Saturday, January 20, 2007
cars
I've tried sighing and whining but it's not working. I need to buckle down and buy a new car. Well, a used car but new to me. I can't quantify how much I don't want to do this, mostly because I hate the idea of spending all that money on something that gets me around. Plus, I spend several thousand dollars a year on commuting by train, so it seems so superfluous. On the other hand, it's necessary. On the other hand, I don't want to. Stamp, stamp. I wish I could just go online and do it all there, impersonally, and have the car appear in my driveway.
Labels: shopping
Permalink | 
| posted by jau at 1:21 PM
jau — at 1:46 PM, January 20, 2007:
Dick Stanley — at 3:40 PM, January 20, 2007:
— at 9:57 PM, January 20, 2007:
DADvocate — at 12:59 PM, January 21, 2007:
| posted by jau at 1:21 PM
5 more:
jau — at 1:46 PM, January 20, 2007:
Me too! I'm where I really do need a new/used one since the current one stalls at traffic lights and is almost 15. But I need a little reliability to visit children hours away. Sigh.
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Dick Stanley — at 3:40 PM, January 20, 2007:
Sounds familiar. The last vehicle I had that did that, a 1980 Ford Ranger, I went and got the new/used one, and put a sign on the Ranger at the curb for $500 or close to that, just to find someone, essentially, willing to take it away. A mechanic bought it. He probably could fix it.
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— at 9:57 PM, January 20, 2007:
I truly hate buying cars, and I do it as little as I can get away with. (Which means that I'm hoping to coax 200,000, maybe 250,000, miles out of my current set of wheels. Right now? 93,300.)
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DADvocate — at 12:59 PM, January 21, 2007:
I always check Consumer Reports ratings of used cars and their recommendations. I usually follow CR's recomendations. I'm like CRHill, drive a car till it drops. I have just below 200,000 miles on my '98 Camry right now.
Just to make it easy, Hondas and Toyotas usually top CR's recommendations.
But, my son has had luck with a different approach. Find a decent car from a private individual for a really good price. He's bought a couple of nice used BMW 325's for very little, a 1988 for $3,250 and a 1994 for #4,500. Each had low mile, no mechanical problems, the 1988 was almost mint condition but my son wrecked it. A decent car at those prices can be paid for in cash. No car payment! Even if you need a few repairs, you come out ahead. It takes a little more work, though.
Just to make it easy, Hondas and Toyotas usually top CR's recommendations.
But, my son has had luck with a different approach. Find a decent car from a private individual for a really good price. He's bought a couple of nice used BMW 325's for very little, a 1988 for $3,250 and a 1994 for #4,500. Each had low mile, no mechanical problems, the 1988 was almost mint condition but my son wrecked it. A decent car at those prices can be paid for in cash. No car payment! Even if you need a few repairs, you come out ahead. It takes a little more work, though.
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