Finance car advice - ghetto fabulous style

[brewer12345]

I guess I have to recheck. I am looking at wagons, and it appeared to me that the cheapest Legacy is still almost $7000 more than the Impreza.

Ha

At carsdirect.com, I get no haggle prices for the base wagon version of each:

Impreza - 18097
Legacy - 21520

 

[73ss454]

No haggle prices are fine, but Cars Direct still has to go to the dealer to locate the car. Seems to me that Cars Direct is not a non profit company, your just adding a middle man. It's OK if you want to pay more and not haggle I guess.

 

[tozz]

To quote Goldilocks, it's juuuust right.  I've been jonesing for something like this for a while. Any smaller and it would only be not-quite-functional (Rialta);  any bigger and it wouldn't fulfill my nimblility requirement.  It also gets 20mpg if I hold it to the speed limit which is 2-3 times the mileage of other Class C's.  If those scary folks in the $4/gallon thread are right, I suspect the choice will look even better in the future. 

Last week's project was ripping off the Dodge grill and affixing the original Mercedes grill, no simple job with some type of urethane adhesive from hell.  I now not only act like an aristocrat.  I look like one. 

How is the Sprinter home working out?  Not too small?

 

[brewer12345]

No haggle prices are fine, but Cars Direct still has to go to the dealer to locate the car.  Seems to me that Cars Direct is not a non profit company, your just adding a middle man.  It's OK if you want to pay more and not haggle I guess.

I just use it as a benchmark. When I have bought cars in the last few years, it has been a convenient way to establish a baseline.

 

[LRAO]

If I may recommend a car...the Acura TL.

I have an Acura Vigor...which "became" the TL.

Here are some of my reasonings:

1. It's a Honda. It has 210,000 miles and is still running very strong. If I wanted to, the car will EASILY last to 300,000+.
2. It's a 2.5L 5-cyl (straight 5)...a bit more power than a 4-cyl, less gas than a 6-cyl.
3. It's a "luxury" line...the doors are bit heavier, all power features are standard.
4. It's not a HUGE volume seller, so thieves won't want it (they can't re-sell the body parts/powertrain like they can with Civics, Accords, etc.).
5. It still maintains its value, but not as well as some of its more popular brothers and cousins.

I paid $2000 for my car 4 years ago from a couple where the husband just got a new Benz and the wife a new Lexus. They only had a 2-car garage. It had 145,000 miles at the time.

I spent $1500 on safety and maintenance items. Even though the tires were in good shape they were no-name tires. I had a bad experience with no-name tires blowing out on me at freeway speeds. I bought the best-rated Bridgestones to replace them.

I have also replaced the following:
-timing belt and water pump
-accessory belts
-brake master cylinder & brake pads (had the brake rotors resurfaced)
-clutch master & slave cylinders

The brakes were in "OK" shape but I would rather replace them BEFORE they failed. And being in the automotive performance industry I spent about $20 more for all 4 pads to be upgraded from OEM Honda to Hawk HPS. Being able to stop that extra 10-15 feet shorter makes a huge difference.

Other than that, it's just been oil and gas!

 

[laurence]

UPDATE:Well, after all that, we sold out to the man. After hours of on line research, cruising the lots, etc. I hit, of all places, the Volvo dealer. DW had one and loved them, so I thought we'd just cross it off the list. Well, it's the end of the year, and they had some 2005s left over. Specifically, they had a loaner S60 (normally 30k) with a whopping 7k miles on it for sale for 19k. Dual climate control yadda yadda, and really a nice ride. We bought it. I know, I know, not the cheapest we could have gone, but it feels like true luxury for just a couple grand more than a civic. Plus free maintenence (even oil changes) and new car bumper to bumper warranty. Not that I'm trying to rationalize/justify it (yes I am). I admit we just really, really liked the car. And it's black:

 

[HFWR]

Good choice! Always liked Vulvas...

 

[cube_rat]

Good choice! Always liked Vulvas...

I thought I was the only one who did a name play on Volvos. My mind is perpetually in the gutter.


Awesome deal, Laurence!

 

[brewer12345]

I think you made a good choice

Nice car, L, enjoy it. I think you made a good choice.

 

[TromboneAl]

I don't have any of those, but I pay them lip service!

 

[education]

Hi Laurence--

Ireally wish you well with your Volvo. Mine was an absolute
nightmare. It was a 2000 S80 T06 with 17000 mi when I bought it in 03 from a Volvo dealer. I got it for less than KBB and was thrilled at the bargain I drove. A month later, Volvo HQ pulled the dealership and all the parts and specialized garage equipment. Any warranty necessitated a 3 hr drive each way. Even getting an oil change was a hassle--no 10 min "Quick Lube" would touch it. And parts? Let me just say Sweden must be a long way away!!!!!!!!

