Car shopping advise!

[Sapphire Silk]

I love Hondas. I haven't had a bad experience yet with one. I'd recommend another Civic, maybe an Accord if you can afford one.

A Toyota Camry might also be a good choice.

Manual transmissions are getting harder to find. Honda Fits have them, but they're kinda small. Smaller pickups have them as well; you can get full cabs with four doors. Toyota makes a good low end pickup with four doors (full and half cab) that you might like, though gas mileage wouldn't be as good as a Civic or a Camry.

[mathnerd]

I don't know that I can afford a used Civic, considering how much my old one sold for (and how fast it sold. This thing had a laundry list of mechanical issues, and while it would start, it wouldn't run for very long, and had substantial body damage. It still sold for $1000 in 83 minutes.

I'm definitely going to give Hyundai a much closer look.

[fireheart]

If you can get them in the US, Corollas are also a good choice. From what I've heard, they're the Nokia 3310's of the car world

I currently drive a 2001 Holden Barina.

[wolfie]

One thing I forgot to mention: does a full-size spare fit anywhere on either your "must have" or "nice to have" lists?

'96-00 Elantra Wagon will take a full-size spare. You'll need to do some surgery on the "hold-down" bolt (lengthen it slightly) for it to work with a full-size.

Elantra Touring will take a full-size spare if you take out one of the foam dividers under the trunk floor. Don't know about the bolt.

First-generation Tuscon will take a full-size spare. Unlike the "donut", which is stored "dish-down", a full-size needs to be stored "dish-up".

[Jester]

Until my mom stopped driving (she still can drive, she just lets my stepfather do all the driving these days, and they're both happier that way), she had a string of kick ass Corollas. It was about all she bought from '85 on. And if you're wondering why she had a string of them, it wasn't because of any problems with them. She'd just trade the older one in for a newer one. Toyotas in general are pretty much as kickass as Hondas. But keep in mind, most of them are going to come with automatic transmissions.

[mathnerd]

It was pointed out to me by several people that as much as I didn't want one, a minivan suited my needs much better. I have three kids who are teen/preteen age, one of whom uses a wheelchair. I also have a giant dog (mastiff) who loves to go on car rides.

So, the final decision, which was purchased today, is a 2005 Mazda MPV in absolutely pristine condition.

[Jester]

Mileage? Features? Downsides besides it not being the stick you wanted and it being a dreaded minivan?

[TheSHAD0W]

Minivan? Mileage is definitely not as good as a compact car, capacity is ENORMOUS, almost as good as a light pick-up truck and with better mileage. A minivan is what I drive myself.

Edit: I don't recommend buying one that was made prior to 2002. Some of the models had weak frames and would tend to fold up in a crash.

[protege]

Minivan? Mileage is definitely not as good as a compact car, capacity is ENORMOUS, almost as good as a light pick-up truck and with better mileage. A minivan is what I drive myself.

My parents had a minivan for awhile. They bought it for the hauling capacity not to mention the legroom. At the time, getting 3 kids in the back of a Volvo medium-sized station wagon was a bit tight. There simply wasn't anywhere to put my feet! The long-wheelbase Caravan that came swallowed it all--lumber, furniture, the huge 4x8 model display case, etc. Driving that thing was like driving an easy chair

[mathnerd]

Mileage? Features? Downsides besides it not being the stick you wanted and it being a dreaded minivan?

The Mazda doesn't have the bells and whistles that are present in other minivans of the same model year. It's also a bit smaller. On the plus side, the mileage is a bit higher because of it's lighter weight. I can't recall offhand exactly what it's supposed to get, but it's in the 20-something range. The engine is also pretty peppy, though it irritated me today when it didn't downshift when I wanted it to while climbing a substantial hill. It downshifted about 30 seconds after I would have done so manually, which irritated me. It also upshifts during acceleration later than I would want to, but I tend to baby transmissions and accelerate more slowly than most.


