Buying cars

[autoxer]

Originally Posted by Great to be Debt Free

What is the site to go on to check a cars VIN number to see if it has been in any wrecks or floods or whatever.

http://www.carfax.com

[Great to be Debt Free]

Thanks autoxer -- I knew y'all would know!

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by ummabdullah

It seems to me that cars are a waste of money!

I don't think they are a waste of money at all and I certainly can't imagine not having one (or two). But I do think there is a big difference between buying a nice used car for 15K or 20K and keeping it for 8-10 years and buying a brand new luxury car for 50K or 60K and trading it in every 3 years for a new one.

[Ima saver]

Twins, I agree, with my husband, cars are his passion. He would like a 25 bay garage and we could just live above it.( I know a guy that did this) He has loved cars since he was a kid and he bought his first car at age 12. It was an old model t.

[ummabdullah]

mmm I think $10,000 usa dollars is all I would spend on a 5 seater. I had a toyota camry when I lived in the states. It cost me 7k with a fantastic 2 year warranty.. I loved that car much more than any expensive brand new car I owned before. It got me to where I had to go.. gas was good.. it was spacious, and comfortable. I think one can get a really nice used car.. that may not look the best on the outside.. (i.e. older model)... but at least look like a brand new older model.. And that car lasted me about 4 years before moving to the UK and it was still going strong.

[ummabdullah]

mm but I will agree that a car at the right price can be a great way to spend some money. I just think that it has gone overboard.. I mean.. they depreciate so quickly. I think one should budget how much transportation should cost a month..

2,000 a year plus another 2k for petrol seems mighty expensive to me..
that is if your 20k car lasts 10 years..

Originally Posted by ummabdullah

Gas mileage sucks at 35 mpg.

was that a joke or were you being serious?


I sure as heck wouldn't mind 35 mpg! 27 is about the best I can wring out of my sled.

[ummabdullah]

lol cars in the europe tend to have better gas milieage. They say you can one shipped from france ot america.. for about $1500 or something.. Might be worth looking into. I have heard the honda insight gets about 80mpg but then they are very light weight and could blow away in the wind.
Toyota prius is doing well at about 65mpg.. urban areas.
a peugot over here can get about 45mpg
a citreon can get about 55mpg withough being a hybrid.
Not bad really.

[ummabdullah]

honda insight is availble in the us.. its a 2 seater with no trunk(boot) space
the toyota prius is a hatchback.. 5 door car.. very nice to drive they say
I hate peugot.. (pronounced perjoo) but can't have everything we want
and citreons are small.. hatchback..

I'd love a range rover.. the hubby was going to buy the discovery.. until we realized how much money we would be wasting.. Would have been nice to have those extra seats.

[autoxer]

Originally Posted by ummabdullah

lol cars in the europe tend to have better gas milieage. They say you can one shipped from france ot america.. for about $1500 or something.. Might be worth looking into.

They have better gas mileage, because they all have tiny little engines. I couldn't live with an 80hp 1.0 liter, 3 cylinder. That might work around town, but it would be scary trying to merge onto the highway with one of them. 20-30mpg is fine with me, as long as I get to enjoy my 250hp turbocharged 2.0 liter

Importing a foreign car & getting it to pass all of the safety/emissions test is very expensive. Probably over $5k. The best way to get a super high mpg car in america is to get a plug in hybrid. The batteries are expensive, but it could save $2000 - $3000 in gas each year. They aren't readily available yet, but they will be shortly. Here is a prius that was converted into a plug-in and it now gets 100+ mpg. http://www.calcars.org/priusplus.html

[ummabdullah]

LOL auto axer.. your right about that! When I first drove my husbands nissan primera.. I was shocked.. at the lack of power.. and that is a good car over here. I suppose nothing beats a nice corvette in that department.. Oh how I miss the days.. driving along the beach.

mmm interesting about the plug in.. going to check that out now.. thanks for the info lovey

[ummabdullah]

Can't wait for one of those to come out in the uk.. FANTASTIC!