Please talk me out of buying a new car!

[haha]

The frontal airbags have gotten significantly better? We talking about the multi-stage/depowered ones? I wasn't aware that they made a big difference (not that I was looking).

No, I mean side bags in the doors, plus so called side curtain bags that are usually in the side posts and deploy to protect your head in a side impact. I think her 14 yer old car would likely have nothing besides front bags.

Ha

 

[Finance Dave]

Sorry - - I would say to buy now. My reasons are:

• Should it break down and need major repairs, you would have little choice but to buy a new car immediately and you might not get the best deal under those circumstances.

I'd say that if he's planning to buy a hybrid, he won't be getting any "best deal" anyway. Those cars are in high demand and will go for sticker price.

Unless you drive a considerable number of miles a year, you won't make up the incremental cost of a hybrid (even with the rebate), although perhaps you're buying it to "make a statement" rather than for purely financial reasons.

I'd keep your car another year, and when it requires a repair greater than some threshold you set, go pay sticker for your new hybrid.

Dave

 

[W2R]

No, I mean side bags in the doors, plus so called side curtain bags that are usually in the side posts and deploy to protect your head in a side impact. I think her 14 yer old car would likely have nothing besides front bags.

Ha

You may be right about that. My 8 year old car has side airbags in the doors but I think they were fairly new at the time.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I think her 14 yer old car would likely have nothing besides front bags.

A 14 year old car might not even have passenger air bags.

My 14 year SUV had airbags but the prior year only had a driver airbag.

 

[Nords]

A 14 year old car might not even have passenger air bags.
My 14 year SUV had airbags but the prior year only had a driver airbag.

As CFB hinted, I think airbags are intended to save people who wouldn't wear a seatbelt in the first place-- sort of an antidote to a strong Darwin-Award contender's lifestyle. But if you wear a seatbelt then I think airbags cause more problems than they avoid. They're an overrated safety feature and I wish they had a kill switch.

They encourage bad habits, too. Our kid's driving instructor taught her to put her hands on the wheel at 4 & 8 specifically to avoid breaking her arms on the airbag (or her nose when her hands were slammed into her face by the airbag). Then they push-pull the wheel to keep their forearms from going over top of the wheel and coming within the airbag's kill radius.

I appreciate that new drivers have to drive a certain way to pass the road test, but she's more dangerous trying to steer the car than she'd be injured if the airbag deployed.

Imagine yourself cranking on the wheel to rotate it 360-720 degrees in a U-turn or a parking lot (or for other recreational reasons). Now imagine accomplishing the same feat with a 4&8 push-pull. You [-]ol' pharts[/-] more experienced drivers should try a day of driving with your hands at 4&8, and push/pull never to exceed 3&9. It'll drive you nuts within six blocks of starting the car.

When she passes her road test, though, I'll teach her to steer with her knees. That should resolve most of the issues...

I'm a big fan of ABS and crumple zones, though.

 

[FinanceDude]

Get a newer, but not new car. Hybrids continue to be expensive, no dealing on those. Why not buy an efficient import that's not a hybrid?

 

[Urchina]

This is true. I would expect, though, that if PHEVs start really gaining market share, you'll see more of a push to "peak pricing" models which mean low rates for charging overnight. The more electric demand the utilities can move into the overnight hours when they have plenty of excess capacity, the more they can avoid needing to build new costly power plants. The utilities certainly have an incentive to want to shift demand into the overnight hours, and such a pricing model would convince consumers to do it.

Our rates are $.13/KW in the tier we're currently in. The other part of this dream is to have a PV modules on the roof and a grid-tied system, making a plug-in's cost more tied to our electricity use than the grid's rates. PVs are not currently cheaper than buying from our company, but they're getting closer, and producing our own electricity is something that DH and I would love to do, so fits well with our overall individual energy-independence plan.

 

[rayvt]

Buy a "toy" for your people transportation and keep the old clunker as a safety-new vehicle. Since we bought our 3-years old BMW Z4 convertible we've put very little mileage on the 2002 Toyota Camry. And the Beemer gets 30 MPH highway.

I'm quite conservative and think that it's the pioneers who get filled full of arrows. I'll wait several years for other people to get some extended term real-world experience with hybrids. I well remember the gas crunch in the mid 1980's. Several of my co-workers and neighbors bought diesel cars because diesel was much cheaper than gasoline. You can tell how successful that was by counting the number of diesel cars that you see on the road today.

I'm really wondering what will happen to electric rates when 10% of Californians are plugging in their car every night. And what they are gonna do when they get hit by rolling black-outs.

 

[Urchina]

I'm really wondering what will happen to electric rates when 10% of Californians are plugging in their car every night. And what they are gonna do when they get hit by rolling black-outs.

Well, if more cities in CA required PV modules on the roof of government buildings, tied to the grid (and more people did the same as well), electric production would go up, so cost might actually come down or stay level, even with increased usage.

