DarkUnderlord
Water Chip? Been There, Done That
By a Mitsubishi. I hear the Company is doing well these days. Can't go wrong. Future product support guaranteed.
Good (cheap??) cars?
- Thread starter perfectdark18
- Start date
Water Chip? Been There, Done That
VW baby. Everyone always talks about Japanese styling, but when it comes to quality, they always say European. Got my GTI a few months ago... perfect. Buy what you like, cars nowadays last at least 100k w/ no problems; don't buy American! We're all about mass production for mass profit.
BTW: Focus's suck.
BTW: Focus's suck.
Ugly John
So Old I'm Losing Radiation Signs
she did say "cheap" Vw are (here in Canada ) rather expensive
In the U.S. VW cars are quite affordable. Comparable to your echo, the base price for a 2004 Jetta lease is about $240 a month, end of the year deals go down to $189. (I pay more, because I had very little credit). Purchase price is around $14,000, and you get one of the best warranty deals.
Hyundai (I don't like them) is also very affordable, and from what I gather, good quality. I don't trust their reliability record, but they have a ten year (limited?) warranty.
Just don't buy a *used* American car, I did that once, and got screwed big time. American cars just don't last after 100,000 miles. Then again, Elissar has a point. I had a '92 Chevy S-10, and it went forever, it just got too ugly for me to drive. And they're dirt cheap.
Hyundai (I don't like them) is also very affordable, and from what I gather, good quality. I don't trust their reliability record, but they have a ten year (limited?) warranty.
Just don't buy a *used* American car, I did that once, and got screwed big time. American cars just don't last after 100,000 miles. Then again, Elissar has a point. I had a '92 Chevy S-10, and it went forever, it just got too ugly for me to drive. And they're dirt cheap.
My mom had an '82 Dodge Van (yes "american") for 270,000 miles... it was falling apart by the time she got rid of it.
Yeah, I agree with Dove, go with a VW, I love them. I don't have one, but my one of my friends has a Passat and another has a Jetta, they'll swear by them.
Yeah, I agree with Dove, go with a VW, I love them. I don't have one, but my one of my friends has a Passat and another has a Jetta, they'll swear by them.
Montez said:
Yes, but Toyota had Volvo beat at it's own game years ago.
In Europe, the VW Golf is the best possible money for quality you can get. Not because they're extraordinarely good, but 'cause they're DAMN cheap.
Now I'm not sure if these cars are cheap in Ameriland, but the best cheap cars in Europe, not counting the Golf, are the Toyota Yaris, Honda Civic and Volvo S40. It depends on what you want. Toyota is pure, unbelieveable durability. *Nothing* can kill those cars. Honda, however, has most of the others beat at handling, those babies steer like a...thing that steers well.
Volvo's a bit more expensive than those, generally speaking, but damn good.
Ford Focus sucks.
PS: speaking of cars, is the average fuel consumption of American cars (all of which are referred to as fuel-guzzlers here) caused by the damn low oil price (.40 USD a liter?! Are you people nuts?! That's at least a euro here ('cept diesel))
Ugly John
So Old I'm Losing Radiation Signs
The only good Dodge is the RAM, my uncle had one for twenty years, then he bougfht the new one four years ago. wattatruck!
Toyota Yari? I've never heard of it, but the Corolla is pretty cheap. I'll agree with you on Toyota engines going forever, the interior, and aesthetitic parts however...Kharn said:
Honda Civic is dirt cheap here as well, but not as well manufactured as VW (at least here in U.S.)
Volvo is expensive here for no reason, even the S40. Which is supposed to be an "entry level" car.
I'm not sure of conversion, but fuel prices here are skyrocketing. Almost $2.00 a gallon USD. And yes, the fuel consumption of American cars has always been high for the reason that gas has always been so cheap here.
More than you can imagine. It truly is the worst car in the world.
ExtremeRyno
Still Mildly Glowing
It's an entry-level, cheap car. That's the reason I mentioned it. Plus it has 3 different body styles to choose from..All sorts of other options..All for under $15,000. It may not be a good car, but it's pretty cheap, and you get your money's worth. Plus, 30mpg? Good stuff, there.
I only recommend it because I can't fit inside an Escort without my head going through the sun-roof. Nor can I fit in a Jetta...Nor Golf....Nor Toyota Corolla...Nor Honda Civic...Nor Nissan Sentra.,,,Chevy Cavalier? Nigga Please. Taller people need taller cars...And taller cars usually cost more money.
Here's an idea, though..Try to find a few years old Daewoo. Even their largest "luxury" sedan was about $17,000, and since the company is now owned by.......Ehrm....Can't remember....You'll still get service, plus you can find these cars for dirt cheap.
