Car Opinions

[SouthernHockeyChick]

I have a 1999 Mazda Protege with 130,000+ miles on it. Nothing wrong with it at all, just very high mileage. And we don't want to afford another car payment for a while.

My dad knows someone with a 1999 Toyota Camry with 30,000+ miles on it. He wants to buy the Camry and then trade me for the Protege, straight up. (he's looking for a low MPG car to bang around in) I'd be stupid not to do it, right?

He knows cars so, I truse him when he says it's in good shape, maintenance-wise.

I think I'm emotionally attached to my Mazda, lol.

[corylav]

wow ... only 30K on a 99? Toyotas and Hondas will run forever ... I'd do it.

[caneshockeychick]

:yeah:

[ONeillsNo1Fan]

I had a 95 Camry with 230,000 miles on it and plenty more to go until I crashed it a few weeks ago. Camrys are amazing and it'll last you forever.

[livinthedream]

Camry FTW. Like everyone else has said, if it only has 30k miles, you could easily put another 150k-200k on it as long as it's been maintained properly. They last forever.

Jess, sorry to hear about your accident. :( Sounds like your car didn't fare well, are you okay?

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Yeah, a little lady owned it and only drove it for local trips to the grocery, etc. 34,000 miles.

Mazdas last forever too but, starting down 100K miles....forever would seem a lot longer. :lol:

Thanks for the opinions! That's what I need...a few more people saying "You'd be stupid not to!!" :D

[caniac97]

Yeah, a little lady owned it and only drove it for local trips to the grocery, etc. 34,000 miles.

Mazdas last forever too but, starting down 100K miles....forever would seem a lot longer. :lol:

Thanks for the opinions! That's what I need...a few more people saying "You'd be stupid not to!!" :D
She must be related to the guy I just bought a motorcycle from. it is a 1999 Honda Shadow A.C.E. with only 10k on it and still looking show room. Never took it faster than 45mph "didn't see any point in driving faster than that". Good deals don't come across often but you love it when they do.

[Mona2006]

wow ... only 30K on a 99? Toyotas and Hondas will run forever ... I'd do it.

My opinion exactly. I have a CRV that has almost 140,000 miles on it and if it fell apart tomorrow, I would be satisfied with it. Before that I had a Civic for years.. I love Hondas. My first real car was a Celica.. so Toyotas are great cars as well.

Enjoy your new ride. :)

[Alicia]

^^^OK...you'd be stupid not to! ;)

[ONeillsNo1Fan]

Jess, sorry to hear about your accident. :( Sounds like your car didn't fare well, are you okay?

Yeah, I'm fine. Hardly any damage to the other car, but mine just slid right up underneath his bumper and crunched it. Very very sad.

</highjack> :)

[Turbulence]

You'd be stupid not to. But I sure hope you like an extra dose of bland with your cars...it'll be 100x less fun to drive than your Protege.

Is it the 4-cylinder or the V6? If the latter, your gas mileage will be worse than your Protege...although that shouldn't factor into the decision, because most cars end up being in the shop more and more around 100k, even if it's just for routine things like belt replacements and tune ups...any extra gas cost from the Camry would quickly be recouped from only one shop visit with your current car.

Didn't I recommend you a Pontiac Vibe last year? I take it you didn't take my advice....:D

[SouthernHockeyChick]

^Yeah, I know it will be less fun to drive....every car is less fun to drive than a Mazda, IMO. But Mr SHC drives it so, I'm not too worried. :evil: Plus, I hope we'll be able to get a new Mazda in a few years, just not yet. And it's 4-cylinder so, maybe not much change in MPG.

I sorta took your advice...bought a Toyota Matrix for myself last year, same thing. We rented a car in Maine recently and picked a Pontiac Vibe and it literally was exactly the same, except ours doens't have that ugly grey plastic band around the outside and ours has 2 cigarette lighters so I could have GPS and XM at the same time, lol. I'm prejudiced against American cars so, had to go with the Toyota.

[RIO]

Toyotas are the Energizer bunny. I'd look into those or Subarus. Amongst my mechanic friends and I, we're pretty much agreed on those two, if nothing else.

[Captain Slack]

GET. THE. CAMRY!!!!

