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NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?

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KristylovesPete Posts : 301 Registered: 3/2/08
NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 4, 2008 11:35 PM

I POSTED PICTURES!!!!  See ,y so-called Totaled car! 

Long story short, my car was legally parked and unoccupied when it was backed into by a 72 year old man in a pick up truck.  My car is 8 years old and in excellent condition but the repairs cost more than my car is worth.  The result is that his car insurance is ruling my car as total loss!  :-( 

I love my car!  It still has many years left in it and this is a HORRIBLE time for me to be trying to buy a car (I'm moving between jobs, and little money left in the bank)!

My problem is in deciding what car to buy next.  I'm having a tough time determining the pro's and con's and would really appreciate some help! 

To help me out, what kind of car do you girls have and what do you like or dislike about it?  I need whatever opinions I can get!  

Thanks, girls!  I appreciate any advice you can give!  :-) 


 

I Love my Peter Pete Pete

 

Daisypath Wedding Ticker

Message was edited by: KristylovesPete

idaho , september_2008
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carebearny1999 Posts : 1,254 Registered: 9/21/07
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 12:04 AM Go to message in response to: KristylovesPete

I have a PT Cruiser, I like that it's easy to get in and out of and I can get car seats in it easily and the seats fold up and can be removed and all.  Dislike--it's needed a lot of repairs lately but I guess that's the almost 200,000 miles talking!  My sis has a sebring and she loves it, and I like driving it too--it's got some go! Wink

http://www.mywedding.com/caryandmike/

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SocalGal Posts : 459 Registered: 6/3/06
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 1:15 AM Go to message in response to: carebearny1999

First of all, I'm so sorry to hear about the accident!  I hope you're able to find a car that you like and will work for you.

I had a PT Cruiser...I absolutely hated it!  (No offense meant to the PP, and any others who drive and love the PT).  Yes, it's versatile, and easy to drive...until you try to get on the freeway (the car has no acceleration), park it (terrible turning radius) or have to put gas in it (come on...it's a compact car that got less than 20mpg...not cool).  I traded mine in after a mere two years.  I now drive a Mazda Miata, and it the best car I have ever driven.  They last forever, get excellent mileage, and are just so dang cute!  Of course, it has it's downsides...very limited trunk space, and it's only a two-seater.  But man, I tell you...driving around with the top down on a beautiful day does so much for your mood, it's easy to overlook the (few) negatives. 

Oh, and btw...the Miata hasn't changed much since 1999, so it's easy to find a very reliable, cute car for well under 10K if you have no problem with a used car.

 


True love never has a happy ending; true love never ends.

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FinallyMrsS Posts : 1,037 Registered: 3/29/08
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 1:36 AM Go to message in response to: KristylovesPete

Ya no offence to the PP either, but my mom had a PT cruiser (it was purchased brand new, limited edition) and she got rid of it after about a year. I have a Scion xA. I drive a lot for work, so I needed something cheap with really good mpg. I get about 36 mpg. I usually pay about 40 bucks (right now) to fill my tank. It is a small car, so i can always find parking. My fiance always tells me its a golf cart. Brand new, my car was 13000. But I dont think they make the xA anymore, I think now its a xD. Scion is in the toyota family. Toyotas a really reliable cars. I am looking into getting e new car though and would love a Saturn Vue.

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2BBauer Posts : 478 Registered: 12/15/07
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 2:10 AM Go to message in response to: KristylovesPete

I drive a Ford Escort right now, not my favorite.  Nothing incredibly wrong with it but I want something with a little more go.  But it great as a high school, college car.

For my next car I have my eye on a Pontiac G6.  My sister has one and I drove it for 3 days while visiting/babysitting while she and DH went on vacation.  It is great, not huge, but plenty of space inside, four doors which will be great for car seats once FH and I have kids, plenty of trunk room, and boy does it go, go, go!


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Nalamienea Posts : 2,930 Registered: 6/13/08
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 6:05 AM Go to message in response to: 2BBauer

I bought a pontiac Grand Am new in 2001 and while it does have a lot of flash to it (I bought it in bright red!) and it does have a lot of go, it just hasn't had any staying power.  Repairs on it are always more than I think they should be. I only have about 150,000 miles on it and there's so many little things wrong it's embarrassing to let new people ride in my car!  The entire outside is molded plastic, which is a pain in the ass because my FH once backed in to a small post and it took off that outside detail. Just took it off entirely! Argh.  It's still in the trunk. There's this annoying clicking noise that happens from the dash board that sounds like the turn signal, it would always go constantly and it made the FH feel like taking a shot gun to the dash board... until one day it stopped all together and now I have no turn signal  AT ALL.  I've taken it to the repair shop numerous times over the past few years and they all say the same thing: they will have to take apart the entire dash board to figure out what's wrong so it's going to be REALLY expensive. sigh All kinds of other stupid little stuff... the buttons on the radio are starting to have their paint wear off so that red light seeps through more and OH! Oh! It doesn't Come with standard power windows! I got hoodwinked on that one. I was 19 when I bought it, so I got taken advantage of at the dealership.  The headlights are WAY too complicated to do yourself, which means I always have to take it in to the shop and pay to have it done, same with spark plugs and stuff.