I only recommend it because I can't fit inside an Escort without my head going through the sun-roof. Nor can I fit in a Jetta...Nor Golf....Nor Toyota Corolla...Nor Honda Civic...Nor Nissan Sentra.,,,Chevy Cavalier? Nigga Please. Taller people need taller cars...And taller cars usually cost more money.
Here's an idea, though..Try to find a few years old Daewoo. Even their largest "luxury" sedan was about $17,000, and since the company is now owned by.......Ehrm....Can't remember....You'll still get service, plus you can find these cars for dirt cheap.
How tall are you? I'm six foot tall, and if the seat is all the way back in my Jetta I can't reach the pedals. And there's about four inches of room between my head and the roof (from my actual head, not my hair). And the Jetta has all the same options, except for the stereo has CD and cassette, instead of CD and MP3DataCD. All for LESS than $15,000.
ExtremeRyno
Still Mildly Glowing
My thing is..I've got the legs of someone who's about 5'8...And a huge upper body...I'm 6'3...But most of that is upper body, so I have to sit sideways in small cars, or just stick my head out the sunroof. The few times I've ridden in a Jetta, I had to almost lay down the seat.
ExtremeRyno
Still Mildly Glowing
Actually, I do ride a bike. Got one of the lowest stock bikes with at least 1000cc's I could find.
Yamaha Virago XV1100 Special. Woot, and such.
Yamaha Virago XV1100 Special. Woot, and such.
Dove said:
They're smaller than Corolla's, but pretty similar in every other way. They're more of a small-family-car or couples car, whereas the Corolla is for bigger families. Because of the size, it is cheaper.
Good car, too, very popular here
I've heard that complaint before. It's simply not true. Honda cars are way underrated.
Dove said:
1 US gallon = 3.7854118 liters
That's...like...2 USD for 3.8 liters?! That's *nothing*. In Dutchieland you'd pay at least 4.5 EUR for 3.8 liters (I think)
Dove said:
Actually that'd be Suzuki Swift.
Meggy said:
Megs's right, Drinker, you're a freak
ExtaaaahreeeemeeeDrinkah!!! said:
Yamaha Virago?!!?! Allow me to worship the ground you walk 'pon
(good bike)
You're correct Kharn *most* Honda cars are way underrated, except for the civic. Every other car in their line is well designed and manufactured, but the civic is horribly constructed, well designed, but manufactured awfully. At least in the U.S. European civics are built somewhere else.
Most civics sold in the U.S. are built in the U.S., and cars built by Americans are terrible. Period. It doesn't matter who designed them, us ham-fisted Americans always screw things up.
Re: Fuel prices: Okay, yeah, gas is still really cheap here comparatively.
Most civics sold in the U.S. are built in the U.S., and cars built by Americans are terrible. Period. It doesn't matter who designed them, us ham-fisted Americans always screw things up.
Re: Fuel prices: Okay, yeah, gas is still really cheap here comparatively.
I'm 6'2 and my GTI is ridiculously roomy. It's super comfy and the whole ambiance is totally chill. Although my friend is only 5'2, she can't sit behind me when I'm at my preferred seating position, but you could mash 4 of your buds in there if you only had to go a few miles.
VW's are jacked up in price hardcore in Canada, but here in the US, a slightly used one is right around 10k.
VW's are jacked up in price hardcore in Canada, but here in the US, a slightly used one is right around 10k.
ExtremeRyno said:
By the way, this felt somewhat apropos:
On the farm lived a chicken and a horse, both of whom loved to play together.
One day the two were playing, when the horse fell into a bog and began to sink. Scared for his life, the horse whinnied for the chicken to go get the farmer for help! Off the chicken ran, back to the farm.
Arriving at the farm, he searched and searched for the farmer, but to no avail, for he had gone to town with the only tractor. Running around, the chicken spied the farmer's new Harley. Finding the keys in the ignition, the chicken sped off with a length of rope hoping he still had time to save his friend's life.
Back at the bog, the horse was surprised, but happy, to see the chicken arrive on the shiny Harley, and he managed to get a hold of the loop of rope the chicken tossed to him. After tying the other end to the rear bumper of the farmer's bike, the chicken then drove slowly forward and, with the aid of the powerful bike, rescued the horse!
Happy and proud, the chicken rode the Harley back to the farmhouse, and the farmer was none the wiser when he returned. The friendship between the two animals was cemented: Best Buddies, Best Pals.
A few weeks later, the chicken fell into a mud pit, and soon, he too,began to sink and cried out to the horse to save his life! The horse thought a moment, walked over, and straddled the large puddle. Looking underneath, he told the chicken to grab his hangy-downy thing and he would then lift him out of the pit. The chicken got a good grip, and the horse pulled him up and out, saving his life.
The moral of the story? (Yes, there's a moral!)
"When You're Hung Like A Horse, You Don't Need A Harley to Pick Up Chicks!"
welsh
Junkmaster
Nice story Kharn.
