Buying a car - You guys have recommendations?

[Arminius]

Originally Posted by hvatum

Thanks for all the help!

I've gotten a 2001 Jetta TDI for $6,000. Pretty good deal I think.

Now it's time to see what kind of mileage it gets.

Congratulations! I would have done the same, I think. 10 years from now, when it has 400k on it, you can drop an electric motor in it and power it off the nuclear grid.

[dremd]

Congrats It should look nice soon enough :-)

I have the GTI black leather interior in mine SUPER nice if you can find one. Only complaint is that black leather is hot in summer.

[Nerys]

Nice find !! Can't wait to hear what mpg numbers you get out of it ! Man I wish I had 6k to buy one of those :-) although I think I already tried and failed at "fitting" inside them (not enough head room sadly) Grr jealous :-)

[cwarnar]

Sorry if this is a hijack but I am somewhat in the same boat.

I am currently driving my 98 Altima, since making my ecomod changes I have increased my mpg from 22 to 32-35. I do 90% highway driving. I am really wondering if it is worth my while to look at something else. The main issue is finding a family car that has some sapce but still offers good mpg.

I am looking to spend around 10K. I would love a Prius but they seem to be out of my price range. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

[Nerys]

hmmm someone said you can get Used Prius's for $12k not too far above what your looking for. I have never seen one so cheap but maybe they will see this and chime in.

[ebacherville]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

Hybrids are also holding their value. You can't find 2 or 3-year old Priuses for any lower than new.

Here is where hybrids are going to plummet in price...

when there off the manufacture battery warrantee (Toyota is 100k) and people start buying them and having to replace the battery packs.. thats when your going to see unhappy unsuspecting owners that end up buying a 10k used hybrid and then have to invest another 5k into replacement batteries..

These thinks are going to get a bad rap quickly when these things start to head into the 7+ year range.. and people get burned by a battery replacement.

[Nerys]

If I could get a prius for say 6-8k I would gladly tolerate a bad battery. You see EVEN WITH a bad battery it still gets 40+mpg

I just "save up" till I can afford to replace the battery. Easy. Does the replacement battery come with a 100k warranty? (battery only I would assume)

[hvatum]

Originally Posted by Nerys

hmmm someone said you can get Used Prius's for $12k not too far above what your looking for. I have never seen one so cheap but maybe they will see this and chime in.

This one requires some body work, I looked at it, the skeleton itself is fine, but it needs a new front end because the old one got burned off in a fuel fire.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e=&cardist=103

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...ice=&cardist=8

The second one is a first generation Prius, but under $10,000. I decided that I'd still rather save money and get a Diesel Jetta and get similar or better fuel economy, plus it's more fun to drive.

I don't think replacement batteries will be a big problem for at least a few more years, since there's a steady supply of batteries from wrecked Prius. Once people work their way through that stock it will, especially when the value of the surrounding car drops even more and the average age of the wrecked Prius increases.