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Smart Shopper Selecting and Buying My First Car
764 messages, Last post on Aug 17, 2009 at 12:29 PM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
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I am graduating and buying my first car would appreciate some advice: I am considering purchasing an '03 or '04 model (max. purchase price is 20K) of the Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Pathfinder, or 4Runner (also thinking Volvo XC90) models. If my primary concerns are reliability in regards to repairs (since the models are 3-4 years old) and mileage because I am moving to Los Angeles, what do you advise me on? Also, how important would it be to buy from a dealer versus private party and should I spend the extra money to get a lower mileage vehicle still under manufacturer warranty? Any advice would be much appreciated.
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Replying to: jayd123 (Jul 31, 2007 10:21 pm) What is missing from your request for information is how you will be using the vehicle. I am assuming you will commute to work/business, since you have graduated. How long the commute? Streets or freeway? (though I understand in LA a lot of freeway traffic is stop-and-go) Basically, you should articulate why you want a used SUV vs. a new sedan/wagon for the same price. Towing needs? If I were you, I'd get a new Accord/Mazda[3,5,6]/Altima, or a new RAV4/CRV if you must have a higher seating and more cargo room. |
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Replying to: bodble2 (Jul 31, 2007 5:03 pm) |
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Replying to: jayd123 (Jul 31, 2007 10:21 pm) By the way, I'm pretty sure you won't be finding an XC90 for $20k unless its really miled up. |
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Replying to: jayd123 (Jul 31, 2007 10:21 pm) The Cherokee was a good design for 1984 when it came out, but by the 90s it was simply outdated. Pathfinder - careful here, the later ones that got the 240hp version of the VQ engine need premium fuel. Imagine using lots of gas and expensive premium fuel at that. The earlier models didn't have much HP, so I'd pass on these, too. 4Runner is reliable, but not fuel efficient. And they hold their value well, so you'll pay more for them up front. Volvo XC90 is expensive and so are the parts to keep it going. TCO may be the highest of the bunch, and that's mostly because it's in a higher class than the others. Honestly? Try a 4 cylinger Highlander, perhaps. Or try smaller SUVs like the Forester, RAV4, CR-V. Newer Escapes are actually reliable and they depreciate quickly so that might be an option. I drove a '98 Forester for 9 years and loved it. Life time MPG average was 25.1mpg on cheap old regular fuel, none of the SUVs you mentioned would even come close. Zero break downs. Come to think of it you could buy a brand new Forester X for $19k and get the full warranty and everything. We needed more space for the family so we got a van, but I miss it enough that we may buy a 2009 model when those come out. |
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I have some questions about inspecting a used car. I recently checked out a 1997 Honda Accord EX with 119K and an automatic transmission. The dealer is asking $4000 for it with a 3-month/3K powertrain warranty. At face value, this seems like a very good deal, but I have some questions about the car. - How important is the color of the transmission fluid and oil? The tranny fluid was a dirty brownish-pink and the oil was somewhat darkish brown-black. I know that transmission fluid should be pink in color and the oil should be light brown. How concerned should I be about this? Does this indicate serious problems with the transmission and engine or just that the transmission fluid and oil haven't been changed recently? - Another thing that I noticed about the car was there was some rust issues in the engine compartment--particularly small patches of rust under the hood and on some of the engine components/case. The dealer said that the rust was only on the surface of the engine, but is this issue something that I should be concerned about? This Accord is a one-owner car that was driven in the Northeast. The car seems a bit rough in appearance for a one-owner though. The rear power window was having problems working. Some of the trim was coming off, and there were some cosmetic issues.
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Replying to: lhy (Jun 08, 2009 3:46 am) The dirty transmission fluid could be flushed and refilled, but it's hard to say how much damage was already done. Dirty engine oil may mean the prior owner didn't take the best care of the engine, too. Add to that the rust, and the price suddenly seems high for a car that is well worn and has a lot of miles. I'd shop elsewhere. |
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Hi, I may have asked this before, but does anyone here have a car with adaptive cruise control? I'd like to get your impressions as to whether it's really worth it or not. The only cars that have it tend to be high priced luxury cars, and I'm not really sure I want to drop that much cash on a car. However, if it does truly make interstate and highway jogs so much easier, it may be worth it.
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Replying to: mortal1 (Aug 13, 2009 7:15 pm) tidester, host SUVs and Smart Shopper |
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Replying to: mortal1 (Aug 13, 2009 7:15 pm) |
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