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Smart Shopper What's the best vehicle for my needs?
1145 messages, Last post on Sep 17, 2009 at 12:59 PM
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Replying to: plekto (Jul 03, 2009 8:04 am)
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Replying to: carstryke (Jul 03, 2009 8:23 am) I have a crew-cab Tundra and it's a lousy family vehicle...can't imagine going to a Tacoma or similar small fry. 4Runner might be ok...(wife has GX470) but the back seat with 3 carseats/boosters is a cramped mess. 3rd row is trash on most of these mid-size SUV type things. You might be able to get into a BMW 5-series wagon with a manual transmission, but back seat will still be tight. GMC Acadia/Buick Enclave is about the best crossover type non-minivan that actually has decent space AND easy access to 3rd row AND cargo capacity. Might be able to grab a lower end used model in your price range. Ford Flex is interesting but just as compromied as the others when it comes down to it. |
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Replying to: sebring95 (Jul 03, 2009 9:26 am) He'll have to try and test things out though... If he wants a manual, well, he wants a manual. Automatic plus SUV or Minivan... if it was me, and I feel a lot like this guy I bet, I'd rather gnaw off my left leg and wheel myself off to a retirement home than accept such a bland soulless driving experience. Also, the 3rd row is without a doubt a marketing ploy and not intended for real use in almost every SUV and minivan. Why? Because with the exception of a very few vehicles, it's back of the rear axle and therefore part of the crumple zone itself. If you get rear-ended at 35-40mph, any child in the rear will die barring an act of God.(same problem existed in the past for rear seats in station wagons as well, which is why nobody offers them any more) Many like the 3rd row on the RAV-4 are less than a foot from the rear window. BMW - worst reliability possible other than maybe Mercedes SUVs. And also hugely expensive. I suspect that he wants to stay under $25K if possible Call it a hunch, given the three young kids...
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Replying to: exb0 (Jul 01, 2009 10:26 am) Right now I'm weighing: Acura TL 2005 Volvo S60 2006 BMW 3 series 2005 or... as a wildcard.. 2007 Toyota Camry XLE Going to check those out. My next question, do I go with one of the above or bite the bullet and spend whatever it costs (within reason) to get a 2007 model with say 20k miles on it. 2007 base TL with under 40k miles seems to run $24-25k while a 2005 with 40k miles is under $18,000 in some cases. The 2007 got such great reviews from Edmunds. is 6k worth it for a newer model year and fewer miles? Worth it in the sense of future resale value. Decisions decisions... |
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Replying to: plekto (Jul 03, 2009 6:31 pm) Reliability wasn't on his list and BMW is not that bad and regardless has a good warranty. They can be bought in his price range. Great performance, manual tranny, good cargo room, not a minivan.
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Replying to: sebring95 (Jul 03, 2009 8:01 pm) |
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My daughter, one year out of college and working as a part-time computer tech, needs a car. The one we bought her when she graduated from high school finally died. She has $1,000 - 1,500 for a down payment but doesn't make enough to qualify for a loan. She found the perfect car at a local dealership and they were sure that they could get financing for her but, even with a 713 credit score, she failed unless she was willing to pay 20%+ interest on an 18 month loan that made her payments more than double what she could afford. I'm beginning to think that a repo is about the only thing she will be able to buy but, after hours of searching the internet, I can't seem to find anywhere to go to buy one. Can anyone point this very frustrated, unemployed mother in the right direction??? 
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Replying to: plekto (Jul 03, 2009 6:31 pm) I never knew this, good thing my kids are all grown now, so I only have retrospective guilt for having regularly risked their lives by having at least one of them in that back row of our Windstar (we actually did consider a Suburban before buying the minivan, but it was just too huge, not to mention much more expensive). |
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Replying to: fritzi2 (Jul 03, 2009 11:20 pm) A repo may not necessarily be that cheap, as they tend to be newer cars. A lot of cheap used cars, especially those being sold by private parties, are on craigslist. In my area some dealers that fix up and sell salvaged cars advertise on craigslist.org as well as autotrader.com and cars.com...those tend to be cheap, by dealer standards anyway. In my area there are companies that rent older cars for as little as, I think, $10 per day. Perhaps something like that could be a temporary solution while she looks? |
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