around $15K

 

[GL]

Mikey, take a look around and see if there is going to be a new car show in your area. We just had ours last weekend where all the dealers in town displayed just about every model they sold to the public. It's a great way to see what is available on the market without the hard sell you might get if you just drove up to the dealership.

 

[duroc5088]

The best advice I can give you is to follow my plan.

i will figure out what kind of monthly payment I can easily afford. and then figure out what kind of car i can get for that much a month financed for two years. The fact is that if you finance a car for or than two years you will always bee upside down on it. Sure you can get a nicer car if you finance fro a longer time. but you will be upside down from day one.

My current truck I financed $4500 for two years at $210 a month. The truck has not decreased in value and is about three months from being paid off. So I have a lot of equity in my truck if I decide to trade it in.

Dirk

 

[okstatecowboy]

Since you already have experience with a Neon... take a look at the car that replaced it. The Dodge Caliber .. Starts around $15K

That's the one I've been looking at this weekend. I figure over Christmas break, I can start visiting some car lots and do some test drives to see what i think of some of them.

mikey

 

[okstatecowboy]

The best advice I can give you is to follow my plan.

i will figure out what kind of monthly payment I can easily afford. and then figure out what kind of car i can get for that much a month financed for two years. The fact is that if you finance a car for or than two years you will always bee upside down on it. Sure you can get a nicer car if you finance fro a longer time. but you will be upside down from day one.

My current truck I financed $4500 for two years at $210 a month. The truck has not decreased in value and is about three months from being paid off. So I have a lot of equity in my truck if I decide to trade it in.

Dirk

Thanks Dirk. That's kinda what I am looking at doing. My family said they'd help with partial payment, so I'm looking at how much I can afford to pay for roughly 36 months or so.

mikey

 

[okstatecowboy]

Mikey, take a look around and see if there is going to be a new car show in your area. We just had ours last weekend where all the dealers in town displayed just about every model they sold to the public. It's a great way to see what is available on the market without the hard sell you might get if you just drove up to the dealership.

Thanks Dan. I hadn't thought about a car show. I'll keep my eyes/ears open.

mikey

 

[okstatecowboy]

Plus, there are American auto dealers in just about every small town in the US, so if something does go wrong, you're not too far from help.

Very true in my neck of the woods. In my town of 20,000, we have 3 chevy and ford dealers, and 2 Dodge and GM dealers. And the various mechanics in town are leery of working on foreign sounding cars.

mikey

 

[1st love ron]

The truck has not decreased in value and is about three months from being paid off. Dirk

Really.....?

What make and model is it?

 

[Riverrick]

I don't know what the figures are but a new car usually loses a substantial amount of value when you drive it out of the dealer's lot. That's because it then becomes "used" and is priced accordingly.

So you might want to look for a car that is a year old and save some money rather than buy it new. Just a strategy to consider.

 

[Ontariobear]

The Pontiac Vibe is a twin of a Toyota so you get reliability. Haven't heard anything good about the Caliber. Buying a new model in the first year of its life means you have no reliability info and Chrysler isn't that great overall.

 

[okstatecowboy]

The Pontiac Vibe is a twin of a Toyota so you get reliability. Haven't heard anything good about the Caliber. Buying a new model in the first year of its life means you have no reliability info and Chrysler isn't that great overall.

The rental car I currently have is a Vibe. Of course is tricked out to the max, but I could see myself in a less fancy version of it. It's got the height and feel of a small SUV, which I like. Someone earlier mentioned that issue earlier in the thread.

The Neons are notorious for having issues each year of their production. Mine has the "squeeky brake sybndrome." The brakes squeek regularly, for no reason -they've been checked and re-checked.

I still have plenty of time to research and save up before I invest.

mikey

 

[_AJ_]

it would be easier for me to give advice on cars if you dident live in another country
if you were here and wanted a family sized car i could reccomend this

or a smaller suv this

and for small cars this

or this

unfortunatly none are avaliable in the USA