I would not suggest a Pontiac. Too much crap happening for it only to be 6/7 years old.

I've considered the Hyundai Elantra in the past, tons of standard features and the great warranty, but I haven't lived with one. Take a look in to that one, maybe. Good LUck! 


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 www.chrisandsarah2008.net


Message was edited by: Nalamienea

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MrsPaul Posts : 186 Registered: 1/15/08
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 7:34 AM Go to message in response to: KristylovesPete

I say Honda, Honda, Honda!  Granted that's what I tell everyone!  I have an '03 Civic now, had a '00 civic before and a '90 Prelude (that was the most fun!).  My mother drives an Accord and before that had Civics.  They are awesome on fuel mileage and have tons of room for a small car.  Plus they are sporty enough to zip around in but safe enough to feel really comfortable in.   Granted FH thinks it's crap but he drives a jacked up Chevy so anything less that 3 feet off the ground is crap to him! LOL! Our next car is the GMC Acadia.  We live in New England and although my car does great in the winter I wouldn't feel safe with little ones in it!

Plus Honda has great resale and you can pick up a used one usually for less than 10K.  I bought my '03 used with 40,000 miles for under 13K.  It know has close to 90,000 and all that I have had to do to it since I bought it is new tires, oil changes and brakes once.  So yeah Honda has my vote!


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CaribbeanBride08 Posts : 1,474 Registered: 6/13/07
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 8:58 AM Go to message in response to: MrsPaul

Toyotas and Hondas are two of the best car manufacturers out there.  Choose one of their cars and you'll drive it for many years.  The Scions are very affordable too.

I drive a 2003 Toyota 4-Runner and have had zero problems with it.  It still has the original brakes, tires, everything.  The only maintenance I've done is the routine maintenance.  I would recommend Toyota to anyone who's looking for a reliable car. 


Slideshow of our wedding photos:  http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa135/tobiandbrian/Wedding%20Photos/?action=view&current=cb216606.pbr

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TanisJ Posts : 2,673 Registered: 4/25/07
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 9:28 AM Go to message in response to: KristylovesPete

I am motoring! I own a red mini cooper convertible and I know it is not emotionally or spiritually healthy to love an inanimate object, but I love my car. It is great on gas and so much fun to drive. I've only had it for 9 months so I can't report on durability or maintenance. The control panel pretty much tells me when any little thing is wrong ie tire pressure and it beeps when I get too close to something, which of course I never do.

I am sorry your car was destroyed. I'd be pretty upset. But of course everyone is happy no one was in the car at the time.

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uno Posts : 619 Registered: 1/4/08
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 9:29 AM Go to message in response to: KristylovesPete

DH is a mechanic, so I hear all about cars and his answers when people ask the best car to buy.

Toyotas & Hondas usually last the longest (well over 200k miles), are dependable and you can always find a ton!  He also loves the VW Jettas - they have a Diesel version (TDI) that gets nearly 40mgp. 

Personally, I've had 2 pontiacs (99 grand prix and 02 firebird) and loved them both.  I never had anything major to fix with it, just the routine belts/batteries/alternators but absolutely loved them.  SIL had a G6 when they first came out (2006 I believe) and it was the biggest piece of crap ever.  It has quite a few recalls on it and they traded it in after less than 2 years.  They bought it slightly used but had to put new tires on it b/c they wore very unevenly and some balded while others had a lot of tread.

Currently, I have a Nissan Altima - which I LOVE!!! Love it love it love it!  I bought it used and it has about 65000 on it now and is in great shape.  It's comfy, great on long drives, gets about 20 mpg in town and 28 on the highway (i have the 3.5 L engine). 

When you find a car, google the car + recalls and make sure nothing major has been recalled on the car.  Also, do a carfax search and take it to a good mechanic and LISTEN TO WHAT THEY TELL YOU!  (Poor DH gets so mad when he tells people not to buy the car b/c it needs all this work and it'll cost $X.  They usually go buy it and get mad that they have to put all this money into their "new" car.)


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KristylovesPete Posts : 301 Registered: 3/2/08
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 11:39 AM Go to message in response to: KristylovesPete

Okay, so the Total Loss people called me this morning to tell me what my choices are:

A) Surrender my car and get $3458.94.  B) Keep my car and get $2769.22.  He said it would have been $1200 more but there is prior damage to the right side doors.  I have until Friday, 3 pm MT to make a decision.

I feel like it would be cheaper the long run to keep the car and just throw a bit of money into the repairs, which the two estimates I have say $3600.  My dad and FH both say it's not a good idea cuz once they get in there, they often find more problems to fix.

My other choice is to use the money they give me for a down payment on my next car.  Now, their offers are a $700 difference.  Does anyone know if car places are desperate enough to take a trade in that's damaged? The car looks and works great except the left back corner where my lights are smashed and trunk is partially opened and pinned.  I'm wondering if I can get a little extra for a down payment that way ($2769.22 (keeping price) + another $1000 or 2 for trade in).

