starting new car search

I'm driving a six year old Saturn, which has 95,000 miles on it, and has a manual transmission. The family van is almost paid off, so I'll be buying a new vehicle soon. I drive about 300 each week to/from work, so gas mileage is a pretty big decision factor (Saturn gets high 30s MPG), and I use the van almost exclusively when not commuting. I do not want another manual transmission. My car enables me to travel long distances quickly and comfortably - it does not represent my status or penis.

I have not researched in any depth yet, but I have some ideas and thought I'd put them out there for everybody to comment on, and solicit recommendations at the same time.

I love the look of the Dodge Magnum.

It seems like the Chevy Impala is roomy enough to live in, compared to my Saturn. I've heard or read that it has (or is available with) a feature that reduces the number of cylinders firing when they're not needed. Could be an improvement in MPG.

Toyota Camri seems to be low(ish) cost, low maintenance, high(er) resale value. I've heard lots of anecdotal praise for the Camri from friends and relatives.

Comments and recommendations, please.

You might consider the (Honda) Civic Hybrid. My mom drives one and she's loved it since day one, and a friend of mind in California bought one specifically for the gas mileage and says he usually gets 450-500 miles from a tank (though I don't know how many gallons the tank holds.)

That would be my reccomendation too, the Magnum would be far from the ideal high gas milaege car you're looking for. But it sounds like you want a larger size sedan, so I would take a look at an Accord. And of course manual transmission in any car you look at.

I don't know if he is looking to get business directly out of the Cellar, but a long-timer here might suggest an Altima from the Friendly Nissan Giant.

I like my Hyundai Sonata, 2 years old and 55k miles. No problems at all. 6 cylinders make vroom vroom go passingly.

The Dodge Caliber with the 4-banger gets high 20s mpg IIRC.

Spexxvet wrote:

It seems like the Chevy Impala is roomy enough to live in, compared to my Saturn.

What do you need room for? Instead of starting by looking at cars, you should start by looking at needs.

If I was commuting each day by myself, and my family also had a van for the times we needed to travel as a family or haul stuff, I'd be looking for a smaller car for just me on my commute. I'd look for something like the Scion xA (stupid name) hatchback. The automatic version gets 31 city 38 highway. It's probably roomier on the inside than your Saturn, because it's a hatchback and is also kind of tall. Just because a car is small on the outside doesn't mean it's small on the inside. The Scion's an inexpensive car too, and made by Toyota, it should be pretty reliable and cheap to maintain. There are a handful of similar cars out there.

Look at your needs and go from there.

Spexxvet wrote:

The family van is almost paid off, so I'll be buying a new vehicle soon.

I don't understand this motivation. You don't say that there is anything wrong with the Saturn and it's only got 95k miles on it. Why not drive it until it dies? You could put some money away for the future.

Is there some unwritten rule that American families must always have auto loan debt?

footfootfoot wrote:

I like my Hyundai Sonata, 2 years old and 55k miles.

Wow! Where the hell are you driving to all the time? Sheesh, and I thought we drove a lot, going to Houston and back 2-3 times a month...

for practicality, the camry can't hurt you. it may bore you to sleep, but....

tha altima is a nice car. my brother got one, and likes it. My sister has a honda accord and loves that. I prefer german to jap, tho, and if I were to buy a car, i think it would be this one:


we plan to get a Jeep Commander in a couple of years to replace our Grand Cherokee, but the deal right now is so good ( 72mos @0%) that we've been teasing each other about getting one right now, and keeping the WJ.

Spex, i don;t know what you know about me, but I'm a finance manager for a big Nissan dealer in NJ, and if I can be of help with questions regarding current interest rates, warranties, or whatever, send me a PM, or email me at gmail. ( same name...it was available! whooda thunk it?)

And contrary to his Cellar wackiness, he knows his business...professional and honest.....really. :2cents:

I keep driving by one of these for sale.

Why do you keep driving by it? :smack:

I'm poor and have not built a garage yet...

yeah, you'd need a garage - that is *such* an ugly car....

Tooling around in that would make you forget a lot of things....including being poor an unfinished(unstarted) projects. Just don't forget you're married, and start cruising the malt shoppe. :D

Try a Freightliner Classic XL with a Cat C15 ACRET engine.

I just passed the 100,000 mile mark in mine in only ten months. I average about 6 mpg though, and it's a diesel so it may not be the best choice for mileage and operating cost. But OH! The interior room!

Brian

How about a new Monte Carlo if you're going bigger?

I don't remember if you're a bigger guy, but personally I'd get into a smaller vehicle. We're really happy with our Impreza, but we need AWD here in the winter, your roads are probably better. I'm driving an Echo for gas mileage (44mpg) right now but honestly its handling/size scare the crap out of me. I rode in the Toyota hybrid when I wrecked my bike and really liked the roominess and it has good pick up. I've always liked the VW Jetta but the Passat is appealing due to the AWD.

Thanks for all the info.

Clodfobble wrote:

You might consider the (Honda) Civic Hybrid. My mom drives one and she's loved it since day one, and a friend of mind in California bought one specifically for the gas mileage and says he usually gets 450-500 miles from a tank (though I don't know how many gallons the tank holds.)

