Well, it looks like I'm going to be doing some car shopping... I was in a crash yesterday and I expect my Camry to be totaled. It really isn't bad looking, it's just that it may cost too much to fix a 1994 model.

I live a long way from my job... the price I pay for having a bit of land, a nice garage, and no HOA. So I need a car that has great fuel economy and is comfortable to sit in for an hour at a time.

I drove a Chevy Cobalt coupe today... nice handling, OK power, but it has the teeniest little hatch for a trunk lid. It reminds me of my old Dodge Neon in both the good ways (fun to drive) and the bad ways (very low to the ground - hard to get in and out, manual windows, manual mirrors, etc.). The car was quieter than the Neon, and the radio was nice though.

I also drove a Honda Fit Sport... I was originally going to look at a Civic, but the Fit is so much more practical and also has a higher seating position than the Civic (and it costs less). Power windows (all 4), power mirrors, fog lights, USB connection for my still-unpurchased iPod , lots and lots of storage space... I was quite impressed with the Fit's function and value.

On the used side, I see a Camry near me on Craigslist for $6900, the advantage of which would be no car payments. I'm wondering what else I ought to be looking at... I don't want a VW TDI (it has a turbo, which is a delicate piece of engineering that I would not expect to last 300K miles, and it runs on expensive diesel fuel), and I don't want a hybrid (I figure I'll be replacing the expensive battery pack about the time I'm done paying for the car).

The Fit is a good car, and compared to the nissan versa, toyota yaris, etc, it would be my pick...

also look at used acura rsx's... even if it's not the type-s. 30 mpg, well appointed interior, lots of good trunk room (i fit a 7 piece dw drumset with hardware in it), and they come at a pretty good price. 157,000 miles with intermitten auto-x events, etc, and no major issues, just basic maintenance, has made me def become a Honda fan.

Sucks about the Camry though... glad you're doing alright since the crash.

So far I'm really happy with my new Rabbit.

I'd rather drive the scion XD. What my mom ended up getting. She wanted another subaru but then decided awd was overkill in nyc.

Well -
If I was looking for a reliable cheap used car -
Late 90's model Tercel or corolla -
I bought my 1996 4 years ago for $2000 cash -
It currently gets 36MPG -
I have put 90,000 miles on it, and just changed fluid, brakes and tires -

New - Look at the Scion Coupe - Its made by Toyota - Sporty, sunroof,
and probably gets well over 30mpg - and its made by Toyota -
I have had Honda's in the past, and currently have a Honda van, but I find the Toyota's to be cheaper to repair, and need them less frequently -

This one has a rebuilt engine... looks like a big red flag to me... it's also above KBB value.
RSX-S in Baltimore

My brother inlaw bought a toyota Yaris...he gets 45 MPG on regular gas.
He has gotten 49 when he hyper miles it.

He bought a computer that hooks up to the ECU and he can watch his mileage while he drives.

He loves the car...not a bad thing at all to say about it.
He bought it for the same reason..high MPG, long commute.
He has a truck and a motorcycle for the rest.

Rich

Before you discount the TDi due to the cost of diesel, consider the dollar per mile cost of diesel compared to the dollar per mile cost of gas for your vehicle.

Diesel costs more at the pump, but it is cheaper if you look at the per mile costs - which is what you actually care about.

the TDi ends up costing .060 dollars per mile (or 16.54 miles per dollar)
the Fit end up costing .074 dollars per mile (or 13.47 miles per dollar.)

This is done assuming the EPA highway estimate of 43mpg for the TDi, 33mpg for the Fit, Diesel at 2.60 a gallon, and regular gas at 2.45 (which are the average costs where I am, yours may be different).

The TDi will cost more at the outset, but is (IMHO) a more comfortable commuting car then the fit - at least the Fits that I have driven (not the Sport version).

Zach

I used to have a geo metro 3cyl and it got about 45 mpg. I remember that 1 time I had a nail in the tire and went to have it fixed. It cost 10$ to fix the hole or 15 $ for a new tire mounted and balanced. I miss that car.

