Car Advice

[Assassin Xaero]

I'm needing to find a new car, and rather soon (not sure how much longer my car will actually run). Problem is, I know next to nothing about cars. I'd prefer a car (as opposed to a truck, van, SUV, etc.) and my only real "wants" are something with a radio, cup holder, and that is reliable around a $10,000 price range (give or take a few thousand). Any suggestions/advice on what to look for? I know with pretty much any car I look at, unless it is brand new, I'm taking it to my mechanic to have him look over it.

 

[SnowyGamester]

Well with those criteria you've narrowed it down to 'preferrebly a sedan that isn't busted'. In my experience I've found stuff by Ford to be fairly reliable, though I can't be totally certain since I'm dealing with overseas models. I currently drive an '03 Falcon but those aren't even manufactured over there, the closest equivalent would probably be a Mondeo sedan. Got mine for 4G about 2 years ago which is a bargain by Australian standards (apparently we have some pretty bullshit import tarrifs on cars so they're about as overprices as games, except there's a reason) and it hasn't missed a beat despite having over 200k kms (about 125k miles) on the clock - and it even has cup holders and a radio (with some Bluetooth that I bodged into it). I do kind of want a Prius though, they get really good fuel economy...though I've got an LPG modification so I'm not too stressed.

Just don't buy a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or some other overpriced 'luxury' crap...you may get something that looks slightly fancier but that's really all you're paying for, plus the upkeep is heniously overpriced and they're built like a MacBook (absolutely no exaggeration in my experience). Also those sorts of cars have a tendency to not have cup holders, though I think if someone is dumb enough to shell out for one of them they can't be trusted to not spill their drinks everywhere so it probably works as a good deterrant.

 

[antidonkey]

Well, you certainly don't have a wide selection of requirements and 10k is a good amount to work with. I'll have to point to autotrader.com's research tool. Tell it the styles and the price and it'll pull up everything that should meet those criteria. Very handy tool.

http://www.autotrader.com/research/modelinfo/index.xhtml?rdpage=SUBNAV

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Yeah, I really don't have much interest in cars other than it getting me from point A to point B. I currently have a '93 Nissan Maxima and was thinking of just getting another one of those in a model that isn't 20 years old. I'll check out the auto trader site. Thanks!

 

[IndomitableSam]

My sister really likes her Kio Rio5 (the hatchback version). It's a decent car. I think it's around that price range in the US, but I have no idea as Canadian prices are so inflated.

I have a Nissan Versa and really enjoy it, aside from the lack of USB ports - it's only got a port for Apple devices.

My choice when I bought was the Vera, Mazda3 or Ford Fiesta. The Mazda3 was really bare bones (never test drove it), and the salespeople at the Ford Dealership were such giant assholes that I left, so I ended up with the Versa. I hated the whole buying a car thing, it didn't go well at all (due to my mother shopping with me and saying "yeah, she can afford all these upgrades" and me not disagreeing until after I'd been a total moron and signed the paperwork.)

So... I guess I've listed my choices around that price range. Some might be a bit higher, though. I know all said and done, some upgrades included, taxes included, my Versa ended up being about 26k, but Canada has stupid expensive cars as well.

Just don't forget to add on taxes to car prices, and then tack on a thousand or two just to be safe.

 

[lechat]

10 grand is a shit load for a car as long as you decide to buy either cheap (cars that were 15-20k when new) or older 5-10 years should do it

try to get a car with either the lowest k's (or miles) possible but if you are buying one with high k's try and buy in the 180k (93,000 miles) range.
cars suffer what is known as a mid life crisis, it varies from car to car but somewhere around the 150k mark they start falling apart and you are left having to replace the clutch/suspension/gearbox/dif/exhaust/electrical/any type of seal. if you buy a car with high k's and it generally looks and feels good then it's usually safe to assume that most of the problem parts have been replaced and it should have some life in it.

if you are buying one of the newer cheap small cars just be aware that they don't make em like they used to and when it comes to smaller cheaper cars thats a good thing. basically as long as you stear clear of the chinese and indian cars everything else should be good

find yourself a decent car sales web site and go searching and then when you find something that looks all pretty and sparkly go over to http://www.carsurvey.org/ and punch in the make and model. be aware that no matter what car model you chose there will always be the odd dud in the used car market so if someone says they had the car for 5 minuets and the engine blew up and the doors fell off then odds are they bought something that was not properly maintained.

 

[IndianaJonny]

Buying the car is one thing (and I'm not certain how these things work in the US) but I imagine you'll have to secure yourself some car insurance and pay some form of 'road tax' (like here in the UK). Check with your current motor insurer that they'd be happy to insure any new vehicles you're viewing (since you mentioned possibly getting a pick-up, SUV etc.) or whether they'd need to change your insurance drastically to accomodate your preferred new vehicle. Since you're getting a new car it might be a good idea to shop around for cheaper insurance or hussle your current insurer to give you a lower quote based on what a loyal and superb customer you've been.

Most insurers will let you ring up and do a 'hypothetical' SOV (substitution of vehicle) quote before actually going ahead with the purchase to give you an idea of what to budget for. Most insurers will offer you the convenience of paying via monthly direct debits but the APR on this can be as much as 18/19% of your premium so if you've got the means to pay it up front, it's cheaper that way.

If the US has the equivalent of a breakdown cover/car insurance service such as the AA you can often pay them a small charge to come out and do an independant service check and, based on their feedback, you can often hussle the seller to make the advised repairs before you purchase - trust me, this almost always justifies the price of getting an independant mechanic to take a look and saves you from a few nasty, expensive shocks in the future.

And make damn sure to go through with your car insurer what it is exactly that you are and are not covered by with them.

Indiana