[Turbulence]

I sorta took your advice...bought a Toyota Matrix for myself last year
See, I told you they were identical! Glad you took the advice, though. :D My Vibe doesn't have the ugly grey plastic, and I'm grateful...how nasty looking. Just out of curiosity, where are your two lighters? I have one lighter above the shifter, along with an AC 2-pronged plug right next to it. Do you not have the plug?


Also, if the Camry is too bland for you, you can become one of many and do some modifications to it.

http://alkali.colug.org/~kaha/ricer.jpg
Not a Camry, but you can pretend that it is.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Yeah, we have the plug. The second lighter outlet is inside the storage console. Very convenient!

I thought I'd seen Vibes without the plastic stuff.

[Turbulence]

The second lighter outlet is inside the storage console.

Oh yeah, I forget about that one since it gets covered with all the stuff I put in there. :beatup:

[puck_it]

My dad has a 92 camry and needed the transmission replaced at likw 150k... thats the only problem hes had...

my car is a 99 camry (he could have had this one, but he was attached to his 92, so i got the nicer one... woot!), and there's been no significant problems.... ive got maybe 80k on it. had the bearing to the water pump break a year and some change ago. that's been the only recent problem that i remember. there were a few issues when we first bought it, but they werent very common issues according to my uncle (who is the general manager of a toyota dealership). specifically what was wrong, i have no idea, but if the car is still kicking 8 years later i think it's safe to say yours doesnt have them.

that and on my 16 gallon tank if i'm going on a long trip i can usually hit 550 miles to the tank (4-cylinder, LE).

youd be stupid not to.

[apolinar]

Both camry's I've had have lasted 150K plus, and ran well, and traded well. The newer models went of the consumer reports quality list lately but were at the top in the 99 model IIRC

[nccanes]

I thought I would chime in on our recent experience in used car buying...a Camry specifically.

A neighbor posted a '96 Camry on our neighborhood list. It caught my eye because we've got a soon-to-be driver and thought it sounded like a good car to have. It had < 100k miles, which is actually less than either of the cars we drive!

Anyway, we decided to take it to a mechanic to check it out. Mr ncc told me that the car itself was in perfect shape. Great exterior, great tires, great leather interior, just perfect (little old lady and everything). The mechanic, on the other hand, told him "you don't want this car". He and his mechanics were able to tell that it had been driven in the North and had salt damage underneath. He was able to point out the seals that needed replacing and talked about "sludge". I don't have the sheet in front of me, so I can't speak mechanic, but I suppose it was worth our $80 to get the complete pre-purchase check done. Mr ncc was impressed at how thorough they were and how many guys were looking at it.

He asked if it was worth low-balling them and the guy said he thought it could cost us over $1000 within a year or so on repairs. So we decided it wasn't worth our hassle even if we got a great deal on it. Too bad.

Oh - we used the Shell station garage in Quail Corners (corner of Millbrook and Falls) if anyone needs a similar service. They were able to give me an appt and didn't keep mr ncc waiting.

[corylav]

you Southerners are still putting down the North, aren't ya?
:laugh:

very smart move NCC ... personally, I'm not so scared of Northern cars b/c my first was about 16 years old when I got it.

[nccanes]

Well, I was born in NJ....

[Guyute]

I didn't know that. That explains a lot though. ;) lol

[corylav]

what exit?

*boo*

was talking more about the mechanics, anyway .... lol

[nccanes]

Exit 136..I think. I moved south when I was 10.

[StormShaman]

Speaking as somebody who had an 89 Camry that had the odometer roll over TWICE on it before the thing finally died....

Take the Camry. When I got Fuchida the FTL Toyota, he only had about 40K miles on him--I took him on numerous runs to Blacksburg, commuted to and from the Park every day for years, went on several Epic Roadtrips through various parts east of the Mississippi, and I would have taken him on that Caniac excursion to Norfolk during the lockout had he not finally suffered a critical failure in his jumpdrive (translation: the CV boot went and the engine decided to say "goodnight everybody! *MWAH*") while I was on the way home from work one morning.

*mourns her poor departed Toyota*

But yeah--take the swap. You won't regret it. :)

[kermelbar]

ncc, I used to take my Alero to the the Shell at Quail Corners. Those guys have always done right by me and have even sent me home, having done nothing and having charged me nothing, when they had the car all day and couldn't find a problem. (I thought there was a brake issue. He could have easily said, "Oh, yeah, you need new this and that," but instead, he said, "I can't condemn the brakes." And I owed them nothing.)

