Family Car

Dude, the part at the beginning when the cars hit that shit at full speed is AWESOME! Fuck if I care how they perform, though I drive a Civic so bonus.

Scion xB. It's got awesome safety ratings. It's made by Toyota. Gas mileage It's perfect for a family of four (I know we have one and it is us and two kids) and the price on it is roughly 16k-18k new.

We have had ours for 2 years now I think and other then regular oil changes we have had zero problems with it. The acceleration was surprisingly topnotch but honestly the look of it threw off my wife when she first saw it. But once I got her inside the car and had her drive it around the block it was instant love. We had also test driven several compact cars (nearly all were horrible in space even the popular models), the Versa, a couple of SUV's (price to high), Vans (but we just hated vans), and even a truck. We slept on the decision for 2 days but after she test drove it nothing else we tested could stand up.

I know some people think it looks funny but if you can bring yourself to go to a dealership and sit inside and on the backseat while thinking about driving with a family of four then I think you'll see where I'm coming from.

Girlfriend's car got "stolen" a couple weeks back, and by "stolen" I mean "parked in a back alley downtown with the passenger door unlocked and a spare key in the glove box". That aside, her car hasn't yet turned up, so she's expecting her insurance company to pay her out in a week or two. She was driving a 2005 Cavalier, so I doubt she's getting more than a couple thousand. She's got next to no money to her name, but I'd imagine her parents will help her out. I haven't really talked to her about what her budget is, and if she's stuck with going to a dealership as she'll probably need financing.

Long story short, she's probably looking at something 4-5 years old, 4 doors, cheap (5-10k) and reliable. Possibly a hatchback or wagon. Any suggestions on good makes or models in that category? I really don't follow that segment at all.

Finding cheap, reliable, low-mileage used cars at the moment is a pain in the ass, the used car market is ridiculous at the moment(at least in the US)

I'd be looking for something like a Chevy Cobalt, Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Kia Rio, etc. You're probably going to be pushing the top of that price range (9-10k) for any of those that are under 5 years old and under 100K miles.

Yeah, she might have to go a couple years older depending on her budget. I guess what I was wondering is that for cars in the 2006-2008 model years, is it even worth looking at domestics or Korean cars? I thought back then the only manufacturers making halfway decent cars were the Japanese, with domestics largely being garbage until they got their shit together after the bailouts, and the Koreans still working on improving quality.

I think as far as domestics go, Ford really started to increase their quality by the early to mid 2000s, whereas GMC and Chrysler/Jeep didn't step up their games until post-bailout, like you said. I wouldn't buy a GMC/Chevy/Dodge/Chrysler that is older than about 08 or 09, I'd be pretty comfortable going back 8-10 years on a Ford though. We just sold my wifes 99 Mustang with 150K miles on it, and it never had any issues(only sold it because we needed a family vehicle) and my 05 Escape is still going strong approaching 140K miles, have never done anything to it other than oil changes, new tires, and new batteries.

That being said, we went away form Ford and bought a new Hyundai, mostly for the price & longer warranty. Your girlfriend might want to look at a Kia, lots of Kias have 10 year 100K mile warranties, she might be able to get a cheap used one that still has quite a bit of manufacturers warranty left on it. All domestic companies only offer 3yr/36K mile warranties, those would be long gone on a used car.

Bought a used car last month and got financed for 60 months at 6.49.

Nationwide just refinanced for 60 months at 2.50. Pretty happy with them so far.

Do just that, play their online departments against each other. At most dealerships, whoever oversees the online sales/leads is usually authorized to be the most agressive on pricing, since there is SO much competition. Decide which car you want, then find 2 or 3 dealers in your area with that vehicle and make them compete for your business.

try carwoo.com - you select the model / options you want and it will email all the dealers in a radius you specify around you. The dealers don't get your personal email/info until you give it to them. It's how I got the best offers on the last car I bought.

Brand_sl said:

Thinking about getting a second car...

Wife + 2 kids (4 and 2)...We have a Honda Pilot (which I love, but we don't need a 2nd one), but we're starting to hit the point where we need a second car for all the kid/work stuff.

Anyone have suggestions? I live in Chicago...Not the burbs. My wife likes "big" cars (she says they make her feel safer), but is willing to consider a smaller car. We have a two car garage, but I'd rather go smaller because it will be a tight fit in the garage with the Pilot already.

Click to expand...

where in chicago you live? I'm in edison park. I have a 4 and 2 year old too...another on the way. Im trading in my jeep for a honda odyssey next month /sigh

I don't have a link or anything official, but my uncle worked in a Ford plant assembling F150s for 30 years, and he always told me to NEVER buy the protection/clear coat. He said that in the last 15-20 years, the paints that they use are weather resistant and scratch resistant enough that the aftermarket clear-coat does nothing extra for you. He said to just wax your car twice a year, and that'll do more for you than a clearcoat ever will.

Cars come from the factory with a clear coat. The stuff they try to sell you is a polymer sealant that you can buy and put on yourself. It can be a little more durable than wax but usually doesn't bring out the shine as well as a good wash/clay/polish/wax can.