No money to actually do anything with yet, but we have been looking at some cars. Mr BRS says I should get a Toyota, Honda, or a Nissan. I have my extra financial aid money and my in-laws have offered to help us out a little bit. Combine that with what we HOPE to get for my old car and we're looking at a $5,000 - $6,000 budget. Unfortunately, there aren't many Toyotas, Hondas, or Nissans out there for this price range. We test drove a Maxima today, but it's about $1,000 more than what we can afford. We won't be able to talk the dealer down much because the price is actually below the Kelley Blue Book value already. It's been sitting on the lot for a few months now I guess, nobody wants to buy it because its a 1998. ::sigh:: This is so hard!
So help me out girls (and guy). What do you think I should be looking for in that price range? Smaller cars, especially those with 4 cylinders, are actually increasing in price because of gas prices.
I say Toyota all the way. I've had Celicas, 4Runners and Camrys and have had wonderful experiences with them all. In fact, my mom still has my 98 4Runner as her "horse" vehicle and it is going on 200,000 miles. The amount of work that has been done on it is minimal. We still have my '90 Celica convertible, it has 170,000 miles on it and runs like a dream. I make it a point of getting it serviced on the clock (so that may be part of why it runs so well) but I think they are generally just really good cars. Jmo.
I think that Toyotas and Hondas are both equally reliable. I can't say too much about Nissans because I've never owned one, but there are tons of forums (there is one on edmunds.com I believe) that you could probably get experiences from. I have a 1998 Civic EX and I think Blue Book might run around $5,000 - $6,000, or even lower, for those.
I would say Toyota. My BF has a Corolla and it runs great. I don't think the Yaris is that much money and it's small so good on gas.
__________________
Cassandra
WiSHLiST
lv damier neverfull mm
lv monogram denim neo cabby gm in black
ysl y-mail tote in black
chanel classic flap in caviar
chanel classic caviar medallion tote
balenciaga giant city in charcoal grey
Hope it's not "bad form" to jump into this uninvited - I'm new to this.
I've had a Prius for over a year now and get over 50mpg. Toyota really knows how to make a hybrid; I can highly recommend one to anyone! And there is basically no maintenance except oil changes & tire rotation every 5000 miles.
I guess that's where fashion takes a back seat to practicality with me (the curse of being sensible and a mom I guess). I feel like I live in the car with all the driving I do. I LOVE my purses & shoes but for ~300 a month I lease a great car! Is leasing an option for you?
I won't interrupt again! Hope you find what you're looking for.
bRs, I know nothing about cars so I am no help to you on this but cyndieg does have a good point, could you find some kind of hybrid for the amount you are wanting to spend?
Zombs, no hybrids are advertised for that price. As far as I know, they are ridiculously expensive (which is a shame... <<insert bad political things we aren't allowed to talk about here>>). There is one Prius advertised. It's a 2006 and its $25K. I think a brand new one costs closer to $40K.
cyndieg - I can't afford any sort of car payment. I'm going to school and I'm actually going to have to use my extra financial aid to cover what I don't get for my old car from the evil people.
the closest thing to a hybrid that isnt going to cost a lot is a Toyota Yaris. I bought mine new for 12,000... and, they had '07s for a lot less. You can def. talk them down at toyota dealers too... But, my car gets 40-45 miles to a gallon.. which i think is amazing.
OMG! We went everywhere today looking at cars (Sundays are great because most dealerships are closed ). We looked at a 02 Honda Accord. I was reading on Edmunds about it. It's really strange. A lot of people were going on and on about how they hadn't had a single problem with theirs and they have driven well over 100k in their car. But then there was a handful of people that complained they had to have their transmission replaced when their car had only 60k-90k miles on them. So now we're back to the Maxima again... but its too much money.
i say that you should get a Honda, i have a '95 accord and its still very good (besides the paint and it looks ugly but i'm whatevs about looks.) idk, i guess its because my whole family has honda's. lol. i say its a reliable car.
do you know how to drive stick shift or only automatic?
__________________
.. omgawwwwd. so tired of debt. ):
Oh, we saw a 99 Nissan Sentra too. We can probably afford that one but it has 153,000 miles on it. The interior looks great though and it has a sunroof.
Make sure you get a carfax vehicle report before you buy anything to make sure it wasn't salvaged ... if it was salvaged and refurbished at one time or anotehr you should get it for a LOT cheaper.
I like my Honda Civic...it's been a good car. Not sure about the Nissans. I have a Toyota truck and it seems great as well...
Have you thought about Hyundai's? at one point and time you could get a hyundai accent for $99 per month at our local dealership - not sure what they run now. I wouldn't buy a used Hyundai though...only new with the 100,000 factory warranty...I had a Elantra when I was married before and it spent some time in the shop...but it waas under warranty so we got a free car, etc...
Cars... What would you buy?
Buddy's don't forget to PM me your Tracking/DC # by December 17th! 
). We looked at a 02 Honda Accord. I was reading on Edmunds about it. It's really strange. A lot of people were going on and on about how they hadn't had a single problem with theirs and they have driven well over 100k in their car. But then there was a handful of people that complained they had to have their transmission replaced when their car had only 60k-90k miles on them. 
So now we're back to the Maxima again... but its too much money.
Linear Mode
