OT New (Used) Car Needed

[Jen841]

My 1995 no car payment GrandAm may be at the end. The cost to repair for inspection may outweigh the cost of a new car over time. We have money saved for this purpose (knew the day would come) but did not expect it to be now. DH is concerned about the safety of the boys with the car.

I am clueless when it comes to cars (and busy at work!) Any ideas of good buys for safe, reliable and fuel efficient cars for 2 carseats? Made in the USA would be a plus.

Thanks!

[mudder17]

I wouldn't hesitate at all to recommend a Saturn. We have an L200 (unfortunately they don't make them anymore) and we just love it. Lots of little niceties, even if it's not a luxury car, very good price for all the little things you get, plus it's considered very safe (side/curtain and front airbags, traction control, ABS brakes, etc.) and it's quite fuel efficient, especially if you're talking about highway driving. No, it's not a Honda or a Toyota, but I think it's quite reliable and it has served us very well. The only reason we didn't get another one is because DH wanted something more on the luxury end, but otherwise, I love our Saturn. I know they have some other models out now, so it may be worth checking out--at least going to the showroom. So far, all the Saturn dealerships I've been to have really nice people. And yes, Saturn is made in the USA. I think our car was something like >90% parts and assembly in the US, which we really liked.


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...ies/candle.gif for Leah
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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[o_mom]

What is your budget?

I really like Honda, Toyota or Subaru for reliability. Most of them are made in USA anymore.

[lorien_ca]

if you're looking at new i'd second the saturn and subaru recs. my last car was a saturn SC2 (also not made anymore, but not carseat friendly either - thus why we sold it when i got preggo), which i had for about 7 years. i totally agree with eileen - nice features for the money, reliable, held up very well overtime, handled/drove well and had surprisingly good resale value. also got 28miles/gallon highway. hub has a subaru impreza wagon and we have loved it. they are all-wheel-drive-all-of-the-time tho, so if you have no need for all wheel drive where you live, may be overkill. as a brand, they do extrememly well on the gov't and private agency crash tests/passive safety features and personally, i think their active saftey/accident avoidance features including the all wheel drive are part of what makes them such a great value for the money. although my hub's gets good gas milage, he has their performance engine which mandates 91octane or greater, so you lose out on the savings there.

if you are looking at used, i can't say enough how great our bmw x3 is. we got a _great_ deal (i mean like $1 off for every mile on the car good deal) on a new lease return. the leasee had defaulted on the lease 5 months after purchase, so we got a loaded, upgraded, practically new car out the door including taxes and fees for less than the cost of the base model sticker (and less than new of the two japanese competitors we were looking at), so regardless of brand, you might be able to find something like this if you have a little time to look around. as far as bmw goes, they really do truly cover _everything_ for the first 4years. i went in for my oil change at 15,000 miles, and they gave me a loaner car for 2days, replaced my wiper blades 'because they looked a little worn' and fixed a little tear in the roof apholstry where i had whacked it with the stroller (so totally my wear and tear, not a manuf. defect - and the reason i needed a loaner for 2days instead of 1 while waiting for some glue to dry) free of charge. bmw has excellent safety ratings and i think is still the #1brand on retaining its value over time.

good luck on your search,
lori
Sam 5/19/05 How lucky I am that you chose me.

[kijip]

You can't go wrong with a gently used Toyota. I have a 1998 Corolla and after 8 years it has never needed anything more than oil, routine service every 30,000 and wear and tear items like brake pads and tires. Seriously not one single repair. It has 120K on it and my mechanic says that the car is in perfect mechanical condition. The Corolla, Camry and Prius or any Toyota model are all worth a looksee in my book. FWIW, I can carry 2 even 3 kids in seats if I need to in the Corolla. Side airbags were an available option and you can find used Toyotas running around with them. My Corolla has side air bags in the front. Oh, and it has passed inspection every other year with no associated repairs.

[Lovingliv]

Bummer Jude!