Bottom line: it was a lemon and a money pit!!!!!! I hope you fare better than me. I hate undependable (and expensive to maintain) cars. My Volvo was the poster car for both!!!!!!! Never again.

Professor

 

[Nords]

I don't have any of those, but I pay them lip service!

Says the guy with a talking beaver...

 

[Jay_Gatsby]

Nice purchase Lawrence. I'm still holding off on buying a new(er) car until winter is finished. The idea of buying a new(er) car and having it coated with sand and salt immediately after driving it off the lot, not to mention parking it outside for the next several months, doesn't sit well with me.

 

[JWV]

I've driven a Volvo for 13 years now-the same one. We bought it when I was 39 weeks pregnant with #2. I wanted something safe and roomy (wagon).  Luckily, I never needed to test it's safety features with them in the car but this spring I rear-ended (OK, I can hear all the jokes coming) someone in an older model Suburban.  Crinkled my hood and broke the grill but she still runs like a ...emphysemic cat.  Still going strong at 200,000+. But I know the end is coming-there is this high-pitced whirring sound, which i call Hyperspeed, but it can't be good long-term. I've been looking at what I might buy when the time comes and keep thinking Honda/Toyota but just hate to not have another Volvo-this car has been so good.

So Laurence, I hope you have the same success.

Judy

 

[brewer12345]

I've driven a Volvo for 13 years now-the same one. We bought it when I was 39 weeks pregnant with #2. I wanted something safe and roomy (wagon).  Luckily, I never needed to test it's safety features with them in the car but this spring I rear-ended (OK, I can hear all the jokes coming) someone in an older model Suburban.  Crinkled my hood and broke the grill but she still runs like a ...emphysemic cat.  Still going strong at 200,000+. But I know the end is coming-there is this high-pitced whirring sound, which i call Hyperspeed,   but it can't be good long-term.  I've been looking at what I might buy when the time comes and keep thinking Honda/Toyota but just hate to not have another Volvo-this car has been so good.

So Laurence, I hope you have the same success.

Judy

Check out a Subaru. They have thus far retained some of the pleasant quirkiness of the older Volvos (without the gauges/instructions in Swedish).

 

[SteveR]

My late wife was a Volvo believer. She survived a T-bone car wreck in one where she was struck by a car doing 70mph and walked away from it. Her last one was a 1997 Volvo 850 R; black of course. I gave it to my son a couple of years ago when his car finally stopped for good. It still looks great and runs like a scalded dog. 8)

I am glad it is still in the family and he is getting a lot of use out of it. I also like knowing that if he does get into a wreck, he has a very good chance of walking away from it.

Laurence, enjoy your new wheels.

 

[azanon]

Check out a Subaru. They have thus far retained some of the pleasant quirkiness of the older Volvos (without the gauges/instructions in Swedish).

Subaru's are my favorite too. A WRX will be my next car.

No wait! Dope!!

 

[laurence]

I admit the safety reputation played a part in the decision. Something about having a baby suddenly makes the red sports car look less attractive. I really like the look of the Saab 92-x/subaru wagon. I really wanted a wagon in general, but DW vetoed it.

 

[brewer12345]

I admit the safety reputation played a part in the decision.  Something about having a baby suddenly makes the red sports car look less attractive.  I really like the look of the Saab 92-x/subaru wagon.  I really wanted a wagon in general, but DW vetoed it.   

Just wait until you bang her or your head into the doorframe trying to get to the carseat. You'll be shopping for a minivan so fast your head will spin...

 

[justin]

Just wait until you bang her or your head into the doorframe trying to get to the carseat. You'll be shopping for a minivan so fast your head will spin...

My wife hates it when I bang our daughter's head on my Civic doorframe I just hate the crying afterwards.

 

[Jay_Gatsby]

Well, just received some more bad news regarding my current car, namely, another $240 needed for repairs (not immediately needed, but within the next few months). At this point in time, I'm sick and tired of throwing good money after bad into a 12-year old car.

If I had known that I'd end up spending $1,500+ in repairs six months ago, I would've put the money towards a new(er) car and avoided the last six months of hassles. In fact, when the first set of repairs was required, I should have just paid a mechanic to give me a prognosis (along with the cost of repairing everything) and made a decision right there and then. Hindsight is, of course, always 20/20.

I like Lawrence's idea of buying a Volvo. They're safe cars, and based on what I've researched, are comparable in price to a new or used Honda Accord (but with a bit more cache). I'll have to take one for a test drive to see if I like it.

 

[MasterBlaster]

here's a car that won't depreciate much.

- Just think what the neighbors will think when you drive up in this !

 

[bpp]

- Just think what the neighbors will think when you drive up in this !

Barbecue!

 

[maddythebeagle]

hey rocky, watch me pull a car out of my hat

 

[HFWR]

Nothin' up my sleeve... Presto!

Now there's a hood ornament only a Texan could love...