Werthless wrote:

Warszawa wrote:Bonus points if you can name the make of car I own (hint: its not American).

I'd guess you own some sort of VW.

yep..2002 GTI 1.6L turbo

although it packs a punch in terms of acceleration and handling its been abysmal in just about every other thing known to carkind. I believe most of it was either made or assembled in Mexico, which should have been my first hint of what was to come. But, anyhoo...VW may may be stylish, trendy, fun to drive, and somewhat German ....but not really well made. Some people may think they are (these people are confusing the issues).

Going forward I think Honda may be on my radar....although I would like something with a something a bit more in terms of performance. Volvo's have always interested me too...the C30 especially. Anybody with an opinion of Volvo?

Then again in 5 years who knows what cars will look like and what will power them. The company who can put the most affordable best performance non-gasoline engine in a car may win me over.

ek wrote:

Bill McNeal wrote:

ek wrote:this new Altima I have is freakin sweet. got the moonroof, bose system, dash computer, 6 disc changer, free XM radio. love it so far

nice. The rental doesn't ave none of that crap, but it's a nice ride. How much you pay for that, if you dont mind me asking.

talked them down to 21K

Looking good on the new altima. We're trying to decide the color, but it looks like this is gonna be the winner when we finally get our insurance check. I got him down to 17,900 on it, which I think is a pretty effing good deal.

So we're in a position to buy something very soon. We have paid off our previous car loan, which was the major obstacle, we have a good amount of cash for a DP, and our credit is in good shape (it better be, anyway). However, with the second kid on the way, we're pretty committed to keeping costs down so we're looking to keep our new payments below the old ones which pretty severely limits our options, as we're looking at something up to $16,000-$17,000 total.

As I posted a couple months ago, we're leaning strongly towards something minivanish. We looked at the Sienna, Odyssey and Sedona, and while all are nice, only the Sedona comes close to our price range if we buy new. I'm not interested in any the domestic minivans nor the VW whatever. While the full-size vans are appealing for versatility, I'm not excited about the prospect of averaging 20 mpg at best, nor piloting such a large vehicle around in parking lots and so forth. So we looked at smaller minivan-like things. The Mazda5 is basically a mini-minivan, a six-seat, three-row vehicle built on the Mazda3 chassis, only taller and longer with sliding rear doors. We also looked at the Kia Rondo, which is the closest competitor to the Mazda5 as its similar in size and is available with three row seating (though it doesn't have sliding doors). MrsVox also recommended checking out the Toyota RAV4, which is available with the third row seat and gets excellent gas mileage in the FWD/4CYL configuration.

We kind of liked the Rondo, but found the third-row seats to be essentially useless. They're difficult to get into even if the second-row seats are empty, and with two car seats in the second row they'd be totally inaccessible. The RAV4 with the third row is out of our price range new, and used ones with the third row are hard to find (plus I just don't like SUVs). We both very much liked the Mazda5 though -- the third row seats are not easy to get to, but possible, and as the second row has captain's chairs instead of a bench you can get to the back without flipping the second row seat forward. We wouldn't need the third row very often, though, and with it folded flat there's a ton of cargo volume. Also the 5 is available with a manual transmission which we both prefer (and it's pretty fun to drive, surprisingly so for a van-like car).

So we're probably going to go with the Mazda5. Our local dealer has one that's specced pretty much as we want (fortunately, the base model of anything has all the equipment we really care about) including the stick shift. With dealer incentives and blah blah blah it looks like it will just fit into our budget.

On the other hand, my wife's cousin is a used car dealer out in the Reading area who specializes in Japanese minivans. He can get us used Odysseys, Siennas and Sedonas that will meet our price requirements. He can get Rondos that will save us thousands compared to our upper limit. Unfortunately, the Mazda5 seems to be a hard car to find used, especially with a manual and without all the frills. This is further complicated by the fact that we really would prefer a 2008 or newer, as Mazda made some changes for that model year that are pretty appealing.

