CARS - Page 5

Griff · 03-04-2004, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Slartibartfast

Hmm, I've had a toyota Prius for about a year now. My MPG status screen is telling me I am getting 36.2 MPG.

What I notice though is that the car seems to get crappy milage until it warms up, then phenominal milage after that, but since I tend to make short trips, it kills my average.

My trips are almost never under 20 miles. The warm-up time, based on the dash indicator, seems pretty short though.

aerion_13 · 03-04-2004, 01:24 PM

Which is better to do: go to a used car lot and purchase a car; or reply to a newspaper ad?

We're in the market for another used car. My husband has a Volkswagen Jetta hatchback (shift) and he likes the roomyness in the car. He'll probably look for something similar. What other cars do you recommend, foreign-wise or otherwise?

jinx · 03-04-2004, 01:32 PM

I sure did love my Jetta... even more than my GTI Rabbit.

lumberjim · 03-04-2004, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by aerion_13
Which is better to do: go to a used car lot and purchase a car; or reply to a newspaper ad?

We're in the market for another used car. My husband has a Volkswagen Jetta hatchback (shift) and he likes the roomyness in the car. He'll probably look for something similar. What other cars do you recommend, foreign-wise or otherwise?

what price range/. payment range ?

what size car?

Slartibartfast · 03-04-2004, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by xoxoxoBruce

I'm wondering how long the Prius takes to warm up?

These days it takes about 5-10 minutes to warm up, but if my trip is 15 minutes, that is 1/3 the drive time. I know I'm not supposed to accelerate hard during this time because the batteries are cold and they don't supply the same kind of power as when they are warm. While warming up, it seems to get about 25mpg. Once the car is up and running, I think its getting 45+, which is what it should be doing.

I've put a little less than 5000 miles on it, and I have noticed my MPG going steadily up these past months, so it might just be the car break in period.

Slartibartfast · 03-04-2004, 01:58 PM

Last tune up was two days ago at the dealer service shop. I really want to do a road trip somewhere just to drive my car around. Maybe I'll go to Atlantic City this weekend and go throw some money away. A nice, long trip is the best way to figure out how well the car is performing.

xoxoxoBruce · 03-04-2004, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lumberjim

what price range/. payment range ?

what size car?

He's not going to commit himself until he checks the inventory.

lumberjim · 03-04-2004, 05:58 PM

she

aerion_13 · 03-04-2004, 07:27 PM

Aerion_13 here.

Spoke with hubby. I guess he's looking for something only as big as the VW Jetta, stick shift, hopefully not more than $4,000. He just drives it to work and back.

lumberjim · 03-04-2004, 07:38 PM

that's a very difficult car to find

not many 5 speeds left in america, unfortunately.

reccomendations:

another jetta (96-97)

92-94 accord Lx
97-98 nissan sentra
2000-2001 kia sephia ( this is actually a mazda protege), but they dont hold their value for shit, so you can get a good deal on one. and they are actually pretty good cars ($2500-$4600 in NADA)

TO ANSWER YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION:
a car from a dealer will most likely have gone through inspection at least, and come with some kind of warranty. You MIGHT find a good deal from an individual, but you have a much better chance of getting burnt on the deal because of undisclosed mechanical issues. The best place to look is at a dealer that sells new cars of the same make you like, or online at plces like autotrader.com or it's clones.

let me know what you find, and I'll try to advise you on what you SHOULD pay, and common things you should watch out for.

lumberjim · 03-09-2004, 11:14 AM

top 10 cars as rated by consumer reports.

american cars gain ground in reliability ratings:

the article

lumberjim · 03-09-2004, 11:28 AM

from the same article:

Quote:

The Jeep Liberty SUV was the most reliable 2003 Chrysler vehicle. The Chrysler PT Cruiser also had above-average reliability. The Dodge Ram and Dodge Neon both improved to average, overall, but they scored too low in our tests for us to recommend them.

The last 2 demos i've taken have been the Liberty and the Cruiser. I had a renegade liberty that was just too cool, if the tire pressure monitoring system was a bit annoying. And i am currently driving a black PT cruiser Limited with the platinum pkg, and a turbo motor....a rooom a zooom zooom!

lumberjim · 03-09-2004, 11:40 AM

the best and worst used cars.

Jinx and I own a repeat offender

link

be patient, it takes a while to load.

aerion_13 · 03-09-2004, 01:47 PM

Thanks for the sites. I've sent them to my husband.

wolf · 03-09-2004, 01:51 PM

As I am not a subscriber to CR I don't get to see the juicy informatin from the survey, but was happy to note that my car was not on that "worst" list at the end of the page.

03-04-2004, 01:32 PM	#63
jinx Come on, cat. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: general vicinity of Philadelphia area Posts: 7,013	I sure did love my Jetta... even more than my GTI Rabbit. __________________ Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good.

03-04-2004, 05:58 PM	#68
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	she __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

03-04-2004, 07:38 PM	#70
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	that's a very difficult car to find not many 5 speeds left in america, unfortunately. reccomendations: another jetta (96-97) 92-94 accord Lx 97-98 nissan sentra 2000-2001 kia sephia ( this is actually a mazda protege), but they dont hold their value for shit, so you can get a good deal on one. and they are actually pretty good cars ($2500-$4600 in NADA) TO ANSWER YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION: a car from a dealer will most likely have gone through inspection at least, and come with some kind of warranty. You MIGHT find a good deal from an individual, but you have a much better chance of getting burnt on the deal because of undisclosed mechanical issues. The best place to look is at a dealer that sells new cars of the same make you like, or online at plces like autotrader.com or it's clones. let me know what you find, and I'll try to advise you on what you SHOULD pay, and common things you should watch out for. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

03-09-2004, 11:14 AM	#71
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	top 10 cars as rated by consumer reports. american cars gain ground in reliability ratings: the article __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

03-09-2004, 11:40 AM	#73
lumberjim I can hear my ears Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 25,571	the best and worst used cars. Jinx and I own a repeat offender link be patient, it takes a while to load. __________________ This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion ~MJKeenan

03-04-2004, 01:24 PM	#62
aerion_13 tennis enthusiast Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 44	Which is better to do: go to a used car lot and purchase a car; or reply to a newspaper ad? We're in the market for another used car. My husband has a Volkswagen Jetta hatchback (shift) and he likes the roomyness in the car. He'll probably look for something similar. What other cars do you recommend, foreign-wise or otherwise?

03-04-2004, 01:58 PM	#66
Slartibartfast \|-0-\| <-0-> \|-0-\| Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 516	Last tune up was two days ago at the dealer service shop. I really want to do a road trip somewhere just to drive my car around. Maybe I'll go to Atlantic City this weekend and go throw some money away. A nice, long trip is the best way to figure out how well the car is performing.

03-04-2004, 07:27 PM	#69
aerion_13 tennis enthusiast Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 44	Aerion_13 here. Spoke with hubby. I guess he's looking for something only as big as the VW Jetta, stick shift, hopefully not more than $4,000. He just drives it to work and back.

03-09-2004, 01:47 PM	#74
aerion_13 tennis enthusiast Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 44	Thanks for the sites. I've sent them to my husband.

03-09-2004, 01:51 PM	#75
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	As I am not a subscriber to CR I don't get to see the juicy informatin from the survey, but was happy to note that my car was not on that "worst" list at the end of the page. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

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