New car suggestions?

[KC10Chief]

Here's what I would do if I were you. Instead of buying a new car, you will need three things. A new radiator ($150), new head unit with FM radio, CD player, USB port, etc ($90-200), and some man skills. If you don't have man skills, find a friend that does and that can show you how to replace that radiator. It's very easy. So is installing a new radio. Any vehicle will run forever as long as you take care of it.

I have a 1996 Chevy S-10 that I've had for about a decade now. It currently has 240,000 miles on it and runs like a champ. I paid $1,200 for it when I bought it. If something wears out on it or breaks, I fix it. I don't let things go. Everything still works on my truck. It sure beats buying a new car and making payments. My wife has a car that we bought new. I wouldn't do it again. Also, I only use Mobil 1 oil in all of my vehicles. I recently drove my S-10 from Oklahoma City to Anchorage, AK. It was over 4,000 miles and the truck didn't miss a beat.

 

[KC10Chief]

You could also buy an old Chevy Astro van. They're pretty sweet. They make an all wheel drive version that would be great on the Ann Arbor roads in the winter. They seat 7 or 8 people, but you can remove the back seats for activities. You could even have yourself a mobile brewery!

 

[wildwest450]

Ha, Astro vans rule. Plus a V-6 that will last as long as any engine on the road.


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[ReverseApacheMaster]

I am definitely a fan of buying used. I wouldn't buy a new car unless I planned on keeping it for a very, very long time.

For $25-30k you can find pretty much anything either new or used, depending on how old or how much mileage is on the vehicle. Lots of factors come in: how long do you plan on keeping it, how long do you expect to go between working on it, will the cost of repairs be an issue, how much is the insurance, what kind of car you want, will gas consumption be an issue, how high end, etc.

I would say if you are looking to get another sedan, a camry or accord would probably fit your needs. You could find used audi a6 or bmw 5 series in the same price range but that's more insurance and more on repairs. Camrys and Accords are generally well made and have low insurance. I have driven a camry in the past and I currently own an accord. I like both. I like the look of the new sonatas but I'm still skeptical about the quality of hyundai and kia. Even though they have been around for more than ten years I don't see a lot of older of either still on the road. I still see plenty of early 90s accords and camrys.

If you want something more sporty, the Camaro, Challenger or Charger would be good options but they are all going to be serious gas guzzlers. Probably fairly high insurance as well.

If you want to go high end, there are plenty of Lexus, Infiniti and Acura models floating around that are all good vehicles. Most of them seem to be gas guzzlers as well and no doubt are more expensive to repair and will have higher insurance.

 

[Hammy71]

Just bought a 2011 Chevy Cruze ECO. Went with the 6 speed manual. I get a boner every time I drive past the gas station now. Used to commute 50 miles each day back and forth to work in my truck that got around 15 miles a gallon. With the Cruze I'm averaging 36. Over 45 average if just on the interstate. It's the 'biggest' of the small cars. For under 20K, and made in Ohio, I couldn't resist.

 

[wildwest450]

Just bought a 2011 Chevy Cruze ECO. Went with the 6 speed manual. I get a boner every time I drive past the gas station now. Used to commute 50 miles each day back and forth to work in my truck that got around 15 miles a gallon. With the Cruze I'm averaging 36. Over 45 average if just on the interstate. It's the 'biggest' of the small cars. For under 20K, and made in Ohio, I couldn't resist.

I seriously looked at that car (not the eco), my wife really liked it. Very nice on the inside and super quiet for a small car, I was seriously impressed. But with 3500 cash back the Malibu was nearly the same price, so I grabbed it.

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[motobrewer]

i will never buy a car that gets less than 30mpg ever again.