We've always been the sort to drive the cars as long as they hold out, rather than replace every couple of years. However, we've also always bought used and have nevertheless had pretty good luck with longevity. I'm currently driving a 1997 Mazda 626 with almost 200K miles and while it still runs fine, it has some issues that will make it difficult/expensive to pass inspection in June this year. I bought that used in 2000 with 67K miles on it already and the only major repairs it has required was the master brake cylinder had to be replaced and also the exhaust line had to be replaced (caused largely by an ignition problem that went undiagnosed too long). My wife has a 2002 Protege5 which we'll hang onto. That hasn't had any major repairs at all.

I guess I'm trying to figure out whether it's worthwhile spending the extra money for a new car (and presumably getting exactly what we want), or holding out to see if my cousin can get us a used one for a significant discount.

Thoughts and/or advice?

I bought a new car a couple years back, and while I don't regret it, I think my future car purchases are going to be of the "Certified Used" variety.

It sounds to me like you're in the market for a "crossover" (yuck, I hate that term and I hate myself for saying it). You kind of hedge against gas prices going up (again) while getting yourself the extra room. I hear good things about that Ford Flex, but the appearance is a non-starter for lots of people.

I have a Pontiac Vibe which has been great so far, but it's probably too small for your needs.

I guess I'd hold out and see what your cousin can do with the minivan situation.

phatj wrote:So we're in a position to buy something very soon. We have paid off our previous car loan, which was the major obstacle, we have a good amount of cash for a DP, and our credit is in good shape (it better be, anyway). However, with the second kid on the way, we're pretty committed to keeping costs down so we're looking to keep our new payments below the old ones which pretty severely limits our options, as we're looking at something up to $16,000-$17,000 total.

As I posted a couple months ago, we're leaning strongly towards something minivanish. We looked at the Sienna, Odyssey and Sedona, and while all are nice, only the Sedona comes close to our price range if we buy new. I'm not interested in any the domestic minivans nor the VW whatever. While the full-size vans are appealing for versatility, I'm not excited about the prospect of averaging 20 mpg at best, nor piloting such a large vehicle around in parking lots and so forth. So we looked at smaller minivan-like things. The Mazda5 is basically a mini-minivan, a six-seat, three-row vehicle built on the Mazda3 chassis, only taller and longer with sliding rear doors. We also looked at the Kia Rondo, which is the closest competitor to the Mazda5 as its similar in size and is available with three row seating (though it doesn't have sliding doors). MrsVox also recommended checking out the Toyota RAV4, which is available with the third row seat and gets excellent gas mileage in the FWD/4CYL configuration.

We kind of liked the Rondo, but found the third-row seats to be essentially useless. They're difficult to get into even if the second-row seats are empty, and with two car seats in the second row they'd be totally inaccessible. The RAV4 with the third row is out of our price range new, and used ones with the third row are hard to find (plus I just don't like SUVs). We both very much liked the Mazda5 though -- the third row seats are not easy to get to, but possible, and as the second row has captain's chairs instead of a bench you can get to the back without flipping the second row seat forward. We wouldn't need the third row very often, though, and with it folded flat there's a ton of cargo volume. Also the 5 is available with a manual transmission which we both prefer (and it's pretty fun to drive, surprisingly so for a van-like car).

So we're probably going to go with the Mazda5. Our local dealer has one that's specced pretty much as we want (fortunately, the base model of anything has all the equipment we really care about) including the stick shift. With dealer incentives and blah blah blah it looks like it will just fit into our budget.

On the other hand, my wife's cousin is a used car dealer out in the Reading area who specializes in Japanese minivans. He can get us used Odysseys, Siennas and Sedonas that will meet our price requirements. He can get Rondos that will save us thousands compared to our upper limit. Unfortunately, the Mazda5 seems to be a hard car to find used, especially with a manual and without all the frills. This is further complicated by the fact that we really would prefer a 2008 or newer, as Mazda made some changes for that model year that are pretty appealing.

