O.T. So I need to buy a car...

[Whalebot]

Cause my lease is up. No guitars for a while, maybe an Ovation cause I could canoe to work. Anyway I'm picking some brains here...two door, sporty, foriegn, not too expensive (I'm thinking Civic not BMW) and fairly reliable. I'm just wondering what everyone thinks...meaning perhaps carguy. Any ideas?

[knockwood]

Olson.

[kwakatak]

Get a used Civic then. My mom's been driving her 97 for 5-6 years now with no problem. I'm also starting to warm up to my Subaru and my mom also drove one for years (until it rusted out) so you might want to check out them too.

[JasmineTea]

You can live in one of those late '70s early '80s Volvo stationwagons. They run forever and the mieage is good.

[dboy420]

I just bought a new Nissan Sentra nice car I paid about 13500 for it. Great on gas 30-35mpg and sporty but it does have 4 doors .

[Cldplytkmn]

yeah i was going to suggest nissan... i'm really diggin on volkswagen's right now... i'll need a car replacement within the year most likely, and a used (02-03) passat is leading the pack...

[Freeman Keller]

In a lot of respects this is like asking what kind of guitar should I buy? Do you need space (to haul 4 gits and the PA to the next gig), a back seat (for the kids or mother-in-law), AWD 'cause you live in snow country, zoom zoom to pick up chicks, comfort to haul clients to some fancy dive, used to hold the cost down - kinda like pickin' that next git, eh? I'm a motorhead and when we moved we downsized the house and upsized the garage 'cause we've got 4 cars and a motorscooter.

 

But, with gas at 3 bucks and headed for 4 with no relief in sight I would sure factor that into the question. Around my neck of the woods a Subie is a winner and my wife sure loves her Impressa - but then AWD is almost a requirement where we live. I'm also one of the few people that can really justify an SUV - right now it still has my skis on from last night and my climbing gear in the back for tonight. When the weather is good my scooter at 50 mpg is the rig to drive, when I want to blow out some cobwebs I get out the old Bimmer with the race motor, and for days I just want to smile we drive the old roadster.

 

I happen to think that both the Euro and Japanese options beats anything being produced in the US today (and for the past 10 years if you are thinking used). If you are shopping new really consider the hybrids - my friends who have them love 'em. So, just like we talk about what guitar to buy based on you music, define what you really need in transportation and seek it out. It is out there somewhere.

[carguy]

 

Originally posted by Whalebot Cause my lease is up. No guitars for a while, maybe an Ovation cause I could canoe to work. Anyway I'm picking some brains here...two door, sporty, foriegn, not too expensive (I'm thinking Civic not BMW) and fairly reliable. I'm just wondering what everyone thinks...meaning perhaps carguy. Any ideas?

 

 

Need car advice? Ya came to the right place!

 

I work at a Chevy dealership so my advice is slightly biased, but I could recommend the Chevy Aveo.

Nice little cars, great gas mileage, and reasonable purchase price. You might even try to get a used one with a few miles on it to save a few more bucks.

The Chevy Cobalts are pretty nice too, but a little more expensive.

[Hudman]

 

Originally posted by carguy Need car advice? Ya came to the right place! I work at a Chevy dealership so my advice is slightly biased, but I could recommend the Chevy Aveo. Nice little cars, great gas mileage, and reasonable purchase price. You might even try to get a used one with a few miles on it to save a few more bucks. The Chevy Cobalts are pretty nice too, but a little more expensive.

 

 

Are you a salesman or a mechanic?

 

I work at Ford (Research & Engineering).

[carguy]

Sales

 

I retired after 30 years in the Banking industry. I just work part-time now. My boss calls me the "carguy" more to tease me than anything.

 

BTW, I've had so much fun selling cars. I hated working for the bank.

[Sasquatch51]

All I have is Chevrolets..2002 Avalanche Z71, 2004 Trail Blazer, and 1998 Corvette coupe.

[Hudman]

 

Originally posted by carguy Sales

 

 

That's a hard job - especially in the rough economy we are in now. The Big 3 placed too much focus on SUV's and full size trucks over the past 10+ years.

[kwakatak]

Subaru Outback wagon: fits 2 guitars (one acoustic, one electric), one medium sized amp, a folding guitar stand and a mic stand with boom no problem.

