Looking to buy a new car, need suggestions.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Loon
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I agree with Azuremen, except for the premium brand recommendation.

And the Corolla has as much steering feel as my 1990 Camaro. Infact my Town and Country minivan has more steering feel than my Camaro. :lol:
 
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THIS.

No, seriously. Brand-new, you can nick a 2009 Ford Fusion SE (Manual) pretty much fully-loaded for less than $23K. Hook up a three or four year lease with $3K down for just over $300 a month. Financing? How does $367 for 60 MO sound (Its $430 for a 48 MO finance)?

That, or wind the clock back a year. The 2008 Ford Fusion SE (Manual) is still a sweetheart compared to most of the cars in its class - likely to do with the shared underbits with the Mazda 6.

Frankly, the Fusion is possibly the best deal in the automotive world right now. Between something that is of a usable size, with great fuel economy, at an outrageously affordable price... You really can't go wrong.


....But yeah, credit would help. I'm surprised you don't have any. I'm "only" 22 and I have a "unusually high credit rating" according to my loan officer at the credit union. Must be from paying those student loans on time...
 
I think you're all nuts. A $500 a month loan for someone who doesn't have a consistent wage is lunacy. If you're really getting that much then wait 6-months, or get a short-term loan and get a cheap reliable car for 3k-4k (I'm sure you can get something half decent in the US for that). Then in a couple of years if you've got the funds buy a brand new 20k+ car.

(EDIT: Just read back and you already have a car. Keep that unless it's on fire, and save for a whole car or a significant down payment)
 
Loon
I really like the 1rst generation Fit.
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[/obviouschoice] Buy it then. Seriously. Really, the sole downside to that car is its affinity for catching siewinds. Other than that, it's a fun-to-drive, cheap, premium, sexy, efficient, tiny, huge car. I went through a phase where I randomly recommended it to everyone.

Loon
I do like it's looks better than the other Corolla. Does it have a V6 in it?
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I said, "like the Celica and Elise," right? It's a high-revving, torqueless four, actually. You mentioned modifications, so I figured that would be a fetish to which you would subscribe anyhow. But, you should decline because...

Azuremen
Also, EA11R, a base model Corolla has no steering feel. Sorry. Having owned a 99, driven several others, and so on, yeah. Neither does an Accord, my step mom's 2005 made me want to kill myself with the steering feel.
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JCE
And the Corolla has as much steering feel as my 1990 Camaro. Infact my Town and Country minivan has more steering feel than my Camaro. :lol:
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*FABULOUS*

Don't you love discovering you have low standards? The world becomes so much better than you thought it was!

Though I did hate the steering on that bloody Accord.

And, ironically, I believe that what I say about the Fit being fun reliable information specifically becas=use I have not driven it. Car and Driver magazine characterize the thing as 'the hatchback Ayrton Senna would build,' so I think it'll do. If you like it, Buy. One. Now.

Hell, buy two!

EDIT: Or a Town & Country :lol:
 
I think I may have found a car that will work for me. It's a 2006 5spd Scion xB priced at 11,900. I checked on the insurance for it and I was told it won't change. My rate now is about $80 a month, which means I can pay around a $400 payment on it.
 
Please tell me it's silver so we can call it "the toaster".
 
Loon
I think I may have found a car that will work for me. It's a 2006 5spd Scion xB priced at 11,900. I checked on the insurance for it and I was told it won't change. My rate now is about $80 a month, which means I can pay around a $400 payment on it.
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Have you tried asking how much would a Scion tC be? tCs have loads of aftermarket support and have a great community!
 
Ahh well, blues not a bad colour. The xB isn't a bad vehicle, plenty of room and decent fuel economy. It's not all that fast but you typically don't drive faster than 80mph anyway.

A tC would probably be quite a bit more because it seems younger people tend to buy the tC's and crash them. At least that's what my insurance agent said since I was considering a tC at one time.
 
Quick update: The xB is actually black, in most of the pictures there's a sun flare on the car which makes it look like a dark blue. It's fine though, I'd rather it be black than blue. Also I have an appointment to meet someone at the dealer this Sunday to check it out and test drive it. So hopefully by this Sunday it'll be in my possession.
 
Think you are making a very good decision with going with that 1st gen xB! 👍 You will probably be happy that you pick the 1st gen over a used 2nd gen since the voice of scionlife.com seems to like the 1st gen better.

When you get it on sunday, feel free to join scionlife.com! Great community with aftermarket sponsors!
 
how expensive is auto insururance in U.S?. i just saw a quote on a thread for $1805 for 6 months.thats high, in alberta, my friend can insure a 06 sti and his 05 ford escape for 12 months for $1800
 
LittleBahamut
Think you are making a very good decision with going with that 1st gen xB! 👍 You will probably be happy that you pick the 1st gen over a used 2nd gen since the voice of scionlife.com seems to like the 1st gen better.

When you get it on sunday, feel free to join scionlife.com! Great community with aftermarket sponsors!
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I've always liked the xB, I remember going with my brother to look at them when they first came out. And the 2nd gen is still nice IMO, but it lost some of the appeal the original has.

