Er... I have totally not been imaginary-car-shopping myself over the past few months... sigh...
I've heard good things about carmax.com. It gives you an idea of used price ranges, anyway, and lets you browse. I've been looking at Hondas, too, since reliability is a big issue. If you're planning on a long-term investment, it'll be worth it to spend a little extra now to get a quality car, instead of buying a cheap junkheap that'll die on you in a year. And if you buy from a dealership, you can pay over time instead of having to fork the whole price over at once, so that might help financially. Miles/gallon is important, of course, what with the gas situation. Again, Honda's pretty good at that, no? My online research has been pointing me toward an old-ish Civic: generic, but hey, there's a reason there are so many of them on the road.
Test-drives are indeed important. I remember when Mom went car shopping (ten years ago), she dismissed several models before even starting the engine because the seats were uncomfortable.
I wish I had some hands-on advice to offer, but I've never actually driven a sedan for any appreciable distance before. Stationwagons, minivans, and 12-passenger beasts, yes, but a real car, no.
I'll probably be doing some car shopping myself next year, so I'm excited to hear what you decide on...
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2008-04-12 06:58 am (UTC)I've heard good things about carmax.com. It gives you an idea of used price ranges, anyway, and lets you browse. I've been looking at Hondas, too, since reliability is a big issue. If you're planning on a long-term investment, it'll be worth it to spend a little extra now to get a quality car, instead of buying a cheap junkheap that'll die on you in a year. And if you buy from a dealership, you can pay over time instead of having to fork the whole price over at once, so that might help financially. Miles/gallon is important, of course, what with the gas situation. Again, Honda's pretty good at that, no? My online research has been pointing me toward an old-ish Civic: generic, but hey, there's a reason there are so many of them on the road.
Test-drives are indeed important. I remember when Mom went car shopping (ten years ago), she dismissed several models before even starting the engine because the seats were uncomfortable.
I wish I had some hands-on advice to offer, but I've never actually driven a sedan for any appreciable distance before. Stationwagons, minivans, and 12-passenger beasts, yes, but a real car, no.
I'll probably be doing some car shopping myself next year, so I'm excited to hear what you decide on...