New Used Car

[Monica]

I drive a Subaru Forestor. I also live in a snow belt. An hour and a half from one of the Great Lakes, so we get a lot of snow. It handles very nicely. I haven't found one thing I don't like about them yet.

I think it might suit your needs. At least give it a test drive or any other car you are thinking about.

[emt_cookies]

I live near the Great Lakes too so we have a lot of Jeeps, Fords, and Chevrolet around. I think Subarus have just gotten a few dealerships in the area in last five years. Most of them are about 15,000+ right now and only four in my price range. I remember the first time I saw one was in Pennsylvania. I'll definitely keep my eye out for them though (plenty of time to find a good car).

I've heard of people who have had shady tint job here.

I'll test drive any car. If it is local enough, I'll also have a mechanic look at it. If it is not local, I'll take a few different people to look at them.

[Jester]

Always get a mechanic's opinion. Always.

And don't limit yourself to dealerships, or to new cars. I have owned four cars, three of which were decent, two of which were great. I have never had a brand new car, nor one with less than 70K miles on it. There are some great deals for used cars out there. Hell, even 1 or 2 year old cars are far cheaper than brand new, and are, for most purposes, pretty much brand new.

[MattW]

The Aztek is one of the ugliest cars on the road - and one of the best engineered and most reliable. You're likely to get a good deal on one.

I thank the Lord we didn't get the Aztek in Europe. We did get get the Chrysler PT Cruiser but thats OK looking.

[dragon_wings]

I thank the Lord we didn't get the Aztek in Europe. We did get get the Chrysler PT Cruiser but thats OK looking.

My parents bought a PT Cruiser to be their business car (the family owns a car shop in a neighboring town to where my parents live. They use it to commute and to ferry customers to and from the shop if the customer's car is gonna take a while).
They bough it cause it had a vintage type look at the business we own has been in business over 60 years (we've only owned in about 12).

[Kittish]

I have owned four cars, three of which were decent, two of which were great.

5 out of 4 people are schitzophrenic?

[Solumina]

I drive a Subaru Forester and I love it to pieces. It is a 2003 with over 100,000 miles on it and has just this past year had its first mechanical issue (and even that wasn't too major). Also it actually gets pretty decent gas mileage, it actually does better than my husband's little hatchback. The only problem with them is that they aren't cheap and people hold onto them so it can be hard to find a used one (mine was kind if a hand me down from my mom).

[raw456]

It is a shame we are not in the same country. I currently have a Jeep Wrangler that I'm selling

To be honest, the Jeep doesnt have alot of room in the back. (one of the reasons we are selling it) We took the back seat out of ours so we could have some room for the dog and shopping. If it's just you, then it would most likely be ok.

I haven't had any problems with mine breaking down and I have had it for 5 years. If you're in an area they gets alot of snow, you might want to look into the hardtops rather thant he soft top (mine has both)

The biggest downside to the Wrangler is that if you do get into an accident, they are not the best in protection. But they are fun cars to drive

[Jester]

I have owned four cars, three of which were decent, two of which were great.

5 out of 4 people are schitzophrenic?

I didn't think it at the time, but perhaps I worded that oddly.
I have owned four vehicles.
One sucked.
One was decent, but wasn't great.
Two were great.
Thus three were decent OR BETTER, if that makes sense. In other words, two of the three decent ones were actually awesome.

If you're wondering further, here's the basic breakdown on the four vehicles:
--1971 Dodge Colt. We called it the UAV (Urban Assault Vehicle), and it was basically a roller skate with a radio. Total piece of shit, but for $400, it was great as my first car when I was 20. I loved it, but as I said, it was basically a piece of shit. I managed to melt the engine four months after I bought it.
--1987 Dodge Shadow Turbo. Loved this car...when it worked. And those last three words were the defining characteristic on this car. When it worked, it was an awesome and versatile pocket rocket that I used for school, work, play, and even to haul DJ equipment around when I was a mobile DJ. But when it broke down--which was OFTEN--it sucked balls. This characteristic of this car, even more than the complete suckitude of its predecessor, is why I will never again own a fucking Dodge.
--1989 Chevy Blazer (the small two door one, not the huge monstrosity). Fucking rocked. Did everything I asked of it and more. Got me around the country (and by country I don't mean rural areas, I mean the U.S.A.) TWICE. When I traded it in with 176,000 miles on it, mechanically it was still sweet as all get out. However, it had many nonmechanical issues that were showing the age of the truck, including (but not limited to) the hatch, the headliner, the locks, the windows, the seats, etc. Loved that truck. Wanted something just like it, only newer. Which brings us to...
--2000 Chevy Blazer (the small two door one, not the huge monstrosity). Fucking rocks. Does everything I ask of it and more. Solid as a rock. Road tripped all over Florida, and once to Ohio and back. 120,000 miles and change and going strong. Still looks so damn pretty! I know that Blazers, as a group, are NOT this reliable. But as I've said, I've gotten lucky with my two. If you can get a Blazer like either of these, there may be no better vehicle on the road. Though keep in mind, there WILL be issues. For instance....my gas gauge doesn't work. Didn't realize that till after I took possession of it, so for the last six years, I have had no working gas gauge. (To replace it, I would have to replace the entire instrument panel, and that would be about $600. So I just gas up with the trip odometer gets to a certain point. It's helpful that my previous vehicle was almost identical, so I know pretty much the range of this truck both in town and on the highway.) The front passenger seat doesn't recline. Sucks for my tall roommate, but not a huge issue overall, since most of the time I am the only damn passenger in it. Had to have some work done on the hatch. (Sound familiar?) But mechanically....freakin' awesome. How awesome? Since I have owned both Blazers, a span going back to May of '98 (almost 13 years now), I have replaced a total of FIVE major mechanical parts: two water pumps, a starter, and a radiator in the 1989 and a radiator in the 2000. My Shadow alone went through more than that, and I owned it for a far shorter time.

I drive a Subaru Forester and I love it to pieces. It is a 2003 with over 100,000 miles on it and has just this past year had its first mechanical issue (and even that wasn't too major). Also it actually gets pretty decent gas mileage, it actually does better than my husband's little hatchback. The only problem with them is that they aren't cheap and people hold onto them so it can be hard to find a used one (mine was kind if a hand me down from my mom).

Good cars hold their retail value. Subarus aren't hugely popular in this country with the majority of the population, but those who have owned them tend to sing their praises the way Volkswagen or Honda owners do. By all accounts, they are tough little bastards. So, basically, they are usually worth the higher price being asked for them.