I am a fan of the Yaris, and seriously considered buying one when I needed to rebuild the engine in my Subaru.

I was seriously surprised that the Fit only got 33 MPG. Though the advertised MPG for the Yaris is only 36. (according to the Toyota website)

Zach

Absolutely agree. A guy I work with has just acquired a VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI on the Cash for Clunkers program. It's much more car than the Fit, (which is a decent car). The Jetta has more interior space than my Audi A4 and we have used it for a daily commute this week to NYC- a 200 mile round trip. It's very comfortable. I believe VW turbos are very robust- a friend of mine has 145k on a Audi with a turbo and the turbo has been maintenance free thus far.

i guess asking why they rebuilt the motor... either noob driver misshifted, hit 9000 rpm+ and floated the valves, or cold air intake, hit a huge puddle, and hydrolocked the motor... but for a 2002, that's a bit high of a price for a rebuilt motor.

Or it has been beat by a young racer for 143,000 miles.

it's a honda... you really have to mash on it to break the motor... hitting the 8,000 rpm redline itself wont break it

A stock RSX-S is theft bait in this area.

Thieves walk around with k-pro ecus, break in, put the ECU in and drive off defeating the immobilizer.

There has been a rash of thefts lately for them, they are the new 1999 Civic SI.

It is sad, you run the risk of that.....

New rabbits are very nice

if it's a daily driver, base auto is good. 160 hp off the line, similar torque, and 31 mpg average. The right mods, its still a good car. and the triptronic is good from some extra thrills

Ever consider the Scion xB aka Man Van, it is very easy to get in and out of, has decent get up and go, cools decently in 90+ plus temperature and the rear seats found down if you need to haul something.

My .02 cent

Understand though, just owning one stock is risky in this area. We have a really big problem with honda theft and K series motors go for 2000 to start, type S drivetrain will neet you 4-5k.

Hondas just go missing here then return on the side of 495 or in an alley of PG county gutted and total loss.

MS13 etc.

If you get one check for signs of theft in the past too.

I work in Greenbelt. Live in western Md. but it looks like they attract the wrong kind of attention.

I got a 2005 Camry with a manual tranny that I like a lot.

It's a big car for me but I got 30 MPG in city traffic going to work and 40 MPG on interstate trips.

Got it used with 40 miles on it and it came with 2 years left on the 3 year bumper to bumper warranty, and the certified 7 year 100000 mile powertrain warranty.

The waterpump leaked. Since it's powertrain, they changed it under the 100k warranty. I got 65k of coverage left to go......

The moral of the story? Manual Camry's are cheap, great mileage, and if it's a Toyota certified used car, it comes with a 100k powertrain warranty for you high mileage drivers.......

If you like Toyota's I guess the Lotus Elise is the only real choice then.

Damn...
If I moved over to a TDi from my subaru, I'd save ~$1081 a year in fuel costs. Course, I'd have a car payment again, and would loose the AWD that I love in the snow... Still, that is significant. Its too bad that they don't offer the TdI in the Golf/Rabbit any more. that would be really tempting.

Zach

I live in Japan and almost every car is Japanese here I have one of those new Nissan Cube cars, they look small from the outside but are surprisingly roomy inside, nice to ride and have lots of cool features, EXCELLENT mileage, well made Japanese quality, the back seats fold up into the floor and I can fit a small motorcycle back there or it holds 5 people and a huge amount of groceries. A very cool car and not a single problem in 2 years of driving which is more than I can say for my 914

I've only seen two of those Nissan Cube's here, kinda ugly IMO.

I've never had good luck with nissans. Had an altima, 2 trucks and a quest. The quest was the worst one. The trucks had problems at 150K. The altima had trans/cooling problems before 60K. Friends drove there toyotas too the ground 300k+.

BTW, Nissan has ZERO leg room. No good for someone over 5"11.

Good point on the leg room. I need me some.

The lady from Progressive (pickup truck guy's insurance company) is going over my car today... will know whether it is considered repairable.

