If you were buying a car today...

If I were buying a new car, it would have to be a Honda Accord. I have wasted so much money in the past 27 years on cars. The best car I have ever owned is my Accord sedan, 4 cyl. with automatic.
My second best car is my 1986 baby Mercedes 190 D....37 mpg on the highway...I do not think you can kill a Mercedes diesel.
 
Researching pretty hard at the moment...had been eyeballing the Hyundai Santa Fe/Tuscon...but with the latest gas drama I decided I could go less "SUV-like" and get something more fuel efficient than the 23 mpg I am getting now in my Stratus with almost 15K miles on it. So...will be test driving (aka renting for the weekend and living my crazy life over the next few mos) the Kia Rio5, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, and a Toyota Matrix...winner will be determined by MY comfort since all seem to get pretty darn good reviews and relatively cost the same (+/- $3K) Dealer incentives would only slightly influence unless too fabulous of a deal is offered!
 
Thing is, is this a good time to buy? With people so concerned about gas prices, I would think that there is probably a run on gas-efficient cars going on.

Yesterday after reading this thread, I momentarily thought of going over to the Toyota dealer. I wonder if he has much selection left on his lot, though, and if he would be willing to come down on the price in a normal fashion (and now the moment of temptation has passed).
 
I live in So Cal. We love cars. Usually, I look thru the LA Times on Sunday pretending that I want to buy a new car.....

Unfortunately, we're fully retired and somewhat on a budget. As a result, we need a practical car.

Under the current conditions, we would be interested in the new Corrolla. I think it is good looking (for an economy car) , get's good mileage, practical, and it's got the Toyota reputation.

I have actually bought those "advertised specials" that are offered in the newspapers from some dealerships. If you're patient, you can get a good deal. Anyway, most of the advertised specials for the Corolla are still around $14,500 or $14,999. (these are from dealerships offering "three at this price")

I say this because there are also advertised specials for the Camry and the Altima for $17K. So really, the question for me is this. Is the Camry (or Altima) worth an extra $2k (or $2500)?? In my opinion, yes. I think the Camry and Altima are nice, practical, and larger than the Corrolla. I'm willing to sacrafice a few miles per gallon for a little more room and a little more luxury. Besides, my wife hates the Corrolla.

I might add that I'm prejudice. We own a 2006 Altima. We've been very happy with it. Although we spend the bulk of our driving in the Altima, we also have an 88 Camaro convertible to drive when we feel "impractical".
 
I'd sure like to tryout one of these for a few weeks just to see how practical they really are, especially in the winter. Although at $10k it would almost be worth it just for fun. :D

::: American Electric ::: KURRENT HOME :::


Yesterday I made the rounds, first stop, the post office, then the dentist, then the bank to get a check cashed, then on to the grocery store for some bread, milk and a few other things and then one last stop at the gas station for 2 gallons of juice for the mower. Total trip was 7 miles. It was all city driving at 35 mph or less. This seems to be what most of my driving in retirement is these days.

Not sure how I would get a 2x4 home from Lowes though. :confused:
 
albundyz said:
So really, the question for me is this. Is the Camry (or Altima) worth an extra $2k (or $2500)?? In my opinion, yes.
Click to expand...

I would have to agree. The Corolla is a fine car to drive around town, but it is small and I would feel safer on the Interstate in a Camry. Plus, as you mention the Camry can be a little more luxurious.

Also you might be interested in the Honda Fit as an alternative to the Corolla, due to the roomy and versatile interior configuration. But the Corolla is a very good small car as well, with a longer track record.
 
FORD F-150 Supercrew 4X4 with a 5.8L V-8.

Unless I can find something that burns coal.
 
Want2retire said:
Also you might be interested in the Honda Fit as an alternative to the Corolla, due to the roomy and versatile interior configuration. But the Corolla is a very good small car as well, with a longer track record.
Click to expand...

I think I read somewhere cars got bigger; e.g. that the new Corollas and Civics are almost the same size as older Camrys and Accords. On the other hand, the bigger the car the heavier it becomes and therefore it'll burn more gas.
 
