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What's the best vehicle for my needs?

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

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Messages Page 138 of 140

#1372 of 1392 Which used car is right for me? by apav

Jan 17, 2012 (11:03 pm)

I need to get a car to get me back and forth from school for this year only. I will only need it for this semester (I am staying home for this semester and then going to finish my undergrad on the other side of the country, but I'll be back for breaks). My parents are buying the car for me, but I have to buy gas.
 
 I'm currently looking at 2 cars: a 2009 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan LE and a Suzuki SX4 Sport Touring FWD Sedan.
 
The Corolla was nice, but it had many MANY scratches on all sides, even on the front and the rims. One side looked like it was sideswiped, because there were more scratches on that one side, on top of the clip of the front right bumper sticking out and condensation in the right side headlight. I am using the past tense because the dealer was getting someone to buffer out the scratches, fix the clip, and do a touch up with some paint, but we haven't seen it yet so I'm not sure what to think yet .I popped open the front hood and didn't see any parts crumbled, so I know if it was involved in any sort of accident or whatever to cause those scratches, it didn't effect how the vehicle runs. I test drove the Corolla. The ride was smooth, the tires didn't veer to one side if I let go of the steering wheel, and it had a nice pick-up for a four cylinder engine. The Corolla also has much better MPG and mileage compared to the Suzuki. The Corolla has about 30,000 miles and gets an estimated 27 City/35 Highway, while the Suzuki has 42,962 miles and gets an estimated 22 City/30 Highway.
 
 After tax and additional fee's, I'm looking around $11500 for the Corolla and $9500 for the Suzuki.
 
I have yet to see the Suzuki (am going to take a look tomorrow), but assuming everything with the Suzuki is perfect (no scratches, I like how the car drives and looks) what do you guys think would be the better car?
 
I'm not sure if I trust Suzuki cars, because they are less known, and to my knowledge are considered the economic-bargain cars. Also, since safety should be the highest priority, I would think Toyota is leaps and bounds ahead of Suzuki in that fashion. I'm not sure about this, but I think Suzuki doesn't have great safety ratings.
 
Which car would you pick? Would you still pick the Corolla over the Suzuki, despite it still having noticeable blemishes/potential safety issues?
 
If anyone is interested, the link to the Suzuki from the dealer is here:
http://www.southshorehyundai.com/VehicleDetails/used-2009-Suzuki-SX4-4dr_Sdn_Aut- o_Sport_Touring_Pkg_FWD-Valley_Stream-NY/1491029763
 
The Toyota was never listed on the dealer's website, but I listed the trim.
 
Thanks guys!

#1374 of 1392 Re: Which used car is right for me? [apav] by qbrozen

Jan 18, 2012 (11:27 am)

Replying to: apav (Jan 17, 2012 11:03 pm)
The Corolla will have far far better resale value down the road.
 
that being said, the Suzuki is an amazing deal if that really is your total price including taxes and all fees. That car would fetch $8k at dealer auction. Sounds like you are buying it for darned near that price.
 
the Corolla actually has a similar gap. About $10k at auction... but that's for an average one. Sounds like this one may be a bit below average. But as long as it fixes up to your satisfaction, nothing wrong there.
 
Make sure they have clean carfaxes!!

#1375 of 1392 Corolla or Suzuki by suydam

Jan 18, 2012 (12:53 pm)

Whichever one you choose, make sure to get it checked out by a mechanic first. Especially you want to find out how damaged the Corolla might have been. You can't tell just by looking under the hood. A mechanic will look for frame damage.

#1376 of 1392 Bravo Zulu or belay that? by steve_ HOST

Jan 26, 2012 (7:32 pm)

Are you an active duty or retired member of the U.S. military who recently bought a new or used car from a dealership? Do you feel like you got a better deal because of your service? Or did you ever feel that the dealer tried to invoke your military experience as a way to butter you up for a bad deal? A reporter is interested in hearing about these experiences, both positive and negative. Please send a brief overview of your experience and your contact info to predmunds.com by February 5th, 2012.

#1378 of 1392 Price of the car vs MPG? Also help deciding what to get. by hatchbacker

May 03, 2012 (4:54 pm)

I am having a really hard time deciding what car to get. I am in the market for a used car, the most I am looking to spend is 19000 (including a 3K trade in). That does not mean I want to spend that much but I definitely do not want to go pass that. What I want is a sporty fuel efficient hatchback (if that is even possible lmao). Cars I have considered: Golf TDI(2010&^), Toyota Matrix(09&^) and the Mazda 3(09), Honda CR-Z. Any opinion on this would be great.
 
My question is when does a fuel efficient car end up costing more than buying a cheaper not as fuel efficient car. Any sites I can compare this at? I ask this because the VW TDI cost more than my other choices but it has better MPG. I drive the average amount.

#1379 of 1392 Re: Price of the car vs MPG? Also help deciding what to get. [hatchbacker] by sebring95

May 04, 2012 (5:33 am)

Replying to: hatchbacker (May 03, 2012 4:54 pm)
I'm a huge fan of VW TDI's past....but the new ones just seem to be a big risk. They have had problems with US Spec diesel causing major damage to the fuel system. My neighbor needed $10k in repairs and spent a ton of time fighting VW before they would make it right. I guess there's an investigation by the feds into these problems as well. A used one would be a huge risk in my book.
 
Matrix might not be bad but I guess we would need to clarify what you want by "sporty"....looks, acceleration, handling...None you've listed are necessarily great in the acceleration dept.
 
I'll throw out another option: MINI Cooper. Lots of fun, less common on the streets, and the S-version has good performance and economy when you're not hot-rodding it. Maybe not the most reliable option (quirky perhaps) but no risk of major problems like say the TDI.

Messages Page 138 of 140

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