Note meg- this is further evidence that size matters.
Anway, you're right. Gas is really cheap in the US. The price varies depening on the additives. Gas in California is higher becuase they add chemicals to reduce the amount of pollution (cut back on LA smog).
As for cars. I have a honda civic and am of mixed feelings about it. it does handle quite well but is a bit small for me. I am tempted to go with a Subaru for my next car. We'll see.
Don't buy American- they don't hold their resale value. Japanese and European cars will hold up longer and will get you a better dollar when you sell it. If you plan to drive it into the ground, they will probably last you longer.
A couple bits of advice though.
For a good used car you will probably have to pay between $3-5K. It is possible to get something cheaper and good bargaining will help. In that sense, Perfect, since I know you are on a college campus, this is a good time for deals since a lot of college kids are leaving the country or getting new cars from the parents and need to dump old wheels. So you have a bit of oversupply, time is of the essence, you probably have reliable sellers = a temporary buyer's market.
The lower the price the more you will have to repair. Expect some repairs- like brakes, tires, perhaps exhaust system. If there are transmission problems or engine problems- leave it. Count the amount of repairs and deduct from the price. All first offers are initial expectations, the real price should consider costs.
When buying look for tells. The most obvious tell is oil under the car. Since sellers might move the car, put some newspaper under it and see if you get drops of oil. If so, be careful. Ask for papers. A good owner would keep most of the papers on repairs and this will give you a fair estimate of what has been done nd what needs to be done.
If the car is at 80K miles, you are getting into trouble. If the car is over 100K miles, problems. If the seller says "it's all highway!" bullshit. Even if the car is fairly news and it's all highway it's gone back and forth across the US a few times.
Other tells- look at the lines of the car, where the parts of the car's shell come together. If they don't match- it could mean body damage. The more accidents a car has the more damaged the frame- also something to be concerned with. Look for new paint on an old car. If the paint is too new, probably the car has been in an accident and got repainted as part of the insurance settlement.
Most of what you can find out about a car is available over the internet if you look for it.
Best thing, take the car to the mechanic and give the garage $20 to look under the hood and do an inspection. The better the relationship you have with the mechanic the better you are likely to get treated. The mechanic plans on saving you some money to curry favor so will give you a pretty good diagnostic on teh car. That will allow you more leverage in bargaining.
Hope this helps.
Note meg- this is further evidence that size matters.
Anway, you're right. Gas is really cheap in the US. The price varies depening on the additives. Gas in California is higher becuase they add chemicals to reduce the amount of pollution (cut back on LA smog).
As for cars. I have a honda civic and am of mixed feelings about it. it does handle quite well but is a bit small for me. I am tempted to go with a Subaru for my next car. We'll see.
Don't buy American- they don't hold their resale value. Japanese and European cars will hold up longer and will get you a better dollar when you sell it. If you plan to drive it into the ground, they will probably last you longer.
A couple bits of advice though.
For a good used car you will probably have to pay between $3-5K. It is possible to get something cheaper and good bargaining will help. In that sense, Perfect, since I know you are on a college campus, this is a good time for deals since a lot of college kids are leaving the country or getting new cars from the parents and need to dump old wheels. So you have a bit of oversupply, time is of the essence, you probably have reliable sellers = a temporary buyer's market.
The lower the price the more you will have to repair. Expect some repairs- like brakes, tires, perhaps exhaust system. If there are transmission problems or engine problems- leave it. Count the amount of repairs and deduct from the price. All first offers are initial expectations, the real price should consider costs.
When buying look for tells. The most obvious tell is oil under the car. Since sellers might move the car, put some newspaper under it and see if you get drops of oil. If so, be careful. Ask for papers. A good owner would keep most of the papers on repairs and this will give you a fair estimate of what has been done nd what needs to be done.
If the car is at 80K miles, you are getting into trouble. If the car is over 100K miles, problems. If the seller says "it's all highway!" bullshit. Even if the car is fairly news and it's all highway it's gone back and forth across the US a few times.
Other tells- look at the lines of the car, where the parts of the car's shell come together. If they don't match- it could mean body damage. The more accidents a car has the more damaged the frame- also something to be concerned with. Look for new paint on an old car. If the paint is too new, probably the car has been in an accident and got repainted as part of the insurance settlement.
Most of what you can find out about a car is available over the internet if you look for it.
Best thing, take the car to the mechanic and give the garage $20 to look under the hood and do an inspection. The better the relationship you have with the mechanic the better you are likely to get treated. The mechanic plans on saving you some money to curry favor so will give you a pretty good diagnostic on teh car. That will allow you more leverage in bargaining.
Hope this helps.
perfectdark18
First time out of the vault
Kharn--that's hilarious!
Welsh--awesome advice--thanks
Welsh--awesome advice--thanks