my car died yesterday.......

[derek]

well, after 8 great years and 278,000 miles, 2 wrecks, 6 blowouts, an $800 break job and a new $1,200 A/C, my 'ol saturn decided to head off to the car retirement home yesterday.

since it won't pass our goofy emissions tests, eats oil like candy, and blew out the clutch yesterday,(resulting in a 3 hour lull between houston and dallas while i waited for someone to come get me....all the while having to fight off ravenous tow truck drivers) i've made the decision to retire her and move on......instead of spending $3000 plus to get her running again and able to pass the state inspections, which i've got 4 tickets for.

so now i have to buy a new car and start making those dreaded car payments! this is really gonna eat into my toy collecting hobbies!.......though i've got more than my money's worth, i hate to let her go............

[James Boba Fettfield]

May I suggest a 1968 Stingray. After you buy this, may I suggest you move to Columbus and become a friend of mine.

[Kidhuman]

Sorry to hear the news Derek. Hope it works out better with a new car.

[bobafrett]

I have been driving for 8 years, have driven 5 different cars, and I'm getting tired of making car payments. I can understand how you feel Derek, especially with the payments cutting into your collecting. But, if you get going, you might be able to get one of those 0% interest deals!

[JediTricks]

Sorry to hear about the ride Derek. This was a pre-GM Saturn, yes?

My mom has had a lot of success with used cars (in between the POS that we had to buy to replace the car Rebecca Gayheart plowed into, but that's a different issue), the 1981 Toyota Celica Supra cost under $700, drove like a sports car, and was as tough as the Millennium Falcon - even survived an accident any other manual transmission car would have gotten the passengers killed in. Now we have a $900 '87 Volvo wagon, and it seems to be pretty good too. I dunno, I guess I'm just prejudice against paying tens of thousands of dollars for a disposable car.

[derek]

This was a pre-GM Saturn, yes

it's a 1995 model. when i bought it, i had no idea saturn was connected with GM, not that there is anything wrong with GM, as far as i know. but a month after i got it(new), a friend was telling me that saturn is a part of GM. i don't know if they always were or what? from all the advertisements i recall seeing, saturn was advertising themselves as a "different" kind of car company, and i got the feeling they were an independent company.

I dunno, I guess I'm just prejudice against paying tens of thousands of dollars for a disposable car.

i couldn't agree more, but i use my car for work, so i have to have reliable transportation. this is only the second time this car broke down in over 8 years, so that's pretty good, meesa thinks.........i'm sure there are many good used cars out there, but i can't chance dropping $1000 plus for a used car and then having to make possible car repairs in the near future.

Now we have a $900 '87 Volvo wagon

is that car able to pass california's emissions tests? i know they are a lot more strict than those here in texas.

[good shot jansen]

i recently traded in my 97 chrysler concorde which had been a very dependable car, but after the 1st 100,000 miles, it began to show signs of serious repair bills down the road.

my new car is a white pt cruiser turbo! i love it!

due to the flexibility of the seating to create tons of cargo area, i've found the car to be most practical. (it's 6 inches shorter than a neon! ) the new turbo charged engine introduced this year has certainly taken care of the under power knockins' that the cas had gotten in the past.

with the 2400 they gave me for the concorde, the bottom line on the car was 21,000 complete. to get a new car that's this much fun to drive, and which truely looks great for under 25,000 is a bargain.

i've had pretty good luck with all the chryslers i've owned over the years, so granted, that's pretty much the vehicle line i stick too when i need new wheels.

good luck with finding your next vehicle derek

[JEDIpartner]

Good luck, man!

My car was GOING to die a couple weeks ago so I got a new one... it's already got a couple Republic insignias on it!!

[JediTricks]

Saturn was an independent car company when they came out, but later they became part of GM, though that's mostly just management and not construction.


The Volvo needs a new catalytic converter to pass smog; we had it tested and it didn't pass, then we looked in the glove box a few days later and saw a receipt from the previous owner's mechanic that mentioned the need for that repair. D'oh! But other than that, it'll pass smog. Buying used cars mainly requires solid transportation for getting to them and a lot of patience and time since 9/10ths of the ads are liars or ignorant of their vehicles' poor conditions.

[2-1B]

Originally posted by JediTricks
even survived an accident any other manual transmission car would have gotten the passengers killed in.

jeez . . . then I'm glad she had the Celica.
I hope there weren't any really serious injuries involved, either?



Well, when referring to "used cars" there are used and then there are USED. I'm in the market myself right now, thankfully we are lax here with emissions testing because my car is rather . . . potent . . . right now but it's still driveable so I'm gonna keep driving it ! No, it's only while I shop around for a deal I'm happy with. I won't even consider buying from a private party, I don't want the headache.

However, from the dealers I've been browsing, I think there are some fantastic deals out there right now! I'm not looking for anything too flashy, just something with relatively low mileage and dependability (aren't we all? ).

So derek, are you saying you are going to buy brand new? I totally agree with you about the risk of a used car in the $1,000 range, but I'm confident that I'll find a great deal in the $8,000 range . . . if I went higher to 10k, I'd REALLY be set.

Are you looking to buy new for the security of a manufacturer's warranty? I can see why, because if you are already making payments then you wouldn't want to have to worry about repair costs as well . . . BUT at the same time, many of these warranties are 3 years / 36,000 miles and quite frankly, the car should be just fine during that time anyway ! Of course, then they also want to seel you extended warranties of which I am suspicious. I know someone who bought a warranty thinking it was a good value, but she didn't notice the $100 deductable on all service.