Cars

nena10

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What kind of cars does everyone drive? Just wondering. How did you know its the right kind of car that dosen't break easily and is good on the gas mileage? Did you buy on credit or cash? I have faith in Toyotas and HOndas. All the domestics that I had, especially Ford, have been lemons. I used to have a toyota corolla that I was paying on credit. It was a 93 and a teal blue and a beautiful car! I had it for three years before I had an accident. It gave me no problems. When I bought it it warmed up a lot. Turns out one of the fans wasn't working. So I got it fixed. Cost me almost an entire paycheck, but after I fixed it it ran smoothly! The worst car I've ever had was a 87 Ford Taurus Stationwagon. It kept breaking down every couple of weeks, the gas lasted only four days before I filled it up. A friend bought it for me, but I told him to take it back because it was no good! I want a Honda Civic but I heard that Hondas are valuable cars that people steal. My dream car used to be Ford Mustang convertible, but I don't know because its ford.
 

dtolle

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Right now we own 3 cars that are on the road, and one that my hubby uses for parts.

I drive a 1995 blue Dodge Minivan.
Hubby has a 1994 Nissan Sentra that he drives daily.
We have an oldie too, that is hubby's baby. Its a 1975 280z Nissan. Its a sports car, coupe. He drives it in good weather only, the rest of the time its in the garage.
Oh, and we have a "junker" that he plays with for parts. Not registered though.

As far as the costs, we have always paid cash for our cars. I am lucky, hubby is a part time mechanic on the side, so he knows what to look for in cars and we've never had a lemon.

American cars in general don't hold their value as much as foreign. A german BMW has a much higher resale value than a Ford Taurus. But of course, if you prefer American, then go for it!!!!
 

badhabit

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Well I have a 1985 Crysler New Yorker and I've only had it a year so and far it's been a great car. It leaks oil now because it needs the oil gasket replaced but other than that it's a great car. Now it's going to break down because I said that but that's my crappy luck.

It's pretty good on gas for an old car and the body and interior is in mint condition. I didn't pay for it since my dad's uncle owned the car and it kept stalling on him(it's an automatic) so he gave it to my dad because he thought it was a money pit. My dad gave it to me and we took it to the shop and they figured the control valve was gone and blah blah blah so 1300 dollars later it was working fine.

I think everyone has their likes and dislikes in car companies. Brian for one HATES suzuki. He bought the Vitara and it's a piece of junk but he's talk to other Vitara owners who love it.

My mom had a Mazda once and it was the worst car. You couldn't shut it off when you went somewhere because you'd have to wait a half hour for the car to cool down before it would start. I've heard from other people that Mazda is a good company though.

Then my dad swears by Chevy. He has a Chevy Silverado and it's his baby.

I think your best bet if you're looking for a car is research research research!! Oh and plenty of test driving and shopping around.
 
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nena10

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No, I don't have confidence in American cars. I was wondering if Mazda and Volkswagen are great, too. I've had my best luck with Toyotas. More expensive to buy but better than a cheap car.
How are the Dodge Minivans? Are they okay? I've always wanted to buy a van because I have two small children.
 
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nena10

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Actually, what I really want is a Toyota tundra or tacoma that has four doors. Is it better to lease or buy on credit? I have to work really hard and save up if I want one of these trucks.
 

melissa

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I have a black, 1996 Toyota Corolla and I LOVE it!! Its a very roomy car (we have two kids as well) and I've never had to do any repairs on it. I think that has a lot to do with the fact that we are diligent about oil changes and tune ups. We're going to be getting a second car soon and that will probably be a Toyota too, I can't say enough good things about them.

Incidentally, I've owned two Fords in the past, an Escort and a Probe and they were both lemons- I had a lot of problems with the brakes in both of them.
 

vikki

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The frst thing I do is check out the safety record of a car. Then I look at reliability, price, gas mileage, how comfprtable I feel in the car, etc. Try these two links (the first one is independent, the second is government):

http://www.hwysafety.org/default.htm

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

As for which cars are stolen most often, I think that the top cars to steal are usually the cars that are popular sellers because the cars can be sold for parts (which is more lucrative and easier than selling a whole stolen car!).

As for leasing, it's usually better to buy the car. If you sit down and do the math, you end up paying a lot more for a car through a lease. But, it depends on your situation and what kind of loan or lease you can get.
 

sfell

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Well, with a lease you have 4 options:

1. Pay a balloon payment at the end of the 3 year lease contract to purchase the car

2. Refinance it so that it's yours at the end of the financing

3. At the end of the lease return it and lease another one

4. At the end of the lease return it and walk away (without a car).

Also, with a lease you have mileage limits and if you go over you have to pay a penalty.

I personally would purchase on credit but sometimes people who don't have very good credit can't purchase on credit but can get a lease agreement.

I have a Ford Focus and I love it, but it is the only Ford car that I would ever own. Honda's are very good cars that have an excellent resale value. I have heard that Volkswagens are very good cars too.
 

valanhb

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I have a 1990 Ford Tempo and that thing is like a tank! 135,000 miles and going strong. I try to take good care of it. It looks like crap, but it gets me from here to there. Found out the hard way that they are easy to break into - had my stereo stolen Thanksgiving weekend. There's a few minor things going wrong with it now - the auto seatbelt thing is going out, and the door won't lock (because of the break in) but it runs like a champ.