Jonathon,
I think it's the "so ugly it's cute" design... I remember seeing the Scion Xb thingy and thinking it was a damn toaster on wheels. Then, one went by decked out like a toaster with bread coming out the top! After a while I began to think they were kind of cool looking.

Looks like I'm going to be offered $3500 for the car and $700 medical. Still working through my insurance company as she says that PIP should cover the CAT scan that the nurse practitioner recommended.

Found a couple of Camrys... they are kind of boring, but very comfortable on the freeway...

2002 Camry

2003 Camry w/sunroof

Not as exciting as a new car, but I can swing either one of these without a note. Having no car payments makes me happy. I also may ask about that blue RSX-S just for the hell of it.

I agree,
I work with a guy that has a 2002 Golf TDI and he has almost 200k on his and hes only done minor work to the car glow plugs etc.. something to be said about being able to do 600 + miles on 14 gals of Diesel

The problem as I see it with the VWs is that, assuming a cash for clunkers trade-in, I will still have to finance $16K. Not too keen on having a car payment (and the closest dealer only has DSG Jettas in stock, no manuals).

Dodge caliber:
19,000
cash for clunkers rebate-$4500 (if you have a qualifying vehicle)
matching cash for clunkers -$4500

10K with a lifetime warranty

Mark

how tall are you Ken?

My dad is 6' 4'', and I'm 6' 0'', so leg room is important.


The cube is an interesting car. It is ugly, but it's not supposed to look like a Ferrari. The cube, the Kia Soul, and the xB have that sort of wierd modern city car look i guess. Take pride in the uglyness, have fun with the quickyness sort of thing.

I'm 6'0", 6'1" on a good hair day.

I assume that's not an issue with the RSX... I've ridden in one several times and it didn't bug me.

yea... lots of front seat room, and the center console tunnel is narrow enough to add more legroom. (our knee's hit that and the steering column on some cars, hence why we (well, he) bought a YJ jeep vs the then new TJ, his knee's hit)

We have a 2002 RSX-S and it has been a great car since new. Good gas milage, good performance and handling and what I think is surprisingly good luggage space for two people with the rear seatbacks folded. It has been very dependable. Plus I think it looks pretty good. Highly recommended.

The Camry is in the body shop... I should know today whether they are going to total it or not.

On Saturday, I drove a 46K mile Acura RSX-S. The car cornered flat and fast, just like my Frankenporsche. It has perforated leather seats and an awesome air conditioner, just unlike my 911. It was good looking and tight (despite the curb rash on all 4 wheels and some obvious salt damage under the hood from this NY car). I was highly impressed by it, and I can understand why people love them so much. At $17K I'd be looking at significant car payments... that and my lower back are trying to convince me that it isn't the right car for me. I loved every minute of driving it, though, even though the dealer was an hour away from my house.

For now, the insurance company is paying for a rental. The rental company only had 2 cars available when I showed up... a Chevy Aveo sedan and a Dodge Ram truck. Gee, hard choice there.



The truck is gorgeous... they say American car companies spent a lot of money on truck and SUV development... when I drive this truck, I can see where all that money went.

Loaner

Jonathon,

I'm a Honda fan, had a 98 Civic LX that I drove all over Europe before I retired. I recently bought a Honda Accord LXS Coupe (2-door) for 19K - nice ride and great on the gas miles.

I know you don't want the monthly payments, but with a good down payment you can surely get yourself a new/great vehicle for under 200.00 a month.

Just my 2-cents.

regards,

Fern

Actually, if things go as I expect them to today and they total the '94, I found a 2007 Camry LE with 65K, Toyota certified, for under $13K. Even without trading the Mercedes as a "clunker" it's going to cost less than a Honda Fit and return 32 mpg. And I keep the Mercedes too.

Screw that. Buy a DeLorean!

What on earth do you need a sensible car for?

LOL. If I thought that way, I would have signed the papers on the RSX Type S on Saturday. Even if flux capacitors > VTEC.