Hillary in KS Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 How sad is this? I'm 37 and have never had to buy a car. All of mine have been found by FIL (a mechanic). Now we're living in another state, so I'm on my own. Our van was T-Boned by a motorcycle. Everyone is okay, but my van is not driveable. His bike though- not a scratch. :glare: So how do I start? Where do I look online? If a motorcycle can take out my minivan, how do I make sure I get something safer next time? What do I need to know about buying a car? Thank you for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Glad to hear everyone is ok. YOu can start here for ratings on safety! http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LG Gone Wild Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Have a firm idea of what you want to spend. Get a loan from your bank for that amount. If you can, try to have at least the taxes, license, and fees in cash. I discourage you from getting financing from the dealer. Have your own and you won't be sucked into unfavorable terms. What do you need your vehicle to do for you? We recently purchased a Dodge Durango, used. What was important to me was that I was comfortable driving it (I had a truck and it was just too large - small lady, small car), the car didn't have too many miles, and that it has a 3rd row seating. Also, it had to be clean. I can't buy a car that looks used and smells of smoke. We looked at a lot of Toyotas but by chance came across the Durango. What was strange was that a little used hybrid death trap was more expensive than the practically new Durango. The Durango is super safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I would go to Carmax! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jami Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Sorry about your accident, Hillary. I recently had one of my own and had to find a new van. It's a pain. We've used a couple of different online options, CarSoup if you have one for your area and Craigslist. We like to find private sellers rather than dealers because we feel we've gotten better deals that way. I agree with the advice to have your financing set up privately if you need that and not go through a dealership. I've heard good things about Carmax. It helps to have a couple of models and styles in mind and have researched good years and used prices, that way you'll know if you spot a good deal or not. Good luck. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancora_Imparo Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 we totaled our only car last January (gotta love that 100 inches of snow). We rented a car for a week and I test drove a lot of cars, cars I thought I wouldn't like, cars I knew I would like, but I wanted to get a feel for what was out there. When asked if I was trading in a car, I always replied that we were adding to the collection (technically not lying and I didn't want them to know we were car-less and in need of one asap). Always work with the price of the car, not the monthly payment. Carbuyingtips.com has a lot of good advice for figuring out what is a reasonable price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 There's always Consumer Reports. We look at their recommendations. Yeah, don't finance or get extended warranties through the dealer! Mini-vans are still good. I have a Toyota Sienna and I LOVE it! We got it on a wonderful sale in 1998, and I have NEVER regretted it! The vans are bigger (more storage space) and have more gizmos, but I love my Sienna! The gas mileage is very good, it's sturdy, it DOESN'T have transmission and other problems that American made vehicles tend to have. We have over 100,000 miles on it now, and it's still going strong! Our friends had a Durango and LOVED it! It was a very comfortable ride. BUT, it gets HORRIBLE gas mileage, and they had to get rid of it when the gas prices went up! Just something to think about. Honda vans are another sturdy, long-lasting choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 There's always Consumer Reports. We look at their recommendations. :iagree: You can at least get an idea of what vehicles tend to be more reliable, and what sort of problems they do have, even if you end up getting an older model. Yeah, don't finance or get extended warranties through the dealer! We do usually finance through the dealer, but we don't get the extended warranty, for two reasons: 1) we try to buy a more reliable vehicle in the first place, and 2) when I was single I bought an extended warranty. It cost $800, but they said I could get my money back at the end of the warranty period (if I request it within 30 days) if I did not use the warranty. This was a major selling point for me. I did not use the warranty--didn't need it--but when I looked at the paperwork, it turns out that I could only get my money back if I had maintained my vehicle according to their requirements, which they listed (like oil changes, tire rotation, etc), and kept all the receipts. Of course I hadn't done this! That's what I get for not reading everything right up front. Honda vans are another sturdy, long-lasting choice. We have a Honda Odyssey, which we've leased. We will probably buy it when our lease is up, since we would save several thousand compared to turning it back in and then buying an identical (or the same) Honda Odyssey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 My car got totalled in December. We ended up buying a Nissan Quest from Carmax. It was a very good experience and we love the van. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan P. Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 IN the past I would have said to get a Ford Windstar. Both years we bought our two Windstars they had the highest safety ratings of all the minivans. I haven't looked recently, so I don't know which ones are the safest. I do know that my first minivan was impacted by a small sedan at a redlight. Only the door was bent in, but the sedan was totaled! Yet, it seems that shortly after five years we have experienced engine problems (of course this happens when the warranty runs out!). It also doesn't have great gas mileage, but it isn't bad either. We are thinking of downsizing to a car the next time we buy a vehicle. Yet, I hate to give up the van unless we continue to own a small truck. My dd wants to buy a horse, so I'm seeing a small horse trailer in our near future. WE will definitely need to be able to have a vehicle strong enough to pull a trailer with a horse (or two) in it. So think through all the uses you will need of your minivan. My dh also gets his money up front from our credit union before he buys a vehicle. I have seen that having the money in hand gives the buyer more leverage in "making a deal". I'm not a financial type, so I am glad that my dh will "wheel and deal" for me. He is good about getting ready to walk out on a deal when I would probably cave in. Actually if it were up to me personally, I would buy the thing over the internet without some salesman hounding me! HTH, Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hillary in KS Posted October 21, 2008 Author Share Posted October 21, 2008 Thank you so much for your advice! I'll check out the websites listed tonight after the dc are in bed. Can I check Conumer Reports ratings if I'm not a subscriber? After yesterday, the biggest thing I want in a car is that it would be safe! I'm more than a little miffed that all it took was a motorbike in a slow speed crash to put my van out of comission. :glare: Thank you for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susie in tx Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I have a Toyota Sienna and I LOVE it! We got it on a wonderful sale in 1998, and I have NEVER regretted it! The vans are bigger (more storage space) and have more gizmos, but I love my Sienna! The gas mileage is very good, it's sturdy, it DOESN'T have transmission We have a 2000 Sienna and we love it, too. It has 195K on it for miles. I just had the valve cover gaskets replaced and a new battery/alternator put in. My car guy told me that it should go another 50 - 80K. I sure hope so. With the new baby, we'll have filled all the seats, but that's ok. I'm still getting 20 or 21 mpg, too. I don't think there are any minivans out there doing that new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Can I check Conumer Reports ratings if I'm not a subscriber? Not for the cars, unless you buy a membership. I think you can buy one for a month. I go to the library to read them. That's free! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted October 22, 2008 Share Posted October 22, 2008 You can go to edmunds.com/carreviews.html to read vehicle reviews. You can also check out the "true cost to own", which includes estimates of repairs as well as the selling cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.