As far as the "rolling blackout" thing goes -- usually they give us a heads-up. So people could plan. OR,

They could fill the car up with gas, since it's a plug-in hybrid we're talking about. It's an electric engine, but can be fueled with straight juice from the grid OR with dino-juice from the pump, which then powers a generator that produces electricity.

 

[meekie]

I was in a very similar situation 2 years ago, car was getting old, tax credits were still pretty high on the Prius for CA. I went ahead and got the new Prius (and a carpool sticker, that they ran out of soon after I got mine). But I did sell my old car to someone who works in my building, and I'm still seeing it being driven on a regular basis 2 years later.

One thing I found is that as soon as the tax rebates started to disappear, the sticker prices went down. Can't guarantee that, but it's possible. Also, demand for Priuses is pretty high again, so it might be hard to get one.

If I had to make the decision today though, the biggest factor for me would be that the plug-in's are supposed to be coming out in late 2009 or 2010. I do want a plug-in, so I would probably be seeing what I could do to stretch the extra time. If you don't want a plug-in, that would probably push me to getting a new car sooner.

You can't see the future and know how long your current car will last. Any decision is somewhat of a gamble. Are you more concerned with getting every penny worth out of your old car, or will you enjoy the new car and feel safe enough that the small amount of money won't bother you?

 

[Leonidas]

They encourage bad habits, too. Our kid's driving instructor taught her to put her hands on the wheel at 4 & 8 specifically to avoid breaking her arms on the airbag (or her nose when her hands were slammed into her face by the airbag). Then they push-pull the wheel to keep their forearms from going over top of the wheel and coming within the airbag's kill radius.

That's a new one on me. But it's been a few years since I went through any performance driving training. I'm in the midst of training the youngest kid how to drive and I taught him the shuffle method, which is how I was trained.

Imagine yourself cranking on the wheel to rotate it 360-720 degrees in a U-turn or a parking lot (or for other recreational reasons). Now imagine accomplishing the same feat with a 4&8 push-pull. You [-]ol' pharts[/-] more experienced drivers should try a day of driving with your hands at 4&8, and push/pull never to exceed 3&9. It'll drive you nuts within six blocks of starting the car.

Good explanation of the shuffle at the link below, but it is not quite as restrictive as what you're describing. Basically you keep the left hand on the left side of the wheel and the opposite for the right. Your hands can meet at the top and bottom (12 and 6). With the new twist (for me) of how to place your thumbs so you don't get them broken. Steering a Car or Truck

When she passes her road test, though, I'll teach her to steer with her knees. That should resolve most of the issues...

How else will she be able to pour a cocktail?

 

[Meadbh]

Thanks for all the input, everyone!
After yesterday, I think I'll just put that fund in the mattress and forget about the car!

 

[freebird5825]

My Honda Accord (which I love dearly) is almost 14 years old and is in good condition except for rust. I recently had some bodywork done and was advised that its safe lifespan is limited, that I should not invest large amounts of money in it, and that I should start researching my next vehicle. No panic, though...
Should I buy now or hang on till my old car really needs to be replaced in 1-2 years?

if it starts, stops, and steers, and your clients don't laugh too hard, keep that dependable and faithful old car on the road til it really goes to h*ll mechanically.
my 92 Accord is still going strong. but the rear bumper may have to be duct taped to the rest of the car, very soon. it is the official winter rat.
click your heels 3x and repeat after me "NO CAR PAYMENTS"

 

[harley]

Hey, I've been without web access for almost a week, or I'd have jumped in earlier.

You might want to look into a diesel VW. We have a 2002 Beetle Turbo Diesel (TDI) that we love. It gets about 45 city/50 highway. Definitely a two seater, though, unless you are putting dogs or dwarves in the back. But the Jettas and Jetta Sports are supposed to be kicking too. We know a guy who has one and drives 60 miles each way commuting, 3 or 4 times a week. He loves his too. Plus with a diesel you should be looking at 250K miles on the engine, as opposed to the 100K average for gas cars. Being VWs though, the engine will probably outlast the body.

I think the new clean diesels are supposed to be hitting the market next year. But from what I've been able to learn, even our 2002 is far cleaner than the old diesels used to be. I've run it on pure petrodiesel, 5%-20% biodiesel, and even 100% biodiesel. Runs great on them all. I think a little better on the 100% BD. Smells better too.

 

[brewer12345]

as opposed to the 100K average for gas cars.

Um, I guess every car in my family is above average, then.

'03 subaru: 135k and counting
'98 caravan: 190k and counting
'99 crown vic ex police cruiser: 145k and counting
'95 escort: 130k and counting
'00 Focus: 107k and counting

I'd say 175 to 200k is a more reasonable expectation for modern gas engines. Of course, everything else might be failing by then...

 

[Nords]

... as opposed to the 100K average for gas cars.

"Average"? I'd say that's not even the median but a minimum. Heck, even here in Hawaii we regard 100K as a minimum despite the lack of distance driving, and some vehicle/component warranties are starting to be expressed in six digits.

Runs great on them all. I think a little better on the 100% BD. Smells better too.

Does it smell like french fries?