The AC in my wife's minivan died about 3 years ago. We never wanted to invest the $800 it would cost to fix so we haven't. During the heat of summer, we switch cars since my Prius tends to just sit in a parking garage all day instead of being driven around with kids. No big deal for me...I just sweat alot on my way home from work but it is cool enough in the mornings that it isn't really an issue.

The minivan is about 10 years old, has 120,000 miles on it and is dented in at least 2 spots.

The Prius is almost 6 years old has 80,000 mile on it and is in pristine condition.

2 weeks ago, she is stopped at a light and gets the Prius gets rear-ended...totaling the car.

So now, I have to go buy a new car as soon as State Farm decides how much to give us.

bought my 6th Subaru 2 weeks ago, adore it

Phred, don't you have a problem with condensation when it rains? That's my big concern right now.

the problem with the wife's accord was just the relay, so we got that goin' for us

Bucky wrote:Phred, don't you have a problem with condensation when it rains? That's my big concern right now.

the problem with the wife's accord was just the relay, so we got that goin' for us

I haven't had a problem. The blower still works and maybe the combination of a rather large interior and relatively short drives helps. It really hasn't rained much since I've been driving it, though and my wife never complains about condensation. I'll pay more attention the next time it rains.

The Crimson Cyclone wrote:bought my 6th Subaru 2 weeks ago, adore it

We're gonna need a bigger garage

well I still have 3 of the 6, so yes

(my older son son is 16 and has his permit, should have his license in a few months)

Like Bucky, my 2002 MDX had the capacitor go nuclear resulting in the compressor more or less turning into a grenade. It shot shrapnel through the AC system and the whole thing needs replaced (dryer, lines, compressor, etc.) with no guarantee that it will work when the work is complete! Cost $4500-6000! Bluebook ~$4400.

Enter TrueCar and a lot of internet negotiations. I ended up getting another MDX. TrueCar got me to a start point of $3750 off sticker before other external costs, then we began the negotiations. Ended up negotiating an excellent value on my dead car (whatever it takes to get to your price) and paid ~$450 over the offered price (that means I got tax, title, dealer fees, etc for +450). Pretty good deal for a family hauler (which we needed).

VW was the big loser. I gave them a try, but they wanted to play games. I did not like the feel of some of the other vehicles that I sampled. At a different price class there were nice things, but we will beat the S out of this thing, so it cannot be too nice or too expensive.

Going car shopping this weekend. Going to start at the Tesla dealership and work from there. It would be nice if I knew how much State Farm was going to give me, though.

book minus deductible usually

maybe TP can pull your file and give you the inside scoop

btw, i think tesla models are at least 6 months out, so be prepared to rent for a while

Bucky wrote:book minus deductible usually

maybe TP can pull your file and give you the inside scoop

btw, i think tesla models are at least 6 months out, so be prepared to rent for a while

State Farm is a good insurer. You'll get a fair settlement, which you can never get from, say, Allstate

Probably going to be trading in our 6 year old 90k mile Mazda mini van in the next few months. Does it make any sense to fix the dent in the front fender?

Also, is it better to buy a car now or wait until say December? It seems those end of year deals really aren't that great.

September is the best time to buy. How big is the dent?

It's medium sized I guess--about say 10 inches in diameter. It's not a little ding.

i probably wouldn't worry too much about it. the trade-in is a way for them to cook the books a bit and offer a better deal, so I've never seen them be too worried about things like that

why the heck do you have a minivan with one kid?

She has friends. And Mrs. Vulture found it an efficient way to haul theater crap around. I don't know why mini vans get such hate anyway--they're practical and efficient and in my experience tend to ride more comfortably than an SUV.

TenuredVulture wrote:She has friends. And Mrs. Vulture found it an efficient way to haul theater crap around. I don't know why mini vans get such hate anyway--they're practical and efficient and in my experience tend to ride more comfortably than an SUV.

I dont hate minivans I was just questioning the need for it since seating is usually the main reason

The mazda minivan is really mini--the rear seats are pretty small, suitable really for small children. We've mostly used it like a station wagon, with those seats folded down.

and to answer the question, the best time is when the new models come out of the vehicle you want- so if you want a 2015 Toyota Camry and the 2016 Camry comes out in September then you shop for a 2015 when the 2016's just start to arrive, bear in mind you have to select from what's on the lot in most cases

What about the dent question? I mean, I don't expect to get much more than 2 grand as a trade in in any event. (If I were to do a private sale, I'd probably ask $2500 as is.) However, we do still have collision on the vehicle, so maybe repairing it does make sense assuming a $500 deductible?