Also, do you have a Scion? If all goes well with this Sunday I'll probably join that forum.
Hirokisoki
how expensive is auto insururance in U.S?. i just saw a quote on a thread for $1805 for 6 months.thats high, in alberta, my friend can insure a 06 sti and his 05 ford escape for 12 months for $1800
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It's expensive for me mainly because of my age.
Hirokisoki
how about a 06 to 08 chevy cobalt ss ?
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I like the SS version, but insurance is going to be high on it as well, and the lesser models are just kinda meh...
 
If you're gung-ho on the Scion(s), have a look at the xA. They're a little more rare, and I believe their resale values suffered because of the so-so sales against the xB. Same car, otherwise, and both drive pretty well for basic transportation.

I just hate the center mounted gages. I'm glad they fixed that problem with the new xD and xB.
 
Am I the only one that can't take an xD seriously just because it's name is a laughing face?
 
Loon
Also, do you have a Scion? If all goes well with this Sunday I'll probably join that forum.
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Yes, I have a 2009 Scion tC. I haven't done much to it besides TRD springs and aftermarket rims. Don't plan on going for those 2-3K turbo kits to get 250-350WHP though, because of California smog rules.

C'mon, any minute now you will tell us your result of the xB :)
 
JCE
Ok let me pull the dealership worker card again. He will absolutely NOT get approved for any of those cars listed above for a 72 month loan and or 5% APR. Not going to happen, and not even with a co-signer with a 720+ beacon. Plus do you have any idea how high his insurance is going to BE with most of those? A 2003-2004 Cobra has the HIGHEST symbol rating there is--the same as a Viper, Lamborghini and Ferrari. His insurance ALONE at 20 years old is going to be more than $500/mo. Not going to happen. He'll be lucky to get a '99 Cobra for that.

Of those cars listed the regular base S40 Volvo and the Ford Fusion will be the ONLY possibilities. Like I said avoid all sports cars and any car with a performance tag.
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I guess this is why it's recommended to work with the dealers as little as possible. Get your own financing. Nissan wanted me to sign on for 72 months at 11.9%. Their best offer was 66 at 8.49%

I am paying $550 a month (payment plus insurance) for a 350z. I have 4.49% for 66 months on 23k. I am 23 (22 at the time of purchase). Sure, it will be higher for him to insure, but the prices of those cars is lower than when I purchased and I didn't get a very good deal either. But of course he's not getting 5% for 72 months, certainly not in this economy, but thats just a reference point. And his insurance will be NOWHERE near 500 a month. I live in a high crime area and have a few tickets and pay 270. The Z and Cobra will be most expensive to insure but at least with the Z he'll be able to get a good one with low miles for about 15k and have low payments.

If he wants a sports car, he can easily get one. I mean obviously it's not the smartest thing to do, but he asked what he could get for 500 a month. And the answer is too much of a variety to give a good answer. I was just throwing cars out there since he didnt specify what he was looking for.
 
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YSSMAN
If you're gung-ho on the Scion(s), have a look at the xA. They're a little more rare, and I believe their resale values suffered because of the so-so sales against the xB. Same car, otherwise, and both drive pretty well for basic transportation.
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Plus, IMO, the xA looks a fair bit better than the xB.
 
I don't really like the xA because it seems like just a generic hatchback.

And I did not get the xB. I found out Saturday that they're apparently not making enough money to afford a $412 a month, so I'm in the process of getting rid of them. And now my rent is doubled, so unless I get someone else to move in and help with rent bills I'll have to hold off a new car for a bit.
 
If they're cheap... By my best guess, they're going to fly in right around the $15-16K mark when nicely equipped.
 
Plus there will probably be a dealer premium when they first come out since they will be new and "exotic" for us Americans.
 
Truth.

I think my only fear on the North American-bound 500's is whether or not they will be popular. Sell too many, and the "special" that the car should have is gone. Kinda like how when the New Beetle first showed up (or even the MINI), and you saw one so infrequently, it really made them special. These days... Not so much.

Of course, assuming the Ford Fiesta carries a better MSRP, it could be a better choice.
 
Loon
And I did not get the xB. I found out Saturday that they're apparently not making enough money to afford a $412 a month, so I'm in the process of getting rid of them. And now my rent is doubled, so unless I get someone else to move in and help with rent bills I'll have to hold off a new car for a bit.
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Dang sorry to hear the news. :nervous: You are going to have to live with your Camry for now. Is the car okay now?
 
Wow, I didn't know we were getting Fiat 500's, I love the one Moglet has.

My Camry is good for now, although the transmission is wanting to slip a little more now.
 
Loon
Wow, I didn't know we were getting Fiat 500's, I love the one Moglet has.
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Its all thanks in part to having FIAT buy Chrysler, despite the deal being on a temporary hold. If all goes to plan, FIAT is hoping to have the first of the 500 arriving in the US by September or October of 2010.
 

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