03-23-2004, 07:52 PM | #1 (permalink) |
Crazy
Location: Montreal , Quebec
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Buying First Car and i dont know shit.. Help ?
So im 19 and im going to start looking for a car relatively soon but im a total car newbie. I dont know what to look for and what to watch out for. Im currently driving my parents 1992 Dodge Caravan and i am looking to buy something completely different. I can spend about 10k on it so its going to be a used car. Any recommendations ? Anything i should know ? No details are too small.
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03-23-2004, 08:02 PM | #2 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: San Diego, CA.
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Before we can even begin to help you on what to look for, watch out for, maintenance, reapairs, costs, how to deal with teh sellers etc. It might be useful to figure out what car you want, or even some general guidelines to what genre of cars to look at.
What do you want your car to do? Do you care about gas mileage? How important is reliability to you? American, Foreign, or either? Do you want durability, ruggedness and versatility, or sporty and fast? If you want sport and fast, straight line performance, or something light and good in the corners, or mix of both? If something larger, how large? Full size SUV, smaller, or large sedan? The best way to start, is figure out what you want your car to do. There WILL be a car out there to do it for you probably. Once you know what you want, figure out the possibilities. THEN look into each of them, pros and cons, and test drive them. You are then in the position to buy the best car for you and your money.
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Dont cry kid, It's not your fault you suck. |
03-23-2004, 08:22 PM | #3 (permalink) |
The sky calls to us ...
Super Moderator
Location: CT
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Not sure on the laws and policies in Canada, but a sporty car is going to cost a lot of money in insurance if you're under 25 in the US. You can get a decent car for 10k, whether you want a newer, more economical car, or an older, sportier car.
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03-24-2004, 09:14 AM | #4 (permalink) | |
Lost!!
Location: Kingston, Ontario
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I want a 98 2 door Caviler and well I don't even want to know how much that is going to cost....so I might go under my dads name until I move out
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A.K.A. PainTrain |
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03-24-2004, 11:53 AM | #5 (permalink) | |
Her Jay
Location: Ontario for now....
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not saying anything on the Cavalier issue other than stay away.
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sorry Pain Train I had to say it.
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder |
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03-24-2004, 12:17 PM | #6 (permalink) |
Please touch this.
Owner/Admin
Location: Manhattan
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stick with japanese economy cars until you actually know the burden that comes with american economy cars (they are all crap!)
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03-24-2004, 07:58 PM | #10 (permalink) |
Leave me alone!
Location: Alaska, USA
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I suggest Toyota, Subaru, Saturn, Honda or possibly VW. Nissan if the price and miles are right. I like Toyota trucks and 4-Runners. Ask a mechanic that you trust what he recommends.
Learn all you can about the car you decide on. Call the bank and get book value on the approximate year/mileage. Any car is only worth what you are willing to pay for it. Remember that when you are talking with the salesmen. Market value may be higher or lower than what you personally will pay. Get preapproved, don't tell the dealer until you are at the finance desk. Settle on a price, NOT A PAYMENT. They have a nice little game of jacking the price up to make your payment. Get a solid interest rate before you drive home. If they call back and try to jack up your rate, RETURN THE CAR and find a new dealer. They can make $1000 a % point by selling it to the lenders. They know what you qualify for when they see your credit report. Gap insurance is for people that want more vehicle than they can afford. Put away 20% for a down payment. If you cannot afford the down, you cannot afford the car. Buying an extended warranty is betting that the car will break. Make your decision based on the total vehicle. IMO - American cars are unreliable crap. I have worked on Cavaliers more than any other car. Get a sheet of paper, write "Salesmen are not my friends" 300 times. Rinse, repeat.
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03-25-2004, 05:01 AM | #11 (permalink) |
Tilted
Location: WA
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It's not 2 door, but you might consider a Maxima. Yeah, I'm abit biased, but they get decent mileage, dont have to do much in the way of maintence and are fun cars to drive (surprises alot of people how much power they have).
Another thing that I would look out for if I was in your shoes is a timing belt. I would try to avoid a car with one because when its time to replace them its normally about a $400-$600 job (maybe less, probably more, lol), if it's an interference engine and the belt brakes your looking at a substancially higher ammount though.
