MrFun needs car advice . . .

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by Saint Marcus


get a manual. few problems with those. though Mazda parts are more expensive than Honda parts, in general.

I'd prefer it, but you tend to only get them with cheaper low end low power models and they can be hard to find in many 'luxury car models' with v6 or v8 that I prefer. I never would have bought a 626 if I had known mazda was owned by ford.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by MrFun
Ok guys -- no bicycles, no motorcycles, and certainly no pickup trucks.


So several people seem to think that I would be better off buying a used foreign import car like German made or Japan made, huh?

Okay, if you insist on buying a car, when you probably don't need one, then get something old and crappy, but with a bit of the style that says ya this car is crap, but it is cool.

Then learn how to fix a car. It's the best education you can have.

Now I ain't talking about being able to take the entire engine apart and putting it back together, but you should learn how to:
1) Do an oil change;
2) tune up them spark plugs;
3) replace a rad; alternator, distributor; etc.
4) basic body work (e.g. how to scrap out the rust and fill it in the holes)

If you learn this kind of stuff, you'll save money in the long run.

[Saint Marcus]

I never would have bought a 626 if I had known mazda was owned by ford.

So is Aston Martin

[SpencerH]

Aston martin's aren't built with ford components.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Tingkai


Okay, if you insist on buying a car, when you probably don't need one, then get something old and crappy, but with a bit of the style that says ya this car is crap, but it is cool.

Then learn how to fix a car. It's the best education you can have.

Now I ain't talking about being able to take the entire engine apart and putting it back together, but you should learn how to:
1) Do an oil change;
2) tune up them spark plugs;
3) replace a rad; alternator, distributor; etc.
4) basic body work (e.g. how to scrap out the rust and fill it in the holes)

If you learn this kind of stuff, you'll save money in the long run.

No -- I don't have time fvck around like that.

Just get me a reputable mechanic.

[Saint Marcus]

I'd prefer it, but you tend to only get them with cheaper low end low power models and they can be hard to find in many 'luxury car models' with v6 or v8 that I prefer.

You can't find a 626 Xerxes with manual gearbox? I've seen a few of those around here on sale. 2.5 V6, 170bhp or so. Fairly cheap too, 2500-5000 euros.

Aston martin's aren't built with ford components.

the new Aston's have many Ford components in them.

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by Saint Marcus


You can't find a 626 Xerxes with manual gearbox? I've seen a few of those around here on sale. 2.5 V6, 170bhp or so. Fairly cheap too, 2500-5000 euros.

I've never heard of that model so I googled it. Almost every site in the first two pages (if not every one) was dutch! Its not a model I've ever seen.

the new Aston's have many Ford components in them.

Oh well, thats another car manufacturer off my list then.

[Arrian]

Yep, dunno about their European models, but domestically (at least for cars, trucks may be different), Ford is utter ****e. Fix-or-Repair-Daily. Found-on-Road-Dead.

I can vouch for Honda. I have an '02 Accord, and my gf has a '98 Accord. I can't remember anyone ever *****ing about their Honda, from a reliability standpoint. Toyotas are apparently much the same.

1-2 yrs. used will get you a hefty discount. I bought mine new, for no real justifiable reason, and I know that cost me a few grand. But I did get the dashboard mounted 6-disk changer, which was new in '02.

-Arrian

[Saint Marcus]

I've never heard of that model so I googled it. Almost every site in the first two pages (if not every one) was dutch! Its not a model I've ever seen.

Hmmm...indeed. Many many dutch sites, some Danish and others. Few to no American sites. I suppose Mazda didn't bother releasing the model on the American market. And it explains why I've seen so many of them while you have seen none. Shame though, it's a fine car.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Arrian
But I did get the dashboard mounted 6-disk changer, which was new in '02.

-Arrian

MASTURBATION TIME!!!!!!!!!!

[Brundlefly]

You cant beat Honda for cheap reliable cars. I just bought a 2003 Accord. I bought a Civic in '96 new and it ran perfectly for 145k miles until I totalled it last week. Only had to get brakes replaced once or twice. Get yourself a 2000 or 2001 Civic. If you can find a base model, the price should be near 7k .

[MrFun]

I'm looking for a used car that will have somewhere between 50,000 to 75,000 miles on it already.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Lazarus and the Gimp
Buy German or Japanese.

Just FYI according to JD Powers American cars normally are require fewer repairs and last longer then German cars and they are hot on the heels of the Japanese.

MrFun: What do you need in a car? Do you need to carry alot of people? Is parking a problem so getting a small car might make finding a parking spot easier? Do you have to haul things like furniture between your school apartment and your parent's house? Figuring out what you need in a car vs what you want in a car will help you make the right decision as to which type of car to buy.

Remember if you do buy a car then you are likely to keep it for several years so think about what you are likely to need three years from now as well as what you need today. Also be sure you really need a new car as car payments are a fixed expense and can end up taking alot out of your budget. Is your budget dependent upon student aid and if so then is the amount of student aid you get likely to vary from year to year? Also next year will you be staying in the dorms or will you be moving off campus? If you move off campus, as most people do, will you have the money to pay both rent and a car payment and insurence?

I'd recomentd fixing the breaks on your current card but not the fuel meter since you can use your tripometer or your obometer to tell you how many miles you've traveled on a tank. All you have to do is know how big your tank is and how many miles per gallon your car gets then write the milage down on a small notepad as well as a conservative estimate of when you will need a refill. Keep a small gas can in the trunk and you should be fine. Doing that will mean you can squeeze another year out of your car for only $380 plus you will save the cost of insuring a newer car.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Saint Marcus
So is Aston Martin

And Jaguar and Volvo and Linlcon and Mercury and Land Rover. It's not just Aston Martin and MAzda (though Mazda is only 33% owned by Ford). The truth is Ford makes some damn good cars but some people are to worried about the badge on the hood so they end up buying a far more expensive car, which isn't likely to be any better in quality, just because they want to look cool.

The truth is most major auto name plates are a fiction. GM owns Subaru, Suzuki, Izusu, Saab, Opel, Vauxhall, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Saturn, Holden, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Chevy, and Dawoo as well as a minority share of Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maseroti, and Ferrari. DaimlerChrsler owns Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Plymouth, Jeep, and a minority stake in Hyundai & Kia. VW owns Seat, Lambrogini, Skoda, and Audi. Renault owns 50% of Nissan ()including Infinity). Toyota owns Daitsu and Lexus. Hondo owns Acura and used to own a large part of MG/Rover (but MG/Rover got sold to BMW who spun it off last year), PSA owns Peugot and Citreon. BMW owns Mini and Rolles Royce.

What's more is when people say "I only buy cars from country X" they're generally fooling themselves since automobile manufacturing now takes place all over the world. The Honda you bought thinking it was Japanese could easily been built in America or the UK and that Chevy you bought because you wanted to support American industry may well have been built in Mexico.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by SpencerH
I've never heard of that model so I googled it. Almost every site in the first two pages (if not every one) was dutch! Its not a model I've ever seen.

It's just the European and Japanese name for the 626.