Well.........not in the market now, but if I was, a 2008 Honda Accord sedan with the EXL package. 31 mpg highway, and it's as large as a Toyota Avalon..........:)

My uncle, "Mr. American Car guy", just bought a 2007 Honda Fit, but he will NEVER give up his 2005 Buick LeSabre.......:)
 
I'm in the market for a new Corolla, looking to trade in an 05 Hyundai Elantra. The Hyundai's been a pretty good car, however with no local dealer any problems cost me a day off to take care of. And recent attempts to get a warrantied problem fixed failed. But it's run well and with a local dealer I'd be more inclined to pursue the matter.
 
Corollas have gotten larger over the last 10 years. My daughter has a 2000 Corolla which is noticeably smaller than current ones. Toyota seems to have kept the miles per gallon about the same while increasing the size of the car.

Our local small town dealer wants full MSRP on their Corollas, so I may be going to the big city looking for a better deal.
 
Want2retire said:
I would have to agree. The Corolla is a fine car to drive around town, but it is small and I would feel safer on the Interstate in a Camry. Plus, as you mention the Camry can be a little more luxurious.
Click to expand...
Both cars received 5 star ratings in the crash tests...neither is safer than the other. I understand sometimes people "feel" safer in larger cars, but those feelings are often not backed up by facts.

Some people rely more on how they feel, some more on facts. I think it's obvious which way I am. Neither is right or wrong...just different. I just wanted to point this out to the posters so that each can make their own decision.:D

Dave
 
I was an auto mechanic for 10 years, and I still am a car enthusiast. I only worked on one Honda for every 6 GM cars. Realizing that at the time GM sold about twice as many cars as Honda, that means GM cars require repairs (at least the types of repairs I did...brakes, suspension, and driveline) 3 times as often. If you believe in Consumer Reports, their findings support this.

Different people value different attributes in a car. For me, the single most important attribute is durability, which is a measure of how long the car will last without significant repairs. This is different than reliability, which measures whether the car will function every time you need it.

For durability, I'd recommend the following makes, although there are some exceptions depending on which MODEL within the make you purchase.

1) Honda
2) Toyota
3) Mazda

There are tons of data out there about car quality, often it is complex and not easily interpreted, such as the IQR (Initial Quality Ranking). That is one of the least understood ratings in America...virtually no one knows what it means, but everyone uses it.

P.S. I own a Honda (my everyday car), a Mazda (wife), a 1969 Camaro show car, and a 2007 Mustang GT500 (race car).

Dave
 
I drive a new Malibu as my "work car"......total junk.....and brand new.

I would personally avoid American union made cars and go 3-4 yrs old (someone else eats the depreciation).

Just my humble opinion....personally I drive old Volvos.....bullet proof.

Good luck,
Chris
 
I want everyone to know that I did not pay Chris to write that and make me look so darned smart.
Jeff
 
chrisjul said:
I drive a new Malibu as my "work car"......total junk.....and brand new.

I would personally avoid American union made cars and go 3-4 yrs old (someone else eats the depreciation).

Just my humble opinion....personally I drive old Volvos.....bullet proof.

Good luck,
Chris
Click to expand...

The "Car of the Year" Malibu, or a 2007??

Sad if it's the "Car of the YEar"model............:p
 
I would still buy a Subaru Forester....I LOVE my car!
I took it to Asheville, NC a couple of weeks ago and drove 1700 miles in three days.....only spent a total of $300 in gas.
 
citrine said:
I would still buy a Subaru Forester....I LOVE my car!
I took it to Asheville, NC a couple of weeks ago and drove 1700 miles in three days.....only spent a total of $300 in gas.
Click to expand...

What kind of mileage did you get??
 
My friend came to town and rented a Mazda 3. I think Mazda is now my favorite car manufacturer.

Edit: Especially when I'm the passenger and I get to change gears whenever I want!
 
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Sticker shock

Having looked at the Toyota Yaris and the Honda Fit so far, I have found that they are selling at NO discount to MSRP, due to "high demand and limited supply"...
 
I remain delighted with my decision to buy a Mini Cooper in 2007. It may not be the most economical purchase, but it’s fun to drive, roomy inside, gets more than 40 mpg and has a “coolness” factor not associated with other small cars.
 
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