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1992 Maxima SE 5spd- Lots o mods. Maxima Guru 1968 Mustang Coupe 289ci Auto- Awaits 331 Stroker/T-56/Full Discs/and more. |
03-25-2004, 08:54 AM | #13 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Location: Florida
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If a Cavalier is a "nice sports car", my Thunderbird is a Bugatti Veyron. |
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03-25-2004, 10:19 AM | #17 (permalink) | |
Lost!!
Location: Kingston, Ontario
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A.K.A. PainTrain |
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03-25-2004, 09:15 PM | #18 (permalink) |
Her Jay
Location: Ontario for now....
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Cavaliers are always behind in everything, styling, power, technology, people think they are sports cars but they have what 165HP in the fancy Z24 or whatever it is called, and people go around and drive them like they're Lambo's. I absolutely hate them the new one looks cross-eyed or sad or like it got punched in the hood. Maybe if they could find a better car to use as a basis (sunfire) they might be able to do something, but I highly doubt it. I don't even consider the Cavalier a sport compact, it's more like an econo-sport-disposable car.
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder |
03-26-2004, 03:12 AM | #22 (permalink) | |
Tilted
Location: WA
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A few of my friends have hit 11's with their maximas, quite impressive, and it really doesn't require that much money (stock internals and all). Actually just a few days ago a good friend of mine ran the following: R/T.......... .741 60' ....... 2.254 330'....... 5.949 1/8........ 8.944 MPH....... 82.74 1000...... 11.510 1/4........ 13.673 MPH....... 106.41 He has a 2002 6spd with headers, modified stock intake, and some weight reduction. Stock wheels with 245/45-17 Toyo T1-S tires. He was the first guy to break into 12's with a 5th gen (running nitrous back then ). Granted it would be kind of difficult to get a 2002-2003 maxima for $10,000ish, but I've got about $3500-$4000 invested in mine and it has awesome handling and can run mid 14's, and its really fun to drive and I never worry about it breaking down on me. Just oil, gas, and tires
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1992 Maxima SE 5spd- Lots o mods. Maxima Guru 1968 Mustang Coupe 289ci Auto- Awaits 331 Stroker/T-56/Full Discs/and more. |
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03-26-2004, 09:59 AM | #24 (permalink) | |
Lost!!
Location: Kingston, Ontario
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It cost less, has less km and well has leather interior
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A.K.A. PainTrain |
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03-26-2004, 10:17 AM | #26 (permalink) | |
Lost!!
Location: Kingston, Ontario
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Ya well I will take your word that they are good cars.....and my buddy said to take the 240 iver the Caviler the only problem both 240's are in Ottawa damn long boring drive!
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A.K.A. PainTrain |
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03-27-2004, 12:28 AM | #29 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Location: Florida
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Quote:
silent_jay said that well, except that the Sunfire is the exact same thing as a Cavalier aside from cosmetic differences, so it'd hardly be an upgrade. As for the 240SX, I know they have a pretty strong following but aside from that I've never really looked into them. |
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03-27-2004, 06:21 AM | #30 (permalink) | |
Tone.
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03-27-2004, 12:24 PM | #31 (permalink) | |
Lost!!
Location: Kingston, Ontario
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I hope by next month , and before summer is here! |
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03-30-2004, 07:17 PM | #32 (permalink) | |
pow!
Location: NorCal
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Anything Honda/Acura is a good value
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Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free. |
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03-30-2004, 07:41 PM | #33 (permalink) |
Junkie
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The only American cars I'm familar with are those I rent during my business trips over there. As Hal says, they're all shit. Horrible power, suspension like marshmallow and handling like a drunk elephant. Having said that, a lot of the "Japanese" cars you get over there are specifically built for the American market, so many of them (not all) are not much better.
If you can, go European. Much more expensive though, so probably not an option. Stick with the Japanese cars. They're decidedly better. So, the only real advice I have is don't go into the dealership and say "Buying First Car and i dont know shit.." Mr Mephisto |
03-30-2004, 08:56 PM | #34 (permalink) | |
Her Jay
Location: Ontario for now....
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Absence makes the heart grow fonder |
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03-31-2004, 08:18 AM | #35 (permalink) | |
Lost!!
Location: Kingston, Ontario
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04-04-2004, 03:07 PM | #38 (permalink) |
Insane
Location: Belgium
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old mercedes and BMW's can be very good cars, our mercedes at home has 350.000 km (diesel) and still runs like new :-)
but if you live in europe I would recommend you look into audi or VW, they are also very reliable (although there second hand price might still be high)
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Tags |
buying, car, shit |
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