I had a 2000 Chevy Cavalier that has been taken care of VERY well as my dad loves playing with cars.  This said, I'm used to lower end cars and would love a mid end car.  Plus, all the lower end cars seem to look like my Cavalier and I'd like a change (my prior car was a 1998 Cavalier that was totaled in a black ice accident).

The Cavalier was replaced with the Cobalt, so that's a cheap option.  Also, it seems that the Neon (Cavalier equivalent) was replaced with the Dodge Caliber and I love the look of it!  It's received mediocre reviews, poor visibility due to small windows, so that's my problem with that.  I've also looked at PT Cruiser but same thing, mediocre reviews (not to mention what I've heard from PP). 

I have also read how reliable Honda and Toyotas are so I've been looking at those, too. I looked at the Scions (and friend has one and loves it) and I do like them and they do get good reviews (especially the tc), as does the Toyota Matrix.  I've also read good things about the Pontiac Vibe Mazda 3 (or is it 6?).

I love the Mini Coops but they are too small.  The same deal as the Miata.  My parents would LOVE it if I bought a Miata cuz they have 3 of them and are part of a Miata Club that meets monthly and goes on a lot of drives and what not.  They could probably get me a really good deal on one, too.  Also, I have a fear of driving in the snow/black ice so these cars would not make me feel safe.

You see, I have done a lot of research but it's hard for a non-car person to really distinguish between the pro's and con's of each car.  It's stressful cuz I need to be job searching at the same time as I'm car searching.  I really do appreciate all opinions, thank you!   And yes, I'm REALLY glad no one was in the car at the time of the accident.  :-)

Let me know what you think of the trade in idea!  Thanks!  :-) 


 

I Love my Peter Pete Pete

 

Daisypath Wedding Ticker

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CaribbeanBride08 Posts : 1,474 Registered: 6/13/07
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 11:49 AM Go to message in response to: KristylovesPete

With today's economy, car dealers are having a hard time even selling cars so trying to get a decent trade-in amount for a wrecked car is going to be tough.  You could try to sell it yourself but that could be tough too (see sentence #1).

If it still runs fine and is just dinged up in the back, then why don't you just keep it and take the money they're offering you and don't worry about getting the cosmetic repairs done.  It really depends on your financial situation right now but it seems like taking on a car loan may not be the best thing for you right now.


Slideshow of our wedding photos:  http://s199.photobucket.com/albums/aa135/tobiandbrian/Wedding%20Photos/?action=view&current=cb216606.pbr

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uno Posts : 619 Registered: 1/4/08
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 12:05 PM Go to message in response to: KristylovesPete

1 thing is that if you keep the car, repair it and pay the difference out of pocket, you may have to have a Salvaged (or whatever it's called in your state) title. 

Second, I doubt a dealership will take a trade of a wrecked car, like CB said, especially with the economy.  You might talk to a junkyard who can part it out but I doubt you'll get much for it (although it might be worth if you would get more than $700 for it - the difference in your two insurance co. offers). 

Is it driveable?  Is the damage mostly cosmetic - get a new bumper, door damage, paint etc?  Or are there mechanical problems too - damage under the hood?  If it's purely cosmetic you could get away with finding someone to get a new bumper from a salvage yard & put it on for you.  It might be a different color than your car but could get you through a while longer without getting a new car.  Talk to friends/family and get recommendations on a good body shop to get a quick estimate.  Tell them you just want used parts if they can find them. 

Edit: I just reread your first post where you said it was backed into.  So I'm assuming it's a new bumper and possible trunk damage?  (Unless it was so hard it knocked the front of your car into something else) The main thing you'd worry about is a leaky trunk if you get it fixed. 


Message was edited by: uno

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Mushaboo Posts : 2,166 Registered: 3/22/08
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 12:07 PM Go to message in response to: KristylovesPete

I have a Hyundai Elantra.  I call it the poor man's BMW.  The body is styled after a BMW.  I can fit anything in it.  Seriously, it looks small from the outside, but I can fit just about anything I buy either in the back seat or trunk.

The car has enough get up and go.  It has great MPG.  It was cheap.  I bought mine 1 year old for $10K.

There isn't one thing that I don't like about my car.


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Heidibride30 Posts : 1,201 Registered: 4/16/08
Re: NWR: My car was hit! I need a new one! What kind of car do you drive?
Posted: Aug 5, 2008 12:33 PM Go to message in response to: Mushaboo

I have a Pontiac Vibe and I LOVE it!  It's actually a Toyota (The Toyota Matrix is basically the same car).  It has been so handy.  The back seats fold down completely, and you can fit tons of stuff into it.  I've had it about 2 1/2 years so far and no problems at all.  FH used to be a mechanic, and he's really impressed.  He wasn't keen on me getting a Pontiac, but he loves the car almost as much as I do now.

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