We've always been the sort to drive the cars as long as they hold out, rather than replace every couple of years. However, we've also always bought used and have nevertheless had pretty good luck with longevity. I'm currently driving a 1997 Mazda 626 with almost 200K miles and while it still runs fine, it has some issues that will make it difficult/expensive to pass inspection in June this year. I bought that used in 2000 with 67K miles on it already and the only major repairs it has required was the master brake cylinder had to be replaced and also the exhaust line had to be replaced (caused largely by an ignition problem that went undiagnosed too long). My wife has a 2002 Protege5 which we'll hang onto. That hasn't had any major repairs at all.

I guess I'm trying to figure out whether it's worthwhile spending the extra money for a new car (and presumably getting exactly what we want), or holding out to see if my cousin can get us a used one for a significant discount.

Thoughts and/or advice?

Jay have you considered somewhere like Car Sense?

http://www.carsense.com/used-car/2007-M ... rt-A23917/

(I think they have one or two other Mazda 5's in inventory, also. I don't see any 2008's though, yet)

the Flex is supposed to be great but that's out of your price range unless you find a year old used but Id be wary of those as they are likely rental cars sold at auction.


That's a tough niche youve put yourself into with the price range, foreign only and needing 3rd row seats. May I ask why you want the 3rd row when you have 2 kids? Are you planning on having more kids? If you want to stick to 2 kids then you really dont need that 3rd row at all. If that's the case then I highly recommend getting a Used Outback or Legacy wagon, standard AWD, great reliability and decent storage space, almost as much as most suvs.

If you insist on a minivan, then go with the Odyssey, obviously you need to go used for money, so I'd see if your cuz can get you a good one. Maybe he can take you to an auction?

Carsense tends to be overpriced by quite a bit. You can find much better deals even at dealerships.

Woody wrote:Jay have you considered somewhere like Car Sense?

Matter of fact, we bought my wife's Protege from CarSense. But if we're buying used, we'll probably go through my wife's cousin, because (I didn't mention this part before) he'll sell us whatever we want at his cost.

The Red Tornado wrote:the Flex is supposed to be great but that's out of your price range unless you find a year old used but Id be wary of those as they are likely rental cars sold at auction.

That's a tough niche youve put yourself into with the price range, foreign only and needing 3rd row seats. May I ask why you want the 3rd row when you have 2 kids? Are you planning on having more kids? If you want to stick to 2 kids then you really dont need that 3rd row at all. If that's the case then I highly recommend getting a Used Outback or Legacy wagon, standard AWD, great reliability and decent storage space, almost as much as most suvs.

If you insist on a minivan, then go with the Odyssey, obviously you need to go used for money, so I'd see if your cuz can get you a good one. Maybe he can take you to an auction?

The third row is a strong preference, not an absolute requirement. We can fit two car seats without trouble in either of our current cars, but it's fitting anything else in them that's the problem. Also, we're keeping our options open for a possible third kid in a few years, and since we expect to still have this car then, would like to get something now that we wouldn't need to replace.

Third row aside, I like Subarus but for the three days a year I would actually benefit from AWD it doesn't seem worth paying for, both up front and every time I fill the tank. (Though the EPA numbers for even the Outback seem comparable to if not better than the Mazda5...).

I forgot one other thing that has me leaning towards minivan-type cars (or, at least in theory, SUVs): the height. I don't especially care about the taller seating position, though it's nice, but having to bend way over to get the kid in and out of the car is a pain. This is exacerbated in my case because we don't have a garage, so I'm parking the car right next to a curb. Unless I leave enough space for my feet between the car and the curb, I'm standing another six inches higher up meaning I have to bend down even further.

the awd is nice on dry roads as well, youd be amazed at how nice it feels to drive one, but thats a personal preference I guess

I checked my credit via the annual free reports available per federal mandate, meaning I can see all the accounts and so forth but not the numerical rating. There's one negative item on there that I had forgotten about and I'm wondering if anyone knows how much it would be likely to affect my credit.

In 2001 I had to move suddenly because my employer in the Lehigh Valley suddenly closed and I got a new job in Horsham. Apparently I never closed my phone account with Verizon, which was something like $25. Despite the fact that I filed a forwarding address with the post office, and I immediately opened a phone account with Verizon at my new address, using the same name and so forth, Verizon never managed to send me a bill for this, so I never knew about it. Then in September of 2007 out of the blue I got a call from a collections agent for this bill. I ended up paying $75.