My Mazda3 goes to the dealership, though, because it's still under warranty. =.)

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Since we're in this thread I'll give an update too....

We decided to take the Camry and when my dad called her to arrange pickup she delivered the bad news. She'd totalled it that morning. :(

[apolinar]

Karma works out Chick. Don't sweat it. Was meant to be. Karma's way of making sure you didn't get that car. Blessing in disguise? Better car in the future? You'll see.

[nccanes]

SS - I'm not afraid of old, high mileage cars, as mentioned our 2 cars have many K more than the one we were considering buying.

I'm at home now and have the sheet of "issues": lots of rust under, valve cover leaking, front seals leaking, rear main seal leaking, passenger side axle issue, power steering pump leaking, belts cracked, possible sludge disease... and more stuff that I can't decipher.

We're not in a hurry. Our soon-to-be driver has a few months before we needs wheels.

[Canesluver]

I wouldn't buy that car. I think you're getting good advice, E.

I have an '02 Ford Escape I've driven since Oct. 31, 2001. I've put almost 142,000 miles on it. All I've ever had to do to it is change the oil. Hasn't had a single problem. How many miles is too many? How long should I keep driving it, I wonder? I made my last payment on it a year ago.

[Guyute]

It's a Ford. It's paid off. So.... any day now.... ;)

[Canesluver]

Yeah, yeah... pile on.... you Japanese car drivers. We've been driving Fords for 25 years......50 if you go back to both sets of our parents. Never had any problems. We're Ford People and proud of it!

[StormShaman]

HA! Lucky you, I've had nothing but bad luck with Fords ever since the day I started my sister's old Maverick and it immediately threw a rod. :-p

[Guyute]

My dad, against all better judgement, tried numerous American vehicles before switching back to Honda after a decade or so of testing.

Honestly, I'd LOVE to buy American. I just can't drop that kind of dough on something that is much more likely to crap out than my Toyota. And that's not even getting into the resale rate comparisons...

[Canesluver]

sigh

[ontheboards]

Just curious, any one ever buy from Carmax? Experience?

[Guyute]

Haven't bought from them, but always use their appraisal service to compare what they'd give us against the dealer we're working with. Always friendly folks IME.

[SoCalcaniac]

Just curious, any one ever buy from Carmax? Experience?

OTB, we just bought hub's car about 6 months ago from Carmax- it was the least painful experience ever in our lives, excellent service, we paid cash so we didn't have to secure financing, had already test drove the car he wanted, and basically were in ready to buy mode; car only had 3,000 miles on it, excellent condition, simple. but from the minute we walked in to the moment we get in the car and drove home, it was really impressive. They send him emails to 'check in' and the guy who sold it to him calls to check up on things. We had added an XM radio installed into the car- to get rid of the plug in play he had in his other car; and they did that the next day. It was really painless.

CL- sounds like you've had alot of luck with Fords- I had one as a high school graduation gift, and not too much luck myself. I'd say if you've not had any issues, you'll be fine with that Escape. I am about 3 weeks away from the arrival of my new 2008 Honda CRV; I will be saying goodbye to my 1997 Kia Sportage, which I had my doubts on when we purchased it brand new and it being the first model, we never had an issue with it, hub is fanatical about the oil and tune ups and things so that probably helped;so by the time my new Honda gets here in Feb, I will have put on 230,000 miles on the car. :crazy: I'm shocked it still runs and runs well, and we paid that thing off in 2002.

Just never know about cars!

[Fernando da Silva]

Does my father is the only who rarely drives his car? My family's car is a 2004 model and have 20K miles on it

[Shell]

wow, 7,000 miles a year? I can't imagine! Then again, this area is very sprawled out and we drive 60 miles just getting Cole to school and us to work and back.

[kermelbar]

I must say, driving the Mazda3, I *really* *really* *REALLY* miss American-made air conditioning!

[apolinar]

I need a car opinion too. Newly Single man, with 2 kids. need something sporty, non-minivannish, reasonable price (under 30,000), but that can have a group of kids going to a canes game in the back seats (third row a must).

What recommendations do you all have? So far I've gone through the chryslers, dodges, and subarus, a few toyotas and the nissan line. Chrysler pacifica opinions? Any dodge owners out there? I'm thinking of holding out til their hybrids come out later. My subaru WRX just doesn't have enough space for what the kids want to do and their friends. Remember, it has to be useful with the kids, but look good getting out of the car to go into Mosquito through the velvet rope. (The dance club)

[goalie33]

Mazdaspeed 3.

