An annoying decision- Cars

[laurence]

http://tinyurl.com/2z3n3v


10k gives you lots of options. Donate the car, most places will tow it from your house, and you'll probably save $500 on your taxes.

 

[JohnEyles]

The car had been perfect for camping, driving over the mountains to see our faimly (quite regularly) and for about 6 months out of the year there is always snow/ice on the ground or its coming.

Just this suggests to me that you oughta get a Subaru Outback, if I wasn't already
prejudiced in their favor. Mine is my fave car ever, I will definitely buy a new one
soon. I believe they are the best car you can drive on marginal roads, and the high
clearance rear area is great for camping.

Most any mechanic will tell you that Honda sets the standard for reliability, with
Toyota a close second, but, before I bought mine, my mechanic said he thought
Subaru was entering that territory.

 

[Nords]

Secondly, if you think I should get a new-to-me car, I was hoping for a AWD wagon/small SUV that would be around 10K. Is that realistic? I havent been in the market for cars for quite some time and just dont know enough. Is there another place you can point me to? I can only find the big sites that advertise in google. Not sure what forums to even go to for that question.

Edmunds.com, Craigslist.org if it's in your area, and eBay Motors (local listings only)...

 

[Leonidas]

Edmunds.com, Craigslist.org if it's in your area, and eBay Motors (local listings only)...

Unless you're familiar with some of the more common used car sales scams, I would steer clear of Craigslist. I bought a used car few months ago and Craigslist was one of the first places I looked. Your area may be different, but here it was the land of con artists, curbstoners and assorted unlicensed dealers all masquerading as individual sellers. Not that there weren't some legit people there, just that they were few and far between. I saw a few bargains that seemed to be legit, but they all sold incredibly fast. Eventually I went to eBay and looked at local cars - there are scammers there also - and got a good deal. The most important thing was that I was reasonably certain how well the car had been maintained and what its history was.

 

[Texas Proud]

I agree with most poster... don't spend the money on that old POS...

BUT, I would be careful on buying from a rental fleet... I guess most people haven't heard of 'rental gear'.... it is where you are in a situation that you don't know what to do, so you put it in 'rental gear' and floor the MOFO... it can get you out of a lot of situations, but does not bode well for the car...

 

[MikeD]

I agree with most poster... don't spend the money on that old POS...

BUT, I would be careful on buying from a rental fleet... I guess most people haven't heard of 'rental gear'.... it is where you are in a situation that you don't know what to do, so you put it in 'rental gear' and floor the MOFO... it can get you out of a lot of situations, but does not bode well for the car...

I saw a guy literally destroy an auto transmission on a rental by horsing around with it in a parking lot. He finally stopped when the car would no longer move.

Mike D.

 

[Deetso]

On a completely unrelated note. I have created my first "very hot topic" on this board, and I wasnt the only one posting to it!

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think it was helpful to have the influence of people around me who can look past the "cool I can afford a new car so why shouldnt I" and are focused on similiar goals when it comes to their resources.

I think I was resisting buying any sort of new money pit because I was just doing the opposite of what some people I know would do, I dont respect their money "ideas". I figured that if it invovled money and they would do it a certain way it must be wrong. I best be careful there.

I thought my old money pit would work just fine... once it got running that is.