It does have some nifty features that I like. There are controls for the radio on the steering wheel, and the back windows are like regular windows, which roll down instead of being propped outward like in the old style minivans. The second row seating is captain's chairs, with armrests on both sides of each seat, which makes the boys happy. The third row is a bench which folds flush to the floorboard, making wheelchair storage easy. Also, if I go for a folding ramp, it will only cost about $1500 to buy the ramp and convert one of the captain's chairs to a wheelchair anchor space. The guy at the mobility shop informed me that this is one of the easiest vans to convert. If I go for a permanently mounted ramp, the cost goes up substantially, but a folding ramp will suit my needs.

There are some things I don't like. The biggest one (besides the transmission) is that there are no a/c vents in the back. That makes cooling it down a slower process, but not completely horrible. As I've been driving it the last 24 hours, I've found some minor mechanical issues, though nothing unexpected for a 9 year old vehicle. The only thing that needs attention right now is the brakes. It does need new front discs, but that's only $22 and a half hour of my time. I probably only have about 30k miles left on the timing belt, though it looks a hell of a lot easier to replace than the one in my old Civic. Also, I can't figure out if the alignment is ever so slightly off or if the steering is so sensitive that it's responding to the slope of the roads. Every once in a while it feels like it's pulling to the right, but then the roads seem to be sloping to the right hand shoulder when it feels like that.

It also doesn't have automatic doors. I like that feature in minivans, and this one doesn't have it. Other bells and whistles it doesn't have are USB ports of my iPhone, more than one cigarette lighter, and fewer cup holders than I'd like. As for the cup holders it does have, none are big enough for my coffee cup, which is a mason jar with a handle. That stinks, but I can live with it.

Back to the transmission; I'm having major issues adjusting. My left foot doesn't know what to do, and I keep forgetting I have to put the darned thing in park before I can turn the engine off. I've nearly hit the brakes a few times when maneuvering because my left foot instinctively moves to position itself to push in the clutch should it be necessary. I also frequently feel like a moron because I can't get the darned thing in the correct gear on the first try. It should be noted that while I have physically driven automatics, I've never actually owned one. I've only driven them if I was driving somebody else's car for whatever reason or if I've rented a car. This is the very first vehicle I've ever owned that isn't a stick. It's an adjustment for sure. I also hate the fact that it starts rolling forward on flat or even uphill roads the second I take my foot off the brake. I'm accustomed to it staying put or rolling backwards. The difference bothers me more than I realized it would.

On a positive note, the kids love the roominess. We went to the beach today with the dogs and everybody had plenty of space. That's a new thing. In spite of it's much larger size, it still has a pretty tight turning radius and parking it is pretty easy. I wasn't so much concerned about that, as I've driven much larger vehicles (including one try at a semi...a friend let me try to get his truck rolling while still on private property), so I knew the size wouldn't be an issue, but I was pleasantly surprised at how easily it handles.

Overall, I think it was the right choice. It wasn't everything I wanted, or anything I wanted really, but it's what I needed, and considering my pathetic budget, it's a pretty nice ride.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Back to the transmission; I'm having major issues adjusting..... bothers me more than I realized it would.

I've never owned one but I've worked places where they have automatics, and it is a challenge, but one you should adjust to most of it in about a month. You seem to travel a lot so I will share with you the biggest problem I have with automatics - the winter.

Every time I have been in the ditch bad enough to need a tow truck (about once every 4 years) it has been in an automatic that has just shifted up a gear when I wasn't expecting it, always as I crest the hill, and I lose some traction. Since when you take your foot off the gas the engine keeps pushing you it doesn't slow down going down a hill, and you can't hit the brake when you are already starting to lose traction! BAH! Not a fan.

Since you own yours I am sure you will get used to driving it in the winter if you do that, and if you don't drive through 'winter' it won't matter. It's a lot harder for me by only driving 10min-3 hours/day, some days, in an automatic.