Well I have owned a Chevy Cavalier, Mazda Miata, Honda Civic Si X 2, BMW 325, Honda Accord, Ford Explorer.

Hands down the best driving car as PP stated is the BMW. However, we bought a used 50000 mile version for cheap. After one month, and out of warranty, the car needed work constantly. To the tune of 7,000 bucks in the first year. Traded it for the Accord.

For reliability, cost and fun -Go for the Miata. Oh wait. You need carseats.

Ok, I would seriously get the Accord because it is a great driving car.
It is great on gas, safety features ect. Maintaining is a breeze. This is our reliable car.

I still have one of the Civic Si. 113,000 miles and I love this car. When it is time to replace it, I will replace it with the same thing,,,a
commuter box.

Honda's are a great deal!

[maestramommy]

2nd that and add Honda. The Civics are getting bigger so should work fine with 2 carseats. All model Hondas now come with all the airbags no matter what trimline you get. That's the reason we bought our Accord last year. If you want used, I would still go with Accord or Civic, depending on the size you need.

You just can't go wrong with Honda or Toyota when it comes to reliability AND fuel economy.

[Jen841]

Thank you all! The honest opinion of the garage is to buy a new car. Got to appreciate the honesty!

The garage said the latest Consumer Reports seems to be right on for what they see (large garage.) He recommends a Toyota or Honda hands down. The Civic would be his first recommendation, but DH instantly said no b/c he's too tall (6'3")

We'll see what the search this weekend shows! The budget is up for debate.

[newnana]

oh, that makes things a little more tough. My DH is the same height as yours and I'm 5'2." Since I do all the car shopping, it never occured to me that someone couldn't fit in a car.

I used to have a civic, which DH did not fit in AT ALL.

I now have a VW Passat, which is better, but he's not comfy on long road trips and there is no way he can sit in front of our one car seat.

No consumer reports here, but I'd be happy to comment on any cars you choose. For reliability and not bad size, I'd definitely recommend the camry or accord.

Remember, you can buy a really good warranty on any used car for about $1200. Don't let not having a warranty stop you from saving a bunch of money on a car.

I don't know where you live, but most cities have wholesale dealers. You can get a really nice used car for less than blue book value. An easy way to find them is to check ebaymotors and search for cars by distance from your zip code. You can get a really good car locally for less than a normal dealership because the dealer is expecting to have to factor shipping into lowering the cost of the car.

Good luck!
Michelle

[HannaAddict]

I would try an Accord if the Civic is too small. My base model Honda Accord from college (1988 version) was a great car. It never had any problems and the only thing I ever did was change the oil on occassion (not as recommended!), new brake pads and a new clutch after years and years. It held its value really well too. Friends who have bought used Accords have been uniformly happy with them too and the newer Accords actually have more room in the backseat than my Volvo S60 (a car that will be replaced in the near future). I sold my Accord right before law school and we were keeping husbands older Accord to just have one car, but then he totaled his within 48 hours of mine being sold. So, we had a car payment after all. :)

Of course our brand new, fully loaded SUV that replaced my old Honda, was in the shop for over a month within the first six months of ownership!! And my Volvo S60 sedan (also loaded and bought new!) literally quit running while we were on the freeway this Christmas Eve night with my baby sleeping in his car seat. After coasting to the edge of a five lane interstate (no shoulder!) with our hazards on and adrenalin pumping as we hoped no one slammed into us at 70 miles an hour, we got it started again and limped to the exit and home on non-freeway roads. Turns out it was a "sensor" and Volvo seemed unconcerned that this happened on a freeway with literally no warning, no engine light - just 65 mph to completely dead! Sorry for my vent.

Let's just say, a Honda Accord is looking pretty good right now, or maybe a Pilot at some point in time. Good luck and make sure you get whatever car you are considering inspected by a mechanic first. It is truly worth the $50-125 it will cost and will save you a lot of headaches in the end.

Kimberly