You can throw the extra kids in the hatchback.

:beatup:

[Guyute]

Some of the new American made cars really pique my interest, mainly because of the media-center sytle dash... hard drive, etc. Very cool.
Someone at the Canes game on Sat across from us had some kind of Dodge, and I heard her talking about some kids tv stations coming in (Nik, Disney, etc) over Sirius Sat TV... I was like... huh?? I'd look into it, if I had a screen in the truck.

Which brings me to a suggestion. We Love our Toyota Highlander. It has a 3rd row you can open (complete with heat). I have put adults in the 5'4" range back there, and they said it was surprisingly comfy. It's not the easiest to get in and out of... but, kids wouldn't care. Ours was in the mid 30's, but it's pretty loaded. Under 30 shouldn't be a problem long as you don't want leather, heated seats, sunroof, etc.

[VandyCane]

The new Buick Enclave is absolutely gorgeous. Sticker starts at 33K, so it might be over your budget. The third row looks really spacious and you have a decent trunk given the size of the car. We have recently been very happy with Buicks. My husband drives a Rendezvous, which he loves. Decent gas mileage for that type vehicle. It's not quite 4 years old but he alrady has 75k miles on it. Other than routine maintenance he hasn't have to have anything fixed. I just got a LaCrosse and let's just say it's so quiet that I find myself doing 75mph without even knowing it on the 540. I'm afraid it's gonna cost me one of these days! :laugh:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Enh, 75mph is my default on 540. :D

[Guyute]

ditto. it's like a mini-audobon. lol

[nccanes]

I just can't make myself drive 10 over to get somewhere 1-2 minutes sooner. Guy - I guess you are on 540 a lot longer than me, but for my 8 mile stretch (to/from work), it literally saves about 1 minute or so for me. Even over a 15 mile stretch (I40 - Capital, I never go further than that), you're probably talking 2 minutes or something.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I've recited my speeding ticket-free existence to my pre-driver teen and let him know the second he gets one, he's toast. Bad enough my insurance is going to more than double just to get him covered. :crazy:

[SouthernHockeyChick]

I don't drive 75 on 540 to get somewhere faster, I drive 75 to a) get away from the pack of scrubs who drive like morons and b) because it's fun. :D

At risk of jinxing myself, I've never had a ticket, either.

[Guyute]

Apparently I missed the notice that "scrubs" is the word of the day. :lol:

Driving 10 over isn't a big deal. 8 over is the "real" speed limit anyway. hehe

[Turbulence]

I need a car opinion too.

Mazda CX-9 was Motor Trend's SUV of the Year and is by all accounts a fantastic car...sporty, roomy, Japanese reliability with a look much less bland than Toyota or Honda. I'm pretty sure it's got a 3rd seat.

Also as mentioned previously, the Buick Enclave/Saturn Outlook/GMC Acadia are, along with the new Malibu, probably the best GM cars produced in...well, decades at least. Don't be afraid of (new) domestics like many people are, because they're increasingly of exceedingly good quality.

[livinthedream]

Well folks, my Hurricanes-special-edition Dodge Magnum is heading out to pasture, as I have been informed that it is time to order a new company car. Here are my choices in no particular order - any recommendations?

1 - Chevy Malibu
2 - Dodge Charger
3 - Mercury Milan
4 - Saturn Aura

I've been told that the models of the Malibu and Charger that I'm allowed both have V6 engines but that the Milan and Aura are 4-cylinder. Otherwise I think the packages are pretty comparable for each model.

[caneshockeychick]

Well, both the new Malibu and Charger look hot!!! I wish I had sprang for the Malibu when it was car buying time but, I'm loving my little Cobalt nonetheless (and my payments are cheaper too :D )

Don't know anything about the other two...

[Guyute]

I really like the look of the Charger.

[Turbulence]

The Malibu is the best American car in years and years and years imo. From what I understand, their build quality is equal to that of Camry and Accord...which if you drove the old Malibu, or any American car in the past 10 years, you'll know is quite a feat.
If I had to choose between those choices...and I'm a Ford person, so I do like the Milan...I would choose the Malibu with no hesitation. Looks great, fun to drive, and just terrific quality.

