RC Needs a New Ride

[RottingCorpse]

My little Saturn Ion is reaching the end of it's run. While there's nothing seriously wrong with it yet, it's got 160,000 miles on it. I'd like to unload it before it does have any major problems.

I still owe money on it, so my trade-in will be limited by that. Why do I still owe money on a car with 160,000 miles? Because my day job involves driving close to 100 miles a day. I got two years more to pay on it. Roughly $2200.

Anyway, since Saturn no longer exists, I've been forced to look elsewhere. In doing research I like the Honda Fit and the Honda Civic. I may even go look at both tomorrow.

Here's the kicker. I want my monthly payment to be under $250.

If anybody has suggestions and thoughts, I'd love to hear them

[nacho]

Haha!  $250.  Drive the Saturn till it blows up, then get a used Jap-Trap with a credit union loan. 

[RottingCorpse]

My current payment is under that and I can cope. Basically I want a car that runs and the same payment that I just pay every month without looking at it.

[nacho]

Well, I normally drive cars that are older than my cousin, so my advice is worth nothing. 

[RottingCorpse]

I haven't minded the car payment. Of course I'd rather not have had it, but the knowledge of a reliable vehicle has given me some piece of mind. Other then oil changes and tires, I might have put $500 into repairs on my Saturn.

[Tatertots]

Get a faggot Yaris like mine! My payments are $100 and I'll be done with them in, like, two more years. Oil changes are every 5,000 miles. It's the best car ever. 40mpg and a bitchin' radio. Also, hatchback, so my faggot bikes can fit in the back for double the faggotry.

[RottingCorpse]

We could be butt buddies!

[nacho]

If anyone got a Yaris in DC, they'd be up on the sidewalks and driving through stores.

[Cassander]

if you have to drive 100 miles a day, don't be a sucker and succumb to Kia's low prices.  i would say look for a 2003-2005 corolla, sentra, civic, or altima with about 60,0000-80,000 miles on it.  that way the price will be low (probably under 10k) but the car will last long enough for you to pay it off and keep driving it. 

[RottingCorpse]

I am starting to think that 'used' might be my best bet.

[Cassander]

pre-owned!

yeah.  There's no reason to buy new or even lease in today's world.  who knows what kinds of corners car companies are cutting to stay alive now. 

[nacho]

Fuck, seriously.  A new car is more dangerous than a 79 Pinto these days.

[Tatertots]

You're just jealous because your car isn't as fast as some Toyotas are.

[Nubbins]

Having just purchased a used Civic less than a year ago, I definitely recommend that route if you're trying to minimize your payments.  I have a 2002 Honda Civic Si (it's their special, sporty model) and I love it.  For around $10k, it came with 60,000 miles and was previously leased to one owner.  My payments are about $268 a month, but I am paying slightly more than the required monthly amount and BB&T withdraw payments from my account automatically.  I think my insurance is around $120 a month or so.  It's a manual transmission, which also means that if I stay on top of my oil changes, then I will probably go years without having to shell out money for major repairs.  I am sure the same is true of the Yaris, Corolla, etc. ... stick with the Japanese manufacturers ... they make good stuff that goes forever.

The only thing I will say, and you probably know this from buying cars before, is that searching for a used car is a lot more complicated than buying new.  Buying new cars, while more expensive, is pretty damn easy... it's easy to figure out what a reasonable price is, what options you're interested in having, finding reviews and reliability ratings, etc.  

With a pre-owned car, there are a seemingly infinite amount of variables to consider from mileage to the number of previous owners to accident history and there are just simply a lot of unknowns that come with a used car.  My car, for instance, managed to eliminate a few of those variables because I knew that, as a leased car, the previous owner had to take good care of it, keep the mileage low and perform regular maintenance, so that was probably the biggest reason I wound up buying it.

Good luck... buying cars sucks ass.  If you need any details from Consumer Reports on specific models/years of cars, let me know... their online database is a great source of information.

[RottingCorpse]

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