Going to buy a car (First time) Advice please

In article >,
Howard .> wrote:
>Don't buy new. Buy a model from a year or two ago. Odds are it was a
>lease and is in pefectly good condition,

But a used car could have been abused, neglected (with respect to
maintenance), or crashed and poorly repaired. Someone who does not
know much about cars may want to consider getting a used car inspected
by a good mechanic before buying (ask around for recommendations on
mechanics, preferably those who are experienced with the kind of car
being bought).

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> wrote in message
m...
>
> "Mike" > wrote in message
> m...
> > I used to have an used 1988 Camry, which I just got rid of this year.
> > It was great, a bit small, but I didnt mind. But it got good mileage
> > and was reliable.
> >
> > Now, I decided to buy a new car. But I dont want to spend a lot of
> > money.
> > I probably wont drive it that much, mainly on the weekends.
> > But I also know NOTHING about cars, I can change a flat, and thats
> > about it.
> >
> > This year, I had to rent a car for work, so I got to drive the
> > following cars:
> > Protege, Focus, Echo, Taurus, Vibe, Malibu.
> >
> > My favorite was the Malibu and Protege.
> > I didnt like any of the Ford's. The cars had no power, and it just
> > seemed "Cheap" for some reason.
> >
> > The malibu is out of my price range.
> > The protege (well, I guess its the M3 now) is at the upper limit of
> > what I want to spend.
> >
> > Any other suggestions? My friend said Sept is the best time, because
> > the new models are coming out.
> >
> > What would you suggested for under 15k.
> >
> > How about a Hyndai Tiburan (sp?) is that around the price range?
> > Dont huyndais have a 5 year warrenty? If thats the case, then I dont
> > have to worry about anything, for 5 years I'll be protected.
>
> Hyundai's and Kia along with Daewoo are JUNK! JUNK! JUNK! at any price!
> You would be much better off with a 1 or 2 year old Toyota or Honda for
> reliability.
> BTW.....Ford and Mazda have been sleeping with each other a long time.
Even
> Kia was involved. Ford "Aspire"...Kia...Ford Ranger Pickup...Mazda.
> Protege...you guessed it!
>
>


Nissan Sentra - New or slightly used.

My brother, whose used to drive a Mercedes, sold it, bought a Sentra, and
loves it.

After owning one for 3 years, he bought another. He loves 'em.

Another family member got a Nissan Maxima.......after 5 years, still loves
it.

Be fair to yourself and check out a Nissan Sentra.

Jim n Texas

Steve wrote in rec.autos.misc

> Dick C > wrote:
>>check out the Honda Certified used car program. They do not accept them
>>unless they are very well maintained, and in near perfect condition. And
>>then the cars are warrantied for upto 100,000 miles.
>
> Lots of dealers have these certified programs, then they charge about
> a dime less than a new car. These things are sorta like buying
> extended warranties, generally a waste of money..

I am not talking about a dealer program. I am talking about a manufacturers
program with a very high requirements for the cars being accepted. And
there are alot of differences between it and the extended warranties.
The program amounts to a factory warranty. The extended warranties are
nothing more than health insurance for your car. And oftentimes damned
poor insurance.


--
Dick #1349
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
~Benjamin Franklin

Home Page: dickcr.iwarp.com
email:

wrote in rec.autos.misc

> In article >,
> Dick C > wrote:
>
>> Go with Honda, Toyota, Nissan
>
> How about Suzuki?

I don't know alot about Suzukis. And have always been rather suspicious
of them when they sold some sort of SUV wannabe, and their ads showed
a group of people driving slowly around a race track, then pulling off
onto the grass. Supposedly having fun, but it seemed to me that if this
is the best the car can do, then it sure isn't very much.

> BTW, Dick, who's that cute little X-face on your article?

Supposed to be one of my cats, but really just a cat in general.



--
Dick #1349
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
~Benjamin Franklin

Home Page: dickcr.iwarp.com
email:

Dick C wrote:
> wrote in rec.autos.misc
>
>
>>In article >,
>> Dick C > wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Go with Honda, Toyota, Nissan
>>
>>How about Suzuki?
>
>
> I don't know alot about Suzukis. And have always been rather suspicious
> of them when they sold some sort of SUV wannabe, and their ads showed
> a group of people driving slowly around a race track, then pulling off
> onto the grass. Supposedly having fun, but it seemed to me that if this
> is the best the car can do, then it sure isn't very much.
>
>
>>BTW, Dick, who's that cute little X-face on your article?
>
>
> Supposed to be one of my cats, but really just a cat in general.
>
>
>
Almost every time I see a Suzuki, I also see it blowing smoke out the
tailpipe, a sign of burning oil

Dick C > wrote:
>>>check out the Honda Certified used car program. They do not accept them
>>>unless they are very well maintained, and in near perfect condition. And
>>>then the cars are warrantied for upto 100,000 miles.
>>
>> Lots of dealers have these certified programs, then they charge about
>> a dime less than a new car. These things are sorta like buying
>> extended warranties, generally a waste of money..
>
>I am not talking about a dealer program. I am talking about a manufacturers
>program with a very high requirements for the cars being accepted. And
>there are alot of differences between it and the extended warranties.
>The program amounts to a factory warranty.

True, you're getting a factory warranty, but you're definitely paying
for it. Not sure it's any more worth the money than purchasing an
extended (factory) warranty when you purchase a new car.

> For 15k, you can get a very nice low-mile used car, like a 2 or 3 year old
> Honda Accord or another Camry.
But the problem I have with used is...how do I know how they other
person treated it?

> Both will be better cars and likely last
> longer than a brand-new Hyundai. (Remember the Yugo? It had a pretty good
> warranty too.) Sad to say, there really aren't any decent new cars in that
Doesnt Hyundai, etc have a 5 or 10 year warrenty? Doesnt that
mean if there are any problems within 5/10 years then they will fix
it?

The thing is...my older brother is moving out of town, and he has 1
year left on his Lexus lease, and offered to buy the car and sell it
to me for 20k.
But I figure a new car would be better...

> How well did your brother take care of the car (and did he avoid crashing
> it)? A used car with a known good history can be a bargain, compared to
> a similarly priced used car with with an unknown history. (That's assuming
> that you like that particular kind of car, the price is reasonable for it,
> and it fits within your budget.)

He took good care of it.
It has 17k miles, which is pretty low for a 2002 car. (lexus 300)

But the thing is, I originally wanted to spend about 14k for a car.
But to get his car, it would be a little over 20k, which is quite a bit more money.

On Mon, 9 Aug 2004, Jim wrote:
>
> Nissan Sentra - New or slightly used.
>
> My brother, whose used to drive a Mercedes, sold it, bought a Sentra, and
> loves it.
>
> After owning one for 3 years, he bought another. He loves 'em.
>
> Another family member got a Nissan Maxima.......after 5 years, still loves
> it.
>
> Be fair to yourself and check out a Nissan Sentra.

I second this regarding the sentra, I got a 2004 2.5S including all taxes
and fees for a bit under 15000 and love the car so far. If you don't
require a strong & fun engine the 1.8s is even cheaper and has nearly the
same options and better gas milage. 2.5 is only available new (there were
a few like this called "limited" i think in 2003), I'm pretty sure the
2004 1.8s and 2003 "gxe" model are very similar.

Dave