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]

Okay, new suggestions from Dad, El Guru of Car Shopping. :)

He suggested the Pontiac Grand Prix. A little smaller than our Bonneville, but the same drive train (ie, will likely last as long as the Bonnevilles). Lots of used ones being sold right now, especially as former rentals. Would be able to get a newer Grand Prix with fewer miles on it for less money than you'd pay for a Civic or Accord that was older with more miles.

Whatever you go with - he advised that you make sure to get something that still has the *factory* warranty on it. Not the "rinky-dink crap the dealership will try to push on you." That means it'd have to be less than 3 years old with less than 10,000 miles on it.

Also, in terms of the Carfax thing - if you're working with a dealer, ask them to pull up that info for you. They'll get the thorough records and it'll be free. (Plus then if you have problems they didn't tell you about, you have a valid argument that hello, they knew about it.)

[icepixie]

*takes notes* Thanks, I'll look into the Grand Prix tonight when I go test driving some more.

That means it'd have to be less than 3 years old with less than 10,000 miles on it.

Uhhhh...perhaps if I bought a cardboard box on wheels I could swing that... *g* I will almost certainly be buying from Carmax (although a dealer isn't totally ruled out, but my entire family sucks at haggling, and the no-haggle policy at Carmax is attractive), which has a rinky-dink 30-day warranty on all cars, but I think at least some of the things they're selling that I would be buying still have a few years left on the drivetrain warranty, if not everything else. The people there should be able to pull up the legitimate vehicle history (their website has one, but it appears to be run through Carmax, so I trust it about as far as I can throw it), so I'll see if they can do that when I actually find one I want to buy.