Looking for a new car

[Flakbadger]

Originally Posted by Sentraguy

Do I scrap a car I know gets good mileage, even though it frequently breaks down, or do I scrap it and start over?

Scrap the Sentra and get something else.
Our situations are a bit different, but; When I traded in my old Ranger it needed a catalytic converter, brakes, a clutch, a tune-up, and a wee bit of transmission work. I came to a point where I could either fix my truck for ~$2,500-$3,000 or trade it in and get something more economical in the process.

Being a college student my price range was low. After searching high-and-low and playing the car-dealer "why that car sold YESTERDAY!" game for awhile, I found my 4-door, manual-transmission Yaris.
They come in 2 and 4-door hatchbacks and 4-door sedans, and they are one of the most affordable cars out there right now. Mine had just over 28k on the odometer and it cost me $13,000.
EDIT: I got $6,500 for my trade-in, which is probably a big difference between our vehicles and may change your price range.

If you want to finance $160 for 4 years or can afford to spend $8-$10k, you could get a newer Yaris. If you DON'T, you're going to be looking at 100,000+ mile cars like I was for awhile. MY options were:
Toyota Tercel, Matrix, or Corolla,
Honda Civic or Accord,
Ford Focus or Escort,
Or a Subaru or Volvo if the price is low enough (FE would not be top-priority then, but functionality and safety would be great).

Anyway I'm sorry about this rambling post, but the bottom line is if you're spending as much on repairs for this car as I think you are, a newer, guaranteed-reliable car is probably the best investment for you.

If you haven't, spend some time reading the consumer reports auto-issue to. It gives you plenty of info on what cars to avoid and helps you make a more informed decision.

Best of luck.

~Matt

[meidou]

Since you are going domestic,I have the best of both worlds for you if you want a hatchback/wagon.You can try a Pontiac Vibe, it has the same engine as a Toyota Corolla so it can be easily repaired due to the demise of Pontiac.It is a good car, I have an 07 with 118000km and have had no problems so far, I am still on my original brakes and there is someone over on Genvibe that was able to get over 400,000 mile on a Vibe on just regular maintenaince

If you are good at ecomodding you can get 6.9L/100km.

[Gone2]

I was basically leaning toward getting a better car (not necessarily newer). It is a '97 Sentra and those things don't sell for much at all. I will be taking it to the scrap yard this week. I found a couple of cars that spark my interest. One is a '99 Ford Taurus Wagon with the 3.0l. The next is a rough looking '03 Focus with the auto tranny. Then the third is a tie between an '03 Subaru Impreza and a '99 Subaru Outback. I found a craigslist post for a '94 Geo Metro for $1200 with a bunch of spare parts to include an extra engine and tranny. The issue is being nervous about buying a car private party. I have had bad luck (army town) with these types of sells. I am torn between good FE and a fun ride I know how good the Focus and Metro are and have always had good FE driving the Taurus too (for being a full size).

[Gone2]

Does anyone know anything about the 2003 Kia Rio Cinco? I have a chance to buy one for pretty cheap. It has the five speed and 85,000 miles on it.

[2000mc]

Originally Posted by Sentraguy

Does anyone know anything about the 2003 Kia Rio Cinco? I have a chance to buy one for pretty cheap. It has the five speed and 85,000 miles on it.

For age and mileage they are constantly the cheapest cars I see on Craigslist. Not the same thing, but my friend had the preceding model, a 99 sephia. After being towed, the towing company called and he told them to keep it.

[Gone2]

So I found a car. It's a 2000 Ford Taurus Wagon. EPA rating is 25 on the highway, so it will need a little tweaking to get over the 30+ mark. The car is in my price range, immaculate inside and out, only 118,000 miles, and has plenty of room. This is a situation where I am opting for comfort over FE. But it should be fun to experiment with. I know that model was one of the lowest CD vehicles Ford put out at the time. Okay, airing tires up to max, swapping mufflers to a glasspack, and a short ram intake. Oil change of course. Removal of roof rack (if possible). Any other easy modifications you guys can think of? I will already be doing P&G.

[mcrews]

I had one of those!!!
It was a company car and new.....I was very impressed w/ it especially as a wagon. I had two young daughters at the time and we could load a ton of crap!!!

[Gone2]

I am excited about it. I use to have a '83 Ford Fairmont Wagon and loved that car. It was the ultimate sleeper. A bonus with this car is that it has the third row rear facing seats too, so extra storage space under the rear cargo area. Does anyone know if those cars can fit a 215/75r16 in place of the 215/60r16's? Just getting the gears turning.

[mcrews]

I know on my Q45 I had to just measure the distance to the bottom of the strut tower to determine the max diameter. it came w/ 245/45/18 (26) and I am running 245/50/18 (27.4)

[Gone2]

So I picked up the car Friday, I absolutely love it. Fueled up Friday and am not even at a half a tank yet. And the a/c works so wonderfully that I don't even notice how hot it is outside. Now to find a place to have a dual exhaust built at.