[Chirpy_72]

I'm getting a Mazda3 this summer. Thanks to the Ford S Plan I can get a good deal.

 

My brother works for Ford, he's an engineer and helped design the new hybrid Escape ... I'd love one of those, but they're still too pricey.

[Call me Ishmael]

 

Originally posted by Whalebot Cause my lease is up. No guitars for a while, maybe an Ovation cause I could canoe to work. Anyway I'm picking some brains here...two door, sporty, foriegn, not too expensive (I'm thinking Civic not BMW) and fairly reliable. I'm just wondering what everyone thinks...meaning perhaps carguy. Any ideas?

 

 

I got a 91 celica that's pretty cool.

[tamolina]

To me a car is just transportation. I have a '94 Camry. Over 100,000 miles on it and the only repair was replacing a window motor. Rock-solid reliability. The 4 cylinder engine is all the power I will ever need, so good mileage. It is a four-door because that is more convenient for accessing the back seat area. I can lay the back seats down to extend the trunk area...haul all my gear with ease. If this one dies before I do I will buy another Camry.

[Hudman]

Originally posted by kwakatak Subaru Outback wagon: fits 2 guitars (one acoustic, one electric), one medium sized amp, a folding guitar stand and a mic stand with boom no problem.

 

2004 Ford F150 SuperCrew Cab FX4 - Perfect vehicle if I had a band. I can fit a ton of gear in the bed and a 5 people in the cab (with a ton of leg room). I could pull a 9,900 lb trailer full of gear too.

 

Only problem: 15 - 19 MPG without a trailer 10 - 12 MPG pulling a loaded trailer. It really sucks down the gas in 4X4 mode.

 

If I had a band, I would make the other 4 guys chip in on gas.

[recordingtrack1]

Okay, you know by now that I've got to put in my two or three cents worth. . .

 

I recently sold a Lincoln LS with a V8 because of the gas situation. I purchased a 04 Chev Malibu classic with a four cylinder engine. Just about doubled my gas mileage. It has a salvaged title because it was rebuilt from a totaled out wreck. It was really well done and it has only 24,000 miles. The cool thing is that I got it for $6000.

My payment is only $186 a month for two years because I paid 2000 against the note.

 

I am really glad I did this because I was paying a lot more every month than that. It actually leaves me a few bucks to buy guitars and stuff.

 

Anyway, my point is if you ain't to proud to drive one and you know somebody who is a good mechanic (who'll check it out for you), this is a good way to go.

 

BTW Hud, I've got a F-150 Supercrew as well. Magnificent piece of machinery. It sits in my driveway nowadays. If I need to haul stuff at least its there.

 

RT1

[Hudman]

 

Originally posted by recordingtrack1 BTW Hud, I've got a F-150 Supercrew as well. Magnificent piece of machinery. It sits in my driveway nowadays. If I need to haul stuff at least its there. RT1

 

 

Yeah, I really like mine. I owned a few super cabs over the years, but I prefer the true 4 doors and extra space in the cab. I drive it to work everyday. The 4X4 comes in handy during the Michigan winters. My wife drives an Escape. It gets great gas mileage.

[d03nut]

so let me get this straight, SUV's are like jumbos, 4-door mid size sedans are like dreds, parlors are..................

[JasmineTea]

IMO, the automobile metaphore only works in marriages and politics.

[carguy]

Originally posted by d03nut so let me get this straight, SUV's are like jumbos, 4-door mid size sedans are like dreds, parlors are..................

 

like economy cars, and ukeleles are like subcompacts

[Hudman]

 

Originally posted by JasmineTea IMO, the automobile metaphore only works in marriages and politics.

 

 

It's getting harder and harder to predict a person's political party affliation by the vehicle they drive. I think it's due to the fact people don't fit perfect in a single party on every issue.

[eor]

if you're looking for a new lease, anything old thing will do, as you'll probably be rid of it before it becomes problematic, lemons notwithstanding.

 

if you're looking to buy, or something used, toyotas and hondas have the best resale value and are the most reliable, eor would say.

 

love,

eor

[kwakatak]

Please please PLEASE - DO NOT LEASE!

 

I went that route with my Grand Prix and after 6 years of payments I still got burned by the dealership's service dept. Get a used car and put just enough into it to keep it running. New cars are the worst investment.