Buying a Car - Recommendations?

[Deleted]

if youre lucky you can buy an 04 plate mg zr. 2 previous owners & only 42k genuine miles on the clock. ive had it almost 2 years & have yet to do 3k in it. top condition, always starts 1st time & handles great

[Orlong]

There is absolutely no way to be "different and original" while buying a car. Every car that tries to be different and original is a rolling billboard that screams, "I want to be different and original" and fails utterly.

Well I didnt mean buy a Pontiac Aztec or something. I just meant dont buy the most popular cars that everyone owns like Civics, Escapes, and such. Its why I bought a Genesis Coupe 3.8 Track. Ive had it for a year now and still havent seen another one on the road. Its also fast, sporty, and fun to drive


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You sell the car with the amount of horsepower it has. You drive the car with the amount of torque it has. Torque > horsepower.

That's why a medium sized diesel engine is the most enjoyable car for your everyday driving.

But it wont go from 0-60 in 5 seconds either.

[madmanx]

Did you try the Volkswagen Golf TDI? It's more of a hatchback version of a Jetta, and comes out in July with a blue-silk color you'd like:

http://www.vw.com/models/golf/

VW spare parts are made in Germany still right? If so, repairs will be expensive!

[Orlong]

I never understood the appeal of 2 door coupes. Why wouldn't you want 4 doors? My experience with 2 door cars has always been the doors tend to open too wide, maximizing the accidental damage to other vehicles potential.

Only if you dont know how to properly open your door

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Get a Toyota Camry. Can't EVER go wrong with Toyota. Subaru is also a nice pick, Sporty but still elegant. NEW Ford Focus is nice. TBH a lot of the newer cars nowadays (the last 4-5 years) have really come up in every aspect in every brand. Can't really go wrong with anything nowadays. But like I said, If you want reliability, longevity, and a car that keeps its value, go with Toyota.

Source: I worked at a Carmax for 6 years (So I was able to be around every kind of make and model all the time) and I also worked at a close friend's transmission shop.

I used to think Toyotas were good until the last 2 years when they had to recall about 30 million vehicles for shutting off while driving, batteries that catch fire etc...

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I would have to say the Ford Focus really would be good for you, although if you can find a Chevy Volt. The ford and Chevy have the advantage in Ut being American Branded cars, you wont look like a Liberal Californian. (yes I'm dissing my home) The Volt will save you the most money since it is a True Hybrid, It can drive as either a gas or an electric car, if you keep it full of gas and Charge it every night, you can save thousands a year in fuel.

Youll save thousands on fuel, but youll spend thousands more on your electric bill to charge it. Its a wash, and youll still have a overpriced small box car

[drwelfare]

Buy some older car, something that wont upset you too bad when it gets damaged.

Save the money for other things later.

[Spectral]

Good thing you put the second part, because I would have made a lot of comments about assumptions. I too am proud of what I have done with my life, I love my current lifestyle, and I am currently working on become the person I feel inside, which is not easy, and it's not cheep.

I have written a Game system, and I'm currently editing it and working on the Art so I can publish. When I am done with that I'll be turning a few of my old scripts into Webcomics.

I use cars as an excuse to go out and play, since I use my home office for my work. As such cars are toys, and remain in the needed only for fun and shopping, which is also fun. My roommate has a daily commuter, however like me he choose a car that matched his personality.

Yeah, cars are cool. I get more hateful about them than I should be at times because I can't stand when people spend money they essentially don't have in a hunt for validation. It's just so damned stupid! I still think cars are really cool, I just stopped worrying about how others looked at mine after I had enough things in life that I was confident and comfortable with.

If I'm ever in a position where it's not much of a financial burden, I'll probably have something cool. Bikes come first though.

[Asera]

It's about control, an Automatic, and the semi-auto transmission ("tiptronic") remove a percentage of control for comfort. With a manual you can control your RPMs and speed precisely, also with the clutch you can control your speed and acceleration patterns. For economy and control Manual is always better, for heavy traffic automatics are easier.

Control, yes. Economy, that can be argued against. Regular old automatic gearboxes certainly will get beaten by a stick.

However, DCT transmissions usually are at least on par, and in some cases, better. Mostly because DCT boxes have an extra gear for the particular car it's on (for example, MK3 Focus DCT is 6 speed, manual is a 5), because the transmission computer shifts at optimal RPMs almost every time, and -- the big reason -- no torque converter.

I can't say the same for CVTs since I never really researched them when I got my Focus, but I would assume they would be near on par, and at the very least, more consistent than anything else.

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But it wont go from 0-60 in 5 seconds either.

No, but a diesel would stop a Genesis from going forward if tied end to end. xD

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I would have to say the Ford Focus really would be good for you, although if you can find a Chevy Volt.

Seems odd to compare a Focus with a car that costs 2-3 times as much as it...

Better comparison for a hybrid would be a Prius C or something. At least that's near the Focus' price bracket.

[Gothicshark]

Youll save thousands on fuel, but youll spend thousands more on your electric bill to charge it. Its a wash, and youll still have a overpriced small box car

Depends, if you own your own home you can have Solar panels, which reduce your bills nicely.

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Seems odd to compare a Focus with a car that costs 2-3 times as much as it...

Better comparison for a hybrid would be a Prius C or something. At least that's near the Focus' price bracket.

The OP is in Utah, also I would never suggest a Prius to anyone. They are overrated and no where near as good as people claim.

By Utah I mean one of the most Conservative States in the West. (Idaho, Arizona, and Nevada included. People in western conservative states dislike 'Foreign Cars' and accuse the owners of such vehicles of being too 'Californian')

[Dawnseven]

research, research, research. never buy a car your first trip to the dealership; make them sweat, even if it is something you really want. You can always call other dealerships. Don't settle for anything less than exactly what you want. Interior and exterior color, options, etc. They'll try to put you into something they have in stock. They'll try to tell you they can't get it or order it. Just say that is ok; I don't need the car and I won't spend this kind of money on anything but exactly what I want.something like that Vauxhall/Lotus isn't going to do that nor would you pass that many gas stations on your trips You need to look at interior layouts, interior color options, etc.

^ This.

Dealers trade cars amongst each other all the time. If you want it in blue, they'll find it and get it. It might take them a day or two (or three), but you want to be thrilled with your new car, so let them work.

I also agree not to buy on your first trip. Tell them you're looking and you have several things in mind and MAKE yourself leave empty handed and sleep on the decision, even if you see exactly what you want. I have two rules. 1) I don't spend more than $5K without sleeping on it, and 2) I never buy anything if someone says I have to make a decision right then and there or the fabulous deal they're offering is off (25% off, today only!). Those have never turned out well for me.

[Gothicshark]

^ This.

Dealers trade cars amongst each other all the time. If you want it in blue, they'll find it and get it. It might take them a day or two (or three), but you want to be thrilled with your new car, so let them work.

I also agree not to buy on your first trip. Tell them you're looking and you have several things in mind and MAKE yourself leave empty handed and sleep on the decision, even if you see exactly what you want. I have two rules. 1) I don't spend more than $5K without sleeping on it, and 2) I never buy anything if someone says I have to make a decision right then and there or the fabulous deal they're offering is off (25% off, today only!). Those have never turned out well for me.

Good rules to live by.

[Tulune]

Subaru Impreza! A fun small car that's good in the snow. I have a 2001 hatchback that is still alive despite me ignoring it. I plan to get a newer version of my car soon because I love Imprezas so damn much.