Car Shopping

[cackydoodledoo]

I have been in the auto industry all my life so here is my take:


Toyota
Best bang for your buck!
Best resale value down the road. Toyotas hold their value. In fact most foreign cars do.
Awesome gas mileage.
Sometimes more costly on repairs but the thing with any car is if you keep it regularly maintained you can save on costly repairs later.
I will also say that Toyota is one of the only cars that I have seen that you can actually neglect and it keeps on running
Have a friend that has two of them. One has over 300K on it and the other is close to 400K miles.

Ford
I think they are equal to Chevy as far as American made. Both have their issues but are usually pretty good at creating a fix for any problems that arise.
They make a really nice car these days and if you look around you will notice that you still see a lot of them still driving around.


Chrysler
Dodge makes some decent cars but they a lot of times really fall short of the other major car maunfacturers. They require a lot of maintenance and they tend to crap out way early. I would steer away from the 300 as it had a lot of issues from when they originally came out. I actually drive a Chrysler myself but it was cheap and at the time I couldn't afford to buy anything nicer. Fixing to trade it out for a Honda.


Good things to check are fuel mileage. You might be getting a V8 but higher horsepower equals bigger gas bill. Check price of some of the major components that you might need to replace down the road. Water pump, timing belt/chain, starter, alternator and most importantly on the Prius the batteries. If you are really set on the Prius I would see about getting an extended warranty that covers the batteries. It would be well worth it in the end.

Hope that helps!!

 

[cackydoodledoo]

Quote:
I have to agree and disagree! Toyota has facilities other than in Japan that manufacture the parts as well so you will still be able to get them BUT they will play up the tsunami thing and you will probably see an increase in cost.

If your serious about the Toyota I would get it NOW!!! If you wait you might pay more later. Just sayin!!

 

[vfem]

Well, I am getting a FABULOUS return on investment with my Toyota camry (97 with the upgrade package V6) I only have 135k miles on it and other then a terrible hood that rocks from a truck peeled the paint off, its a GREAT little car. Looks like I'll be able to get $3k for it for my down payment on the Prius.

Personally I dislike Ford (though we have a ford truck, and I have to say I'll go with another ford truck any day).... and the 300 was something husband wanted, NOT ME... but it was well under what we wanted to spend. I will happily get myself a prius after all the research.

Luckily, my husband's best friend is a mechanic and we get parts at his cost, and he does all our work on the side for 1/2 price to what any shop would cost.

Found the prius I wanted (sorry, they are killer cute to me!) and it sold the same day they got it on the lot! Oh well... so off to shop some more. I have a budget & extras I insist on getting for that price

 

[BlackBrookPoultry]

It took me over a year of car shopping to choose a new car. I had 230,000 miles on my 94 Camry when I traded it in. I was going to get a brand new Camry and somehow I stumbled upon a Honda Accord while driving by a Dodge dealer. I didn't get that particular one, but after driving it I knew that's what I wanted. You'll find the right one!

 

[Nicola]

http://www.toyota.com/ might help u find any deals going in your area? idk.

 

[babylady4]

If you are wondering about fuel economy, check out the fueleconomy.gov web site. I know they are not completely accurate, but at least it gives you something to start with.

Good luck, I am in the same boat. Car shopping is fun and sucks at the same time!

 

[vfem]

Quote:
Exactly, I am sooooooooo excited. However, hubby is the one with the excellent credit, and the job... so he's buying this for me (though I did buy him his truck when he had no credit). So he has to be there when I pick it out. He's been working from 6:30am to 7:30pm Mon-Fri. Then they got him to work today from 8am-2pm. He hasn't been able to look at one car at any dealership or lot with me. Today I work until 4 and have to pick up my daughter after. The dealership I wanted to goto has 2 in stock I like and want to see, but its over an hour away and closes at 6. No one is open on Sundays anymore? Weird!?

Oh well, when its meant to be... it will be. I still have to get the Camry fixed and inspected next week before I list it for sale.

 

[Mahonri]

Prius was third on my list last October.

I ended up with a Honda Pilot, 4WD Touring edition. Traded my BMW in for it.

The Pilot is the best ride I've ever owned.... more expensive than the Prius, but well worth it in my opinion.

And you can carry 1000 lbs of chicken feed in the back of a Pilot.

 

[bakerjw]

I just got a new "used" car last Fall. I waited and checked ads and finally came across a 98 Mustang GT with 53K miles on it. Payed cash for it and absolutely love it.
It was great to get a Mustang to go with the F150 and XKE.

 

[vfem]

After many phone calls, and looking around... I got someone to wheel and deal with me, and was able to get the color & model I wanted. I even got it for $3000 less then I thought I would.

No good deal on a trade in, so I'm keeping the camry for now, so hubby had to drive back to the lot tonight and get me the car to bring home. He's on his way now with it.

Sooooooooooooooo pleased!!!!