Hubby just got a 1995 Volvo and I hate it! Talk about money pit! You can't get parts (you can, but they cost an arm and a leg!), has to be serviced at a specialty shop, sucks up gas, etc. Oh, sure it looks great and has the whole "luxury car" thing going but I never would have gotten it if I had known what I do now.

My favorite car I ever had was a 1970 Volkwagon Bug. She was an awesome car! Wish I still had her.
 

sandie

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The first car I had was a Honda accord. Now, I can't say that it was bad because I totaled it and then drove it for hundreds of miles, of course that was after I had dumped more than 1000.00 in it for a new transmission. Hubby drove a Chevy Cavalier, which lasted him quite ahwile. If I remember right, it had more than 200,000 miles on it. I just don't like them because they all seem to be so loud!
Now Hubby drives a Mazda and it's not bad considering he only paid 400.00 for it. I have fallen in love with my Saturn. I have a 98 SL1, and I have never had a problem with it. It's been the best car i have ever had. I would like to get a 3 door when I pay this one off
 

frannie

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I have a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe and absolutely love it. Actually, my cat friends at the show this weekend finally get to see it. It's an SUV and has a really great warranty. This is my second Hyundai and actually my mom(who swore she'd never have a foreign car) now owns a Hyundai. Hubby is looking at one also since we didn't bring his truck with us from Vegas. I had a Chevy Venture van before my first Hyundai but didn't like it. I've mostly have had foreign cars and really like them.

Frannie
 

tigger

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We have a 2001 Lexus IS300 & it's great. We got it last year, when we traded our Chevy S-10 in. We had been looking at them for a while, and finally decided to do it. It's a great car. Before that we had a '97 Chevy Monte Carlo. Keep in mind.... we only have 1 car, though
Hopefully, once we pay our bills off & stuff, we'll get a 2nd car, probably used until we can afford a new one. I like Honda Accords or Civics.....
 

debbiea

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My husband and I own 6 vehicles (all are paid for, except the two newest)...'75 corvette, '84 Porsche 944, '93 F-150 extended cab pick-up truck, '54 International truck, '02 Mazada Protege5', and '01 Mazada Miata..

We have owned in the past..Honda Civic, Saturn, Oldsmoble Ciera, Ford Escot wagon, Ford Mustang(6 different years..75,73,70,69,two 68's..all classic muscle cars.. except for the 75
my college car)
Ford Ranger pick-up, Ford Torino...

Can you tell my husband likes Fords...I call them the Fix, Or Repair Daily..Cars (FORD)


If any one has a car/truck question ask the hubby...he fixes/restores cars for a hobby (his dad owned and operated a car repair business for my than 30 years until he sold out and retired.

All the vehicles we have ever owned we either paid cash for or fianced by creidt...would never lease anything!
 
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We're waiting to get our car, it will be a brand new Toyota Yaris, car of the Year 2001 (or 2000, can't remember which year it was) here n Europe. We're getting it about a months time now, can't wait!
 

dtolle

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Nena, you asked about my Dodge Caravan. I do like it...a lot. Its very roomy, I can seat 8. But the back two sets of seats come out in case you have to haul something. We've had to do some minor repairs to it, nothing major. Hubby is a mechanic though, so I am unsure of how "big" the repairs would have been had I have brought it to the dealer.
It was a good deal money wise as well. We bought in in 2000, and I paid $5100 including tax. ( Here in MA, that is 5%) We paid cash, and they in turn put 4 new tires and did some minor work to the suspension for us. The only other things we've done were a new timing chain ( again, hubby did it himself and it was like $100 ), a new gasket cover ( $30 ), and just regular oil changes and tune ups.

I have no complaints at all. With kids, its the best way to go in my opinion. Lots of room, comfy, good on gas.
 

spooky

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Hubby and I have 2 cars and we love them both! Hubby has a 1998 Toyota 4Runner (Limited Edition) and it is fully paid for. He used to have a 95 red Pontiac Trans Am which he sold so he could get this car. He knew someone who buys cars from car auctions for dealers and he got a very good deal on the 4Runner-$15,500. I have a 1997 Honda Civic. I absolutely love my car!
I bought it last July and I will have it paid off in September. We are financing my car. Hubby bought his car last February. Eventhough both of our cars have alot of miles (Toyota-110,000 and Honda-83,000) they both run great. I guess thats because we keep up with the oil changes and we keep them in good shape. We both recently bought tires for our cars and I had to buy new front brakes, but it is worth it b/c I know I will have my car for a long time. I did have a few problems at first when I bought my car (needed new oxygen sensors and something else) but the warranty covered it. I would definitely reccommend Hondas or Toyota to anyone!
 

adymarie

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We have a 1996 Ford Escort wagon. It is amazing. We have had no mechanical problems and drives great with great mileage. When we moved we fit tons of stuff in it - we call it the beast and we make it work like one.
 

airprincess

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I have a 2 door black GMC Jimmy that I bought last year. It's my first SUV and I'm really enjoying it. My dad works for chevrolet so I will always buy american to support him and all those he works with.
 

katl8e

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My '83 Oldmobile runs like a dream. I've had it since last summer and all I've done is tuneup, lube & oil. Doesn't get the best mileage but big, heavy cars keep one safe. I know that I can drive - I don't trust the idiots out there! My last car was a '77 Lincoln Town Car.
 
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