Much of my driving is highway. Hybrids don’t really help highway mileage, do they?

footfootfoot wrote:

I like my Hyundai Sonata, 2 years old and 55k miles. No problems at all. 6 cylinders make vroom vroom go passingly.

I have a friend who is on his third Hundai. I was thinking about one of those, too.

glatt wrote:

What do you need room for? Instead of starting by looking at cars, you should start by looking at needs.
...
Look at your needs and go from there.

My wants and needs differs, just a little. My ultimate vehicle doesn’t exist. That would be a large, four-door, powerful, roomy, cool-looking, luxury car with 4WD on demand, great gas mileage, low maintenance, and a $12,000 sticker price. :right:

dar512 wrote:

I don't understand this motivation. You don't say that there is anything wrong with the Saturn and it's only got 95k miles on it. Why not drive it until it dies? You could put some money away for the future.

Is there some unwritten rule that American families must always have auto loan debt?

The Saturn will probably need some substantial work soon. Little things that I’m not taking care of will turn into big things soon enough. Some of my motivation is that I’m tired of the clutch, the smallness, and not having some of the niceties found in most cars. I purchased the Saturn based solely on commuting needs – it doesn’t have power windows or locks, only has two speakers, I’ve really been roughing it for six years. Timing is also an issue. I’d like to only have one monthly payment – I want the new car to be paid off before the van needs replacing.

lumberjim wrote:

Spex, i don;t know what you know about me, but I'm a finance manager for a big Nissan dealer in NJ, and if I can be of help with questions regarding current interest rates, warranties, or whatever, send me a PM, or email me at gmail. ( same name...it was available! whooda thunk it?)

Thanks. I work in Jersey, so I may take you up on it. Cock! :D

Griff wrote:

How about a new Monte Carlo if you're going bigger?

I don't remember if you're a bigger guy, but personally I'd get into a smaller vehicle. We're really happy with our Impreza, but we need AWD here in the winter, your roads are probably better. I'm driving an Echo for gas mileage (44mpg) right now but honestly its handling/size scare the crap out of me. I rode in the Toyota hybrid when I wrecked my bike and really liked the roominess and it has good pick up. I've always liked the VW Jetta but the Passat is appealing due to the AWD.

I like the looks of the Monte Carlo. The Impala is basically a 4-door version of the MC. I am a bigger guy, and with kids, a 4-door is preferable. An Echo might be too small. I’ll check out the Impreza.

Thanks, again.

Clodfobble wrote:

Wow! Where the hell are you driving to all the time? Sheesh, and I thought we drove a lot, going to Houston and back 2-3 times a month...

SWMBO commutes about 400-500 miles each week during the school year. once a week she drives about 3.5 hours to school, then back. Some times she does and additional 2 hours down in the city.

Plus up here it is a little like
texas in that the nearest smallish city is 25 minutes away, anypalce more substantial is at least 45 minutes.

lumberjim wrote:

if I were to buy a car, i think it would be this one:

Need a parts car?



Know how to best sell this as a parts car? It's got some fine parts on it. If you look closely you might notice brand-new Kumho tires on the fronts. They are one day old, as is the inspection sticker on the windshield.

ach, dthot does geev mi pain. ees tha lad ew-kay?

It's Jacquelita's lassie who got the car, she's a hardy sort and was not damaged when this ass in a construction vehicle hit her at 15mph in a Wawa parking lot.

One of her four teenage passengers had the presense of mind to go get a cheap throwaway camera at the Wawa, and the resulting pics proved to the driver's insurance company that she was 0% at fault and thus could get a nice check for more than twice the amount I charged her for the car.

Spexxvet wrote:

The Saturn will probably need some substantial work soon. Little things that I’m not taking care of will turn into big things soon enough. Some of my motivation is that I’m tired of the clutch, the smallness, and not having some of the niceties found in most cars. I purchased the Saturn based solely on commuting needs – it doesn’t have power windows or locks, only has two speakers, I’ve really been roughing it for six years. Timing is also an issue. I’d like to only have one monthly payment – I want the new car to be paid off before the van needs replacing.

My first car was a 93 saturn sl twin cam. When we got it (my sis and I) it had 170k miles on it. Before that it had had no substantial work, and while I owned it I had to fix the alternator, and a fan about $170 altogether. The odometer stopped working around 260k miles and it still runs well enough...we passed it onto my aunt. My next car was a Saturn and I was wrecked by a semi. I went home from the hopital that day w/ a prescription for pain pills and would've been just fine if it weren't for the injuries i suffered due to being rear-ended. They are safe, reliable and get good mpgs.
Saturns are worth getting...you might want to get a new car to fit your needs better, but I would still stick with Saturn...hopefully I'll be getting my new-used Saturn today!

Undertoad wrote:

Need a parts car?



Know how to best sell this as a parts car? It's got some fine parts on it. If you look closely you might notice brand-new Kumho tires on the fronts. They are one day old, as is the inspection sticker on the windshield.

call West Chester Foreign Car, ask for Don. tell him you are a friend of Shelby's and ask him if he has any interest in it. 610.692.4337. speak up, the shop is loud, and Don's got weak hearing.

I also have a Sonata, and I really like it for the road; near 30 mpg on open highway, a very nice sound system and a good deal less than the Camry.

Sonata? Would you like a tissue? :D

Hi david86blue, welcome to the Cellar.