[mathnerd]

Winter driving is one of the many reasons I prefer a stick, and for exactly the reason you describe.

As for the travelling, I really hope this is the end of that. The major reason for the amount of travel I've done is medical care for two of my boys. They have a fairly rare bone condition, and finding care for them can sometimes be tricky and often times requires travel. Due to a series of things unrelated to that, I found myself open to relocating, and decided on the area I'm in now, which is the home of the primary international research group for this condition, and as a result, has several very good doctors able to care for the boys. About a month before I came out here, I started chatting with one of the doctors and he reviewed their records and through a series of conversations, I decided that this city is the best place for me to be. Unless something really weird happens, the doctors here should be able to take care of all the boys' needs and I shouldn't have to travel so much anymore.

[cleorose]

Car buying advice and I am sorry about reposts:
Test drive : You want to test drive it your route to and from work and on the highway. You need to know how it handles. You can not guess how a car handles with a test drive under 30 minutes.
Check brakes, wipers, and all lights.

Car fax and maintenance reports are your friend. Nothing with a salvage title and You want to avoid cars that have been migrated to CA from Lower states IE Florida, Alabama. The reason for that is the water damage. A insurance company with total out a water damaged car, someone in a northern or western state will buy said car, fix it up and sell it. Its not fixed. It will be a damn nightmare until you set the damn thing on fire. You also want to avoid cars that start their lives in states that use salt instead of sand to de ice the hwys (Like chicago). They may LOOk pretty. But I promise the undercarriage is a rusted mess. And that is ugly.

Any car with a salvage made clean title. BAD BAD BAD

Go in with your own financing. If you have a car, sell it before you go in. You will get MORE if you sell it than they will give you on a trade in. And I promise you they will add that cost on somewhere.

Watch those warranties. They add warranties for stupid junk if you aren't looking. Our guy tried adding a warranty for seat damage. Yeah pass. My hubby smokes. He is gonna put holes in those seats and his smoking is NOT covered. so yeh pass.

Tires. Check the tires. We once bought a car the tires from a distance looked good. But were dry rot. We were lucky they didnt all explode at once on us .

If its important to you, make sure it works before you drive off. Lights. AC, Radio, wipers etc.

Be crazy, Be anal go over it with a fine tooth comb. Take a list if you need help remembering.


We went to a place here in town, and they wanted to run our credit BEFORE we were even allowed to look at a car. We are looking for a car to buy outright in 3-6 months. depending on our tax check. BAD BAD BAD. They are there to bully and wear you down. They get the bigger commission on the financing than they do on outright sales or leases. They will push it HARD every time.

That said go in knowing what models you like and what you abhor. Know your price range. your budget. And say nothing. If you tell them you can spend 250 they will show you stuff in the 400 range.

Get the asking price on the car BEFORE they start trying to wheel and deal. If they wont budge WALK. Once you have the price, KBB the car and ask for a carfax / main records. You want to find the going price of that car before you put your but in the chair. Know what your interest rate will be before you go. Bad credit 19% probably. Good credit its like 2 %. I dont know cause well yeah bad credit fairies follow us around.

Do the math on the average car payment. And then haggle. All before you sit down. Most dealers can afford to knock down 2-3 k on their cars before you cut into their profit margin. We paid 4200 for a car our dealer paid 3400 for. And that was a fight.

[Antares]

My brother loved both his Tiburons, but they ate wheel bearings. I don't know if that holds true for other Hyundai models.

The Mazada 6 (and 3, I think) could be had with a manual. I don't know if they still offer them or when they stopped.

[protege]

The Mazada 6 (and 3, I think) could be had with a manual. I don't know if they still offer them or when they stopped.

They're still around, and a manual transmission was available. Mazda isn't kidding when they said that their vehicles have the "soul of a sports car" and "BMW verve for half the price." I had an '00 Protege ES awhile back. Great driver's car, but a pain to work on and get parts for.