This shows up on the credit report as paid and closed, but it's a negative because it was sent for collections. I submitted disputes to both Experian and Equifax. I'm hoping the fact that it's a year and a half ago and a relatively small dollar amount would mean that it wouldn't hurt my credit too much. Other than that my credit (and my wife's as well) should be excellent. We have zero credit card debt and are down to just a few thousand in student loans, and our payment history is perfect (aside from this one issue). Our mortgage payment is well within normal.

Thoughts?

Since it's only one item, it's a small amount, and it's settled, it shouldn't have much impact on your credit score.

phatj wrote:I checked my credit via the annual free reports available per federal mandate, meaning I can see all the accounts and so forth but not the numerical rating. There's one negative item on there that I had forgotten about and I'm wondering if anyone knows how much it would be likely to affect my credit.

In 2001 I had to move suddenly because my employer in the Lehigh Valley suddenly closed and I got a new job in Horsham. Apparently I never closed my phone account with Verizon, which was something like $25. Despite the fact that I filed a forwarding address with the post office, and I immediately opened a phone account with Verizon at my new address, using the same name and so forth, Verizon never managed to send me a bill for this, so I never knew about it. Then in September of 2007 out of the blue I got a call from a collections agent for this bill. I ended up paying $75.

This shows up on the credit report as paid and closed, but it's a negative because it was sent for collections. I submitted disputes to both Experian and Equifax. I'm hoping the fact that it's a year and a half ago and a relatively small dollar amount would mean that it wouldn't hurt my credit too much. Other than that my credit (and my wife's as well) should be excellent. We have zero credit card debt and are down to just a few thousand in student loans, and our payment history is perfect (aside from this one issue). Our mortgage payment is well within normal.

Thoughts?

The amount is next to nothing. It'll hardly affect anything, relax. I could see it affecting your score by 2-3 points.

Thanks everyone.

Things progressed pretty fast yesterday. My wife was negotiating with the Mazda dealer via email (best way to negotiate ever!) and got the price to within a couple thousand of what we'd be able to get on a late-model used, so it looks like we're going with the new Mazda5. We're going in to run our credit and have my car checked out for trade value this evening. The car we want will have to be trucked in from elsewhere and won't be in until this week, but the dealer committed in writing to giving us the current incentives in case next week's aren't as favorable (but if next week's are better we'll get those instead).

Credit is all good. I want my new car now.

phatj wrote:Credit is all good. I want my new car now.

In this market, an eager buyer with good credit should be able to get a hand job just for walking in the dealership.

I thought I read that GMAC and others weren't even giving loans to people with good credit?

Actually got a question. The dealer I go to for car work says I need two new front wheel hubs for my 2000 Chevrolet Impala. He quoted about $950 for parts/labor/tax. I am going to ask around on Monday, but that seems really high for that. Is that normal price range for two?

Second question is that if these were bad would it throw my car out of alignment? I've noticed a definite pull to the left recently.

phatj wrote:Credit is all good. I want my new car now.

Congrats!

Pittfan03 wrote:Actually got a question. The dealer I go to for car work says I need two new front wheel hubs for my 2000 Chevrolet Impala. He quoted about $950 for parts/labor/tax. I am going to ask around on Monday, but that seems really high for that. Is that normal price range for two?

Second question is that if these were bad would it throw my car out of alignment? I've noticed a definite pull to the left recently.

wait, are you talking about hubcaps?

td11 wrote:

Pittfan03 wrote:Actually got a question. The dealer I go to for car work says I need two new front wheel hubs for my 2000 Chevrolet Impala. He quoted about $950 for parts/labor/tax. I am going to ask around on Monday, but that seems really high for that. Is that normal price range for two?

Second question is that if these were bad would it throw my car out of alignment? I've noticed a definite pull to the left recently.

wait, are you talking about hubcaps?

No, I'm not.