Did you like your Magnum? The Charger looks good, but I've not been sold on interior quality, that the V6 has enough power, or that the visibility isn't that good. But if you liked the Magnum, the Charger is pretty much the same car...

If you want something a little more European, go with the Aura...it's an Opel Somethingorother from Germany. It's apparently another good new GM but...I'd still go with a V6 Malibu.

[livinthedream]

Thanks for the comments (and keep 'em coming). I think I'm between the Malibu and Charger.

My Magnum has been just fine, I inherited it with 30,000 miles and put 40,000+ more on it in less than two years with no issues. It's roomy and comfortable and performs well on long trips with a pretty (ahem) "assertive" driver behind the wheel so power is not a problem. It's definitely an oddball style-wise, not something I would have bought on my own, but for a company car it has been great. Visibility is definitely worse than other similar vehicles, and mine came with very dark tinted windows which make it near impossible to see when you're backing out of a dark parking space, but the tint really helps the interior temperature in the hot sun. So at least I know what I'm getting with the Charger.

I think I'll go test drive the Malibu, though, I keep hearing good things about it.

[apolinar]

i just spent the entire day buying a GMC Acadia. Thanks for all the advice people (Esp Turby who gave this advice and Vandy)! The Acadia is on the same exact profile/build as the Buick Enclave, so that suggestion helped. Smooth rider, drives like a smaller car, but holds 8 people. has XM radio and also onstar, and it attracts chicks while at the same time holding plenty of space for the little ones. This is one awesome and well engineered car. I'm REAL happy with the purchase and can't wait to tailgate out of it :)

[Mona2006]

I have driven a Honda since 1988. My first one was a Civic and now a CRV. If I hadn't had a wreck, I would probably still be driving that Civic. Excellent cars, dependable/maintenance free and great gas mileage. Just my 2 cents! :)

[caneshockeychick]

I have driven a Honda since 1988. My first one was a Civic and now a CRV. If I hadn't had a wreck, I would probably still be driving that Civic. Excellent cars, dependable/maintenance free and great gas mileage. Just my 2 cents! :)


Unfortunately, her company gave her these choices, no Honda among them:

1 - Chevy Malibu
2 - Dodge Charger
3 - Mercury Milan
4 - Saturn Aura

[VandyCane]

i just spent the entire day buying a GMC Acadia. Thanks for all the advice people (Esp Turby who gave this advice and Vandy)! The Acadia is on the same exact profile/build as the Buick Enclave, so that suggestion helped. Smooth rider, drives like a smaller car, but holds 8 people. has XM radio and also onstar, and it attracts chicks while at the same time holding plenty of space for the little ones. This is one awesome and well engineered car. I'm REAL happy with the purchase and can't wait to tailgate out of it :)

Awesome! I'll make sure and crash the party when I see you tailgating! :D

[apolinar]

in my first day of driving it... A FRIGGIN DOG JUMPED UP AND SCRATCHED THE PAINT ON THE CAR... AND WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR FELL OFF!!! AAAAH! Thank god for bumper to bumper warranty. But in the first day? What karma am I paying for this time?

[Fernando da Silva]

Wow, Charger. Its design rocks.

[LostTexan]

AND WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR FELL OFF!!!

lol I'm sorry for your bad luck but I gotta ask, how the heck does the side mirror just fall off?

[Caniac]

Methinks it could possibly have happened when he nailed that guy walking on the side of the road wearing a Sabres jersey with it.

[apolinar]

I'm suspecting a balloon issue. I bought it on Saturday, and this was one of the cars with balloons on the rear view mirrors. The salesman yanked on the ribbon tied to the rear view so I could test drive, and I suspect he loosened the mirror up somehow when he was struggling and yanking.

I adjust the mirror, the mirror is no longer drafting, and WHOOMP there it is. (or was) while driving I-40.

[Mona2006]

WHOOMP there it is.

That makes me want to dance. :p (sorry I think I need more caffeine) :D

[apolinar]

Well, I was going for the whole nascar reference, with "drafting", but tried to keep in the theme of driving especially since one version of that song was done by the group I-95.

[Turbulence]

AAAAH!


Should have bought the Mazda. :p
I'm glad you're happy with it. I know you aren't the only one...just as long as they fix that mirror!

