Ask the Car People.SM


What's the best vehicle for my needs?

1392 messages,  Last post on Mar 16, 2013 at 10:24 AM

You are in the Smart Shopper Forum.

What is this discussion about? Car Buying

Messages Page 135 of 140

#1335 of 1392 Re: Value is more important than cost to me [fushigi] by plekto

Oct 02, 2011 (12:55 pm)

Replying to: fushigi (Oct 02, 2011 6:10 am)
Manuals are better than automatics, because a clutch is $200 plus labor. But if you aren't good at driving one, you'll toast them every year in the Bay Area.
 
As for safety, the real list to look at is here:
This is insurance claims and is weighted to consider all vehicles on the road. So smaller cars are worse off than SUVs, as you'd expect. This is far more realistic than just smashing stuff into a car or vice-versa.
 
http://www.iihs.org/research/hldi/composite_cls.aspx?y=2004-2006
A good example is to compare the larger Buicks and Toyotas to the smaller cars. The best compromise might be a manual SUV with a 4 cylinder engine. But these are hard to find.

#1336 of 1392 Ride a motorcycle most of the time -- need a cheap, reliable car by billybob00

Oct 03, 2011 (9:47 am)

I ride a motorcycle to work on most days. It recently dawned on me that I don't really need a car -- other than when it rains or is too cold, or when I need to carry something heavy.
 
I envision this car sitting in my garage most days. But, when duty calls, it needs to be ready to go.
 
Here are my requirements:
 
-Budget of $5000
-Relatively low maintenance.
-Cheap to insure (less than $100/mo)
-Something 'unique' and different. Since I'm not worried too much about gas mileage, I thought I might as well have fun with it. I DONT want a sedan
 
Ideas I've had
-Jeep Wrangler, Suzuki Samurai
-Ford Ranger
-Older sports car (camaro, corvette, etc)
-Ford T-Bird
-Chrysler Conquest
 
As you can see, my ideas for a car are all over the place. I'm basically browsing Craigslist and seeing what $5k can buy.

#1337 of 1392 Re: Value is more important than cost to me [placeboeffect] by qbrozen

Oct 03, 2011 (11:16 am)

Replying to: placeboeffect (Sep 30, 2011 11:53 pm)
To be perfectly honest, if you see more value in a $10k Aveo, Rio, Accent, or Yaris than a $5k Accord, there isn't much I can do to help you with your decision.

#1338 of 1392 Re: Ride a motorcycle most of the time -- need a cheap, reliable car [billybob00] by Kirstie@Edmunds HOST

Oct 03, 2011 (11:50 am)

Replying to: billybob00 (Oct 03, 2011 9:47 am)
Your list is a bit confusing. Ford T-Bird? That is one honkin' HUGE sedan, yet you don't want a sedan.
 
Older sports car = not likely low maintenance, not likely low insurance
 
Wrangler - hold their value well, so for $5K you're looking at one that is WAY miled up and/or in bad condition.
 
The more "unique" or different the vehicle, the harder it is going to be to find parts and, potentially, service.
 
So far, I'd say the Ranger is your best bet.

#1339 of 1392 Re: Ride a motorcycle most of the time -- need a cheap, reliable car [kirstie_h] by billybob00

Oct 03, 2011 (1:35 pm)

Replying to: Kirstie@Edmunds (Oct 03, 2011 11:50 am)
Fair enough. The list is confusing because I'm not sure what I want yet
 
So I guess I should take back what I said about no sedans.
 
How about -- given the budget of $5k, what would you buy, for each of these:
 
-Truck
-Sedan
-SUV/Jeep

#1340 of 1392 Re: Value is more important than cost to me [qbrozen] by placeboeffect

Oct 03, 2011 (1:51 pm)

Replying to: qbrozen (Oct 03, 2011 11:16 am)
I'm sorry, I'm a little confused by your response. I know absoultly nothing about cars haveing not paid any attention to them whatsoever for 11 years.
 
All I was saying was that the particular 5K cars that we looked at (not just Accords but *anything* we looked at in the 5K rage) were in really rough shape (hail damage, needing a new clutch, rusted through exterior, or missing interior for example). That does not seem like something I want to pay five thousand dollars for. When I searched through avalible cars at the higher price range (which was 8-10K) these were the some of the cars that were coming up that also seemed to be in acceptable condition. I think these particualr cars were more towards the 8K area.
 
I was *asking* if any of these would be a good value, not stating that they were. I am in absolutly no possition to judge. You seem to be suggesting that a rusted out Accord for 5K is still a better value than a good condition Aveo, Rio, Accent, or Yaris for 8K. Prehaps that is the case. I don't know. That's why I asked the question.
 
I have not seen any of these cars in person. We have to rent a car to go car shopping. My husband has to take off work and we have to drag our three year old with us. I'm trying to get as much information as I can before we go to test drive cars. I need to have a few types of cars to look at so that I don't get overwhelmed by choices. Thanks to other responses I have received on this forum I have already removed the cars that you addresss out of consideration. If you have any useful sugestions or recomendation I would welcome them. However, please don't belittle me for my lack of knowledge. That is what I am trying to rectify and in a very short time frame.

#1341 of 1392 Re: Ride a motorcycle most of the time -- need a cheap, reliable car [billybob00] by plekto

Oct 03, 2011 (5:59 pm)

Replying to: billybob00 (Oct 03, 2011 9:47 am)
I have the perfect car for you. It's the least expensive to run and maintain Toyota made in the last 10 years as well, based upon parts cost and labor/complexity.
 
Look at a last generation Toyota Celica with a manual transmission. It's "different", handles great (fast, too) , is cheap as dirt to run, gets good fuel economy, and is perfect for getting around on rainy days and so on since you are only carrying 1-2 people at most. Toyota was *so* stupid to replace it with the much worse in every category Scion TC. Heavier, worse steering feel, worse suspension, worse fuel economy... sigh. (minor rant mode off)
 
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=306873461
A typical example. Not your typical jellybean-mobile.
 
The other option would be an old truck. Anything with manual and 4 cylinders. A mid 90s Tacoma 4X4 is a perfect example (4 cylinder, short bed, standard cab). Depreciation on it should be nearly non-existent as well, due to the demand with the off-roading crowd for these.
 
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=306880573
This is a typical example. Very little to go wrong.
 
Why manual? better performance out of a smaller engine, more fun to drive, potentially ~2K less to fix if the transmission dies (ouch?), can be manually started if the starter dies, can be shifted without a clutch in a pinch (good enough at least to get you to the shop) and many other reasons. If cheap and functional is a key requirement, manuals are your best bet. Doubly so with 4WD, since automatics tend to go brain-dead in mud, snow, and in dirt/rocks.
 
Note - my last truck that I had (4Runner, same exact platform/chassis) had nearly 400K on it when I sold it. The original transmission lasted roughly 320K. A heavy duty replacement was ~$1200. Dropped the old one and put in the new one. (all new internals, had to break it in as if it was factory fresh). The truck is still running around in N. Cal last I heard.
 
I'd personally buy one of these with 150K on it without a second thought.

#1342 of 1392 Re: Value is more important than cost to me [placeboeffect] by qbrozen

Oct 03, 2011 (6:41 pm)

Replying to: placeboeffect (Oct 03, 2011 1:51 pm)
Did you get to go see any of the cars I posted by any chance? I'm not sure what it is you have gone to see at this point. You SHOULD be able to find a nice reliable car for under $5k.
 
If you raise your pricepoint, that's fine, too, of course, but I wouldn't scrape the bottom of the barrel and look at these entry level econoboxes. They are the cheapest cars new for a reason (cheaply built). Step up just a tad, at least. Rather than the Versa, look at the Sentra. Rather than a Yaris, a Corolla. Etc.

#1343 of 1392 Re: Value is more important than cost to me [placeboeffect] by robr2

Oct 04, 2011 (8:29 am)

Replying to: placeboeffect (Oct 01, 2011 8:34 pm)
Have you considered using Zipcar instead of buying a car? If that is all you really plan to do, then Zipcar may work and be less expensive than owning a car.

Messages Page 135 of 140

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement