Another looking for help buying a car thread...

[rumeo]

So after problem after problem with my current car, I'm thinking it's time to switch cars. Problem is, I have no idea what to get. I'm not gonna be doing any street racing or anything of the sort, just going to school, work etc. Right now with my current vehicle (Mazda Millenia) I'm getting 300-350 km/tank (very rare if I get anything more then that, and a tank costs me about $70. So I'd love to have better fuel economy. Maintainence is also a pain for me, super hard to find parts for my car. I was looking at a corolla, but I read somewhere the mazda 3 is a lot better for the same price. Looking to spend no more then $10,000. I'm also looking for somewhat of an original car that not so many people have, so not a Honda Civic haha.

Coles:

1. Need great fuel economy
2. Cheap maintainence
3. Somewhat original.



Suggestions?

[JEFFRIX]

byron is selling his cavalier :bigpimp:

or

97-00 prelude
97-01 integra
01-03 civics
01 eclipse

or

my bmw :)

[Moezer]

rumeo have u ever driven a jetta ? or any cars under VW? if not then a jetta is good for u from what u are looking in a car and ull find it in the jetta on mine i always fill it up before it hits the red lines and to fill its no more then 30 bucks and it lasts a week with me and some times more im at 200kmpg and im already on half of the tank, im sure u can find a better year then my 98 jetta under the price u are asking for good luck

[rumeo]

Originally posted by JEFFRIX
byron is selling his cavalier :bigpimp:

or

97-00 prelude
97-01 integra
01-03 civics
01 eclipse

or

my bmw :)

hahah is he finally getting his cts?
I thought about all those cars, but you see so many of those cars on the road right now, I don't want people looking at me and my car and thinking im some brown ricer haha.



Originally posted by Moezer
rumeo have u ever driven a jetta ? or any cars under VW? if not then a jetta is good for u from what u are looking in a car and ull find it in the jetta on mine i always fill it up before it hits the red lines and to fill its no more then 30 bucks and it lasts a week with me and some times more im at 200kmpg and im already on half of the tank, im sure u can find a better year then my 98 jetta under the price u are asking for good luck

I'd love to get a diesel VW, get like 1200 km a tank. But aren't they super expensive to maintain?

[Moezer]

it depends on what year u want to get, under 2000 are mostly German made they are solid unless u go off roading lol my 98 i got it from the action i dont know if u saw my car yet but u can from my website se how it was before and how i fixed it, it cost me all together about 600 bucks painting and the front grill, as for the lights i got them from the junk yard for $60 each, every time my dad goes to the junk yard hes looking around to get part for it, they might be a lot of money new but at the junk yard u can get super deals, aside from the stuff i put on to it like the intake and the muffler and some interior work and the sound system that cost me about 500 bucks. As u are saying that u want to use it for school and personal use then i dont see any problem of it getting damaged or something going wrong with it, but it also depends on how u drive the car, i took my jetta to 190 going to drumheller and it was smooth as a baby's ass after about an h going 190 - 160 i just pulled to the side of the road to let the wheels rest for a bit and then i went on my way but its all up to you at the end. Think about it

[atgilchrist]

Avoid the Corrola and 3 if you want something original. +1 for a early 2000's jetta diesel, you can get them under 10k in good condition, and the things will never die.

[rumeo]

Originally posted by atgilchrist
Avoid the Corrola and 3 if you want something original. +1 for a early 2000's jetta diesel, you can get them under 10k in good condition, and the things will never die.


how are they for maintenance?

[JTC180]

If you are looking for a fun car and can live with a two seater I suggest a Miata.

[01RedDX]

.

[rumeo]

Originally posted by JTC180
If you are looking for a fun car and can live with a two seater I suggest a Miata.

I'll need a 5 seater for sure.



Originally posted by 01RedDX


Suzuki X90: all of the above.


This one's on Kijiji right now.
http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8748/02761a220.jpg

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-SUVs-trucks-vans-Suzuki-X-90-W0QQAdIdZ111913977

I say if you really want to be original, then don't pussy out.

Man that is great!

:rofl:

I don't have the balls to pull that off, but it would be great for winter.


So I still don't know what car to go with, should I private sell my millenia or just trade it in? The timing belt (pretty sure it is) is losing its elasticity so it's sliding off. Currently I'm not driving it for that reason, should I fix it first and then sell/trade it in or sell it as is? How much money will I lose if I trade it in compared to private sell?

Couple buddies were telling me if I get a newer vehicle stick to less then 50k on the odometer and if I get say an 06/07 chances are it'll still have warranty and and be in brand new condition nit without the brand new price tag, how true is that?

[berbatov]

I have a 2000 Mazda Protege SE, about 140 HP, sunroof, auto 150 000 for sale for way under your 10 000

All maintenance done at Kramer, clean car, 40 L of gas gets you around 500 KM, unlike your 70L tank

If driven outside of city, 600 km on a tank

[911fever]

I didn't see many Prelude's at all in Calgary, and yeah it may be a bit of a ricer, but they've depreciated a lot and they drive better than almost all cars under 10K. They are good on gas too depending on how you drive it and super reliable, buttttttttttttt they do burn oil.

[rumeo]

Originally posted by 911fever
I didn't see many Prelude's at all in Calgary, and yeah it may be a bit of a ricer, but they've depreciated a lot and they drive better than almost all cars under 10K. They are good on gas too depending on how you drive it and super reliable, buttttttttttttt they do burn oil.

A lot of my friends drive preludes so for that reason I'd like to leave that car out of my list...


I'm more leaning towards the corolla...what model corolla should I get?

[rumeo]

What are the chances of me getting a corolla s around 50k for the $10k mark?

[benz_890]

how much for the millenia?

[911fever]

you'd spend 10k on a Corolla to be different? WTF

[Neil4Speed]

The Millenia was the flagship Mazda at the time, and is a pretty big semi-luxurious car, its reliability is shoddy, so why don't you move laterally into a car with better mileage and better reliability while maintaining those features which I am sure you like about your Mazda. Check out a used Infiniti I30, I30T, 3.2TL, ES300.

3.5RL's are great cars too, the mileage is pretty brutal, but the reliability is great, a smooth, exceptionally comfortable ride. You can get them for peanuts these days.

[rumeo]

Originally posted by benz_890
how much for the millenia?

you have pm


Originally posted by 911fever
you'd spend 10k on a Corolla to be different? WTF

Haha I didn't realize how many Corollas were on the road till I wanted one haha, It's still worth it because of the reliability and fuel economy.


Originally posted by Neil4Speed
The Millenia was the flagship Mazda at the time, and is a pretty big semi-luxurious car, its reliability is shoddy, so why don't you move laterally into a car with better mileage and better reliability while maintaining those features which I am sure you like about your Mazda. Check out a used Infiniti I30, I30T, 3.2TL, ES300.

3.5RL's are great cars too, the mileage is pretty brutal, but the reliability is great, a smooth, exceptionally comfortable ride. You can get them for peanuts these days.

I was looking at the cars you suggested, but all of the ones in my price range had high clicks. I do realize if I go for the Corolla I'm gonna miss my luxury of the Millenia... But the long term costs are definitely worth it. How's maintainence for Lexus/Infiniti? Is it expensive?

[atgilchrist]

My Grandmother is selling her 2001 Jetta TDI loaded for ~11k I think.

pm me if you want any more details.

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by rumeo



I was looking at the cars you suggested, but all of the ones in my price range had high clicks. I do realize if I go for the Corolla I'm gonna miss my luxury of the Millenia... But the long term costs are definitely worth it. How's maintainence for Lexus/Infiniti? Is it expensive?


Honestly the costs of maintainance etc is pretty nominally greater and worth it for the enjoyment of a better car. The 3.2TL can have major problems with transmissions, if its been taken care of your typically fine.

The I30 reliability is that of a Maxima(good), and the ES300 is that of a Camry (Really really good). Parts for the most part are interchangeable, these cars only need basic maintenance to run a very long time. Check for a good service record - thats whats important.

I know that this is on the high side of your budget, but the mileage is very low and always dealer serviced. Tell him the car is 10 years old and try to knock some off the price.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Lexus-Lexus-ES-300-Calgary-13-900-00-W0QQAdIdZ127140084

[jonnycat]

Originally posted by rumeo
Coles:

1. Need great fuel economy
2. Cheap maintainence
3. Somewhat original.



Suggestions?

These things are a blast to drive, and meet all 3 criteria plus 5 passenger and the price is only $800 over budget.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Ford-2002-SVT-Ford-Focus-ZX3-Extremely-Rare-Sports-Car-W0QQAdIdZ86244387

[Kloubek]

You wanted a decently priced Corolla S? Here you go:

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Toyota-2005-Toyota-Corolla-Sport-W0QQAdIdZ127538713

[ryanazarko]

find a 2001 IS300. Those are dirt cheap now a days. I've seen them in the states for as low as $7000. Here i've seen them going for $13k. I'm sure you could low ball and pick up a high mileage one for $10k.
Those cars are pretty bullet proof so maintanence wont be expensive. the only thing is that the mileage isn't nearly as good as the other cars you're looking at.

[rumeo]

So I decided to cut my budget in half, we're in a recession you know.

Looking at some integras, this is one that I really like:

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Acura-1998-Acura-Integra-RS-W0QQAdIdZ134317270

what do you guys think?

[Neil4Speed]

Seriously consider one of these, they are great cars.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Acura-Acura-3-5-RL-W0QQAdIdZ129745269

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Acura-car-for-sale-W0QQAdIdZ133715393

[rumeo]

Hey Neil,

I appreciate the suggestion. After some quick research, the 3.5RL is terrible on gas mileage and the Integra seems to get quite a lot more (eg. 3.5RL highway isn't as high as the integra's city mileage).

[xecutivip]

want something original? http://forums.beyond.ca/st/267646/fs-1992-burgundy-nissan-gloria-gt-ultima/

[rumeo]

Car looks good for sure, I'm looking for more stock though.

[rumeo]

So I checked out the Integra today at Sport Tech Auto, car looked in immaculate condition, which worries me. There were some spots on the car that gave me the idea that it had been painted over. While driving it, there seemed to be some metal on metal rubbing, sounded like it was coming from the brakes but I can't confirm. He showed me a copy of the inspection done on the car (Done May 30/09) and according to the inspection, it passed with nothing wrong with it. But why would there be a metal on metal sound? I thought maybe rust on the brakes but it didn't seem to go away while driving.

I did a carproof on it, and there is nothing wrong with it through carproof, only registered in AB. Now this dealership offered me an extended warranty. 24 months for $2000. It covers the drive line (drive shafts, axelshafts, constant velocity joins, constant velocity boots and universal joints), Water pump, starter motor and solenoid, alternator and voltage regulator, and the air condtioner.

When cross referencing the VIN on the car to the inspection sheet, there was 1 digit missing, I don't know if it was intentional or accidental.

So my questions are:

Have any of you guys heard anything about Sport Tech Auto?

Is the warranty worth it?

I'm going to take it to an independent mechanic for my own inspection, any suggestions as to who?

Anything else I need to do?


Thanks.

[rumeo]

Oh and the bumper didn't look aligned. Attached pics. Normal?

[rumeo]

Pic 2

[rumeo]

bump...cmon guys, some has to be able to answer atleast one of my questions

[sxtothe240]

maybe take it to another inspection shop. ask them to test drive it and see if they can figure out that the "metal" noise is.

[rumeo]

I told sport tech auto to go over the car, do all necessarily oil changes, maintainence and then I will take it to an independent mechanic.

Is the body supposed to be like that?

Is the warranty worth it?

[rumeo]

The Integra ended up getting sold before I could buy it. Probably a sign that I shouldn't have bought it.

After continuing my search, I have laid my eyes on the Protege.

Here are some that I have found. What are your guys' thought on this car? I'm gonna test drive one to see how they feel.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Mazda-2001-MAZDA-PROTEGE-W0QQAdIdZ143525889

^^ Price seems a little low?

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Mazda-2002-Mazda-Protege-LX-2-0-W0QQAdIdZ143358028


http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Mazda-2003-Mazda-Protege-LX-W0QQAdIdZ143294164


http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-Mazda-2002-Mazda-Protege-LX-2-0-W0QQAdIdZ143273888

^^ This last one seems to have a spare tire on the back so we'll see whats up with that