Car shopping

[icepixie]

So, seeing as I'm going to be moving to Knoxville in less than four months, I need to get a car sharpish. (Yes, there's public transportation, but I've done the relying-on-a-bus-to-get-groceries thing, and unless you're somewhere like NYC or Chicago, IT DON'T WORK. Plus, driving home for vacations, etc., and, depending on my luck with finding nearby housing, to campus...yeah.)

I...would pretty much be okay if all we had was the modern equivalent of the Model T. No, seriously. This sucks. I have no idea what to buy, I have a relatively small budget, and seriously, all I want is four wheels, an engine that won't break down all the time, and enough steel around me to keep me from being crushed in an accident. All the different brands and models have such minute and arcane differences that do incomprehensible things to the price, and I can't even begin to wrap my mind around it. The only reason I'm not giving up and investing in a bicycle is because my dad is helping me shop, and at this point has probably done more looking than I have. (Also, biking back to Nashville would be a bit difficult.)

I'm looking solely at used cars, because my budget would allow me to get, um...a new tricycle, I think. (Well, okay, if I plunked down the entirety of my savings account, I could actually get something rather nice, but I also, you know, want to eat next year.)

Anyone have any tips? Brands you like? Bad experiences? I'm leaning towards something from Honda or Toyota because the idea of being stranded on the roadside periodically does not appeal (nor does shopping for another car for AT LEAST ten years), but of course that increased reliability and longevity comes with a corresponding increase in price. Sigh.

Comments

[nickless.livejournal.com]

Ah, I just went through this whole process with my parents. And with my father, it is DEFINITELY a "process."

As far as good experiences - we just bid a sad farewell to my dad's Pontiac Bonneville. It had over 300,000 miles on it and was still in really good shape, even after having been sideswiped by a deer. I highly recommend them, and since they stopped making them in 2005 (they're coming out with a redesigned version that looks like crap), "used" will definitely be your option. We only got rid of it because the junkyard would give us $2,000 for it, and after you hit 300,000 miles in five years, you're kind of expecting to stop at a light and have all the doors to fall off 'cause it's just freakin' TIRED.

In fact, we liked the car so much, Dad bought another one the last year they were made so he'd have another one after the first one died. Which obviously took a lot longer than we ever expected. (And as I'm assuming you wouldn't be driving 60,000 miles a year, a car like that would last a whole lot longer.)

Seriously, a big factor in whether or not a car's going to last a long time and be reliable is how well it's taken care of. Find someone who's taken damn good care of their car and it won't really matter if it's a few years older or has a few thousand more miles on it. I have more faith in the car we just took to the junkyard than some of my friend's relatively-brand-new cars. And, lots of highway miles generally means a used car with less overall wear and tear than one with not-so-many miles that are predominately in-town.

Might want to check out fleet cars or something owned by someone who traveled for work, 'cause again, higher chance of the miles being primarily highway and previous owners making sure it's been properly maintained.

And even though it can be as boring as hell, try out a bunch of different things. Make sure you find something that's comfortable for YOU to drive, 'cause a nice cheap car isn't worth snot if the steering wheel won't adjust to a comfortable level or the way you sit in it means you have a blind spot big enough to hide a semi (both things that have killed otherwise great car possibilities for us in this latest search).

Good luck!

[icepixie]

300,000 miles?? ZOMG. I'll take one of those, please! And yeah, I imagine my milage would be, um, nowhere near 60,000/year. ;)

I'm looking at places like Carmax and Enterprise, so most of the cars I'm looking at were formerly rentals. (Although then again, the last three cars we had were formerly rentals, and they've all been in and out of the shop since we got them. They're all Chevies, too. I'm not getting a Chevy.)

And yeah, test driving. Wheee. Not. Well, gotta be done...

Thanks!

[nickless.livejournal.com]

300,000 miles?? ZOMG. I'll take one of those, please!

Yeah, it was pretty cool. Dad took us to lunch that day and we drove around until it flipped over so we could take a picture. *g* Amazingly, we've talked to a few other people who also have comparatively huge amounts of miles on theirs.

I imagine my milage would be, um, nowhere near 60,000/year.

God, I hope not! Unless you're commuting to Knoxville DAILY, which I doubt!!

And yeah, test driving. Wheee. Not.

I'm not a fan, either. It helps sometimes if you can go without the sales people. Give 'em your keys so they don't think you're stealing it (or at least they can find you if you do!) and a lot of them will let you go on your own. Then you can actually be completely honest about what you're thinking and you don't have to listen to them yap the whole ride.

[icepixie]

Amazingly, we've talked to a few other people who also have comparatively huge amounts of miles on theirs.

Hmmm...

Unless you're commuting to Knoxville DAILY, which I doubt!!

Perhaps if I learned how to sleep while driving...

I am so aiming to go without the sales people. I'll give them whatever collateral they need.