[livinthedream]

Quick update on my car situation. I test drove a Malibu this weekend and decided to order it for my new company car, so when it comes in I'll post an update on how well it's working for me.

And the free XM subscription that came with it had *no* bearing on my decision. ;)

[Turbulence]

You'll love it, I'm sure...

[apolinar]

Scratches buffed out for free, new mirror in 2 days, and good as new! (Except for my son walking in the car with muddy shoes. I guess it can't keep that smell forever. )

[nccanes]

Resurrecting this thread.

I have a question, not about the car, but the car buying.

We were JUST about to get another car (likely used, but we really hadn't gotten that far) for the Mr as our oldest gets his license this spring (and would inherit the accord). Well, don't you know that my Town and Country with mega miles decides this week to have a major issue (intermittant oil light, and a failing oil pump).

So, we are going to replace that vehicle for sure. My question is, do you think it makes any difference in the negotiating space if we decided to buy two cars at once. One would still likely be a used vehicle, but we're thinking about buying a new and used. Any thoughts on attempting to do both transactions with the same dealer/salesman?

We can delay the 2nd vehicle's purchase (and probably save $ on the insurance as well), but we're only talking about 3 months or so.

Any thoughts?

BTW, I LOVE that new Mazda Turby talked about. But out of my price range for sure.

[SoCalcaniac]

E, when we bought Mr. Socal's car a couple months ago, we had seriously considered buying his car and the Honda that I just bought 'all at once', and talked to our salesman at Autopark Honda in depth about it, the salesman and the mgr were more than willing to cut us a good deal for 2 cars- but we were really bent on getting the 2008 CRV model with the navi and it hadn't yet come out, (but he was willing to give usa real strong discount for the 2007 model if we bought both) and true to hub's form, he was all into seeing my old car get to 220K miles just so he could say we had the car for 10 years nearly to the day, and got it over the 220K mark. :crazy:

So, I'd say give it a shot- it wouldn't hurt- and especially in this economy when companies are trying to generate sales, it couldn't possibly hurt. You may well end up going 1 now,1 later, but heck, at least you get an idea if someone will do something for your business. (?)

[puck_it]

I'm sure you'd have some sort of bargaining power on them. The more they sell, the more they make... If they can unload two cars at once, they'll probably meet you at a lower price, just because they dont have to work to get extra money. You can likely use the "we'll just go to another dealership" line with some effectiveness.

I wouldnt hold off on the car for your son... yeah, you might save three months of insurance, but at the same time he can have 3 mos of driving with you guys in the car, getting used to it. Or is he only turning 15 and you're buying ahead?

[nccanes]

He gets the full license early May and even though he doesn't "need" a car....it will make our lives simpler, if not in May, then definitely when school starts in August. He was 16 in January. (I think he's taller than you now. ;) :kiss:)

Thanks for the feedback. Certainly seems like it's worth a shot to negotiate them together.

[SoCalcaniac]

Oh yeah, he's DEFINITELY taller than puck_it. :lol:

[Mona2006]

Whatever you do E, don't buy from this guy! :lol:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=i-SK1-iILlY

and both your sons are grown and cute as pie. :)

[toastmasterbone]

If you're getting a new car, I can't recommend highly enough a visit to the folks at Fighting Chance (http://fightingchance.com/). Using their information about the vehicle I wanted, I saved $6000 under dealer cost, and actually had the guy ask me when I was going to leave, and then got him to take off an extra $250 for the cost of my kid's car seat.

[nccanes]

Wow - I've just skimmed the first page and I'm sold on it (should we decide to buy new). The idea of sitting in a dealership is about as appealing as being John Tortorella's wife, so I definitely would be interested in the non-face-to-face negotiations. I think someone at TSB talked about negotiating that way (emailed his requirements to x number of dealerships within a certain area).

Thanks for the tip!

We may have found a used vehicle from a neighbor/friend that will be a nice stop gap measure and then we'll worry about the need for 3 vehicles when it's actually a need.

Thanks for all the input!

[Mona2006]

The idea of sitting in a dealership is about as appealing as being John Tortorella's wife,


We all know you dream of that daily... :p:lol:

Good luck with the purchase. :)

[nccanes]

I see that my car buying need has stretched back to 3 months ago!

Anyway - it's a done deal, just bought a new Mazda3 hatchback! I want to thank my old car for making it thru the near death experience! :lol: